Political signs urging voters to “Re-Elect Mayor Chris Ford” are popping up around South Burlington, raising several questions — beginning with the fact that South Burlington doesn’t have a mayor.
The puzzle surfaced on the Facebook page of Sen. Tom Chittenden, a SoBu resident.
The city operates under a City Council-city manager form of government, so there is no mayoral office to which Chris Ford — whoever Chris Ford may be — could be re-elected.
There’s also a slight scheduling problem. Vermont municipal elections are held on Town Meeting Day in March, not alongside the November general election.
And the signs reportedly lack the usual “paid for by” identification explaining who is behind them.
That leaves perhaps the biggest question: Who the heck is Chris Ford?
Maybe it’s an inside joke. Maybe it’s performance art. Maybe South Burlington has acquired a mayor without telling City Hall.
Whatever the explanation, the campaign appears to face at least one major hurdle: the office its candidate is seeking does not exist.
Anyone who knows the story behind the signs is invited to fill us in. Theories include a Williston school guidance counselor who lives in South Burlington and an Ontario Premier with a possible connection to South Burlington Ontario.
I can also make it a little drier and more deadpan, which might make the joke land even better.