Which Mayor Stubbs?

DID you know Mayor Stubbs likes to have his belly rubbed, prance around naked, has naps in front of local businesses – and that he prefers to drink water from a wine glass?

Well neither did he – that’s our mayor, Ian Stubbs.

The other Mayor Stubbs is the “civic head” of a historic Alaskan village, Talkeetna and has made headlines in recent weeks.

That Mayor Stubbs indulges in all the above.

He’s a ginger cat.

From one report there is a bit of a similarity between the two mayors.

The Alaskan one doesn’t raise taxes, and the Busselton one is loathe to put up rates more than necessary.

Talkeetna’s mayor was named Stubbs because he had no tail when he was born, but there is certainly a tale to be told about the feline.

Stubbs became mayor because residents weren’t happy with any of the human candidates in an upcoming mayoral election and voted for him as a write-in candidate when he was only a kitten – and he won. That was 15 years ago.

Possibly because he doesn’t have to fight any elections, Stubbs is quite happy doing his own thing and ignores humans.

He apparently isn’t too fussed about tourists and enjoys a long afternoon nap and will only drink water from a wine glass that has catnip in it.

But residents are prepared to put up with Mayor Stubbs’s high-maintenance lifestyle because he’s a big tourist attraction.

So how does our Mayor Stubbs feel about his namesake in Alaska?

“I am not sure that I compare very well with the high-maintenance lifestyle of my counter-part in Alaska,” he quipped, the humour of the comparison not lost on him.

“I am no tourist attraction and I most certainly do not drink water from wine glasses.

“Quite frankly, I no longer like the taste of our local water, no matter what it’s presented in.

“After reading some recent, less than flattering, letters in local newspapers about me, I would guess that the authors will probably now like to think of me as a fat cat.”

Perhaps he feels a cat nap coming on.

Next week: What’s in a name?