WOLCOTT – In March of 2020, Wolcott residents elected their honorary mayor. Nominated by Bill Cotton and elected by a unanimous voice vote of the town of Wolcott, Mayor Jax officially took office as Wolcott’s first feline in a position of power.
courtesy photo
Mayor Jax is a cat. While the orange tabby’s politics are unknown, as the Wolcott Mayor, he remains wholly beloved by the residents.
“A furred feline is the face of Wolcott. Jax the Cat, the mascot and only full-time, overnight resident at the Wolcott town offices, is our elected honorary mayor,” reads the Meet the Mayor section of Wolcott’s website.
However, in a recent development, Mayor Jax has fallen seriously ill.
“[I] took him to the vet today because he has been vomiting for the past four days. He has lost three pounds since April which the vet found concerning,” wrote Wolcott’s town clerk, Belinda Harris Clegg, on November 26, 2024, on Wolcott’s website. As it turned out, Jax had been struck with a BB gun pellet in his abdomen and another in his flank.
“I am asking whomever did this to please stop shooting at Jax. I know he can be annoying, but he is our mayor and does not deserve to be assassinated,” Clegg beseeched. It is notable that Jax has no known political enemies, and it is believed that Jax was mistakenly caught in the crosshairs, rather than intentionally targeted.
“Jax has just lived through two of his nine lives and still carries the pellet and BB inside of his body; his veterinarian recommended that the bullet and pellet remain in his body rather than putting him through surgery to remove the shrapnel. Over the past month, Jax has returned to his gentle, playful, and ever-wise self, telling us often that he finds the constant snowfall and cold weather tedious and he is looking forward to resuming his outdoor patrols adventures,” writes Select Board Administrative Assistant Michelle Gudorf.
