Meet Max II, the Mayor of Idyllwild, California

Idyllwild, California has a dog for their mayor. Golden retriever Mayor Max II enters his pickup trucks wearing a tie every weekend and greets his constituents.

Max has a human companion, owner Phyllis Mueller. She calls herself chief of staff and answers the phone with “Office of the mayor” greeting.

Idyllwild has a dog mayor tradition since seven years ago. It all started with a fundraiser where local residents could run their pets as mayor candidates. People would then vote with money — $1 counts as one vote.

Apart from running a strong campaign, Mueller and her husband also wrote a $20,000 check for the fundraiser the year when their first dog Max won. However, he passed away in the middle of his second term. Brokenhearted, they went on a mission to find the decent descendant of Max and Max II is the town’s current mayor.