Chalupa Out Duels Field To Win Riverside Park Goat Of The Year

RIVERSIDE PARK, NY — In what some are calling the election of the year on the Upper West Side, Chalupa edged out Ms. Bo Peep and the rest of the Riverside Park goats on Tuesday in the race for 2021 G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time).

Five goats vyed for the position, campaigning for nearly two months on various platforms related to weeds, hard work, and park pride.

A total of 24 goats scampered into Riverside Park on July 14, however, only five of the goats, the "Fabulous Five," stayed in the park between 120th and 125th Streets for the rest of the summer.

Keeping up with the times, the Conservancy deployed a Ranked Choice Voting system to determine who would be crowned the winning goat.

For any reader who might have forgotten the name of the five goat candidates and their corresponding party affiliations, here's a reminder.

• Skittles -- Eat Your Greens Party
• Ms. Bo Peep -- Hill Climbers for a Better New York
• Buckles -- Weed Whackers United
• Chalupa -- Grand Old Goat Party
• Mallomar -- Better Future for our KIDS Party

Chalupa edged out Ms. Bo Peep by 65 votes in the final round.

“It was a tight race, but New Yorkers clearly took a stand against negative campaigning, at least among goats,” said Dan Garodnick, Conservancy President & CEO, in a news release. “Today they recognized a true champion.”

Garodnick's mention of "negative campaigning" is in reference to an unprecedented negative attack ad against the two frontrunners by Ms. Bo Peep. The negative ad, which accused Skittles and Chalupa of being in the pocket of Big Pesticide, clearly did help Ms. Bo Peep to an extent but wasn't enough to secure an election victory.