Italian man becomes mayor by accident
The new mayor has said he will focus on improving tourism to the town
The new mayor of a mountain town in northern Italy has been voted in almost completely by accident.
Fabio Borsatti, 50, stood in Cimolais as a last-minute favour to the only candidate, worried not enough people would vote if he stood unopposed.
But, despite even Mr Borsatti's own family voting for his rival, the unlikely candidate won the poll.
He only realised he had become mayor when people telephoned him, as he was watching football, to congratulate him.
"I find myself a mayor who didn't want to be a mayor," Mr Borsatti said.
"I wanted Gino [Bertolo] to win. Even my relatives voted for him.
"My daughter, my sister, my father and my mother - they all voted for him."
But in the poll, Mr Borsatti obtained 160 votes - securing almost 58% of the vote - compared with just 117 votes for his good friend, Mr Bertolo.
Mr Borsatti has said he has no plans to resign and intends to carry out his duties for the 507 people who make up the population of Cimolais, in Friuli Venezia-Giulia.
Though he had not given much thought to a political platform before the vote, now he is in office he has said that he will focus on promoting tourism to the area.
His friend, a former mayor of Cimolais, has said it was an honour to take part in the vote.
"I wasn't upset... Something apparently unusual happened but it is nothing to joke about," Mr Bertolo said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18026218
The accidental mayor
The accidental mayor
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: The accidental mayor
Pittsburgh also has an "accidental" mayor.
Several years ago the Pittsburgh City Council was locked in a battle between two competing factions, both of whom were pushing their nominees for Council President, but neither had a majority to win it. A first-term Councilman named Luke Ravenstal asked to be elected, promising to deal evenhandedly with the two factions, until one of them could develop a majority. He seemed harmless enough, and there was no other apparent solution to the gridlock, so they elected him President.
Shortly thereafter the Mayor died, unexpectedly, and Luke was automatically elevated to the Mayor's office.
Since then, he has shored up his support through appointments of politically powerful friends to department head and commission positions, and he appears to be "Mayor for Life," which is the norm in Pittsburgh.
Several years ago the Pittsburgh City Council was locked in a battle between two competing factions, both of whom were pushing their nominees for Council President, but neither had a majority to win it. A first-term Councilman named Luke Ravenstal asked to be elected, promising to deal evenhandedly with the two factions, until one of them could develop a majority. He seemed harmless enough, and there was no other apparent solution to the gridlock, so they elected him President.
Shortly thereafter the Mayor died, unexpectedly, and Luke was automatically elevated to the Mayor's office.
Since then, he has shored up his support through appointments of politically powerful friends to department head and commission positions, and he appears to be "Mayor for Life," which is the norm in Pittsburgh.