Los Angeles just served up a contested finish for the ages — reality star Spencer Pratt led on election night, only to watch his lead evaporate as the mail-in ballots were tallied, bumping him out of the November runoff (he cried foul on the way out). It sent us digging for the weirdest mayoral races in history — and the weirdest don't even involve humans. One small Kentucky town keeps electing mayors who all share one trait. What is it? They're all children under 12 They're all dogs They're all twins They're all named Smith None Speaking of animal officials, one Alaska town had the same honorary mayor for two decades — and he never gave a single speech. What kind of mayor was he? A moose A cat A bald eagle A goat None In 1947, Boston's mayor faced a problem most politicians never have to manage: how do you run a major American city while you're physically locked in a federal prison? How did James Michael Curley handle it? He resigned immediately He kept the job and ran the city from his cell while a deputy filled in He was secretly let out each morning He governed by carrier pigeon None Washington, D.C.'s Marion Barry pulled off one of the great comebacks in American politics. In 1990, the sitting mayor was arrested in an FBI sting and served time. What did D.C. voters do a few years later? Ran him out of town Elected him mayor again Passed a law banning him from office Renamed a street after his arrest None Some mayoral races are so close they can't be settled by votes at all. When an election ends in a perfect tie, what do many American towns legally do to pick the winner? Hold a new election the next day Flip a coin or draw a name Let the older candidate win The governor decides None Stumper. In 2009, the small town of Winfield, Missouri re-elected its mayor, Harry Stonebraker, with a landslide 90 percent of the vote. What was unusual about the winner? He had died a month before the election He was only 18 years old He didn't know he was running He lived in a different state None Time's up
