Comedian Artie Lange, Mayor of Hoboken?

HOBOKEN, N.J. - When the mayor of a city is forced to resign after a corruption investigation, citizens would not likely be ready to support a recovering alcoholic and heroin addict to be his replacement, but one grassroots web campaign is seeking to accomplish just that result.

The administrator of MayorArtie.com provides instructions on the website for registered voters in Hoboken , New Jersey, to vote for comedian and radio personality Artie Lange, whose struggle with depression and dependence on narcotics and prescription drugs has been widely explored on the " Howard Stern Show ," on Sirius-XM satellite Radio where he serves as a writer and on-air contributor.

Peter Cammarano III served Mayor of Hoboken, after he won a runoff election in June 2009, but was among dozens of New Jersey public officials arrested in July 2009.

Cammarano was accused of accepting money $25,000 in cash bribes. His attorney Joseph Hayden said in July that his client "innocent of these charges. He intends to fight them with all his strength until he proves his innocence."

Acting Mayor Dawn Zimmer, the city council president, is among seven candidates on the ballot seeking to finish out Cammarano's term and serve as mayor until 2013. Other official challengers include fellow Councilwoman Beth Mason, affordable housing developer Frank Raia and former municipal judge Kimberly Glatt, but the MayorArtie.com creators are trying to gather online support to make Artie Lange, who first became popular as one of the original cast members of "MadTV" on FOX during the 1990s, a viable write-in candidate.

MayorArtie.com gives step-by-step instructions on how to write in Lange on the ballot and a Twitter.com site was also established to accompany the main website.

Lange has revealed on the "Howard Stern Show" how he was removed from "MadTV" because of problems with addictions and the law. He has also appeared in the motion pictures "Dirty Work," "Old School" and "Beer League."

TMZ.com reported in July 2009, weeks before Cammarano was arrested, that Lange was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after a minor automobile accident in Toms River, New Jersey.

More than 130 public officials in New Jersey have pleaded guilty or have been convicted of corruption since 2001.

On the Web: MayorArtie.com -- http://www.mayorartie.com/