Marty Elected Mount Washington Top Cat

Generally ignored by the wave of media people who were in New Hampshire for the primary on Tuesday was another simultaneous election for the Mount Washington Observatory cat. This election was held online at MountWashington.com between three young feline candidates who ran a clean, fair election campaign. Over eight thousand votes were cast during the same hours as the New Hampshire primary. "Wilson" received 26% of the vote, and "Sarah" received 21% of the vote. Unlike most elections these days, the third candidate garnered a majority 53% of the vote. Feline "Marty", whose name is remarkably similar to a popular Observatory worker who retired several years ago, was declared the winner after extensive counting and recounting of the votes.

The special election was called by the Observatory Staff after it was announced that the incumbent would not seek re-election and would step down on December 26, 2006 after twelve years on the top of Mount Washington. The official reason given for the retirement was that after extensive consultations with the aging (17 year old) incumbent Nin, who was suffering assorted medical problems, and his veterinarian it was decided that Nin needed to be near the vet in Gorham, New Hampshire. After the announcement many supporters sent messages of hope and support to the weathered veteran feline who left the peak for the last time on December 26, 2006.

Marty's election platform was controversial to say the least. Following the time honored tradition of promising to provide the electorate with many government handouts without detailing how he would pay for them, Marty promised "Free cheeseburger and fish heads for everyone". His biography stated that "Marty occasionally flip-flops but only when rolling off of a table" and Marty is "a uniter and not a divider, this hard-luck kid is a steadfast optimist who loves to have his tummy rubbed." The biography concludes that Marty "touts affordable vet care, opposes recreational drug use (unless it is catnip) and has great hair"