Voting now open for Tacoma’s new pet mayor. Here’s how you can vote
The city of Tacoma is in search of a new honorary pet mayor to replace the orange cat named Nacho who has done the job since December.
The initiative, which city spokesperson Maria Lee said has not cost the city any money, is part of an effort to raise funds for the Tacoma Humane Society’s spay and neuter program, according to council member John Hines. Hines, who spearheaded last year’s and this year’s pet mayor search, said the initiative raised $14,000 last year and aims to raise $20,000 this year.
Voting is open from now until June 12 at noon. Each pet nominated costs $25. Each $1 donation will qualify for one vote, but the Human Society has set a minimum of five votes or $5.
“It’s really about a critical need,” Hines told The News Tribune. “We need more resources for spay and neuter programs in Pierce County. A lot of our challenges with animal control, or with animal management in general, is just we have too many animals that are in our city, and so spay and neuter is a way to kind of make sure we’re managing the animal population at a level that all animals can be really cared for.”
As of June 3, the candidate with the most votes was a dog named Douglas, who enjoys exploring Tacoma’s parks and neighborhoods and “being very polite in every dog-friendly brewery and taproom in town,” according to the Humane Society’s website.
Hines said the winner will be sworn in at an upcoming City Council meeting, as Nacho was last year.
