Wilton Manors is about to have a Dog Mayor. The City of Wilton Manors has put 25 local pups on a public ballot for the Island City's first-ever honorary canine mayor, and anyone can vote in the opening round until noon on Thursday, October 15. The winner gets a two-year term.

The city posted the lineup on its news page on October 5, along with a link to the official ballot, where each candidate has a photo, a campaign slogan and a short bio written by the people who know them best. You pick one dog per ballot. The top 10 move on.

How a dog runs for office

The contest is part of Fur the People, a new event series run by the city's Leisure Services department. It started on September 10 with a free Campaign Kickoff Paw-ty at Colohatchee Dog Park, where owners got refreshments, their dogs got treats and free run of the park, and everyone got the rundown on how to enter. According to the city, whoever wins will represent Wilton Manors as Dog Mayor for two years.

The schedule from here:

  • Now through Thursday, October 15, at noon: primary voting on the city's online ballot. One dog per submission.
  • After the primary: the 10 dogs with the most votes are notified by email and invited to prepare for a Meet the Candidates event.
  • Thursday, October 22, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.: Bark the Vote & Costume Parade at Colohatchee Dog Park, 1975 NE 15th Ave. Candidates walk a costume parade, and any dog is welcome to dress up and join the fun. It is free.

The city has not yet posted the date of the final round or the swearing in, so the calendar on wiltonmanors.gov is the place to watch.

Meet the field

The ballot is the best reading in town this week. The bios are written in full campaign voice, and a lot of them reveal which corner of the Island City each dog calls its own. Colohatchee comes up again and again, as does Wilton Drive.

A few of the contenders:

  • Captain is a short, sturdy mutt adopted from Animal Aid in neighboring Oakland Park, with what his family lists as Shiba Inu, pit bull, German shepherd, chow chow, Shar-Pei, bichon frise and basset hound in the mix. His platform is more play, more treats and equal sniffing rights, and his slogan leans on his nautical name.
  • Spock is a 6-year-old German shorthaired pointer who was adopted from the Humane Society of Broward County a day after he arrived there. He runs daily patrols of the Colohatchee fence line and takes lizard and iguana control seriously.
  • Moose is a Chihuahua just over a year old running on a think-big, vote-small message. He naps at Java Joe's while his dad works and sometimes sits in on therapy sessions to comfort clients.
  • Bernie Barkowitz is a vocal 9-year-old terrier mix who promises to round up your iguanas. His family says his personality is pure politician.
  • Hercules is a 4-year-old Staffordshire terrier who came out of a rough start in life and now counts Colohatchee as his favorite park and the couch as his second office.
  • Oscar is a 6-year-old Goldendoodle who likes the pool, the dog park and outdoor tables on the Drive, where he is a regular at Tulio's and Ethos.
  • Benny is a Staffy with a three-plank platform: neighborly goodwill, steady composure at crowded city events, and defense of the island's parrots, manatees and ducks (and firm opposition to iguanas).
  • Sully is a fluffy, blue-eyed snow dog running on boops and eye contact, and making the case that a cold-weather breed can thrive in South Florida.

Also on the ballot: Rowdy, Brody, Parker, London, Hattie Lou, Kaya, Lacey, Scruffy, Fuji, Luke and Fendi, among others. The ballot randomizes the order of the voting choices, so no pup gets the top line by default.

Why a small city is doing this

Wilton Manors is a small city wedged between Fort Lauderdale and Oakland Park in Broward County, and it runs on a short list of shared places: the Drive, the parks along the river, the library, the cultural center on NE 21st Court. Dogs are part of that fabric. Colohatchee Park is where a good share of the town's dog owners end up after work, and both Fur the People events land right there.

A Dog Mayor gives that whole crowd a reason to show up in the same place at the same time. The kickoff and the costume parade are free, the ballot costs nothing, and the bios have neighbors reading about dogs they have probably already met at the fence. Rescue stories run through the field, too, which puts shelters like Animal Aid and the Humane Society of Broward County in front of residents in a way a flyer never would.

Honorary animal mayors have popped up in small towns around the country for years, but Wilton Manors is building its version into a season of city events, with a primary, a parade and a real two-year term. That gives the winner plenty of time to become a familiar face at park days and festivals on Wilton Drive.

How to take part

If you live in or around Wilton Manors, the simplest move is to open the ballot before noon on October 15, read a handful of the bios and vote for your favorite. If your own dog missed the cut this time, put October 22 on the calendar anyway: the costume parade at Colohatchee is open to every pup, and the Halloween timing means the outfits should be serious.

And if you have been looking for a reason to finally learn the name of the dog you see every morning on NE 15th Avenue, there is a decent chance it is on the ballot. Wilton Manors has always liked to call itself the Island City. Soon it will have a four-legged ambassador to prove it.