Politics is notorious for fundraising and the involvement of money in elections. Usually this is the elephant in the room, the unspoken reality.

In Idyllwild, our Animal Rescue Friends are willing to face and embrace this issue. In fact, ARF hopes to make plenty of money from the next election in Idyllwild.

ARF will organize, handle and conduct the election for the Mayor of Idyllwild. Each vote will cost the voter $1, which will go to ARF’s coffers, and similar to a populous Midwestern state, multiple voting is encouraged. The election’s ballot boxes, available for stuffing, will be in front of the post office from Monday, June 11 through Wednesday, June 13 — just place the appropriate denomination in your favorite candidate’s box.

Nominations for the Mayor of Idyllwild must be submitted to ARF by Saturday, May 19. Qualifications are exclusive — only members of the canine or feline parties are eligible.

Candidate packets are available at the ARF House, 26890 Highway 243, or at the Town Crier office on Village Center Drive. If your candidate prefers the great indoors, contact [email protected] or Janice Murasko directly at [email protected].

Hill residents from Mountain Center north to Pine Cove are eligible to nominate their favorite dog or cat. If necessary, a run-off may be used to determine the victor, according to Murasko.

The election victor will be inaugurated on June 30 and honored at a reception ceremony and barbeque at ARF. They will also appear in the 2012 Fourth of July parade.

The idea has been percolating through the ARF membership for several years, according to Murasko. Sheila Boynton had heard of this fundraising project several years ago.

Murasko has heard from several potential canine candidates, but very little has been heard from the feline party. She agreed that dogs, which often cooperate by forming packs, are the natural leaders.