RABBIT HASH, Ky. — There’s a new top dog in Rabbit Hash.
A 6-month-old French bulldog named Wilbur Beast won his race for mayor on Tuesday after garnering a record-breaking 13,143 votes, the highest winning total ever for Mayor of Rabbit Hash, according to the Rabbit Hash Historical Society.
The race also saw unprecedented voter turnout with 22,985 votes cast.
Wilbur overcame his four-legged opponents Jack Rabbit, the beagle, and Poppy, the golden retriever, who came in second and third place, respectively. They will now serve as Rabbit Hash Ambassadors alongside Lady Stone, the border collie, who retains her position.
Besides deciding which furry friend will hold public office, Rabbit Hash's mayoral election also serves as a fundraiser for the historical society, where one dollar equals one vote. Wilbur will be the town’s fifth mayor, roughly twenty years after the inaugural election when Goofy Borneman, born of unknown parentage, became the first canine candidate in 1998.
“Dogs had always been a part of this town… and everyone said they basically run the town anyway,” said Amy Noland, Wilbur’s campaign manager/human.
Wilbur overcame a packed field this election with 16 opponents, including a rooster and a donkey. He even beat incumbent Brynneth Pawltro, the American pit bull terrier, who has yet to deliver her concession speech.
Noland decided to take on Wilbur’s campaign with the hope of making people smile. She called the experience “humbling.”
“It touched me because there’s so much negative media and negative things, and just negativity in general in the world, and especially in this country, and then COVID-19,” Noland said. “I just thought everyone would smile if they saw a picture of a cute, smushy face dog.”
Her decision to help the frenchie enter the 'ruff' world of politics wasn't made on a whim. Noland was inspired by Goofy's historic win decades ago.
“I was actually living in North Carolina, and I heard on the news that there was a dog elected, that was in 1998, and I said, ‘one day, I want to have a dog that’s sweet enough and cute enough to be elected for mayor,’” Noland said, who also has two other dogs and a three-legged cat. “When I got Wilbur, I just said we were gonna go for it.”
Wilbur will serve as mayor for four years, or roughly 28 dog years, and as for his message to the people of Rabbit Hash? Positivity.
“His campaign slogan was ‘He’s All Ears,’ which means he wants to listen to, he’s going to listen to the world and try and just bring positivity, that’s kind of his whole entire message,” Noland said.
So far, it's safe to say Wilbur is pretty pup-ular.
"I think he's great," said Beverly Knecht, an Indiana resident who crossed the river to meet Wilbur. "I think animals have more sense than people."
The money raised from the election goes toward upkeep for the historical buildings that make up the town. The Rabbit Hash Historic District, located in Northern Kentucky, joined the National Register of Historic Places in December of 2003. The Rabbit Hash General Store had been on the registry since 1989.
Haeli Spears is a digital producer with Spectrum News 1 KY. She is a recent graduate of the University of Louisville and joined the staff in May, 2020.