As noted earlier in this space, I ran a little contest over the weekend. Thirty folks—D Magazine staffers, former elected officials, political advisors, business types, members of the chattering class—paid $20 to submit their mayoral prognostications, their guesses at how the nine candidates would line up after Saturday’s vote. The scoring system was appropriately complicated. I won’t bore you with it here. Have a look at the ballot if you really care. Here are your winners and top-line results:
Of the 30 entrants, only five picked Eric Johnson to win the most votes; only two picked Johnson first and Scott Griggs second. So when Robert Wilonsky says the results were “inevitable” and “obvious” and “anticlimactic,” I have to chuckle a little (Wilonsky, by the way, was invited to play “Mayoral Madness” but opted not to).
D contributing editor Eric Celeste won Mayoral Madness. He guessed the correct finish for seven of the candidates, goofing only on the No. 4 and 5 spots (he flipped Miguel Solis and Mike Ablon). For his effort, he won $360 (60 percent of the kitty). I’m sure he’ll account for this when he does his 2019 taxes.
The Guy In The Bar took second place in Mayoral Madness. A few D folks were having lunch Friday at City Tavern, downtown, and we were filling out our ballots, when a random guy asked what we were up to. After the contest was explained to him, he said, “I want in.” So to you 27 other contestants, especially the professional political advisors: you people are no better than The Guy In The Bar. No word yet on whether Johnson or Griggs has hired TGITB to help with the runoff. TGITB won $180. Next time I see him at City Tavern, he’d better buy my lunch.
Coming in a distant third was our own Matt Goodman, noted Rockets fan and the guy who came up with the idea of renaming Houston Street for Dirk. Matt got 60 bucks, which means that he’ll be down only $40 after he pays off our bet on the Rockets-Warriors series.
Thanks to everyone who played and voted. Go, democracy!
