Wimp Voted Mayor of Obi
Most residents unaware of election day
Lynford "Wimp" Swetland was elected mayor of Obi on November 4th, 2003 - the first such election ever held in the tiny
hamlet located in Allegany County. Voter turn-out was quite low, as only a total of three votes were tallied
for the historic occasion.
Apparently, most of Obi's 26 registered voters were unaware of the special election day because very few residents
were notified of the event. As a result, only Swetland, his wife Esther, and Delbert Maxson, librarian for the
town of Little Genesee cast their decisions.
Wimpy had called for the election back in April after discovering an old, obscure law while visiting the Little Genesee
Township Library. According to the 1867 statute, any resident adult who has lived in the township for more than one
year can create a public position and call for an election, just as long as the act is officially registered with the town
librarian and posted on the wall behind the librarian's desk.
"People don't know about this *&%$# stuff," exclaimed a jubilant Wimpy after the victory. "But they should.
I paid the $35 to get the ball rolling...once I learned about what the law has to say. Delbert put up the *&%$#
election day notice a long time ago. I guess not too many people go to the library."
Maxson later told the Panther Profile that Wimp has been the only person to visit the library in the
past 16 months. "He's only been in three or four times himself," claimed the 93-year-old librarian. "Always in
some hunting outfit," he added in reference to the long-time staff member of Big Jim Hawbaker's Hunting Lodge -
Obi's only employer.
Swetland plans to use his new position to make some big changes in the area.
"We're puttin in a new *&%$# bridge across the Dodge, for sure," declared Wimp right after the election. "I
also want to put some Deer Crossing signs up on 305, and No Doe Hunting signs &*%$ everywhere."
