Minnesota Mayor Is 4 Years Old

The mayor of the tiny Minnesota tourist town of Dorset hasn't even started school yet. Say hello to Mayor Robert "Bobby" Tufts, all of 4 years old. Bobby was only 3 when he won election last year as mayor of Dorset (population 22 to 28, depending on whether the minister and his family are in town). Dorset, which bills itself as the Restaurant Capital of the World, has no formal city government. Every year, the town draws a name during its Taste of Dorset Festival, and the winner gets to be mayor. Anyone can vote as many times as they like—for $1 a vote—at any of the ballot boxes in stores around town. Bobby is running for a second term, and he gets to draw the winning name Aug. 4, so it's possible he could draw his own name.

Bobby's job as mayor is to greet people as they come to Dorset, located among the pines and lakes of northern Minnesota about 150 miles northwest of Minneapolis. Resorts and tourism are the main industry, and restaurants ranging from Mexican to Italian to family style line about two blocks on either side of the highway that runs through the middle of town. "He's been pretty good. Lotta PR for the town," says one happy constituent. "I think he's doing a fine job." And, yes, that's his mom. (More strange stuff stories.)