A 3-year-old Nubian goat named Lincoln has been elected mayor of Fair Haven, as first reported by the Rutland Herald. Lincoln will spend the one-year term making public appearances. She could not be reached for comment.

The goat won a special election, defeating a dog named Sammie by only three votes: 13 to 10.

Fair Haven does not have a human mayor.

The election was Town Manager Joe Gunter's idea.

"Originally we did it as a fundraiser to replace the playground behind the school, but it really turned into a small civic lesson for the children. 'Come out and vote. Get involved in the town,'" Gunter said.

He added that it would not have been possible without teacher Wayne “Skip” Cooke, the students and the school who put "the boots on the ground to make it happen."

Gunter worried that people would think the election was strange. "I'm relatively new, and I thought people would just think I was a silly flatlander."

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But, the feedback has been strong. "It really took off! Some people wish they'd seen it earlier, so they could've entered their pets."

Luckily for those people, Gunter said, "It's only a one-year term."

Contact Evan Weiss at 802-660-1854 or eweiss@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @eaweiss.