Mayor Bobby, of Minnesota, leaves office at age 5: ‘That’s all folks’

Bobby Tufts’ mayoral career is over at age 5. The Dorset, Minn., mayor posted his concession speech on Twitter on Sunday: “That’s all folks.” That was the day he lost his office to a 16-year-old boy with a taste for fried ice cream.

The way you become mayor in Dorset is by putting your name in a bucket at businesses in the little Midwestern tourist town, population about 25. Stuffing the ballot box is encouraged for this honorary office.

Ian Wallace, who works at Sister Wolf Books in Dorset, told the L.A. Times: “You put a dollar into the bucket along with your ballot and at the Taste of Dorset they put all the names into one large hat, and then they pull one out and that’s the new mayor of Dorset.”

Money from the balloting goes toward festival expenses.

Bobby first became mayor of the little town, which has no formal city government, at 3 years old. At age 4, he conducted an interview with a Minnesota CBS station on a local fishing event. As the personable mayor spoke, he popped a fishing bobber into his mouth. His interviewer asked him what it tasted like. He replied, thoughtfully: “Fish poop.”

Entertaining the media is not required of the mayor of Dorset. Bobby did that out of the goodness of his own heart.

The mayor has no official duties, Sister Wolf's co-owner Sally Wizik Wills said. The figurehead "receives a key to the city, gift certificates from each business in town and will be featured in our newspaper next spring. It's a sweet deal!"

But unlike other mayors, Bobby raised money for the Ronald McDonald House and hosted canned food drives, she noted.

Bobby's mom, Emma Tufts, told The Times that Bobby liked helping the town but seeing himself on TV was even better. His post-politics plan: To spread his love of the outdoors. And a presidential run in 2048? Could be.

Mayor Eric Mueller, 16, of Mendota Heights takes over in Dorset after his name was drawn from the Dorset ballot bucket during the annual food festival.

He told AP he decided to run after binging on five fried ice creams in a single sitting. That’s a feat that ex-Mayor Bobby likely could not duplicate.

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