Tis the Season for Political Parties

In the State of Florida, there are some elected positions that should probably be nonpartisan. Supervisor of Elections, State Attorney and Public Defender are examples of jobs where we want the most qualified candidate, not necessarily someone with a particular ideology. That being said, I really want to express my appreciation to the Democratic Clubs of Sarasota and Manatee counties. I ran for Circuit Court Judge in 2002, which is strictly nonpartisan. There were times when Regina and I felt very alone during that campaign. We had to do everything ourselves, whether it was send out invitations, host meet and greets, or buy the food and drink for a party. Things are different this time around.
The Democratic Club of Sarasota hosted its monthly meeting on December 8. Journalist Jim McCartney spoke to over one hundred people about his career covering various presidents. On Tuesday, December 11, I was given the opportunity to address the Longboat Key Democratic Club, where I shared the podium with Congressional candidate Christine Jennings and the editor of the Sarasota Herald Tribune's opinion page, Tom Tryon. Thursday found Regina and I at Sunset Towers in the heart of Precinct One, for a lovely party hosted by Jan Holmes, Dwight Hoover, and Marcella and Art Levin. From there we headed over to O’Malley’s for party hosted by the Sarasota/Manatee Young Democrats.
On Friday evening I made my way through a deluge to get to the North Port Democratic Club holiday dinner held at the Family Table restaurant. Saturday I headed south again to join the Englewood Democratic Club's holiday luncheon. I bought raffle tickets, as is customary, and was then asked to draw the winning ticket. Did you ever get that feeling that you were going to win the prize right before your number is called? That happened to me and there might be better election strategies than choosing your own raffle ticket in a contested drawing. I ended the week at a lovely potluck dinner hosted by the Venice Area Democratic Club inside the community center of Venetian falls. Thanks again to all the hard working members of these clubs who put on such wonderful affairs.
I must also thank the Lakewood Ranch Business Association who welcomed me to their Main Street festival; Conexion Latina where I made many new friends (and won the door-prize, a great barbecue kit); the Manatee County Bar Association whose Holiday party featured great food, drink, and a lot of old friends, and the hospitality of Captain Wayne Genther where I finished Saturday with the great crew from WSLR. I would like to wish you and your family a safe and joyful end of the year.

Many Anniversaries

Friday, December 7, marked the 66th anniversary of the attack upon Pearl Harbor. It was also the 46th anniversary of the day I was born in Tampa, Florida. I began the day at the League of Women Voters, Pancake and Politics, with Florida House of Representative Keith Fitzgerald, and fellow birthday boy Representative Doug Holder. It was also Sarasota County Commissioner Jon Thaxton's birthday, but he wasn't there. From there I went to Cafe Bacci to address the Association of Private Investigators. That afternoon I collected petitions at the holiday party of my friends, attorneys Darren Finebloom and David Haenel. Next I walked over to Assesment and Psychotherapy Services to attend the party of Dr. Eddy Regnier. Finally, Regina and I finished the evening at the home of Mark and Jenny Famiglio for the Florida Association of Woman Lawyers holiday party. It was truly a memorable birthday!
Saturday, December 8, Regina and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. I cooked her breakfast before hitting the Democratic Club of Sarasota luncheon, where Jim McCartney gave an entertaining and informative talk. After a quick nap, we headed out to the friends of Myakka River State Park picnic and bluegrass party, where the the above self-portrait was taken. We then headed to the Palmer building for the Cattleman Association's dinner and dance. They provided an excellent meal, friendly people, and a great dance band for us to celebrate.
Earlier in the week I taped another episode of "Law and Sarasota," attended a fund-raiser for Florida Red and Blue, went to a Democratic pot-luck dinner in Cortez, attended the breakfast for the Mental Health Community Centers, and met a bunch of nice people from Riverwalk at George Spector's building party at 1800 2nd Street. This month I also celebrate my 23rd anniversary of working for the Public Defender's Office of the 12th Judicial Circuit, which means I officially have spent half my life there. Maybe I'll see you this week at Conexion Latina, the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, or the Manatee County Bar Association party.

Cesar Chavez, at the Gateless Gate, with a Red Ribbon

Prior to Thanksgiving I had an opportunity to speak at the South Venice Civic Association. That was convenient because I was headed to Venice to discuss my career with students in Jake Jacoby’s class at MCC. Regina and I then headed to Cleveland, where it was 34 degrees and sleeting upon our arrival. We had a special dinner with her parents as they celebrated their 60th anniversary. There was also time to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and to play in the snow. We returned to Tampa in time to join our children Mike and Jessie at Raymond James stadium to watch the Bucs hold on to beat the Washington Redskins.
I was fortunate to attend the Cesar Chavez Memorial dinner sponsored by the Sarasota/Manatee Farm-worker Supporters, on November 26. The Golden Apple Dinner provided excellent food and service, and my friends Jim Delgado and Luz Corcuera
were honored for their leadership in the Hispanic community. There was also a presentation of a powerful one-act play, “Earth and Dust,” written by Corinne Fleisher. I finished the evening at New College discussing my campaign with some of the students I hope to enlist as volunteers.
On Tuesday, November 27, there was an excellent presentation at the Community Foundation about improving the strategic planning process for Boards. This was put on by the Non-Profit Resource Center which continues to provide extremely valuable services to many civic and charitable organizations. For further information, visit their web-site at http://www.cfsarasota.org/NonprofitCenter/tabid/53/Default.aspx. That night I was at the Manatee County Democratic Executive Committee meeting to see first hand the leadership of C.J. Czaia, Vicki Waters and Sasha Taurke.
Wednesday found me at the Manatee County Bar Association luncheon where we heard presentations about Teen Court and the Substance Abuse Coalition. That evening was spent at the Sarasota County Openly Plans for Excellence (SCOPE) appreciation party at the lovely Art Center. On Thursday I attended the holiday party at Flemings sponsored by the Young Lawyers Division of the Sarasota County Bar Association. Most of the evening, however, was spent at the Rosemary District walking around, seeing the new businesses, and getting petitions signed.
After making the rounds of a few holiday parties on Friday, I went over to the Quaker meeting-house. Abbott K.C. Walpole of the Gateless Gate Zen Center in Gainesville gave a powerful talk about prison reform. I had the opportunity to work with Abbot Walpole on a case earlier this year. He uses meditation techniques to achieve stress reduction amongst inmates and staff at several prisons, including Lowell correctional facility for women. He is shown in the picture with me at the top of this blog entry.
On Saturday I began my day at the Council of City Neighborhood Associations. I then put on my red ribbon and headed over to Ringling College of Art to honor World Aids Day. Michael Kehoe had worked tirelessly with others to put together a Health and Wellness Exposition at the College and Martin Luther King park. I left in the middle of the afternoon to attend the immigration forum held at Sudakoff Center. Over a hundred people turned out to hear a very serious discussion on this hot topic, and I managed to meet and speak with a number of them. I had hoped to continue petition gathering at the Christmas paraded but found myself just too exhausted to carry on.
This week Regina and I will celebrate my 46th birthday and our 11th wedding anniversary. Maybe we will see you at the Friends of Myakka Park picnic, or at Pancakes and Politics, or one of the many parties taking place.