# Questions for mayoral candidates **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 5, 2007, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-mayoral-candidates/421585 "2007-10-05T02:19:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-mayoral-candidates/421585/1 "2007-10-05T02:19:55Z")
I’m going to be interviewing the candidates for mayor in our small town. It’s a print interview, and they are _not_ getting the questions in advance. All candidates will be interviewed separately, and they will all be asked the exact same questions. They won’t know how the other candidates answered until they see the final article in print. The serious questions are easy. I know what the major issues are in town. This newspaper, however, isn’t one of the “serious” papers. I am peppering the interview with offbeat questions designed to catch the candidate off guard, and reveal something interesting about them. I need suggestions. Please make sure any suggestion you throw out can be answered concisely and precisely. I’m not allowing any waffling. If I don’t feel they’ve answered a question, I’m going to ask for a different answer. Some of the “offbeat” ideas I have so far include things like [ul] [li]Are skunks cute indigenous wildlife to preserve, or a scourge to be eliminated?[/li][li]Who’s your favorite Presidential candidate?[/li][li]Do you prefer dogs or cats?[/li][li]Beef or venison?[/li][/ul] (yes, it’s a small rural town in the wilderness) So what should I ask? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-mayoral-candidates/421585/2 "2007-10-05T02:45:25Z")
Ginger or Mary Ann? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-mayoral-candidates/421585/3 "2007-10-05T02:47:58Z")
If you are in a solitary place and you hear this (soft foot taps), how does that make you feel? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-mayoral-candidates/421585/4 "2007-10-05T02:51:10Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Moto] Ginger or Mary Ann? [/QUOTE] Two out of the three candidates are women. That would make a _very_ interesting question! I skipped the “boxers or briefs” question for similar reasons (and because I really, really don’t want to know the answer for one of the candidates). ---
**Author:** ![J\_Cubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@J\_Cubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_Cubed)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-mayoral-candidates/421585/5 "2007-10-05T02:51:21Z")
What is your favorite gun? Have you ever tipped a cow? Bigfoot: real or myth? What is the airspeed of an unladen swallow? Which is more important, justice or law? What is your favorite non-local sports team? Xbox 360, Wii, or Playstation 3? Should Pluto be a planet? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-mayoral-candidates/421585/6 "2007-10-05T02:54:08Z")
Good stuff. I like your gun question better than mine, and number five (justice or law) would be very insightful – especially since one candidate is a lawyer. The last one would be cool just to see if any of them have a clue what the issue is! ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-mayoral-candidates/421585/7 "2007-10-05T19:02:40Z")
What are the ten commandments? Should Dihydrogen Monoxide be removed from our drinking water? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-mayoral-candidates/421585/8 "2007-10-05T20:46:15Z")
[QUOTE=Lakai] What are the ten commandments? [/QUOTE] Hmmm. I’d thought about asking if the ten commandments should be posted in City Hall (or the schools), but I hadn’t thought about seeing if they could actually _name_ all ten of them. Interesting twist! ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-mayoral-candidates/421585/9 "2007-10-05T22:53:13Z")
Opinions are best found in IMHO, not GQ. Moved. **samclem** GQ moderator ---
**Author:** ![Zambini57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/4491bb/32.png) [@Zambini57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zambini57)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-mayoral-candidates/421585/10 "2007-10-05T23:01:38Z")
My opinion is this: If you are interviewing MAYORAL candidates, you shouldn’t worry because no one is going to read it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-mayoral-candidates/421585/11 "2007-10-05T23:37:01Z")
[QUOTE=Zambini57] If you are interviewing MAYORAL candidates, you shouldn’t worry because no one is going to read it anyway. [/QUOTE] Oh, you don’t know this town (or this newspaper). People are talking a lot more about prospective mayors right now than they are about prospective presidents. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-mayoral-candidates/421585/12 "2007-10-06T04:06:47Z")
[QUOTE=InvisibleWombat] Hmmm. I’d thought about asking if the ten commandments should be posted in City Hall (or the schools), but I hadn’t thought about seeing if they could actually _name_ all ten of them. Interesting twist! [/QUOTE] I’d love to take credit for that question, but you did see this [video](http://thatvideosite.com/video/2679), right? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-mayoral-candidates/421585/13 "2007-10-06T05:00:22Z")
When did you stop beating your spouse? Who would win in a cage match: Big Foot or the Abominable Snowman? What would you do to prevent Britney Spears or Paris Hilton from moving to town? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-mayoral-candidates/421585/14 "2007-10-06T21:58:22Z")
[QUOTE=Lakai] I’d love to take credit for that question, but you did see this [video](http://thatvideosite.com/video/2679), right? [/QUOTE] No, I hadn’t seen it. That’s great! I love it! [QUOTE=Boyo Jim] What would you do to prevent Britney Spears or Paris Hilton from moving to town? [/QUOTE] Perfect! Many heads are, indeed, better than one. Keep 'em coming, please! ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2007, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-mayoral-candidates/421585/15 "2007-10-07T05:14:32Z")
Ask them how they feel about having sexual affairs with TV reporters who do stories about them. If we here in Los Angeles had asked our mayor that before the election…