16 Animals Elected to Public Office
Cameron Fetter
Published
Yesterday
in
Funny
Politics is a cutthroat game. For some, though, it’s more like a belly rub and a rubber Kong filled with peanut butter. Throughout the years, the mayorship of various towns in America has been held by dogs, cats, and even goats.
Many of these animals were labeled ‘honorary’ mayors, but we know who’s really calling the shots. Though it’s all tail-wagging and playing fetch in front of the press, behind-the-scenes things must really get hairy. Running a town isn’t easy, especially if you have the cognitive ability of a two to three-year-old human child.
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1. Stubbs, mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska
Stubbs was mayor of Talkeetna for 20 years, from 1997 until his death in 2017. Every afternoon, Stubbs would visit a nearby restaurant and drink water and catnip out of a margarita glass. He was commended for never once raising taxes. -
2. Bosco, mayor of Sunol, California
Bosco, a Labrador-Rottweiler mix, defeated two humans to win the 1981 mayoral election. His campaign promises included “a bone in every dish, a cat in every tree, and a fire hydrant in every corner.” During Bosco’s tenure as mayor, he was slammed by China’s People’s Daily newspaper for being a failure of democracy. He served his constituents for 13 years until he died in 1994. -
3. Pax the Goat, mayor of Edgewater, a neighborhood in Chicago
Pax the Goat faced strong competition from the other mayoral candidates. In fact, he was polling very poorly during his campaign. But in a comeback victory, he won the election, and as his first act as mayor, named all of his competitors (who were dogs and cats) to his cabinet. -
4. Frida, mayor of San Francisco
Frida, a chihuahua, was mayor of San Francisco for one day in 2014. That still counts! She is the youngest mayor in San Francisco history at only 9 years old, and possibly the only San Francisco mayor whose favorite food is milkbones, but who knows? -
5. Parker the Snow Dog, mayor of Georgetown, Colorado
Parker was unanimously elected as mayor of Georgetown in 2019. Not even one person thought about maybe voting for a human instead? Parker ran on a complicated and controversial platform of "hugs, love, and cookies to the people of Georgetown." -
6. Gus Hall, mayor of Coronado, California
In 2018, Gus Hall secured just over half the 20,000 votes for mayor. Gus shares his name with a famous American communist who led the communist party. However, this Gus Hall was never denounced by the Trotskyist Socialist Workers Party. -
7. Pa Kettle, mayor of Divide, Colorado
Divide, Colorado is another town filled with animal crazy residents. Pa Kettle, a bloodhound, won the mayoral election in 2014, beating out other dogs, a cat, a hedgehog, a donkey, and a wolf named Kenyi that became his vice-mayor. -
8. Duke, mayor of Cormorant Village, Minnesota
Duke was the first elected mayor of Cormorant Village in 2014. His duties included hanging out at the local pub, “making sure everything is running okay”, and “keeping the riff-raff out.” He was so good at his job he was re-elected three times. -
9. Max, mayor of Idyllwild, California
Max, short for Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller II, became the mayor of Idyllwild in 2013. He was preceded in office by Max I, and followed by Max III. All three Maxes ran on a platform of unconditional love, and wore their trademark ties and hats in all public appearances. -
10. Clay Henry IV, mayor of Lajitas, Texas
Clay Henry is part of a long line of Clay Henrys who have been holding the mayoral office in Lajitas since the 1980s. Clay Henry I won his mayoral election when an outraged local businessman decided to run his goat against a politician from Houston. Every Clay Henry has been known to enjoy beer. -
11. Nils Olav, baron of the Bouvet Islands
Major General Nils Olav III is the highest-ranking penguin in the Norwegian Army. His family line has been promoted through the ranks of the military since the 1970s. He went from being corporal to sergeant to colonel-in-chief, and eventually to major general. Though he currently resides in the Edinburgh Zoo, Nils rules over the Bouvet Islands of the South Atlantic as a baron. -
12. Lucy Lou, mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky
Lucy Lou was the mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky from 2008 to 2016. She was the first female mayor of the small town. In 2016, she stepped down from her role as mayor to run for president. She was, as you may by now realize, not successful. -
13. Brynneth Pawltro, mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky
When Lucy Lou stepped down as mayor of Rabbit Hash in 2016, the townspeople elected a pit bull named Brynneth Pawltro. You might think Brynneth was only elected because she was an animal, and not on any merits of her own, but you’d be wrong. She beat out a cat and a donkey in the election. The people of Rabbit Hash have animal mayor fever! -
14. Lincoln, mayor of Fair Haven, Vermont
Lincoln was Fair Haven’s first mayor, taking office in 2019. He signed the paperwork to become mayor by dipping his hoof in ink and stepping on the paper. He held office for a year until he lost the 2020 election to Murfee the dog. -
15. Murfee, mayor of Fair Haven, Vermont
Murfee was elected as mayor of Fair Haven in March 2020 and so had the difficult job of presiding over the town during the early days Covid-19 pandemic. Even despite this, he was able to fundraise for a new playground and dog park for Fair Haven. -
16. Lucky Dinero Bosco, mayor of Omena, Michigan
Lucky Dinero Bosco, a horse, won the mayoral election in Omena in 2024. He is supported by a strong and shrewd village council, including Birdie, Storm, and Mr. Beans.
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Replay - 16 Animals Elected to Public Office
Stubbs, mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska
Stubbs was mayor of Talkeetna for 20 years, from 1997 until his death in 2017. Every afternoon, Stubbs would visit a nearby restaurant and drink water and catnip out of a margarita glass. He was commended for never once raising taxes.
Stubbs was mayor of Talkeetna for 20 years, from 1997 until his death in 2017. Every afternoon, Stubbs would visit a nearby restaurant and drink water and catnip out of a margarita glass. He was commended for never once raising taxes.
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