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Golden Retriever Becomes Mayor Of California Town
He has plenty of paparazzi following him around to keep everyone updated on his activities.
Catherine Marucci
07.09.19

In one California town, there is a mayor for life and it’s not your usual human in a business suit.

Mayor Max II has been mayor of the unincorporated town of Idyllwild, California since 2014.

He’s not even the first dog to hold the important position. Mayor Max had the job before he took over.


billboard
mayormax1 via Instagram
Source:
mayormax1 via Instagram

How it happened

Idyllwild Animal Rescue Friends were the ones who came up with the idea to let dogs and cats run for mayor in the town.

While the canine (or feline) mayor has no actual power, it’s still an important job. It helps keep animals in the news and on the minds of residents and makes sure that the rescue has plenty of visitors and potential adopters.


dogs
mayormax1 via Instagram
Source:
mayormax1 via Instagram

The current golden retriever mayor ran against fifteen other animals in the highly publicized election.

While animal owners only need to nominate their pets and pay the $1 fee to vote, Mayor Max II’s owner went above and beyond, donating $20,000 to vote for his choice.

We’re not sure if that played a part. Can there still be election tampering when it’s all gone to the dogs?

We’re just going to assume it was his charisma that charmed his way to the top of the ballot. It’s hard to deny that he is really cute and lovable, and he does make a pretty good mayor.

It’s also not actually an official election, so most of the stringent California guidelines on campaigning don’t actually apply. You just need to be a dog (or a cat) and have people willing to pay to vote you into office.


bone
mayormax1 via Instagram
Source:
mayormax1 via Instagram

Meet the mayor

Citizens of the town love the idea of having a dog as a mayor. They don’t have to listen to any campaign promises or worry about their taxes going up, except maybe to pay for extra chew toys.

One of the best parts is that he’s mayor for life, meaning there are fewer elections to have to put up with in a time when just about everyone is at least a little tired of politics.

Mayor Max II makes appearances all over town, keeping a presence and meeting his mayor duties. He’s not the only dog on the political stage. He has two deputies who are also Golden Retrievers.


dogs
mayormax1 via Instagram
Source:
mayormax1 via Instagram

They get around in their own vehicle, provided by the residents of the town. It has large decals to let everyone know that it is the official vehicle of the mayor. It even has a custom license plate, suitable for any politician, canine or otherwise.

As for what party Mayor Max II belongs to, his owner says he is probably closest to Independent. We were hoping for something more creative, and with a dog as a party symbol, but beggars can’t be choosers – unless they’re a dog and the mayor.

mayor
mayormax1 via Instagram
Source:
mayormax1 via Instagram

If you want to get to know Mayor Max II more, you can check him out on his official Instagram account, mayormax1, which we can only assume he inherited from the first canine mayor.

He has plenty of paparazzi following him around to keep everyone updated on his activities.

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