Being mayor, even just for a day, has its perks. Ten-year-old Martin Zachry from LaGrange found that out after his parents won the bid for the “Mayor for a Day” item at a Humane Society fundraiser. Martin’s short time in office included the chance to bike on a new part of LaGrange’s multipurpose trail and get a sneak peek of the Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park resort set to open in May. Hizzoner also got to meet the real hizzoner and the city’s first responders, including the K9s, who keep him and other residents safe. A busy day, for sure, but a pretty good one to be mayor.
Q: Tell us about yourself. What do you like to do?
A: All sorts of stuff. I like camping. I like to play chess and checkers and Stratego and Battleship and board games. I like school — language arts is probably my favorite subject.
Q: What’s LaGrange like?
A: It is just a nice place to live. There are all sorts of new and big stuff coming here, like the Marriott and the Great Wolf Lodge.
Q: What did you think when your mom told you about being mayor for a day?
A: I thought it sounded interesting and that I would see how it all worked out.
Q: Had you ever considered political office before?
A: Not before but I did a lot of fun things.
Q: What kind of things?
A: I biked on the brand new section of The Thread, the giant bike and walking trail that goes for miles and miles. The part I biked on hasn’t opened to the public yet. I took a VIP tour of the Great Wolf Lodge. They are still building the water slides with cranes. A lot of the slides have two tubes inside so two people can race each other. That was interesting. I also went to City Hall and the fire department and the police station and saw all of that.
Q: Didn’t you get to fly a police drone and meet the police dogs?
A: Yes. The drone was cool. It took pictures and videos. The dogs were trained to sniff out and find people.
Q: What about your visit to the fire department?
A: The firefighters showed me the trucks and I even got to sit in the front seat.
Q: Did you get to spend time with the real mayor?
A: I attended the city council meeting and when I got to City Hall, he was at the front door. I had not met him before but I had heard about him a lot. He was nice.
Q: Did you learn what the real mayor does?
A: He supervises the new things that are popping up all around LaGrange. He attends a lot of meetings along with the rest of the city council. He gives the O.K. to a lot of things.
Q: What was the best thing about your day as mayor?
A: I probably have to say that I liked the police station and City Hall. And Great Wolf Lodge. The Thread was probably my favorite thing about it.
Q: Was there a part of the job that might not be fun?
A: I only attended one meeting. Too many meetings might not be good.
Q: Do you think it is good to support the Humane Society?
A: It is good to help dogs and cats in need. We have a dog named Sugar. She is a toy fox terrier and mini pinscher and we got her from a pet rescue. She is a good dog. She will bark if you say S-Q-U-I-R-R-E-L.
Q: Do you think you would like to be the real mayor of LaGrange one day?
A: If I was older and there was an opportunity, then maybe. I probably would have to do more research on it. It does look pretty fun.
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