Gregory Ballard, a 56-year-old man from Indianapolis, was kept on as the city's mayor this evening, even though his resume was "sort of put together at the last minute" and was "considerably under par" when compared with that of rival applicant - 42-year-old Melina Kennedy, also from Indianapolis.
Mr Ballard, who successfully applied for the job in 2007, was forced to undergo a reapplication process this past month due to City-County accountability protocol.
Sources close to Ballard's employer, who goes by name of "Marion County electorate", insist that the father of two was only hired on ahead of Mrs Kennedy because he identifies as male.
"Let me ask you this," said professor Rachael Connors of Indiana University. "How many women have been employed as Mayor of Indianapolis? I'll tell you: none. In over 150 years, only men have been hired for this position. There's your proof."
However, in a statement released this evening, the Marion County Electorate defended its decision, saying: "Gregory is a committed professional with whom we have enjoyed working these past 4 years. We have a policy in Indianapolis of employing from within and so it was not a difficult decision to re-appoint Gregory to the position."
Image credit: creative commons.