He was the best mayor we ever had
Not only can one talk of democracy between people, but democracy between dogs and people
He achieved international fame three years into his first term. In 1984, The Daily Star picked up his story. It was benign, as such pieces go, though the recognition brought the career politician to the attention of other publications less willing to approach the subject with kid gloves.
For The People's Daily of Beijing, he perfectly encapsulated the failures of the American democratic project. Published six years after the U.K. article, the piece was scathing, dripping with biting political sarcasm.
"Western democracy has reached such a peak of perfection that not only can one talk of democracy between people, but democracy between dogs and people. There is no distinction between people and dogs,” the paper noted, adding that the mayor of the sleepy Bay Area town, “can be seen as a wakeup tonic for those kind-hearted people who are naive and ignorant and blindly worship Western democracy.”
Bosco Ramos never imagined he’d become an international flashpoint in a cold war between political ideologies, but nor was he one to back down from a fight. The following year, Sunol’s bow-tied mayor sent a clear statement by hitching a ride to San Francisco in the back of an El Camino to attend a human rights protest outside the Chinese embassy.
For his constituents, Bosco’s time in office was otherwise benevolent enough for him to serve 14 years as mayor – time that was ultimately cut short by his death in 1994. The young rescue lab/rottweiler mix handily beat two human candidates, “Honest” Paul Zeiss and a man who simply went by “Wolf.”
According to local historians, the two men had it out over drinks at a cowboy-themed bar in downtown Sunol, debating who would win in a hypothetical mayoral race for the small, census-designation place. A third man, Brad Leber, entered his dog Bosco as a dark horse. He ran on the Re-pup-lican ticket, promising, “A bone in every dish, a cat in every tree, and a fire hydrant on every corner.” It was a rousing success, earning him 75 mail-in votes out of a total 125 ballots cast.
“Everyone knew Bosco, so he just became a write-in candidate and he won all the votes,” a longtime Sunol resident would tell The San Jose Mercury, years later. “It was pretty much a landslide […] he was the best mayor we ever had.”
Bosco’s time in office outlasted his owner. When Leber split town, Sunol’s mayor changed hands to resident, Tom Stillman. The dog spent most days roaming the streets or spending time with residents in a local bar, sometimes escaping out the rear, when the attention was too much.
His time in office was not without its share of controversy, however. A lifelong bachelor, Bosco leveraged his international celebrity status into a number of flings. Stillman noted, years later, “There used to be a joke that he was related to every dog in town.”
Ailing health ultimately caught up with him, however. Bosco was put down in 1994. Five years after his death, Sunol’s most beloved mayor was memorialized with the opening of Bosco's Bones & Brew. A bronze statue was erected outside the town’s post office a decade later.
His namesake watering hole, however, is home to an even more fitting memorial. A life-sized, stuff Bosco sits behind the taps in a red bandana, waiting for a bartender to lift his leg and dispense beer.
Sources:
Images of America: Sunol by Victoria Christian
How A Dog, "Bosco", Became The Most Loved Mayor Of Sunol In The 1980s https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/How-A-Dog-Bosco-Became-The-Most-Loved-Mayor-15813164.php
Bosco, Sunol’s dog mayor, lives on in spirit https://www.mercurynews.com/2013/08/22/bosco-sunols-dog-mayor-lives-on-in-spirit/