Black Cat Minera Elected as Somerville’s New ‘Bike Path Mayor’

Minerva, a black cat who goes by the slogan "CRIME," was humorously selected as the new "bike path mayor," overseeing a council of more than a dozen cats and two dogs.

Voters participated in the catty election by casting their votes online via a QR code. NBC10 Boston first reported on the race at the beginning of July. Since that time, the story has scored millions of views on social media and spurred more than 50 feline candidates entered the race.

What started as a joke betwen two friends evolved into a community art installation that captured local attention. Mallory Bissett, the owner of Berry, had declared her cat the "unofficial bike path mayor" to familiarize the community with her cat who objects to her collar.

Berry even received an endorsement from Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, who is up for reelection this year. Preliminary elections for the human mayor were held on Tuesday, Sept. 16.

Shortly thereafter, Janet McNamara, the owner of a feline named “Orange Cat,” decided Berry needed to be challenged.

"Berry became mayor of Somerville without an election, and I thought that was bologna," said Janet McNamara, Orange Cat's owner, in a statement shared with NBC10 Boston. "Orange Cat stands for fair and free elections."

In the end, Minerva scored a cat-tastic victory.

“Minerva asked me to say one thing on her behalf and one thing only: CRIME,” the cat's owner, Daniel Abraham, said at the election results reveal on Sunday, Sept. 14.