What was unusual about the occupant of the post of honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, from 1997-2017?

Talkeetna is a small town in Alaska, the northernmost state of the USA, recorded as having a population of 1,005 in the 2020 census.

From 1997 until his death in 2017, the honorary mayor of the town was a cat, by the name of Stubbs. Although technically the title was only honorary, the townsfolk still took the matter very seriously!

Stubbs did not have the best start in life. He was found in a box of abandoned kittens outside a store, and also was lacking a tail, which explains his name. Although he, of course, had no real political power, he certainly had influence, and in the 2014 Senate election, a video was released urging voters to put his name on the ballot paper and eschew both the Republican and Democratic candidates!

His life was not trouble-free, and in 2013 he required life saving veterinary surgery following an attack by a dog. This was crowd funded and raised far more than the necessary amount - the surplus was donated to animal charities.

After a long life, Stubbs passed away in 2017, but the feline mayoral dynasty has been carried on in the town, with a cat named Denali taking over the office.