Turner initially made 24 T-shirts for Willie Bean’s campaign; she said they sold in a day. Willie Bean has received letters from international fans and was a topic on the “Late Show with David Letterman.” A Willie Bean Web site has been launched and scores of campaign souvenirs have been sold, many at Saturday’s game.
Turner grew tired of the pushing and pulling among supporters of the various mayoral candidates which, if she favored one over the others, posed a threat to her business relationships. So Turner decided to confer her support on Willie Bean, an escape that would’ve done Houdini proud. She could not be faulted for aligning herself with her most loyal friend, thus not alienating supporters of any other contender.
How else to explain the sensation surrounding Willie, whose improbable run for mayor of this Alabama coastal town has become a national phenomenon? The candidate took the publicity in stride, napping on the kitchen floor and later chasing a tennis ball in his backyard. Willie Bean Roscoe P. Coltrane is a 7-year-old yellow Labrador retriever.
Just a few weeks ago, Fairhope was buzzing with alleged sightings of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. The celebrity power couple of Fairhope might more likely be Paris Hilton and Willie Bean.
The buzz around Fairhope (and beyond) is the mayoral campaign of Willie Bean, the big yeller dog owned by Tress Turner at the Coffee Loft. As Vince Kilborn said in the Press-Register story by Virginia Bridges, “He doesn’t have any skeletons in his closet. He’s eaten them all.” I wonder if any of the other 7 candidates can claim as much?
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