The race for Honorary Mayor of Eastsound wraps up July 4th when the winner is awarded the key to the village by current Mayor Jack in a ceremony at 2:30 p.m. in the farmer’s market.  Meanwhile, voting continues across the island and online at oich.org.  Political analysts Layna Mosley and Andrew Reynolds offer these thoughts on the race.

Layna: This year’s race is one of the most exciting in recent memory. We saw only cats and dogs in the 2014 contest. This year, we have a marine mammal and a bird, as well as a near-perfect gender balance (more on that below). Who do you like?

Andy: Clearly, Granny is the big fish. She’s on track to succeed Jack, the “blind visionary” elected last year. Granny has heavyweight backers all around the San Juans, and she’s likely to leave a trail of also-rans in her wake. Naming herself after the island was a clever populist move.

Layna: Indeed. As the oldest living orca, Granny can claim that she’s seen it all. Is there any chance she’ll snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?

Andy: Well lingering questions dog her candidacy. For starters, how well can someone who was born when William Taft was president of the United States cope with the rigors of modern mayorhood? And while Granny’s campaign slogan – “An Orca for Orcas Island” – has a nationalist feel, is she really a resident? Internet chat rooms abound with rumors that she was actually born off the shore of Tofino. I wouldn’t count any of these other four out just yet. Look for each of them to pull out all of the stops in the next 10 days.

Layna: These candidates have learned a thing or two from recent presidential campaigns, so don’t be surprised if you see aggressive spending by so-called nonprofits, as well as campaign trail appearances by former mayoral luminaries.  I wouldn’t be surprised if these candidates go so far as to use the Eastsound July Fourth Parade as a final staging ground for their political battle.

Andy: Oliver is a colorful candidate whose success would indicate that politics on the island has reached a post-gendered state. While Oliver was assigned a male name at birth, reports that (s)he laid an egg suggest some gender non-conformity. The canines are an interesting pack. Bentley is a friendly, active dog with an upperclass bearing.

Layna: Meanwhile, my money is on Lewis. He could be the shaggy dog – I mean, the dark horse – in this year’s race.

Andy: Don’t count Sullie out. She’s got a grass-roots campaign effort underway (People about Campaigning for Sullie or PACS), and she’s also likely to win the support of the Lower Tavern’s World Cup watchers.