Philly.com – by Stephanie Farr
When asked about drugs at a Phoenixville mayoral forum, Republican nominee Dave Gautreau proposed that, if elected, he would look into getting drug-sniffing bunnies for the borough police department.
Though it seems like a harebrained idea, Gautreau was as serious as the killer rabbit of Caerbannog.
“I was dead-serious,” he said of the idea he presented at the Thursday forum. “I would not make a joke about a rabbit if I did not believe it to be true.”
Residents wary of the proposal did what the candidate did not do: They hopped on the internet.
A quick search clearly reveals the joke. The fuzz at the police department in Amherst, N.Y., proposed narcotics rabbits on their Facebook page as an April Fool’s joke in 2016 and a satire page called People of Lancaster posted a fake article about Lancaster police getting drug-sniffing bunnies in March 2016.
Gautreau — whose slogan is “Vote for Goat” and whose website prominently features a cartoon goat — said he was at a party last winter and talked about possibly entering the mayoral race. He mentioned that he’d like to get the borough K-9 officers to combat a drug problem he sees in the area, but the dogs would be a big expense.
Someone at the gathering told him Lancaster police were using drug-sniffing rabbits, which were much cheaper.
Gautreau said he called Lancaster shortly thereafter — though he couldn’t recall whether he phoned the police department or the city offices — and a woman, whose name he does not recall, confirmed to him that Lancaster used narco bunnies.
The woman “sounded convincing,” he said. “I should have googled it then, but I didn’t.”
Lancaster City Police Lt. Bill Hickey said it’s unlikely anyone in his department confirmed the employment of narcotics bunnies.
“I can assure you we do not use any type of rabbits in our law enforcement activities, nor do we have plans to,” Hickey said.
Perhaps Gautreau should have run the idea by his Chester County sheriff, Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh.
Phoenixville residents’ reactions to Gautreau’s misguided proposal ranged from amused to angry.
“I’m really hoping this gets him laughed right off the ballot,” local banjo player Tom Dieffenbach wrote on Facebook. “I found some compelling articles in Mad magazine that I’m gonna send his way.”
Borough resident Justin Sands wrote on Facebook: “I guess you could say today is the day that Dave’s campaign sunk and went Watership Down … Amririte?!”
And Phoenixville resident Mike Burns noted that being mayor is a “great responsibility” that includes overseeing the police department. “If something as eyebrow-raising as “drug rabbits” isn’t enough to warrant a simple Google search, what type of effort will he put into deciding less preposterous initiatives?” he wrote on Facebook.
Gautreau’s Facebook candidate page, where he posted a mea culpa Friday, appears to have been taken down. The same mea culpa post appeared on his personal page Friday but has since been removed.
When he responded to this reporter’s request for comment on Friday, Gautreau was willing to own up to his mistake.
“Obviously, in the world of politics, you can see how fast things can go south for you,” he said.
“STUPIDITY, THE NEW HALLMARK OF OUR ILLUSTRIOUS POLITICAL CLASS”..
“KOYOTE MARQ”
This can have Velveteen repercussions. Seems Roger Rabbit has called a meeting with Thumper and Peter Rabbit. A committee was formed with none other than (and taken out of retirement) Bugs Bunny, the only hare who could get the job done correctly. The honorary guest was Harvey. All thought he would not have much to show, but surprised with materializing a plan to assist Bugs: They’d supply every American National with a certified and enlarged clone of The Energizer Bunny, giving each renewed energy to pursue all reigning politicians and immediately assign them to The Briar Patch. Everyone knows who resides there, the one and only Br’er Rabbit, cunning and sharp, and ready to make any mission a success. Bugs called to his side, the loyal and constant Easter Bunny and put him in charge of the food supply. All set out with deep determinism, knowing there was only one other who could guarantee the accomplishment of their endeavors, one both elusive and of an other worldly intelligence. And Bugs knew, that to fully protect his men, The White Rabbit must first be found for there was no doubt that Fudd, Elmer was lurking about, set on sabotaging the mission. The White Rabbit would be the best defense against this and would, of course provide all necessary substances for taking the high road. Off they marched, each holding in his heart the mantra of the mission: POLITICIANS BEWARE!!
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