DIVIDE — For the past 12 years, the town of Divide has elected an animal as mayor; it's all part of a long-running campaign hosted by the Teller County Regional Animal Shelter (TCRAS) as a way to raise funds to help homeless animals as well as distribute smiles across the Front Range.
Past campaigns have seen dogs, cats and even a wolf win the position of mayor; however, this year folks voted in Clyde the donkey.
The Divide mayoral race, which started up in 2010, takes place every two years and always consists of a number of animals local to the area vying for top spot in people's hearts.
Candidates and their campaign managers (otherwise known as owners) host social media campaigns, build out fliers, attend meet and greets, and even put together slogans.
For example, Clyde the donkey operated under three different slogans:
- "Elect a burro for a greater tomorrow."
- "Vote for Clyde or you can kiss my backside."
- "Clyde is all ears for a better Divide!"
Folks then pay two dollars to submit a vote for their favorite animal candidate, of which there were 11 this year; included on that list are eight dogs, one cat, a donkey and a single goldfish. Proceeds from the event go directly to TCRAS and their ongoing mission to aid homeless animals.
At the end of this voting period, not only had Clyde the donkey emerged as the winner with 5,635 votes, but a total of 19,093 votes had been submitted which equals a total of $41,040 raised for TCRAS.
"These are animals that are speaking for the ones that can't speak for themselves, that are homeless pets," stated Angela Davis, executive director at TCRAS.
Looking to the future, Clyde has two years ahead where he'll be making appearances and generally bringing smiles to people's faces.
To learn more about TCRAS or check out their animals available for adoption, CLICK HERE.
_____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
