Talkeetna, Alaska, is an interesting little town. It is most known as the base for expeditions to Mount McKinley, but the tiny town with a population of 800 is also known for other quirky tidbits. You know, like the fact that their mayor is a cat.
Yes, you heard me. Their mayor is a cat.
Known as Mayor Stubbs, this little ginger kitty has over 20 years of political prowess.
Stubbs was born in 1997. He was discovered in a box amongst a group of other kittens at the Nagley Store in Talkeetna. The little kitten had no tail and was subsequently named Stubbs.
In 1998, the residents of Talkeetna were unimpressed with their electoral candidates, so they decided to do something a bit different by electing Stubbs the cat instead.
The Talkeetna mayor is more of a symbolic role than a functional one, so the residents weren’t too concerned about having a cat fill the position.
In 2012, resident Ashley Kearns told CNN:
“He’s the mayor, it’s not a joke. I know it’s ridiculous, but the town is run really well.”
Mayor Stubbs’ office is located in the Talkeetna Nagley Store, where he often welcomes visitors. But the road to Stubb’s success was not free of obstacles— the mayor was mauled in a brutal dog attack during 2012.
He suffered a punctured lung, a fractured sternum, and a 5-inch gash on his side. But that wasn’t enough to keep this career politician down!
With his loving personality and cuddly demeanor, Stubbs was an extremely popular member of the Talkeetna community, attracting tourists (and improving the local economy) until his death in July of 2017.
The death occurred on July 22nd. In a statement released from the family, we learn that Mayor Stubbs went to bed as per usual and died peacefully in his sleep. The statement reads, in part:
“Stubbs lived for 20 years and 3 months. He was a trooper until the very last day of his life; meowing at us throughout the day to pet him or to come sit on the bed with him and let him snuggle and purr for hours in our lap… You are a remarkable cat and we will dearly miss you. We loved the time we were allowed to spend with you.”
Stubbs will be being replaced by his successor-cat, Denali. The family writes, “We couldn’t have asked for a better understudy than Denali- he really has followed in Stubbs’ paw prints in just about everything.”
Rest in peace, Mayor Stubbs.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
