Did you ever hear of a Bassett hound taking the majority of the votes for a local political office and being elected mayor of his city? A friend of mine told me of her dog, Murdoch, who had risen like a comet from a well-known elected “canine customer of the month” at a local coffeeshop to become the newly elected Mayor of Littleton, Colorado. It made me think instantly of all of our own mayors of Meeker over the years. I even thought of our present mayor of this community, whose First Dog might have been elected as well.
Apparently Mayor Murdoch was elected to his lofty position in his owner’s small community (a suburb of Denver) in the annual mayoral election by Littleton’s Historical Society, with the blessing of local government. The news folk were all there for the fun and quite a few photos of Murdoch posted online as well. I took a picture of him only a few days after seeing him after his successful election. I finally saw a copy of the small weekly paper, The Littleton Report’s front page photo. It revealed my old trail buddy sitting, as only his stately breed requires, in front of a sedate courthouse. He was sporting a top hat and the doggy version of “black tie and tails” made official. The requisite pictures were taken at the museum’s indoor-outdoor celebration.
I applaud this spunky small town’s willingness to go all out for their newest duly-elected official. In the ‘70s, Mayor Claude Shults might have been willing to help use his well-known donkey as he could be spotted riding him throughout the community once in a while. He had a great sense of humor, as I remember. That must be a requirement I think in any further elections. Yet helping shape the future of our future remains serious business.
Continuing to promote a wide variety of community efforts toward expanding both historical and cultural events is essential. We are shaping our future and guaranteeing the preservation of our “small town” feeling.
By DOLLY VISCARDI – Special to the Herald Times
