IN a divided America where politics seems increasingly to get people’s goat, a small town in Vermont has taken the concept to heart — last week electing one as mayor.

He may be a political novice but the goat’s name, Lincoln, brings with it a storied pedigree.

And the leading human official in Fair Haven, with a population of about 2,500, hopes the long-eared, 3-year-old animal’s election can serve as a bit of a lesson in democracy.

In last Tuesday’s poll, Lincoln was victorious over 15 other candidates including Crystal the gerbil and many dogs and cats.

The goat, which belongs to a school math teacher, will get an education in the town’s major festivals, which it will represent during its one-year mandate: Memorial Day parade, the Apple Fest and the events organized every Friday in the summer.(SD-Agencies)

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