Story Archive

Harebrained Proposal

Dave Gautreau, a candidate for mayor of Phoenixville, Pa., was asked at a town meeting what his plans were for drug enforcement in the borough, with a population of not quite 17,000. He replied he would have the police department deploy drug-sniffing bunnies. Yes, really: rabbits — they’re much cheaper to maintain than trained dogs. “I was dead serious,” Gautreau said later. “I would not make a joke about a rabbit if I did not believe it to be true.” He had seen a photo of a cop with a “police rabbit” on a leash — on the Internet, of course — and thought the obviously Photoshopped image was real. It was posted by the Amherst, N.Y., Police Department on their Facebook page — on April 1, 2016 — which fact was pointed out by multiple voters who took 5 seconds to search online before buying the idea. Gautreau deleted his Facebook page to stop the posts ridiculing him. Gautreau, a Republican, plays on his own name in his campaign. His slogan: “Vote for Goat”. (RC/Philadelphia Inquirer) ...Gautreau: got the goat in October. Voters: not taking the Goat in November.