Grafton Dog Mayor Sammy starts term by eating key to the town

Sammy Swier was supposed to be on a diet.

The pit bull/Labrador retriever mix, rescued from a Texas shelter just four months ago, is more than 80 lbs. of affection, with a fondness for cheese. But this was his inauguration day: Sammy on the 4th of July became Grafton’s first Dog Mayor, an event put on by the 4th of July Parade Committee and hosted on Grafton Common.

For his first decision as mayor, Sammy chowed down on the key to the town: a special cookie made by Quite Fetching Barkery and Pet Boutique.

It was a landslide victory for Sammy, who brought in 20,898 votes, followed by Ellie with 11,081, and Bolt, with 11,025. Overall, the winners accounted for 43,004 votes out of the 66,562 cast over the three-day voting period. Grafton Common’s Saturday site visits stood at more than 26,000 by 11 a.m., mere hours before the close of polls.

So how did Sammy manage to come out on top?

Owner Maureen Swier attributes the win in part to “Supernatural” forces.

“He’s named after Sammy Guevara from AEW wrestling and Jared Padalecki’s character on ‘Supernatural,'” said Swier, who got in touch with social media for both fandoms. “Both have a really strong fan base. We also posted him on a few dog pages around Facebook and Instagram.”

Others are alleging that bots played a role in upping the overall tally —nearly 10,000 votes over second place finisher Ellie, owned by Select Board Chair Colleen Roy.

“We were up all night voting and fighting the bots,” said Amanda Wiley, whose dog Bolt came in third. Roy noted that she also spent some time at the keyboard voting.

Grafton Common site stats show visits around the clock and from around the world since the poll opened on June 28. The leaders frequently switched throughout the contest and the poll software does allow for multiple votes by the same user.

Justin Stone, a member of the 4th of July Committee, said the dog mayor contest was meant to add a bit of fun to the festivities — and it did. In addition to having the occasional ceremonial role in town, Sammy will wear Grafton dog tag #1 in 2023.

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