RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Rachel Martin. Richard Klose from Laurel, Mont., got a surprise phone call this week. He had been elected to the city council, even though he didn't run. It wasn't a scam. Nobody else ran for the position, either. And some people just wrote in his name. Close got three write-in votes out of the 52 votes cast. He tells the Billings Gazette since he's retired, he may as well give back to the community. That's what you get for being the popular guy in a small town. He'll be sworn in on January 2. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.