Politics is a dog-eat-dog arena, and that’s why there’s no better top dog for the job than Sally Long Dog. Like a good New Yorker, she loves pizza, goes for walks and hates stairs.
At a proper “indoctrination” ceremony held in front of City Hall on January 14, the six-year-old Basset Hound was given a key-shaped “dog bone to the city” and coaxed into baby-talk by admiring attendees.
“It turns out that it is possible to make politics inspiring and fun, engaging to the public, viewing politics as something that will make the world a better place,” said Stephen Calabria, creator of NYC Dog Mayor Election. “The Honorary Dog Mayor and Deputy Dog Mayor of New York City are just the type of ‘Paw-Litians’ we’ve been waiting for.”
Not far off the heels of Sally Long the dog will be Riley the golden retriever, chosen by voters as second-in-command, NYC canine deputy mayor. Runners-up included Augustus the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog from the Upper West Side and Peanut the French Bulldog from the Financial District.
“It was a really tough race to be honest,” said Cassandra Bazzello, Sally’s owner. “I think there are a lot of people who love golden retrievers.”
Staten Island became an underdog borough after the unfortunate, untimely death of its only candidate, Diesel, before the election could take place. 16 candidates represented the other boroughs, with Manhattan and Brooklyn being the best represented.
“I guess now is the time for a good joke, don’t you?” Bizelo quipped.
In this March Madness-style bracket that took place this past August, voters took to social media polls to vote their favorite dog into power. While the contest wasn’t meant to be a fight, Bazzello, who lives in the East Village, kept Sally’s campaign chops sharp by using his professional work in advertising to create graphics that many New Yorkers would understand on a deep level.
She came prepared with a memorable slogan: Rally for Sally. He posed with the FDNY at their East Village base. She brought back a viral photo of Sally Long Dog inside an Ikea bag on the subway, sitting on top of a broken trash can, and in one particularly cheeky photo, Sally was being a good girl and hopping a curb.
Calabria created the NYC Dog Mayor Elections – which he modeled after the Dog Mayor Election, similar to Colorado City – initiative to address everyday issues such as trash, noise pollution, and lack of accessible resources for dog owners hoping to do. Underfunded neighborhood.
“We hope to build this institution to promote initiatives at the city level that transcend politics, that are common sense, and have broad public appeal,” Calabria said. “Things like trash cleanup to make poop bags more accessible to New York City’s low-income communities and alleviating New York City’s ongoing problems with noise pollution. When we make progress on these fronts, it will be because of Doug Meyer.
Bazzello himself hopes to see more dog-friendly businesses and parks, and longer off-leash hours at dog parks. Ultimately, what she wants the new mayorship of Sally Long Dog — past one year or seven of dog years — to bring about is simple and pure.
“There’s an opportunity to bring joy to people,” Bazzello said. “I think that in itself is a very good initiative.”
The NYC Dog Mayor elections are scheduled to begin each year in July, with the two final candidates up for a late public vote. While “canine-didates” must live within the city’s borough—perhaps a doghouse-penalty if found in a different state—voters can live anywhere.
Calabria said: “We want to use this platform to make people feel good about politics, to add some light to an otherwise dark period in our history, and to be a part of the lives of everyday New Yorkers, both humans and dogs.” Let’s do it to make a meaningful difference.”
