It’s an interesting time for politics in New York, and not just because of a mayoral race in which voters have apparently rejected Republicans and mainstream Democrats.
Over the last several weeks, stickers urging voters to cast their ballots for a house cat for a city council seat have been appearing in a Queens district.
In a story about the write-in campaign, the New York Post devotes most of the ink to political disagreements between Leo the cat’s human and the district’s councilman, Robert Holden. (He’s a moderate Democrat, she doesn’t think he’s progressive enough, but the things they’re arguing over are above the paygrade and influence of a city councilman.)
But the more interesting issue, for us at least, is what happens if Leo rides a wave of populist support and actually wins as a write-in candidate.
When asked what would happen if the nine-year-old feline earns an improbable victory at the polls, a humorless Board of Elections official asked a Post reporter if he was drunk, then told him “we can certainly say that only a human being — specifically a US citizen — can hold elected office in NYC.”
Oh well. It would be amusing if some clever attorney found a loophole to pave the way for a feline councilman, and there isn’t much chance Leo would be less productive than the rest of the council. He might even provide some fresh perspective on how to deal with the city’s eternal rat problem.
Pain In The Bud 
Go Leo!! As a feline, he would be swayed by no one in office, and would happily work in exchange for a generous supply of yums!!
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How great would it be if he had a district office, staff, an official portrait and all the other trappings of elected office?
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On the other hand, there is a human cat-loving mayoral candidate, Curtis Sliwa. Who knows, he may be particularly interested in improving death rates at the huge NYC ACC shelter? Trump dismisses cat-loving NYC Republican candidate for mayor as ‘not exactly prime time’
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Yeah, I’m not sure how familiar you are with New York, but Sliwa is an interesting guy. He founded the Guardian Angels (the people with the red berets and matching coats) in the late 70s when New York was extremely dingy and crime-ridden. That was before my time, but I do have fuzzy memories of what Manhattan was like in the mid 90s before Giuliani cleaned it up, running the porn and fake ID shops out of Times Square, kicking the mafia out of South Street Seaport, and pivoting the NYPD to the community policing model.
Anyway, Sliwa had some ups and downs over the years, then became a sort of local gadfly, radio host at the largest talk radio station in New York (and thus the country), perennial mayoral candidate, and finally a cat rescuer when he met his now-wife, Nancy.
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Kudos to Sliwa and his wife for trying to make a no- kill. And i hope they succeed. And not making any comments on tRump and his criticism of Sliwa. He is NOT a hoarder. He and his wife are independant rescuers who find homes for them. I was part of a rescue group. They choose to be independant. Same goal.
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The Gracie Mansion thing really isn’t crazy considering the place would actually benefit from having some cats around to thin out the rodent legions in that area.
Besides, de Blasio never lived there during his mayorship and Adams only lives there part time.
These photos of Bud were taken in a backyard right next to Gracie Mansion:
Yes, it’s rescuers like the Sliwas who make sure cats are taken from animal control before they can be euthanized.
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What happens if he wins? HAVE A PARTY!!!🎆🎉
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Poor Leo would be miserable dealing with New York politicians on a daily basis.
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Yeah but the photos of him snoozing through meetings would be priceless!
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