We’ve all heard the phrase “he couldn’t be elected dog catcher.” My boss, it would seem, has heard it one too many times, so he’s offered to buy a beer to anyone who can find a city/town/township/village/municipality that actually has a dog catcher elected by voters. Does anyone know if such a place exists?
From here, I’m making no claims either way, this is just what I googled you decide for yourself.
Well, if you accept the fact that municipalities have “animal control” departments these days rather than “dogcatchers”, you might be able to find one in which the supervisor or director of animal control was elected. Offhand, I can’t find one, but I didn’t look that hard. In most cases, the position is appointed. I’m sure most municipal governments like it that way - the more appointed positions (read political plums) they control, the better.
I’ve asked my boss about whether an elected “animal control officer” would count, and he said no. The person’s title has to be “dog catcher.” I’m eager about calling Greeleyville, S.C., when I get into work on Monday though. 
Around here, the ACO or animal control officer is an adjunct of the police department. Sometimes the position is held by someone who desires to become a police officer, other times held by a retired or partially disabled officer.
I don’t think any municipality these days, however small, is going to have an elected postion of “Dogcatcher”. It’s “animal control officer” or some variant thereof these days, and yes, a few are elected. If your boss refuses to accept “animal control officer” he’s rigging the conditions.
More specifically, does any municipality have both a position called “dogcatcher” and also someone else who is an “animal control officer”? I’ve never heard of a place where they had someone who specialized in catching just dogs, and all other critters were handled by someone else. The boss is rigging the conditions in that “dogcatcher” is just a term common people use for what is officially called “animal control officer.” In reality, the 2 are synonymous.
I recall an article in the Chicago Sun-Times recently about a series of old/outdated ordinances that were repealed, one of them being elected dog catcher.
Not that I could find the cite though…
I don’t think the boss is “rigging the conditions” at all. Way back when there were public officials with the title “Dog Catcher.” Presumably, at least some of them were elected to office. What the boss is looking for is a sort of double anacronism – which is what makes the search so daunting, and worthy of the prize.
You could stretch either or both of the qualifications, but it would invalidate the intent of the challenge, IMO. Being appointed by an elected official is not the same as being elected, right? Being chosen by a legislative body is not the same as being elected, right. Well, being an “Animal Control Officer” is not the same as being a Dog Catcher.
Good luck with the search. I’m bursting with curiousity to see how it resolves. (Incidentally, I suspect that there is an elected dog catcher out there somewhere. Small town politics can operate like the amber that traps the fly.)