You read that right.
A twenty pound carp that was pulled out of a pond in Ann Arbor's West park last November is making a run for city council.
The carp was initially removed from the pond because it was destroying the ecosystem.
Ann Arbor Natural Area Preservation workers relocated it to the Huron River, where it is now running a write-in campaign for Ann Arbor City Council.
The carp has not yet responded to our interview requests, but it has engaged with other media outlets and even some current Ann Arbor City Council members on Twitter. (I suspect the carp has hired a social media director -- tweeting with fins seems difficult.)
The carp says the campaign is going well, and even has yard signs posted around town.
Even now political operative are fanning out across the 4th Ward and planting signs--signs of political change, yo. pic.twitter.com/qaC3Gxlnbw
— Twenty Pound Carp (@TwentyPoundCarp) October 28, 2013
The carp says it's concerned with public accessibility, business development, and Ann Arbor's relationship with the University of Michigan.
@ryanjstanton third, secure our municipal borders against the increasingly belligerent incursions of shock troops of a certain university.
— Twenty Pound Carp (@TwentyPoundCarp) October 30, 2013
And it threatens legal action if the council doesn't make proper accommodations (i.e., a tank) should it be elected.
@damnarbor if accommodation cannot be made for my special needs, the ACLU was just getting limbered up over those bus ads.
— Twenty Pound Carp (@TwentyPoundCarp) November 1, 2013
But the Ann Arbor City Council shouldn't be too afraid of a lawsuit -- the carp's lawyer is a duck.
@ryanjstanton (counsel is a duck who won't shut up about "the mystic chords of memory" which on occasion gives me pause, but he's pro bono.)
— Twenty Pound Carp (@TwentyPoundCarp) October 30, 2013
We'll be watching the carp's campaign closely. Let us know if you hear from it.
And Mr. Carp? Feel free to drop us a line.
-Sarah Kerson, Michigan Radio Newsroom
