In the mood for an election do-over? There’s still time to cast your vote in one of the city’s most competitive races: The 2nd bi-annual Honorary NYC Dog Mayor Election.
The election consisted of 16 “canine-didates” in a bracket that locals have been voting on since July across polls on Instagram, Facebook, and their website. All of the candidates are a variety of breeds and represent all 5 boroughs.
But even the most adorable exercise in democracy wasn’t without controversy. A new final two in the Honorary NYC Dog Mayor Election were announced following the withdrawal of Enzo the Shih Tzu.
Now, it all comes down to the final two, and voters have a “ruff” choice to make: Will Simon the Basset-Cattle Dog or Bertram the Pomeranian be the next Honorary Dog Mayor of NYC?
Sophie Vershbow, born and raised in NYC and owner of Simon the Basset-Cattle Dog, decided to enter the race as a fun, low-stakes distraction from the human election. Vershbow would be ecstatic to have Simon represent New York even in a small way. “There are few things I love in this world more than my dog, and New York City, so it would be a proud moment to have his exceptionalism validated by the people whose opinions I value most,” she said.
“Simon is a really happy guy,” said Vershbow. “He loves people and wants to go along for the adventure no matter what it is. His favorite pastime is running around Riverside Park during off leash hours pretending he’s in a Nora Ephron film.”
Kathy Grayson, an East Village local and human to Bertram “Bertie” the Pomeranian, joined the race to help promote human voting to Bertie’s 400k followers. “Bertie gets recognized on the street all the time and puts a smile on a wide variety of New York faces every day: [we] would love to scale that up and share even more happiness!” said Grayson.
According to Grayson, Bertie is a “sassy little buttface” who loves adventure and fun. Originally adopted from Oklahoma, he has traveled to 15 countries and “loves throwing his weight around the little dog park in Tompkins, sleeping on the desk at the art gallery, going to fancy dinners and having secret tasting menus under the table,” said Grayson.
How could you possibly decide between these two cuties? Both “canine-didates” make quite the argument.
If he is to be elected, “Simon would use his platform to advocate for animal rescue causes throughout the five boroughs,” said Vershbow. “My first action as his proxy with opposable thumbs will be to reach out to the amazing folks at ACC (Animal Care Centers of NYC) to see how we can help in their tireless mission to end animal homelessness in our city.”
If elected, Bertie would like to build a coalition government as he recognizes, “all dog breeds share the same core doggie values and deserve to be represented in my cabinet. Big or small, fluffy or hairless, muddy or groomed, we have the same heart and I will appoint Simon as deputy mayor and all the other doggies to crucial cabinet positions,” said Bertie.
“We can show the humans how to come together to improve people’s and doggies’ lives!” said Bertie.
Stephen Calabria, founder and director of the Honorary NYC Dog Mayor election, moved to the city in 2013 and got the inspiration for the project after seeing a newspaper article about a similar one in Littleton, Colorado during 2021.
“My first thought was that that should be brought to New York, and if I didn’t get to it first, someone else would. The next 6 months were spent slowly building the elections processes and recruiting the canine-didates before finally launching in 2022,” said Calabria.
Sally Long Dog was the first female dog mayor to be elected in 2022, and New Yorkers rallied around her campaign. Calabria explained how that is his favorite part of the experience so far, “this entire project is an ever-changing love letter to New York City as told through its dogs, and seeing New Yorkers tell their own individual stories is endlessly fun and gratifying.”
Though Honorary NYC Dog Mayor Sally Long Dog said that the candidates have “four large basset paws to fill,” she found the role of mayor to be a big honor. “My constituents give amazing belly rubs. Despite it cutting into nap time, I found public service very rewarding,” said Sally.
Sally would like to thank Calabria, Alexandra Silver, Director at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare and all her constituents and followers on social media who elected her into office.
Learn how to cast your vote here before it’s too late, and help make a difference in your local canine community.
