Ever wondered what it would cost to buy a mayor? In one offbeat California beach town, the going rate is just $1 per vote.
Cambria, a small Central Coast community, has brought back its unusual Honorary Mayor’s Race, a fundraiser where anyone — even people who don’t live there — can pay to cast votes. There is one important twist, though.
Cambria does not have an actual mayor. Because it is an unincorporated community, the election is strictly ceremonial, designed to raise money for local nonprofits while taking a lighthearted jab at politics, according to the New Times.
The unofficial contest is returning after nearly two decades, giving residents a playful reason to rally around local causes and laugh at the election process rather than argue over it.
“So a dollar a vote, it’s the only time that it’s legitimate to buy your politician,” candidate Dianne “Lady Tie Di” Brooke told KSBY.
“It’s literally an election that you can buy,” Cambria Chamber of Commerce President Renee Linn added.
Under the rules of Cambria’s honorary mayor election, every dollar donated equals one vote, and supporters can purchase as many votes as they want.
“Vote early, vote often,” Linn joked.
This year’s race pits Brooke of the Cambria Grammar School PTA against Barrett Stuart of the Cambria Tennis Club, Jim Bahringer of the American Legion and Del Clegg of the Cambria Rotary Club.
The candidates have fully embraced the silliness.
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Bahringer’s campaign “promises to keep as much fog out of Cambria as possible, especially at sunsets.”
Brooke, famous for her colorful tie-dye outfits and hand-painted car, has a different vision. “I have color and I’m not afraid to use it. I think we need more color in Cambria, tie-dye on every kid,” she said.
Stuart went even further: “I basically promised Cambrians immortality and it’s a four-point plan.”
The campaign has included pie-eating contests, dancing, and even wilder campaign promises.
“We all got roped into doing it,” Stuart told New Times about a surprise pie-eating contest during Cambria’s Fourth of July celebration.
“Thank goodness they used the small pies. There’s no way we would’ve done the big man-sized pies.”
Before the contest even started, three of the candidates wandered off to dance with a live band.
“It was kind of joyous,” Stuart said. “Lady Tie Di was out there dancing, my sister got me dancing, and eventually we convinced Jim to come out too. It was just a really nice moment.”
But there is a serious fundraising effort behind the jokes.
The money raised is split between the Cambria Chamber of Commerce and the candidates’ chosen charities—supporting everything from school field trips and public tennis courts to veterans’ programs and Rotary projects.
“It’s a win-win,” Stuart said. “You raise money for your organization, you meet more people, and you get to be part of something that’s making the community smile.”
The honorary winner will be crowned at a celebration in September and will spend the next year as the town’s “official but unofficial” mayor.
