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Dianne Hardistry: Dog of a candidate has real voter appeal

by DIANNE HARDISTY, Editorial page editor
dhardisty@bakersfield.com | Friday, Aug 15 2008 9:01 AM

Last Updated: Friday, Aug 15 2008 9:08 AM

Kathy Eddy checked in with an e-mail from Fairhope, Ala., a few days ago. Kathy used to be Kern County's public affairs officer. Before that, she worked at the airport and before that she was on former 2nd District Supervisor Ben Austin's staff.

Kathy and I slogged through a lot of political wars together. A couple of years ago, she moved to Fairhope (the Carmel of the South in Mobile Bay) when her husband, Howard Eddy, a Kern County district attorney's investigator, retired.

Kathy thought she had put politics and politicians behind her when she became executive director of the Baldwin Animal Rescue Center, a no-kill organization that rescues abused and abandoned pets.

But to her surprise, she's now up to her earlobes in the Fairhope mayor's race, backing a real dog of candidate. (True, that can describe candidates in any race.)

Kathy's candidate, Willie Bean, jumped into the race this summer when Tress Turner, the owner of the Coffee Loft, got into a beef with another candidate over the billboard he erected near her business.

Turner asked the guy to take it down because it erroneously implied the Coffee Loft's endorsement. The candidate — one of seven in a race that will be decided Aug. 26 — refused.

After tiring of razzing Turner about the billboard, her customers cooked up a plan. It leaped out at them from the espresso machine, where Turner posted a photo of her yawning 7-year-old Labrador retriever. They decided to run the old yeller dog for mayor.

Willie Bean's campaign has taken off — yard signs boast "Willie Bean does his business here" and T-shirts promote the candidate.

This is where Kathy comes in. She's selling votes. It's not a sleazy as it sounds. Folks "vote" for Willie Bean by donating a dollar that's split between the rescue center and Fairhope's dog park.

At last, someone found a good use for a political campaign. And the stunt has attracted worldwide attention, including mention on "The Late Night with David Letterman Show," talk radio and in news stories. The New York Post listed it under "Weird But True." And e-mails are pouring in.

The other candidates in the race are taking it good-naturedly. Asked if he would be voting for Willie Bean, one told the local newspaper, "I don't think having twice as many legs is much of a platform. I wish Willie well and I think he's more qualified than some of the people on the ballot and better tempered."

I was so inspired by Willie Bean's candidacy that I called Sandy Brockman, Kern County's election chief.

So, Sandy, could a dog run for election in Kern County?

There have been some dogs run for office here, but no canines, she responded. How would they take the oath? Arf, arf? Sandy concluded such a candidacy just wasn't paw-sable.

Even if Willie Bean "wins" the Fairhope election, you won't see him and the misses moving their bowls into the executive mansion. He blew the filing deadline.

E-mail Dianne Hardisty at dhardisty@bakersfield.com.