Chronic SOS - November 7, 2023
It's Election Day (in the USA)!
It's not a major election year (thank goodness), but many other elections are going on! It's just (if not more) important to participate in your local elections; local elections often directly (and quickly) impact people, so they are an important part of making a difference!
Though I do enjoy the occasional political joke and disability advocacy often gets into political territory, I know the upcoming year will be full with so much campaigning and politics so I'm going to stay away from that. Instead, I'll be sharing facts about some small towns - with a twist.
Rabbit Hash, KY
There's something peculiar about the mayors of this town - they have had several canine mayors! Starting with Mayor Goofy Borneman-Calhoun in 1998, Rabbit Hash has had a Labrador, pit bull, French bulldog, and a border collie mayor. The election raises money for the Rabbit Hash Historical Society, often for restoration costs on the Rabbit Hash General Store.
Sunol, CA
Sunol, CA seems to be a trendsetter: it has the earliest recorded canine mayor (in the USA) that I was able to find. In 1981, the owners of a Rottweiler joked that they should nominate their dog for mayor. They did - and "Bosco" Ramos became the first canine American mayor!
He roamed the town and was a treasured resident and well known by all his constituents. He remained mayor until his death in 1994. The beloved mayor is memorialized by a statue in front of the Sunol Post Office.
Orcas Island, WA
Orcas Island throws a little bit of variety into this list; several species of animals have competed for the title of "Mayor". Similar to the previous towns, the elections have served as fundraisers and votes were bought.
They elect an honorary mayor every year and the proceeds go towards Children's House, a nonprofit preschool. They've had quite a few mayors, so I'll just showcase a few:
Talkeetna, AK
This is a semi-famous one and actually what led me down this rabbit (hash) hole. In 1997, they elected Stubbs, a cat with a stubby tail, mayor. Stubbs brought in a lot of tourism and was a beloved resident and symbol of the community. He was known to go to a local bar in the afternoon and drank water infused with catnip out of a wine or margarita glass.
He remained in the position until he passed away at the age of 20, but was said to have been as active as possible until the end.
Mayor Stubbs
Finally, some honest politicians…
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