Marty for Mayor™

The message of “Marty for Mayor” is to first bring attention to voters that voting is very important and that voters should always turn out on Election Day and to second spark the interest of children and young adults to participate in a free democracy through their future voting efforts. A children’s book is in the works to document “Marty” and her adventures into politics.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

"Marty for Mayor" Coverage by Maureen Kochan


Ruff the Vote:
Marty the Golden Retriever earns votes in Tennessee mayor's race.

The votes are in and tallied, and Marty the Golden Retriever is looking, well, golden.

The 5-year-old dog, owned by Bill Johns, ran for mayor of Knox County, Tenn., in the Aug. 3 election. According to Greg McKay of the Knox County Election Commission, Marty received some write-in votes, but not enough to upset incumbent Mike Ragsdale.

Marty's goal was to become mayor of her town one day, but this year she simply wanted to motivate everyone to get out and vote, says Johns, who lives in Farragut. Turnout in past Knox County elections had slipped to less than 20 percent, he says.

Marty's pro-dog platform included imposing citywide no-cat zones, free bones for dogs, and opposition to any kind of “ball tax. Marty's supporters vowed to run a clean campaign, going so far as to give the dog a bath during a campaign stop.

posted by "Marty for Mayor™" @ 2:49 PM