The world’s weirdest (best?) mayors
Rob Ford, doing his thing.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's erratic behavior and substance abuse continues to surface on a near-daily bais, and so the world is once again enthralled by the follies and foibles of our local leaders.
While some have proven to be outright criminals, others are just plain amusing.
GlobalPost looked into some the world's strangest mayors, both past and present. Here's what we found.
1) Mayor Jon Gnarr, Reykjavik
(Aleksandar Radulovic/Flickr)
He's a comedian, a punk rock artist, an actor, an author, a dyslexic, and a jedi knight. And he's a mayor.
2) Mayor Radu Mazare, Constanta
(Flickr)
The hard-partying and very rich mayor of the Romanian town of Constanta goose-stepped around with his son in Nazi uniforms during a fashion show in 2009, despite the outfits being illegal in Romania. He later apologized, saying they were paying homage to Claus von Stauffenberg, a German officer who tried to kill Hitler.
3) Mayor Harry Baals, formerly of Fort Wayne
There wasn't anything particulary remarkable about this former mayor of an Indiana town except for his unforgettable name, which caused controversy after local officials planned to name a civic building after him.
4) Mayor Giulio Cesare Fava, Falciano dal Massico, Italy, and Mayor Gerard Lalanne, Sarpourenx, France
(Jean-christophe Bruneau/Flickr)
Both mayors were masters at public policy problem solving. When local cemeteries were filled to the brim, both issued decrees in their towns forbidding people from dying.
5) Mayor Wang Jun, Ningguo, China
(YouTube)
In what may be the worst Photoshop disaster for a politician ever, Wang Jun's (center) attempt to look like he cared about the elderly failed miserably when he tried to sumperimpose a tiny, elderly lady into the corner of a generic photo of the deputy mayor and some other polticians. It caused the appropriate amount controversy, and a lot of embarrassment.
6) Mayor Stubbs, Talkeetna, Alaska
(YouTube)
This popular feline mayor has warmyl served Talkeetna since 1997. He recently survived an assassination attempt by a local dog, who may have been unhappy about the mayor's policy toward canines.
7) Mayor Bobby Tufts, Dorset, Minnesota
As we all know, sometimes politicians act like children. Other times, they are children. This 4-year-old has already served two terms as mayor of a small Minnesota town. He likes to fish.