Dead man wins mayoral election

Dead men tell no tales, but apparently they can still get votes. Carl Robin Geary Sr. died of a heart attack on March 10 but that didn't stop voters from electing him mayor of Tracy City.

On Tuesday, the late Mr. Geary defeated incumbent Barbara Brock by 268 votes to 85, according to Grundy County Administrator of Elections Donna Basham. "I knew he was deceased. I know that sounds stupid, but we wanted someone other than her," said Chris Rogers, owner of the town's Lunch Box restaurant. "If he were to run again next week I'd vote for him again."



His widow, Susan Geary, said his election "was not a surprise at all to me. The day he passed away, people were calling with condolences and saying, 'We're still voting for him,'" she said.

Ms. Basham said the seat would be declared vacant and the city's four aldermen would select a new mayor. Staff members at the Tennessee Secretary of State's Office said they've never heard of a dead person winning an election.