Meet Mayor Max
Idyllwild has had a golden retriever for mayor since 2012, and nobody here would have it any other way. Mayor Max III has held the office since December 2022; this is his story, and where to meet him.
Dates come from mayormax.com, where the mayor keeps his own schedule.
Why a dog is mayor
Idyllwild is unincorporated. There is no city hall and no elected council, so there is no mayor’s office for a person to run for. In 2012 a local animal rescue saw the opening, and the town has had a golden retriever in the job ever since. Mayor Max is honorary, which is to say he has no budget and no vetoes. By all accounts he has never needed them.
The office describes itself as “non-partisan and non-political”. What the mayor does is show up: downtown most afternoons, and at schools, nursing homes, hospice organizations and businesses the rest of the week. In 2025 KESQ, the Palm Springs TV station, named Max III a Neighborhood Hero for bringing the community together.
The 2012 election
Idyllwild Animal Rescue Friends, a local nonprofit, sponsored the race. Any resident could nominate a pet, as long as it was a dog or a cat, and 14 dogs and 2 cats ran. Votes were $1 donations, and you could vote as often as you liked.
Polling ran June 11 to 13, 2012. Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller, a golden retriever, took two-thirds of the vote, and a dog named Hogan became vice mayor. Max was sworn in on July 1, 2012, for a one-year term, and appointed several of his rivals to his cabinet.
The election raised $31,000, all of it for ARF. The Town Crier put that in context at the time: ARF’s whole annual budget was approaching $40,000. Much of the money went to Sadie’s Clinic.
This is the only election Idyllwild has held for the job. When the second Max’s term was due to end in 2014, ARF asked the town whether it wanted another vote. The answer was overwhelming: keep Max, in perpetuity. So Idyllwild’s dog mayor is, in effect, a mayor for life, and the office passes down a family line.
Three Maxes
Mayor Max the First (Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller) served from July 1, 2012. He died on April 2, 2013, 9 months into his term.
Mayor Max the Second arrived in Idyllwild on July 21, 2013, to take up the office, and stayed for 9 years. He died on July 30, 2022. His deputies, Mikey and Mitzi, filled in as co-mayors while a successor was found.
Mayor Max the Third was born on September 5, 2022, and started work in Idyllwild on December 10, 2022, at 3 months old. He serves with his sister, Vice Mayor Meadow, and Deputy Co-Mayor Mitzi. All golden retrievers, and all sharing the family names Mighty-Dog Mueller, along with a common ancestor.
The mayors belong to Phyllis Mueller and Glenn Warren. Phyllis calls herself the mayor’s chief of staff, and she is the one to talk to about a visit.
Where to meet Mayor Max
Mayor Max greets the public downtown from his Mayor-Mobile, parked in front of Wooley’s at 54274 North Circle Drive. Look for the 6-foot cowboy hat over the door. Afternoons late in the week and on weekends are your best bet.
The mayor keeps his own calendar, and it changes, so check mayormax.com for his public appearances before you drive up the Hill to meet him.
For schools, care homes, parties and events, book through mayormax.com. The office asks for a voluntary donation for private parties and events.
Bringing your own dog? Idyllwild with dogs covers which trails allow them.
$31K RAISED FOR ANIMAL RESCUE BY THE 2012 ELECTION
Idyllwild Animal Rescue Friends ran the election, and every vote was a $1 donation. Max won two-thirds of the vote, and all $31,000 went to ARF: about three-quarters of its yearly budget then.
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