Marley asked me, his human, to let everyone know how humbled and honored he is to be voted the mayor of Eastsound. He is grateful to accept the key to the village! He understands that in this COVID 19 era, the passing of the key may not involve the same ceremony and connections, but he understands. It was an amazing race and he would like to thank all of the campaign organizers and the other candidates — Butters, Luna, Rainbow and Lolita — and their campaign people. He certainly will reach out to these other candidates and work together with them to bring the best ideas forward to our community.

Marley wants to thank the Orcas Island Children’s House for putting together this great campaign for the benefit of kids, a campaign which allowed many to contribute. This year, the campaign raised over $64,000 for the kids. It involved a lot of work and creativity on the fly, as adjustments were made to eliminate in-dog and in-person contact and the more fluent communications that seem to go with that contact. We will all continue to learn and to adapt as we face the reality of the continuing pandemic. As we dogs like to say: It is what it is. Wag on.

Looking at community needs, dogs see how important it is for all of us to do just that: Wag those tails. And keep smiling. A smiling dog is good to see and helps others to see good. That is Marley’s view, anyway. As we think about the time ahead, we are faced with many obstacles and challenges as a community, made all the tougher by the pandemic. Someone asked, do you want your surgeon to skip the mask and forget about washing his hands? It is really a simple and effective thing to do for everyone to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, and while Marley, as a dog, doesn’t worry about catching it, he is concerned for all the humans around him. As mayor, if he can do one thing to help his community move forward, he told me, it is to encourage all people to do their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Just wear a mask, he says. And don’t forget social distancing and hand washing!

Marley will be addressing other issues in coming days on our blog at orcasmayor.org.

Marley wants to bark out a special thanks to all who voted for mayor, not just for him, but for all of the candidates. Raising money, even for a really good cause, is always tough, but the citizens of Eastsound and the entire island came through. And given the lack of citizenship requirements, we should probably thank some off-islanders also. Together let’s make our island community more resilient and resourceful in meeting needs as they arise. One love. Peace.

Paul Gilliland for Marley