Quick! Start up the donkeymobile!
Solvay Democrats knew how to attract attention in an era that loved silly stunts. Mayor Buster Major and village trustee John Nozynski got media coverage for riding a donkey-drawn wagon through Solvay streets during their 1951 re-election campaign. The photograph, by Louis Raczkowski, is from the Syracuse Herald-Journal, once Central New York's leading newspaper.

In the background, right-to-left, are Al Nowakowski, the campaign manager; Gerald Blair, chairman of Solvay's Democratic party and Judge Donald Salvetti, who didn't face re-election until 1953.

Republicans couldn't counter this stunt. The circus wasn't in town and the Burnet Park Zoo was a mess, so no elephants were available.

Nowakowski was an energetic, often creative fellow. His donkey stunt may seem corny, but thanks to his urging, the Solvay Democrats were the first Onondaga County politicians to use television to reach voters – not through commercials, but through 30-minute programs in which candidates introduced themselves and explained their goals and accomplishments.

— JACK MAJOR