A Vermont town's new mayor is the actual GOAT

A 3-year-old Nubian goat named Lincoln has been elected mayor of the Vermont town 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.

"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,'" Town Manager Joe 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 flat-lander."

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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."

Fair Haven, located along the state's border with New York, has a population of about 2,500.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: A Vermont town's new mayor is the actual GOAT