The Mayor Runs for Re-Election

"Well he must know what he's talking about, I don't understand a word he's saying!"

— Midge Smoot, after Richhouse's speech.

The Mayor Runs for Re-Election is the twenty-third episode of the third season.

Plot

Municipal elections are underway in the town of Shining Time where current mayor Osgood Bob Flopdinger is seeking another term. Inside the station, Kara and Becky watch as Midge Smoot leaves in a huff after unsuccessfully trying to persuade Stacy to vote for Flopdinger regardless of his election platform. Mr. Conductor appears as Becky asks Stacy if Midge is not longer welcome at the station because of their argument. Stacy maintains that they are still friends despite disagreeing about the mayor, with both agreeing that voting is important. Mr. Conductor wishes that he knew more about the mayor's mysterious opponent, with Stacy noting that she's seen his photo and that he seems very familiar. Becky feels that they should vote for the mayor because he's always been nice to them. Although agreeing that he's a nice and honest man, Stacy feels that he's making a big mistake by not talking about the town's issues or listening to people's complaints. Mr. Conductor adds that it's hard to admit making a mistake, which leads him to tell the story about what James the Red Engine learned from his experience with the coaches.

James is settling into his new life nicely. Sir Topham Hatt tells James that he is a mixed-traffic engine, so he can take coaches or freight cars easily but must learn from his mistakes. James who had a nasty accident on his first day knew exactly what Sir Topham Hatt meant.

James' first job of the day is to double-head a train of coaches with Edward, who warns him that the coaches don't like being bumped. People have arrived on the platform to admire James, who quickly gets full of himself and let's off steam without warning, causing a shower of water on Sir Topham Hatt's brand new top hat. It is time for the train to leave and James tries to get out as fast as he can which angers Edward and the coaches. This causes trouble at the first station, when James causes two of the coaches to run beyond the platform forcing the train to reverse to let the passengers out. However, it seems that no one knows what happened with Sir Topham Hatt, much to James' relief.

Next James and Edward stop at the station on Thomas' new branch line, where the tank engine greets James before leaving. The train then passes the field where James had crashed. Finally, the journey ends and after unloading the passengers James and Edward head for home, with James as still wondering what Sir Topham Hatt will have to say about his top hat.

The next morning, Sir Topham Hatt visits James in the shed and gives him a severe telling off and warns him that if anything else happens, then James will be punished by being painted blue. James does not like this idea at all.

However, rather than calm James down, this only serves to make him angry and later that day he roughly bumps his coaches, moaning that he has to fetch them. To make matters worse, none of the passengers dare go near him, which makes James even crosser.

James pull the coaches very roughly and tries to run as fast as he can. Eventually the coaches forced James to stop. His driver explains that James' rough treatment has caused a leak in the coaches' pipes. The crew inspects the damage and the conductor's only recommendation is to plug the leak with newspaper and a leather bootlace. However none of the crew have a leather bootlace on them. They ask the passengers and the conductor finds a man with a leather bootlace, who initially refuses to give it up. The conductor explains that without the bootlace, the train can not continue. The other passengers get very angry, both at the man and at the railway. Under pressure, the man finally hands over the bootlace and the damage is temporarily repaired allowing James to finish the journey.

James proceeds on his way with the coaches, knowing that he is going to be in a lot of trouble with Sir Topham Hatt.

Stacy wishes afterwards that the mayor had heard the story so that he'd learn from his mistakes the way James did, which would make her proud.

The sound of screeching car brakes announces Mayor Flopdinger's arrival. He enters the station followed by Indian Valley Gazette reporter Ted Typo. The mayor is about to make a speech but notices there aren't many citizens present, so he recruits Schemer and "future voters" Becky and Kara to be his audience. When the mayor opens his speech with "When I even think of the flag, I get this feeling...," he's interrupted by Ted Typo asking him how he feels about coming in second in the latest poll. The mayor answers that it could be worse; he could be last. Ted points out that there are only two candidates running and therefore he is in last place. Mayor Flopdinger replies that he hadn't thought of that and tells the reporter that he can quote him for saying that.

As everyone leaves, Schemer approaches the mayor to bluntly tell him that he's a loser. The Mayor is upset at the suggestion and asks if that means he'll lose the election. Schemer informs him that he most definitely will lose, which prompts the Mayor to ask why people don't like him. Schemer confides that people don't care for his hair, his clothes, or the way he walks and talks. The mayor's only distracted reply is that he hadn't noticed. Schemer convinces if he wants to win, he'll need a campaign manager to give him a new look and imagine using "Schemer's System of Success." In exchange for his help, he asks the mayor to appoint him 'Secretary of Money' if he wins the election. Because he is desperate to win, the mayor reluctantly agrees. Inside the jukebox, Didi voices her disbelief that Schemer can get the mayor re-elected, while Tito questions the mayor's competence if he chooses to hire Schemer.

Later, Schemer is in full campaign mode as he oversees Kara and Becky organizing campaign hats, buttons, stickers and posters for Mayor Flopdinger. The mayor arrives in a tattered suit complaining that the clothes Schemer had given him to wear are too small and is making him look ridiculous. Schemer pulls out a bottle of hair spray which he applies to the new curl of hair we notice sticking out of the mayor's hat and tells him that he looks much better. Schemer boasts that because people are guaranteed to give him their vote. Schemer then cons a nickel from the mayor to play their new campaign song on the jukebox. Inside the jukebox, Didi complains how she hates how Schemer rewrote the song, but Red and Tex insist that they must play it as "a job's a job" and "a song's a song," with Tito adding that "a nickel's a nickel." The band plays a version of "Hurray for the Railway" with a few modified verses about Mayor Flopdinger and Schemer inserted throughout.

Midge Smoot and Ted Typo arrive and they are amazed by, as Schemer puts it, the new and improved Mayor Flopdinger. Typo asks why the Mayor intends to do about the town's garbage problem. As the Mayor fumbles for an answer, Schemer removes the mayor's hat and points out his new curl as the look of today's politician, a symbol of trustworthiness and decisiveness that says "vote for me." Typo points out voters don't care what he looks like; they'll vote for what he stands for.

Characters

Thomas Stories

Jukebox Band Segment Song

Hurray For The Railway

Trivia

Richard Richhouse resembles the 37th president of the United States Richard Nixon.
Neither Billy nor Dan do not appear in this episode.
"Meet the Kids" may be a play on the NBC political commentary/interview program "Meet the Press"
Richhouse was played by actor Richard Dixon (James Laroe), a Nixon look-alike. The episode originally aired without incident in January 1993 with at least two additional repeats afterwards that did not draw undue attention. By unfortunate coincidence, the episode was rebroadcasted on April 27, 1994, the day of former President Nixon's funeral. According to a Washington Post article filed the following day, an apology was given by PBS after receiving a number of phoned-in complaints.
In the same April 28, 1994 Washington Post article, Co-Creator and Co-Producer Rick Siggelkow provided some additional insight and clarification about the episode. "The intent was not to make fun of him [Mr. Nixon] on the show" and at the episode's conclusion "Richhouse gives us a very strong, positive speech about why it's important to be in public life, to vote and to vote for someone who cares about people. There was no political reason for choosing Nixon. We considered [former New York mayor] Ed Koch because he was tenacious. I saw Nixon as almost a folklore figure - there was something that just made him seem like the logical one to be in the episode. He's not the villain of the peace by any means."

Goofs

When Mr. Conductor is introducing James Learns a Lesson, he states that James was going too fast with the freight cars, but James was pulling a passenger train, not a freight train.

Gallery

Episode

The Mayor Runs For Re-Election