Ask yourself… When you wake up in the morning and sit down to read your local paper, are these the stories you want to hear about your public officials?

According to 5 Eye Witness News, Mayor John Brady of Mankato, Minn. is facing charges after leading the police on a highway chase resulting in a crash followed by Brady fleeing the accident.


The night of the crash, reports of a vehicle driving erratically alerted police to Interstate 35. Golden Valley Police Chief Stacy Altonen said there were a number of cars at a stoplight at the top of a ramp, and the Mayor’s car rear-ended one of them and kept on going.  

Altonen said the car was finally pulled over a few blocks from the crash and Brady was given a breathalyzer test. Brady was arrested for the alleged hit and run, DWI and possession of an open container in the vehicle.

Brady apologized through his attorney for the “inconvenience that this may cause his professional responsibilities”.  

The City Attorney for Golden Valley is reviewing the case.

The next case of a drunken Mayor comes from Jasper, Texas.

Mayor Mike Lout was found strolling down the street shirtless after getting his car stuck at a nearby Sonic. According to Houston Press Blogs and the Beaumont Enterprise, Lout was arrested for public intoxication that he blamed on a recent foot injury.

The police report said, “Mr. Lout stated the doctors gave him pain medication but it caused him to see things that were not there”.

Lout refused to blow into the breathalyzer, but did admit to drinking hard liquor before the accident.

Lout was not charged with a DWI because no one had witnessed him behind the wheel.

Life in local government can certainly get difficult at times. However, when you think times are rough in your area … well, “It Could Be Worse.”

“It Could Be Worse” focuses on a range of embarrassing stories out there, dedicated to some of the more interesting happenings with those involved in local government across the country. For more, click here.