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Today’s Best & Worst

Published by USC Bedrosian Center on

by Jeremy Loudenback

Best in Governance

Mayor Lucy Lou

Mayor Lucy Lou

The Mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, is not one to let sleeping dogs lie. Mayor Lucy Lou would rather go for a game of fetch or better yet greet visitors to the tiny unincorporated community on the Ohio River close to the Indiana border with an enthusiastic lick.

While other animals have carved out celebrated roles in the inner sanctums of power, seldom has one dog done so much to promote effective leadership at the local level. As top dog, Lucy Lou’s responsibilities include making frequent public appearances at both the local animal shelter and at the Rabbit Hash General Store, a historic local landmark. She also proved to be a natural at connecting with the community through her innovative “Take the Mayor for a Walk” program. As the face of the community, Rabbit Hash’s hizzoner has also spurred economic development efforts by drawing visitors from far and wide.

But Lucy Lou’s greatest feat may be to shatter the canine glass ceiling, becoming the first bitch to serve as mayor after defeating a competitive field that included several dogs, a cat, opossum, mule and one unlucky human. She follows in the pawsteps of former Mayor Junior Cochran, Lucy Lou’s predecessor and mentor who died in office in 2008. Famous for her vigorous tail wagging on the campaign trail, Lucy Lou was able to forge a strong canine-feline coalition thanks to campaign promises for more chew toys across the city and equal access to dog parks for all species.

Worst in Governance

Mayor Stubbs

After 17 years in office, Alaska’s most notorious

Mayor Stubbs

mayor may be finally stepping down, bringing a close to an era marked by the mayor’s flagrant disregard for the office and bumbling antics straight out of a Three Stooges caper. Mayor Stubbs’ checkered past has included being shot, stumbling into a restaurant fryer full of oil, leaping off a moving truck, and being bitten by a local dog , causing some residents to long for accountability and chairs free from cat hair. His administration was among the least effective in the town’s history, due in no small part to the mayor’s penchant for afternoon naps and chasing shiny things, even in the midst of important political meetings and negotiations. Whispers about the mayor’s catnip habit have hounded the Stubbs administration for years , and his Twitter feed seems to have only stoked such speculation and drawn unfavorable comparisons to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.

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