Duke, the beloved four-term mayor of Cormorant Village, Minnesota, passed away last Thursday at the age of thirteen. Typically, any resident seeking to become mayor in Minnesota must be above the age of 21, but due to the “dog years” rule, Duke was approximately 50 years old when he was elected. In all seriousness, Duke was a beloved part of the community. Local radio station KFGO reported that Duke acted as the village’s ambassador to the public.
The ceremonial mayor was “re-elected” four times since 2014. Karen Nelson, Duke’s adopted mother, had the following to say:
Our beloved mayor Duke went to doggie heaven today. He will be greatly missed,” Nelson wrote in a post on Facebook. “We will have a memorial for him in (M)arch or April at the Cormorant town hall. Thanks to all who express their condolences it means a lot of hard times like this.”
Duke retired last year due to health related reasons.
