DORSET, Minn. (AP) — A 5-year-old boy's run as mayor is over
in a tiny tourist town in northern Minnesota.
Robert "Bobby" Tufts lost his bid for a third
consecutive term as mayor of Dorset on Sunday. Eric Mueller, a 16-year-old from
Mendota Heights, Minnesota, won when his name was drawn from the ballot box
during the annual Taste of Dorset festival.
Bobby was only 3 when he was first elected mayor in 2013.
Dorset, about 150 miles northwest of Minneapolis, has no formal city government
and a population ranging from nine to 28.
"It was fun, but it's time to pass on the vote,"
Bobby told The Associated Press by telephone Monday. Then he suggested his
little brother get a shot at some point: "I'm gonna let James do it. He's
2."
People can vote as many times as they like in the
"election" — for $1 a vote — at ballot boxes in stores around town.
The proceeds go toward organizing the festival.
Bobby said he was proud of his efforts to raise money for
the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley in Fargo, North
Dakota, One of his other major acts was to declare ice cream top of the food
pyramid.
His mother, Emma Tufts, said family members joked about
having Bobby and James build up a political resume to prepare for a
presidential run in 2048. But she said she's happy that Bobby will get a break.
Now, for example, he can catch candy at parades rather than be the one throwing
it.
"He really enjoyed being a kid in some festivals, not
having to perform," she said.
Eric, the new mayor, said he came up with the idea to run
after he ate five fried ice creams at one sitting. He'll be a high school
junior this fall.
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