Eli The Pig Hogging Attention As Hurst Election Nears

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Eli The Pig Hogging Attention
As Hurst Election Nears

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Eli The Pig Hogging Attention As Hurst Election Nears

Star Telegram
April 22, 2001

Hurst - Eli the pig, his back coated with black, wiry hair, pushes popcorn around with his fist-size snout. He slurps Dr Pepper from a dog bowl, then falls with a grunt on his immense side to sun.

He doesn't know or care, that he is making pig history.

On May 5, Hurst voters will decide whether the Vietnamese potbellied pig, all 175 pounds of him, can stay at home with owner Cynthia Wynne.

Eli is consider livestock. Wynne wants voters to declare him a pet.

"As long as he can eat, sleep and sun his self, he doesn't care what happens in politics," said Wynne, who circulated a petition to get a pig measure on the ballot. "It matters to us, though. We love him. He is part of our family."

Eli will not go down in history as one of the nation's great politicians, but he appears to be breaking ground as the first pig to spark an election, at least in Texas. He is also generating a huge increase in pig jokes in Northeast Tarrant County. After all, politics and humor go together like, well, bacon and eggs.

Example: Pork-barrel politics reach a new low in Hurst.

"There is a great deal of humor in Texas politics, mostly centered in the Texas Legislature," said Etta Hulme, cartoonist for the Star-Telegram. "Politicians are funny because everything is exaggerated. In their own minds, everything is black and white, but everyone else sees it differently.

"Eli caught my eye because it was so amusing," said Hulme, who dedicated a cartoon to the pig.

Not everyone thinks that the pig is funny.

Roberta Womack, who reported Eli to the city, opposes easing pig restrictions. She formed the political action committee Hurst is for people, not Hogs!!

"I just want them to abide by the rules," Womack said. "I don't see any reason we should change the law for a few citizens."

Eli gained political prominence because Texas is an initiative state, meaning that people can petition to get any topic on a ballot. Wynne collected more than 600 signatures to put a proposed change in the Hurst animal control ordinance up for a vote.

The 1990 animal control ordinance classifies potbellied pigs as livestock and bans them from lots smaller than an acre, such as the Wynnes'.

Residents can vote on whether potbellied pigs should be considered exotic pets exempt from acreage requirements.

Like his cartoon counter-parts, the pig's fame has spread. Radio stations have taken up the cause. Bars have hung "Save Eli" signs. Eli was the hot topic in March during the national Pet Pig Congress in Reading, PA. The organization advocates responsible pet pig ownership.

Wynne "has a lot of people out there rooting for her," said Mary Ann Miller, who attended the conference. "It was all people could talk about. The way he [Eli] and his people are handling this is inspirational."

Some people have suggested that Eli run for office, perhaps state agriculture commissioner. He would not e be the first nontraditional candidate to appear on a ballot.

Jesse Ventura, of World Wrestling Federation distinction, is governor of Minnesota. Will Rogers, Jesse James and other famous names often appear on ballots nationwide. For years, Mickey Mouse, Elvis Presley and Santa Claus have racked up votes as write-in-candidates.

"Many people have been elected when people didn't know anything about them, but their name," said Allen Saxe, whose book about Arlington politics, Politics of a Texas City, is due out in August.

"When it is two people who are unknown, the famous name resonates in our minds," he said.

But a famous name does not guarantee success. Democrat Gene Kelly could not dance his way around Sen. Kay Balley Hutchison in the past U.S. Senate race.

Libertarian Buster Crabb, who never played Flash Gordon, was unable to get elected to the Texas Railroad Commission in 1994.

Now comes Eli, the most famous pig since Babe whet to the city.

Despite his portly appearance, Eli is expected to be the strongest voter attraction, Councilman Richard Ward said.

The election includes two contested council races.

"I think Eli will be a major issue in this election. I think people will come out and vote," said Ward, who took his grandchildren to visit Eli. "I think people really care about Eli and care about Ms. Wynne keeping her pet."

Plus, a little jocularity helps boost voter turnout, Saxe said.

"If people could have a little more fun with the ballot without making it a farce, I think more would come out," he said. "It might stimulate some voter interest."

By Ellena Fortner
efortner@star-telegram.com