Kentucky community elects a French bulldog named Wilbur as its mayor

All of the votes have been counted, and the newest mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, is Wilbur, a six-month-old French bulldog who ran on a platform of ear rubs and treats for all.

Rabbit Hash doesn't have a human mayor, and in the late 1990s, a resident thought it would be fun to elect an animal to the position as a way to raise money for the Rabbit Hash Historical Society. People pay $1 to vote, and this year, $22,985 was raised.

The first four-legged mayor was a dog named Goofy, and since then, five more canines have held the coveted role, with Brynneth Pawltro serving from 2016 to 2020. Wilbur's owner, Amy Noland, told Today she threw his collar into the ring because with COVID-19 and the presidential election on everyone's minds, "I wanted Wilbur to be something positive in the news."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

So far, he's enjoying life as an elected official, Noland said, as he's been giving interviews and receiving "a lot of belly scratches." Catherine Garcia

YouTube

Watch On