Dead man elected mayor, to beat out incumbent, after dying of a heart attack prior to voting.

Tracy, Tennessee April 16th 2010

Dead man elected mayor - it really happened in Tracy, Tennessee. Carl Robin Geary died suddenly a few weeks ago. However, he received 268 votes on Tuesday's election. He beat out incumbent Barbara Brock in the two-candidate race.

Geary's death was widely reported by the media. He still won a landslide victory even though he died. The city council will have to appoint a mayor to serve a four-year term.

Candidate Died On March 10

He was a local man known for straight-talk. The candidate was always wearing overalls. He suddenly died of a heart attack on March 10.

"If he were to run again next week I'd vote for him again," Chris Rogers, owner of the town's Lunch Box restaurant, said in a statement. "I knew he was deceased. I know that sounds stupid, but we wanted someone other than her."

He was referring to Barbara Brock, who was appointed in 2008. The previous mayor also died of a heart attack. She wants to beautify the town of 1,652 people.

Just The Good Old Boys

Brock feels she's been defeated by a bunch of "good old boys." She says they didn't like the changes, she made to the town. When asked how she felt about losing to someone who died, Brock said "I'll live."