All the Drama Behind the Race for Dog Mayor of NYC (Yes, There is a Dog Mayor of NYC)

We know, we know. You need a break from politics. But some stories are too big to miss — and, thankfully, some news is actually good (adorable, even). On Sunday, Simon, a sweet Basset Hound/Cattle Dog rescue, was sworn in as the second honorary dog mayor of New York City.

If you didn’t know NYC had a dog mayor, you’re not alone. The title’s fairly new; Sally, the first ever dog mayor, was elected in 2022 and held the title until this year. The election was started by Stephen Calabria, a professional media producer who was inspired by the dog mayor of Littleton, Colorado to bring joy and lightness to politics, his website explains. It’s not officially affiliated with the city. Calabria recruits the 16 candidates — most of whom have seriously impressive social media followings — and then the public votes online through several bracket-style rounds. It’s like March Madness for the dog-obsessed.

The “Indoguration” ceremony was held on the steps of City Hall. Simon was adorned in a black hat as the audience applauded. Pepper, a Mini-Dachshund, was officially inaugurated as deputy dog mayor.

“I’m grateful, as is Simon, for the opportunity to use this platform for the next two years to promote animal fostering and adoption in New York City, as well as to raise awareness and fundraising for all of the amazing organizations on the ground already doing this work,” Simon’s pet parent, Sophie Vershbow, said in an acceptance speech.

The rocky path to the inauguration

As cute as the whole affair is, it wouldn’t be a real election without some scandals. If you’d checked the polls earlier in the process, Simon wouldn’t have been the front-runner — but a couple of major disruptions helped him secure the coveted spot.

Bertram the Pomeranian, a beloved rescue who tragically passed away in November after the election, was an early favorite, the New York Times But then something strange happened: A complete stranger created a cryptocurrency based around Bertram, hoping that the value of the currency would rise if Bertram won the competition. Thousands of people voted for the Pomeranian, with some even offering money to people who would cast their ballots for the pup. In a Telegram group for the cryptocurrency, thousands of scheming messages were posted a day — and they used hateful, violent language toward another front-runner, an internet-famous Shih Tzu named Enzo.

Eventually, Enzo’s pet parent dropped out of the race. “I don’t want my name attached to any pump-and-dump scheme,” she told the Times. “It sucked out all the fun and cheapened the whole thing.”

After Enzo dropped out, Simon became the pup facing Bertram in the finals. But voting irregularities continued; Bertram would sometimes gain 2,000 votes at once. “It went from neck-and-neck to Bertram winning by 96 percent or something,” Calabria told the Times.

Bertram’s pet parent decided to drop out of the race, too. “The honest answer is, this all seemed to be too much of a headache. I was like, ‘This poor guy tried to have this fun thing, instead he’s going to spend two weeks hand counting because of some crypto,’” she told the Times.

Bertram was elected deputy mayor instead. Tragically, Bertram passed away at age eleven before he could officially accept the title.

Pepper the Mini Chocolate Dachshund stepped in to take Bertram’s place, and the final officials were set. After a difficult process, Simon and Pepper are now our second ever honorary dog mayor and deputy dog mayor. They’ll serve for two years, and then the voting process will begin again — hopefully, it’ll all go a little smoother next time. “Frankly, I had always envisioned this as a good faith and good humored way to get shelter dogs adopted and to use this as a platform for good,” Calabria said. “If I never hear the word crypto again, it will be a blessing.”