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Town Couldn't Be Happier with Golden Retriever They Elected Mayor for 5th Year Straight

By Amanda Thomason September 16, 2018 at 5:06pm

One of the most heated topics in our day — and especially online, it seems — is anything related to politics. People hold their views religiously, and it’s a dog-eat-dog world.

But one town in California has quite literally gone to the dogs. It’s not exactly a recent shift: The first four-legged candidate took office on July 1, 2012.

The town is called Idyllwild, and has no human mayor because it’s not an incorporated town. Seeing the potential for some light-hearted fun and supporting a good cause, the local Animal Rescue Friends decided to hold an election, with each vote requiring a $1 donation to the rescue.

According to ABC, that first year there were 16 candidates, two of which were cats. It seems there are more dog people than cat people in the town, and specifically more golden retriever lovers, because the first pup to carry the title was a golden dubbed “Mayor Max.”

He promised to “convey unconditional love and do as many good deeds for others as possible,” according to the Mayor Max Facebook page.

This good boy was in office until his passing in 2013, at which point his nephew, “Maximus Mighty Dog Mueller II,” was elected to fill in. Phyllis Mueller, his handler — I mean, his chief of staff, explained what her role in all of this was.

“My role as the chief of staff is to help run the vision of the mayor’s office for Idyllwild, so we actually run an actual mayor’s office.”

“Upon his arrival to Idyllwild,” the official Facebook page states, “Max was accompanied by two deputy mayors: Mikey and Mitzi (Mikey Mighty-Dog Mueller and Mitzi Marie Mueller).”

“The trio is often referred to as “the Mayor and the spares” or simply ‘the Mayors of Idyllwild.'” And yes, you guessed it: They’re golden retrievers, too.

Max makes sure to be present in his community on the daily, accepting treats, pets, and admiration wherever he goes. He rides about in the back of a truck that has Mayor Max stickers on it and he greets familiar faces as well as visitors.

So far, it looks like he’s sticking to his uncle’s creed and keeping the townspeople happy, and will continue to do so — and be a very good boy in the process — for years to come.

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