5-year-old loses re-election as mayor of tiny US town

DORSET, Minn. – Robert “Bobby” Tufts may have lost his bid for a third consecutive term as mayor of his tiny northern Minnesota tourist town, but the 5-year-old isn’t taking it too hard.

After helping raise money for local charities and declaring ice cream the top of the food pyramid, it was just time to move on, he said.

“It was fun, but it’s time to pass on the vote,” Bobby told The Associated Press on Monday, a day after he lost the annual election in Dorset.

Bobby’s rule over the tiny town — population ranging from nine to 28 people — was purely ceremonial, being that Dorset has no formal city government. People can vote as many times as they like — for $1 a vote — at ballot boxes around town. The winner is drawn at random during the annual Taste of Dorset festival.

The new mayor, Eric Mueller, is bringing in more experience: He’s 16.

Bobby said he was proud of his efforts during his rein in Dorset, about 150 miles (241 kilometres) northwest of Minneapolis. He helped raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley in Fargo, North Dakota. One of his other major acts was declaring ice cream a necessary food.