← GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government
GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government
#710 Canine Mayor with Jake the Dog and Shani Leichter, Somerville, MA
00:36:44
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- [00:00]
A
Foreign. Coming to you from the Twin Cities region in Minnesota, this is GovLove, a podcast about local government. I'm Lauren Palmer, a partner with Everstrive Solutions and your host for this episode. Govlove is produced by elgl, the Engaging Local Government Leaders Network. You can start your new year off right and support Gov Love by becoming a member of ELGL. Visit ELGL.org today to learn more. Today my very special and adorable guest is Jake the Dog, the newly elected canine mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts. Joining Jake is his owner, handler, Chief of staff, campaign manager, best friend, Shanee Leichter. Shanique and Jake are here to share how their community engagement and activism turned into Jake running for elected office. This very special episode is all about celebrating the fun and happiness of life in our local communities. So Shani, welcome to Gov Love. Thanks for joining us.
- [01:09]
B
Thanks for having us.
- [01:11]
A
We are so excited to get to know you and Jake a little bit better. But before we dive into our interview, we're going to start with the lightning round with just some fun warm up questions to get to know you. So to start, other than campaigning, what activity do you and Jake enjoy the most?
- [01:28]
B
I think the thing we enjoy the most is being outside. Whether we're hiking mountains, exploring local trails, playing on the beach. We like all the seasons but we prefer the cooler ones. So we're looking forward to getting some snowshoeing in soon.
- [01:44]
A
Oh boy.
- [01:45]
B
Yeah, Jake is definitely a winter pup.
- [01:48]
A
I love that now that I'm in Minnesota my dog is adapting to the climates so that's great. But he likes the beach too.
- [01:57]
B
He loves the beach. He loves to play frisbee on the beach and bringing his frisbee into the water. He loves the waves. He loves to swim anywhere, anytime.
- [02:07]
A
No wonder he makes a good politician.
- [02:09]
B
Can just be he's up for anything. He's also equally up for like a walk around the city getting treats from all his favorite. It stops along great and we are
- [02:20]
A
going to hear more about that shortly. All right, second lightning round question. Tell us about your first paying job. What did you do and how did the experience shape you?
- [02:33]
B
So my first like real job was working at a major hotel chain at a huge convention resort like property. I learned so much about myself, about myself there and I think what I learned the most was the things that I liked about work and didn't like. Like what I liked in a work environment, what I didn't like in a work environment. And I really enjoyed like the fast pace figuring stuff out on the go. I liked putting Together like complicated puzzles in terms of like rooms availability and stuff like that. I did not like having unpredictable schedules at all. I work best when I know where I need to be, when I need to be there and have some consistency. It was a little bit easier, I think when I was like 19 and doing that type of work. I think I was a little more adaptable. But I definitely enjoy routine. But I don't like routine in the job. I like the job itself to be varied and busy.
- [03:35]
A
That's interesting. You know, you're different than many of our guests because you do not work directly in local government, even though Jake does. Yeah, but what you're describing kind of seems like a fit for local government. They have kind of standard schedules but a variation in the work day to day. So maybe by the end of our episode we'll recruit you to local gov life.
- [03:56]
B
We'll see.
- [03:57]
A
Yeah. Okay. One final lightning round question. What is something you are reading, watching or listening to that are audience might enjoy?
- [04:07]
B
So I've actually now this end of the year been reviewing my consumption for the year and I am a huge reader.
- [04:15]
A
That's awesome.
- [04:15]
B
My favorite genre is historical fiction and I really enjoy learning about places or times or populations that I don't know as much about. So I think I'm going to give you maybe my top couple books of the year, if that's okay.
- [04:33]
A
This is great. I'm gonna get a pen and take notes. I'm always looking for book suggestions. I'm not a good reader, but I aspire to be, so help me out.
- [04:42]
B
Okay. So I really enjoyed a book called as Long as the Lemon Tree Grows, which is about the war in Syria.
- [04:53]
A
Oh great.
- [04:55]
B
The Lion Women of Tehran was one of my favorites.
- [04:58]
A
Another one of my favorite nine Women of Tehran.
- [05:00]
B
Lion like L I N. Okay, thank
- [05:03]
A
you for the clarification.
- [05:06]
B
Homegoing is a really amazing book about the slave trade. Really like powerful read. A difficult read, but really powerful and important, I think. And then the Things We Cannot say is a book set so sort of in present time. And World War II is one of one of my all time favorites.
- [05:30]
A
What was the third one you said? The one about slavery? You said it was a tough read.
- [05:33]
B
But yeah, homegoing.
- [05:35]
A
Homegoing. Okay. Wow. Thank you. I. I often ask people about what they're reading and they kind of panic and say, you know, I haven't read anything except the council packet this week because it's hard. It's hard to fit in the time. So I am inspired every and every time I get a Recommendation. Right. That. Like that I go on my library account.
- [05:59]
B
Yes.
- [06:00]
A
Reserve them.
- [06:01]
B
Yeah.
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A
Because you never know. You might have to wait a month. But then it's like a little treat. Like I get the pop up email.
- [06:07]
B
Like, oh, yeah, book is ready.
- [06:09]
A
That book's ready. Okay. So thank you. I just gave myself four Christmas presents with some book recommendations. Thank you.
- [06:16]
B
Excellent.
- [06:18]
A
All right, well, let's get into the heart of our interview. We want to learn all about Mayor Jakes, but to start, just give us a little bit of background. Tell us about Somerville and the community where you all live. And now we're. Mayor Jake is doing his work.
- [06:33]
B
Yeah. So Somerville is an old. An old place. It was originally settled in the 1600s. It became its own city in 1842. So it's. It's old. We've got some Revolutionary war sites around town.
- [06:50]
A
And I was as you. When you were saying that you like historical fiction, I was thinking you live in the right part of the world.
- [06:56]
B
I love Boston for all its. All its history. We are. We are well known as the home of marshmallow fluff. Was invented. It was invented in Somerville. And we still have an annual Fluff fest every year to celebrate the joy that is marshmallow fluff. Somerville is an incredibly densely populated city. It's the most densely populated city in New England. We're a little over four square miles, and there are over 80,000 people that live within city limits.
- [07:35]
A
That is a fun fact. Okay. Incredible. We could have a whole separate conversation about zoning and density regulations. I know that's not your jam.
- [07:43]
B
No, that's okay. We definitely, you know, Jake. Jake is a big supporter of affordable housing, which is a really, really big issue in our town right now. Somerville is very close to Boston. We share. We call it the T, but it's a subway line with town and is really close. So we're basically. We're definitely greater Boston. We're not Boston. People in Boston will very clearly tell you Somerville is not Boston. But we're very close. We're a pretty highly educated population. We're really close to mit, Harvard, Tufts, like some pretty big hitters. It's a really artistic community. I was reading that somewhere. I was reading somewhere that after New York City, Somerville has the highest, like, density of artists. So who knew that was really cool. I'm not fluff.
- [08:36]
A
History, art, dogma, this place.
- [08:40]
B
Yeah. And we also are pretty big foodie town. Lots of. Lots of local spots and breweries. It's super diverse. I can't remember if I said that already. There's like over 50 languages that are spoken in our public school system. Yeah, it's a really. It's a really cool, really diverse, really innovative community. Our big kind of industry is really like, innovative science, green space work, green energy, stuff like that. It's a really cool. It's a very cool, very progressive city. And we've lived here a long time.
- [09:19]
A
Well, it's great. Let's talk about that. Tell us about Jake's origin story. How did he land in Somerville?
- [09:25]
B
Yeah. So Jake is ten and a half years old, and he's lived here, here since he was 11 weeks old.
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A
Baby.
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B
He was a baby. He. He's a. He's a rescue from Texas.
- [09:39]
A
Oh.
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B
So he has come a long way, and I think he's very happy to be here because the one thing he does not like is the heat. So I think he would struggle mightily in Texas.
- [09:48]
A
Yeah.
- [09:50]
B
Yeah. Jake's origin story is really cool. I've been thinking a lot about this since his. His win and sort of all the pieces that had to come together in just the right way to even make this whole thing possible. So. Yeah, so he was rescued in. He was born in 2015. Rescued in 2015. He, his litter and his mom were found locked in a boat dock bathroom in Texas. They were picked up by Animal Control, then by the Humane Society, and then by Save a Lab Rescue, which is where we got him through. And just like the amount of people that were involved in rescuing his little family from the very beginning, all the way through getting him up, he was eventually, you know, he was fostered in Texas with his whole litter at his mom. And then they were. When they were ready for adoption, they were brought up to Rhode island, which is where we picked him up. And. And we're still in touch with a lot of his fosters, which is really cool and special. And they have really cute pictures of him as like a little, like, naked mole rat. You know, like a little fresh little thing. He's a big. He's a big guy. He's 85 pounds. So when we got him at 11 weeks, we thought he was like a small puppy because he was 11 weeks old, but he was already 23 pounds. So we immediately had to go return all the puppy things that we bought for him. Yeah. So he. He's been here ever since, but it's just really wild. Like, even through the rescue, they had posted, you know, his litter was available and, like, coming up for adoption, someone had already claimed Jake. His name was Harris. At the time, we kept that as his middle name, someone had already, you know, kind of reserved him, I guess. I'm not sure exactly what the right word is, but he was supposed to go to another family, and then they backed out at the last minute. And I saw that they had reposted him, like, needing a place to land that weekend. And probably within 10 seconds of them posting, I was like, I want him. Yes, fine. His little face, like, just, you know, the first time I saw it, I was like, oh, my God, that's like my dog. And he was. Turns out he was.
- [12:08]
A
It was meant to be.
- [12:09]
B
It was meant to be. Yeah. There were.
- [12:10]
A
I love this story.
- [12:12]
B
So eternally grateful for all the. All of the people who put in the work getting him here.
- [12:17]
A
That face that you loved was clearly a face for politics. And we're going to talk about it. So, you know, most cities only have the human variety of mayor. So tell us this story. How did Jake become the first canine mayor in Somerville?
- [12:35]
B
Yeah. So people who know Somerville will not be surprised that Somerville has a dog mayor. It's just that kind of funky place that we live. We have a local pet store, like, Pet Pet Supply. We have a local pet supply store called Scritches and Boops that spearheaded the election. We also. We also have a cat mayor of the bike path in Somerville. That one was. Got a lot of attention, and the Dogma stuff was going on around the same time, and so there were 40 dogs running, which is kind of wild.
- [13:15]
A
Yeah.
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B
And we've long joked and, you know, people in the community have long joked that Jake is the mayor of Somerville. So when there was an actual mayor of Somerville opportunity, we decided to jump in, because. Why not?
- [13:29]
A
Yeah, we're doing this.
- [13:31]
B
We're doing it.
- [13:32]
A
Yeah. I mean, I want people to understand, like, obviously this is a playful episode, but this is not a joke. Like, you had an actual campaign joke beat Jake, beat out 40 other dogs for this role. Talk to us about that. Like, what was the key to your success at the ballot box?
- [13:49]
B
Yeah, I mean, I think I'm a little. I'm a little biased here, but to know Jake is to love him. He's got a big personality. He's super friendly. As I said earlier, he loves everything. But I think the difference for him in the campaign was, honestly, this is going to sound ridiculous, but having spent the last 10 years building relationships with community members around town, I mentioned that one of the things he likes to do is walking or, you know, walk around and get treats different places. So there's a lot of There's a lot of spots on our, on our walks that know him really well, that he's, that have grown, you know, he's grown up with them. And so we have a couple of hair salons, fire stations, even our vet's office is within walking distance. And Jake's favorite, like walk activity is to go into the vet's office. He's the only, like, what dog drags you to the vet? He does. He. So we go into the vet, he goes on the scale.
- [14:51]
A
He knows there's a treat there, right?
- [14:53]
B
Yes. So he will repeat this and like they all know us there now. Like, Jake is just here to play his game and he will just go stand on the scale, nudge the treats with his nose. It has to be someone, not me, that gives it to him. If it's me, it doesn't count. It has to be one of the vet techs or vets that come out and give him treats. So he's been, he's been putting in a lot of FaceTime. And I honestly think that the, the FaceTime is what, like the pause on the ground is really what set him apart from the other candidates. I'm sure they did that as well. No knock. A lot of those candidates are now part of our cabinet. We, we love them all. It was a very sweet, very fun election. Everyone was super cool and supportive and really happy for Jake. And you know, there we have a DEI team and we have a park and recs team. We have a deputy mayor and we just had, we had a lot of fun. Oh no, that's okay. We had a lot of fun and it was a really fun way also to like, keep everyone included to meet new, you know, people, like human people and meet new dog friends. But it was a lot of, it was a lot of time on the ground, like actually talking to people about Jake and getting, getting the word out.
- [16:14]
A
I, I love that part of the story because if somebody put in front of me 40 dogs and said vote for one, I would not be able to, I would have to say, like, let's change the form of government. We're going to have 40 mayors. Because all the dogs are good boys and good girls.
- [16:30]
B
Absolutely.
- [16:32]
A
Like, Right. It's hard for me to go to a dog shelter because I want to bring all the dogs home. Right. Like, I totally. So I love that you, like, Jake's the winner, but I love that you are finding other ways to get other interested, civic minded dogs involved in. And I think there's some real applications here for humans who are involved in government. We're going to talk about that more in a bit. Um, but talk to me about life post election. What are some of the duties of a dogma?
- [17:00]
B
It's a really good question. Um, we're still fleshing some of that out because it's a new. He's the first. So we're still figuring out some of that trailblazer. Yeah, he is a trailblazer. He's, you know, he. There can. There can always be more, but there can only be one first. So I guess we're sort of. We're kind of winging it as we go. There were a couple of things. We judged some Halloween dog costume contests. Oh, yeah. We were away for once. So we sent our deputy mayor in our stead who did a fabulous job. We just wrapped up a fundraiser for our local pet food pantry. Cool. We created some Jake merch. So that will be. Those will be going out this week. And we partnered with a local high school to produce all that stuff at cost for us and to, you know, support tech ed programs. And we're gonna. We'll probably be donating around $1,000 to our local pet food pantry, which is pretty cool. Yeah, a lot.
- [18:04]
A
This is not just like a social media thing.
- [18:07]
B
It's not just a social media thing. Yeah. We're really trying to use our, you know, it's not a huge platform, but our platform to, you know, raise awareness and bring attention and, you know, it's a hard time for a lot of people. And people who can't, you know, feed or support their pets, like, often feel the need to rehome them or give them up. And we're really trying to help keep families united because we, you know, I, as a. As a dog person, obviously, like, pets are family and trying to. Trying to do our part to help support people in supporting their pets in the best way they can.
- [18:44]
A
Yeah. That's awesome. I probably should have done a disclaimer at the top of this episode. Like, if you are not a crazy dog lady like I am who raised her dog as a human boy and who does not know. And he now believes that he's a human and does not know that he's a dog, this may not be the episode for you. Um, so anyway, we're kindred spirits. I hope we'll find some other folks in the gov. Love audience who enjoy this conversation. But so let's talk more about that. I mean, you raised a ton of money. Jake had like a platform during the campaign. Like, what are some of the Issues important to the pet community in Somerville that Jake is championing.
- [19:28]
B
Well, Jake will tell you that his number one priority is always access to food and treats.
- [19:35]
A
Hear, hear.
- [19:36]
B
Yes. I mean, this is so relatable. He's a, you know, he's a relatable guy. We're also working on so increasing dog friendly spaces, which also requires human participation because irresponsible pet owners are a problem and like, you know, really limit options for others. So it's not just on the dogs, never just on the dogs. Where, you know, there's. There's a lot of. I mean, everywhere I think right now there's a lot of issues. And, you know, Jake. Jake has used his social media platform in the past, really to try to provide comfort to people during these really challenging times, to bring some levity and light because it is such a heavy kind of time in our. In the country doesn't. Regardless of where you stand, it's. It's tough. It's. There's a, you know, there's a lot of vitriol, a lot of hate. And, you know, as I mentioned earlier, Somerville is a city of immigrants and we have struggled with ice activity and things like that. Yeah, it's tough. I think we're really just trying to support our neighbors as best we can and all the ways, some practical ways and also just some health and mental health and joy, bringing a little joy where we can.
- [21:05]
A
That's really why I wanted to have you on the podcast and do this episode, the elgl, the Engaging Local Government Leaders. It's like one of their core values of joy, like trying to celebrate the joy of public service. And everything you said really resonated with me because it can be a hard time to be a government official and there's a lot of ugliness in the world. There's not always civility in public discourse. And so I, I love kind of your message of just Jake being kind of a beacon of happiness and, and joy and positivity, and that's certainly what we're trying to do through Yale gl. So you're very on theme and I appreciate it. Can you share just like a favorite anecdote from the campaign trail or maybe something post election that really exemplifies what having a dogma means in your community?
- [22:00]
B
I think the thing that was really cool. Well, there were many cool things on the campaign trail, but I think the sort of theme that stands out to me is just how excited other people were about this and how happy it made people, you know, such a Kind of silly thing, but it just, it really did provide so much connection and we made so many friends through the process. Again, both human and dog.
- [22:28]
A
Yeah.
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B
And, you know, it's post election, it's really fun to go to a lot of our favorite places and people know him and so he walks in and everyone's like, the mayor's here. The mayor's here. You know, Jake, the mayor is here. Like, and just, you know, where people are around and they're like, what are you talking about? They're like, jake's the dog mayor of Somerville. Like, and people are really passionate about it and really excited for. For his win and his, you know, his position. And it's just really. We are definitely nailing the brain, bringing joy to people. And that was really what the whole thing was about.
- [23:06]
A
And just creative engagement. I mean, we talk a lot in local government and on the podcast about community engagement and creative ways to engage the community and sort of connecting with people outside of just the traditional public meeting at 6pm on Thursday down at Sunny Hall. So I love what you're saying. Kind of like the buzz around a dogma and having that create some engagement in the community that maybe sparks some ideas for people to get exposure to ideas or issues that they hadn't thought of before. Like, sort of just like a creative approach to community engagement.
- [23:44]
B
Yeah, it was really fun. And we made stickers for his campaign, like for Jake stickers. And it's still fun to see them around. Yeah, it's just, it's really cool to see how many people were. Were and are so excited about his campaign and ultimately election.
- [24:07]
A
Has Jake had any engagement with the human mayor of Somerville or others in official city government?
- [24:15]
B
It's a good question. Our. Our human government is in the midst of some overturn right now.
- [24:22]
A
Okay. Transition time.
- [24:24]
B
Yep, it's transition time. We had a really, really long, long, long term mayor who decided eventually not to run for reelection. And our mayoral cycle in the city is only two years. Really quick. And so our current mayor is on her way out and a new mayor is coming in next year whose name is also Jake, by the way.
- [24:46]
A
You're kidding.
- [24:47]
B
I know. There are two Jake Mayor Jakes in Somerville.
- [24:50]
A
That's kind of perfect.
- [24:51]
B
What are the odds? So we have not yet that he's not in yet. The other person's on our way out,
- [25:00]
A
so we'll keep us posted. It just seems like there's all kinds of cross marketing opportunities there with your two.
- [25:08]
B
The two Jersey Jake.
- [25:10]
A
Right. Okay, awesome. Well, we've been Talking about this, you know, Govlove is all about celebrating the joy in local government. And that is clearly a big piece of Jake's story. You know, in what other ways did the Dogma race foster a sense of community? You've told us a lot. I just wonder if there's anything more you want to share.
- [25:30]
B
Yeah, I mean, I think another thing because, because the election was sort of sponsored by Scritches and Boobs, the pet store that's become sort of mayor hq. And so, you know, there's, there's a lot of times where we're in there and like other like cabinet members or just community members come in and it's really become like a space to connect with our dogs and you know, local business and, and all of that. So I think those kinds of things, like that's also been a really fun plus, like a really fun piece of connection is having that, that spot there as, as a gathering kind of place.
- [26:15]
A
It's awesome.
- [26:16]
B
Yeah.
- [26:18]
A
You know, earlier in the episode you said some things and I was really thinking in my head like, oh, that's got some applications for human campaigns too. I mean, what do you, what can human elected officials or, you know, people running for office learn from Jake's example?
- [26:33]
B
Yeah, I think, you know, I've actually have been thinking about this as well and I think it really is about getting in front of your constituents and having conversations about what's impacting people's day to day lives and what the people's priorities are, I think. And Right. Like, no, people are not ever going to agree on everything and that's okay. But I think everything would be so much better if people felt heard and seen. And I think that's something ironically that Jake can really bring. Like he's just there, right? Like he's just, he's just there happy to be with you. He's not pushing any agenda on anyone. Like, he's really, he's kind of there to listen and just like exist in the same time and place and space as his constituents. Right. And I think having those kind of more casual moments of just we are neighbors, you know, and we live in this community and we, while we may not all agree on adding bike lanes, that's a hot topic in Somerville, a very contentious subject. Like we, we're not ever gonna all agree on what is best or what the, where the priorities should be, but at the end of the day we're all neighbors and we all live here and we all take care of each other or should want to do that. I think, and that's, I think something that Jake does really well is just bringing people together without agenda, without expectation, other than maybe expectation for a treat, which, you know, is fair. He's, he deserves some compensation for his efforts. But just being, being in community for the sake of being in community, I think is something that human politicians could really take away from this. That would help a lot because even if you don't agree, just, you know, knowing that somebody heard what you had to say and validated it in some type of way, even if they're not going to act on it, I think is a really powerful thing and can help with the disengagement because there's, I think there's so much of that too, where people just are so disengaged from politics at every level, particularly, I think, because national politics are so overwhelming right now. I think it's hard, I think it's easy for people to miss the local stuff. And so much of it is bottom up. And, you know, local elections really matter. And we just had, we just had some in November and it's going to change our city going forward. We have a mayoral change. We had some. We updated the city charter for the first time in like, I don't know, 200 years or something. Like the little. The local stuff adds up. And so I think just, it helps people feel engaged when they feel heard and valued as constituents.
- [29:31]
A
It's so great to hear you voice that as someone who, outside local government, those of us who live and breathe every day like you are speaking our love language all the time. We are like, never mind Congress. The people who really affect your day to day life are on your city council, they're on your school board, your county commission.
- [29:52]
B
Yes.
- [29:52]
A
Access to these people, you can really influence the outcome of elections. But that's not, that's not a message that everybody really understands or appreciates. So it's great to hear it from you.
- [30:06]
B
Happy to, happy to help. Yeah.
- [30:08]
A
And I, we used a lot of things there that kind of resonated with me. I, I had a mentor in city management, actually, who told me I needed to get a dog because they're such a great stress reliever. And I just, what you're, what I heard you say was like perspective. Right. Dogs are just the best. They're just happy and they just want to love you. If the kibble shows up twice a day, they don't care what you screwed up at the office, they still love you. And I just, there's something in that of like, it's easy to find things to disagree about and be angry about. But if we could learn something from the dogs who, who find it easy to find the things to be happy about and to build consensus upon. Right. We could all do better in that.
- [30:54]
B
Agreed.
- [30:55]
A
Yeah. Dogs are the best. They are. I just, I love the way. I'm sorry, tell me the name of the store again.
- [31:04]
B
Oh, Scritches and Boots.
- [31:06]
A
Scritches and Boots. Thank you. I love the way this local business kind of came up with this campaign and the community really embraced it. What advice do you have for listeners who may be interested in infusing more fun and play into civic life?
- [31:20]
B
Yeah, I think so. I think for our mayoral thing, partnering with local business, Scritches and Boobs was really helpful, and it's also just really nice to have like a sort of central place to go. So I think, you know, finding. Finding that type of, you know, really invested in the community type of local business is extremely helpful because it just. It's kind of like a point. A point place. And engaging other local businesses is another really. You know, so many local businesses supported Jake and his campaign and, you know, those were existing relationships and stuff. But you can always build new relationships. Like, yes, he had existing ones. And I think that was, again, that was maybe what set him apart in terms of his election. But there are so many other local businesses, you know, that, that we learned about or went to for the first time or have approached us in the, you know, in this sort of aftermath of the, you know, that kind of thing. And so I think really rallying the, like, local businesses are already hubs in our community. Right. Like, we know that supporting local businesses puts a lot more money back into our community than supporting the big box places. So I think leveraging those investments into supporting local businesses while supporting joy and fun and connection in our communities is really the key to. To that or maybe the advice that I would give at least.
- [32:57]
A
Well, I have enjoyed our conversation so much, enjoyed getting to meet Jake just for our listeners because we are in audio format and we don't have the video component. I did get to just briefly get a glimpse of Jake. The mayor is very busy and gets tuckered out, so he's having a little snoozle over on the couch right now. He has delegated effectively to his chief of staff to handle this podcast interview. But I just, I can confirm for our listeners that he is best good boy and super adorable. But, you know, he's. He's a busy guy and that's all he could Give us for the podcast today.
- [33:38]
B
Listen, strong leaders delegate, right?
- [33:40]
A
Correct. Correct. He's built a great team. He's got a cabinet, he's got a human handler. It's awesome. He's got it figured out.
- [33:48]
B
He's nailing it.
- [33:49]
A
Yeah. What a guy. I mean, hope he wins reelection. We'll see how that goes in a couple years. Shani, is there anything else you want to share with our audience before we wrap up?
- [34:01]
B
I don't think so. Thank you again so much for having us. It's lovely to am always happy to share Jake's story and this little bright spot in the world. And we appreciate you sharing your platform with us.
- [34:16]
A
Yeah, it's a lot of fun. It's kind of fun to just do a little different episode. And I meant for this to just be kind of something different and fun, but I am pleasantly surprised. Like, we covered a lot of ground. That really has some real world nuggets of wisdom for our local government audience. So, you know, you can get real work done while having fun. I think it's a true messages.
- [34:39]
B
Especially when you have a dog.
- [34:41]
A
Especially when you have a dog. Here, here. I will. I'm not a cat person. I'll let some other cat person call and interview your cat.
- [34:49]
B
Mayor Minerva. She ran on a platform of crime. Just crime. Because cats.
- [34:58]
A
I. Yes, obviously I have huge dog bias, so I'm just going to leave it there. All right. Thank you so much for joining the podcast. I have one final question for you. If you could be the gov Love dj, what song would you pick as our exit music for this episode?
- [35:25]
B
I think Jake would pick. I think Jake's theme song is you've Got a Friend in me from Toy Story. I think that really just encapsulates who he is. Friend to all, enemy to none. And I also think living my best life by Ben Rector is another solid, solid Jake song.
- [35:47]
A
Both great choices. Yeah, I can just kind of get a visual of him, like popping down the sidewalk with that song playing in the background.
- [35:54]
B
Great. It's a little woody, like.
- [35:57]
A
Yeah, it's great.
- [35:58]
B
Yeah.
- [36:00]
A
Well, that ends our episode for today. Thank you so much to our guests Mary, Jake and Shani from Somerville, Massachusetts. To our audience, thank you for listening. You can reach us@elgl.org govlove or on social media. Govlove podcast. This has been Gov Love, a podcast about local government.
- [36:19]
C
You got a friend in me,
- [36:23]
A
you
- [36:23]
C
got trouble and I got em too. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you. We stick together, see it through Cause you got a friend in me? You got a friend in me.