And the winner — um, mayor — is …

A-tisket, a-tasket, a mayor from a basket. Sometimes flipping a coin can be useful when making a decision, but the Helper, Utah, City Council recently chose its mayor by drawing a name from a basket, according to a KSL news story. The City Council was evenly split between the two candidates, Ed Chavez, Jr. and City Councilman Kirk Mascaro. To break the tie, both men’s names were put in a basket and the city attorney drew the winner’s name. Chavez was subsequently sworn in as mayor.

The former mayor, Dean Armstrong, resigned after he was arrested for suspicion of his third drinking and driving offense. Chavez will serve until January 2014. His appointment wasn’t pure luck; he has had previous local government experience. Chavez recently retired from the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office after 25 years of employment, previously served on a city council and was chairman of the Carbon County Democratic Party for five years.