The Dust is Settling....and then Fran Russo!!!!

Yep, the election dust is settling here in Hollywood. Late that night our household was hit hard by some cold/flu bug. My husband was sick over the weekend, but once Owen woke up with a 102 degree fever and then I got it last night the game was over. Besides having to deal with all of us sickies, I just haven't felt inspired to comment on the election results. We all know who won, our boy Pete!!!!!! woo hoo! I was going to comment on Mara's reaction to loosing, such a poor sport she is, but just felt that continuing to talk about Mara Giulianti, when we have such an exciting time ahead of us, would be counter-productive. Besides, no one could do it better than Sun-Sentinel columnist Michael Mayo, read it read it read it!!!!  But I do want to say that getting involved in Peter and Sara's campaign, as late as in the game as it was, was an unbelievable experience.   I met so many amazing people who truly care and are passionate about Hollywood.  Again, it was amazing!!  I want to give a shout out to my new best buddy Ken!!!  Owen and I worked the polls together with Ken, from beginning to end!! (albeit we did leave twice for nap and meal time, Owen is only 14 months!)  Really, it just felt so good to be a part of the whole democratic process!  This is what truly makes us Americans!!!  (Wow!  I feel so patriotic right now!)  The election brought my neighbors together and gave my husband and I something else to talk about other than Britney Spears's latest antics!   Sara Case, Peter Bober, David Mach, sweet Howard (who forwarded my website www.candidsbycourtney.com, to all his friends) Lori Gold, Ilana, really have lit the fire in me, and I look forward to being an active participant in our community!  Ken's going to be my date at the city commission meetings from here on out!!!

But as I before mentioned,  after the election I wasn't all that inspired to write or comment UNTIL NOW!! ...hold on to your hats...............  Like I said you gotta read Michael Mayo's column in today's paper!  There was another great article in the paper today written by Ihosvani Rodriguez, I've really enjoyed his articles too, during the past week or so.  So anyway, he writes about Peter Bober and how there's three new commissioners and three veterans. One of which is Fran Russo, district 5.   Ms. Russo is a Mara supporter.  (the following is a direct quote!) "A lot of people didn't vote for him in my district, and I openly supported Mara.  I am sure he's (Peter Bober) going to try to make me pay for it."  GOING TO MAKE ME PAY FOR IT!!!????  Are you kidding me????!!!!  Who did we elect as our new mayor "Tony Soprano"?Where does she think we live?  IRAQ!!!??  As a citizen of Hollywood, this statement concerns...no troubles me for two reasons!  Although Ms. Russo technically represents district 5 (west Hollywood) she still votes on issues that concern my district, 1. So really she represents my neighbors and I as well.  It troubles me greatly that she is already going into this new term with such a negative/chip on her shoulder attitude.   It is obvious that Fran is a very very angry and bitter woman.   Each new term, regardless of who won the Mayor's race, should be thought of as a new fresh opportunity.  As a teacher I loved the beginning of each new school year.  New books, new supplies, new clothes, new students.....  If I went into each new school year with the same prejuidices and expectations that I had for past students, I would be setting myself, my students, my school, and the parents....everyone involved, I would be setting them up for failure!  That is exactly what an attitude like Fran Russo is going to do.  She has already made up her mind to the type of commissioner is going to be, and what kind of mayor Peter is going to be.  It's very very frightening.  Someone who goes around thinking that people are "out to get her" is the same person who makes decisions based on trying to "get" other people.  After a public comment such as that, I have no faith that Ms. Russo will make the best decisions for our city.  Secondly, this greatly troubles me because here we have an elected official who doesn't have enough common sense and professionalism to not only say something like this in public, but to a newspaper reporter who writes for a very well read local newspaper.  Fran, do you have any idea what a comment like that makes you look like???  Ignorant & uneducated is kind!!!!  It's one thing to make a comment like that in the privacy of your own home, to your spouse, or some good friends, but to a newspaper reporter??!!  UNBELIEVABLE!!!  Hats off to Commissioner Richard Blattner and Hollywood Police Lt. Jeff Marano, both Giulianti supporters, they were gracious and kind and gentlemen when asked about the upcoming term with Mayor Peter Bober.  Regardless of how they might truly feel, the were extremely honorable, and showed immense amounts of respect, and for that I truly respect them!!!  Regardless of who you supported on Tuesday, we are ALL playing on the same team here guys!!   So back to Fran.....I just don't know how we, residents of Hollywood, can depend on her to make clear, concise, well thought out decisions.   She is lacking in common sense and good judgement!  Hollywood has no room for that.  We've dealt with that for the last 20 years!!!!   Mayor Bober said it best, "One of the first changes people will see is that there's going to be a mayor that stresses respect.  There needs to be a level respect whether you agree or disagree with your colleagues or residents."  So Commissioner Russo, are you up to that challenge???!!!

Lastly, I just can't help myself and have to make one last Mara comment.  In the same article, at the very tail end, Rodriguez writes that Giulianti "won't be offering her comments as a private citizen at commission meetings."  Mara goes on to say (again, direct quote here people) "I'm definitely not going to be one of those gadflies."    Now to be completely honest, I didn't know exactly what a "gadfly" was other than it probably wasn't very nice being that it came out of her mouth.  So I looked it up!  (gotta love dictionary.com)  Besides being "any of various flies"  the second definition read as follows:  "a person who persistently annoys or provokes others with criticism, schemes, ideas, demands, requests, etc"    Wow, my mouth hit the floor.   So all of you concerned Hollywood residents, who thought you were doing your civic duty to attend these city commission meetings, for the last 20 years you were thought of as nothing more than "annoying" with all your "criticism, schemes, IDEAS, demands, requests, etc."  Wow, she must share the same amount of common sense with Fran Russo here!  Mara, you really have a way of leaving us with a warm fuzzy feeling as you graciously walk out the door.  Don't let it hit you on the way out on Tuesday!!!!  I'll be there cheering!!!!

Peter Bober, Soon to be elected, Mayor of Hollywood & Guest Contributor

This is a banner day here at "A Mother's Musings"!! I am proud to announce our second guest contributor. Mayoral Candidate Peter Bober! I am very excited and honored to have him joining us today! So without further hesitation the Future Mayor of Hollywood: Peter Bober!!!! (applause applause applause.....and the crowd goes wild!!!!!)

"Dear Friends of Courtney,

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is election day. The campaign has been grueling, but I've really enjoyed myself. I have met so many interesting people, and have had informative discussions about every issue under the sun. Because I began knocking on doors about 17 months ago, I have been to virtually every neighborhood in Hollywood. I've learned that each street has its own issue of concern. Having spent so much time campaigning, I have learned more about the city, its residents and how we can address neighborhood concerns after I am elected.

It was very kind of the mayor to introduce me to Hollywood's residents through her campaign mailings. I'm flaterred that someone would spend a quarter of a million dollars just to get my name out. She could have probably spent half that, and given a hundred thousand dollars to one of the many wonderful charities we have in Hollywood--I think the money would have been better spent that way. More than anything else, I want to thank her for using pictures and caricatures of me that made me look so thin. I haven't been in that kind of shape since I was in college at the University of Texas at Austin, and it's great to see myself without the chubby cheeks and the slight double-chin. Thanks, Mara!

Fortunately, I think her smear campaign, done through a "front" group called "People for a Healthy Broward," has backfired. People are fed up with mudslinging in political campaigns. I was pleased that the distortions of my record and outright falsehoods were spotlighted in a recent Miami Hearld article. Most people who follow Hollywood's happenings know I've been a city commissioner for eight years, and have NEVER had my name in the headlines for the wrong reasons. If you read the newspapers, you've never seen my name regarding a scandal or ethical problem. I have tried to hold myself to high ethical standards, and have tried to represent the will of the people as I best I could.

I am very proud of the campaign I ran. I talked about issues, not personalities. I want to thank my wife, Samara, for her love and support, and for helping to make this campaign possible. I think people often do not properly recognize candidates' spouses in political campaigns. While I was out knocking on doors, she took care of our two little boys, and took care of the home front. I love her very much, and am very grateful to her.

I also want to thank my campaign manager, Ilana, for all she has done, as well as many hundreds of loyal supporters and volunteers (like Courtney). Great people make great campaigns, and I am fortunate to have so many.

In about 20 hours, I will be at the polls introducing myself to residents. I will look forward to seeing you there. I hope to have your support on January 29th, and I ask for your vote. I look forward to working with you to make a great city even greater.

PETER BOBER
Hollywood City Commissioner"

Peter and Sara, I'm looking forward to raising my glass to each of you tomorrow night!

Sara Case Candidate for City Commission Dist. 1 & Guest Contributor!

Hi everyone! I hope that Monday is finding you well after a glorious January weekend! This is the last day before the election. Early voting ended yesterday. I am extremely happy to announce my first of what I hope to be many guest contributors on "A Mother's Musings": SARA CASE!!!! Sara is a candidate for City Commission District 1. I find her to be a sincere honest woman who truly has the best interest of Hollywood at heart! For that I am filled with respect and admiration! So without further ado, I'd like to introduce to all my blog readers out there............SARA CASE!!

"Dear Courtney,

Your blog on “all things motherhood and Hollywood” has been fun to read and ponder these past few days, and I thank you for bringing your perspective to Hollywood’s political scene.

Local politics have a profound effect on a community and the well-being of its residents. Your blog is drawing more people to Hollywood’s political landscape. This is really encouraging to those of us who have been fighting for years for a more open, responsive, and honest city government.

I am running for Hollywood’s District 1 Commissioner because I believe strongly that we need to raise the level of competence on the City Commission. Hollywood needs elected officials who have the capability to read the fine print before they vote on complex matters. We need elected officials who stop the practice of giving away millions of our tax dollars to private interests, while cutting back on services to residents.

Although my head has been neatly placed in a roll of baloney in one of the recent flyers from our 32-year incumbent Commissioner, I stand by everything I have said which is not baloney, but the truth. Until I decided last October to run for election, I edited a website, Balance Sheet Online, that reported on decisions and actions of our city commission and sought ideas and comments from Hollywood residents. The Balance Sheet was regularly read by Hollywood residents, elected officials, and city staff, and many readers wrote comments which we published on the site. When I made the decision to run for office, we temporarily suspended the Balance Sheet so that this award-winning website (www.balancesheetonline.com) would not be politicized during the campaign..

Anyone interested in my background and/or the positions I have taken on a variety of issues can find them on my website, www.saracase.com. I am accessible, ready to listen and learn, and anyone who has questions on where I stand can call or e-mail me at any time. Both my phone number and e-mail address are on my website. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute to your blog.

With Best Wishes and May Every Vote Count,

Sara"

I wish Sara the best of luck tomorrow! I hope you all will consider voting for Sara Case, because Hollywood truly needs a "watchdog."

Welcome!!

Hello all you fellow blog readers out there!!!! Welcome to my newest forum for all things motherhood and Hollywood. I thought it best to leave my Candids by Courtney blog for business and create a new forum that would allow me to share my little insights and musings on the world around me! Best to separate business and politics right?? I've really been bitten by this writing bug this week and have surprised myself and how much I've really enjoyed sitting down and recording my thoughts on the mayor's race here in Hollywood. I am going to keep my two previous posts regarding Mara and the Mara Mafia at www.candidsbycourtney.blogspot.com but I've also cut and pasted them here as well.

I know I've said it before, but really I could say it a thousand times, I am still in such disbelief as to how many people read and responded to my insights. I'm not claiming any of it to be fact, but just the way I see it. My goal for this new blog is to give just alittle insight into what's going on around us locally. A forum where we all can share information and opinions. As a new mom here in Hollywood, or a new mom anywhere for that matter, my days of reading the paper and watching local news are but a memory. By the time I am able to sit down and watch TV, local news is over and my husband and I switch on CNN or MSNBC (anyone else "Countdown with Keith Olberman" fans??) I find that I know much more about what's going on the National/International front than I do right outside my front door. It's probably true of a lot of us everywhere. When really what happens locally affects us so much more in our daily life than what's going on in Washington. Traffic patterns, neighborhood safety, schools, local business, downtown and beach development, (the list can go on and on!) these are things that affect us every single second of every single day, and unfortunately for most of us (myself included), couldn't tell you two things about them. UNTIL NOW!!! I have had such a good time in the last week communicating with others within the community and it just feels so good really knowing more about this whole election process that I want to share this with you! It is going to be my honest attempt to lay things out in layman's terms the way I see and understand them. Like I said I don't claim any of them to be fact, and in fact, if I'm wrong on anything I appreciate all feedback and comments. For those of you who don't have time to read the paper or watch the local news I hope that you'll be able to take away a little something from reading this. Also, if you have any stories or anecdotes that you'd like to share, or use my blog as forum, please feel free to contact me or leave a comment. I encourage discourse of all kinds!

Since my first opinionated blog entry (which was what? Monday?!) I really truly believe that, yes, one person can in fact make a difference. We all have the ability to change one person's mind, to get our voice out there and be heard! It's quite an empowering feeling really. Sooooo...... today I went and had lunch at Offerdahl's (by Target), and happened to run into my sister's friend who works there. Now mind you my sister is much younger than me, 10 years. I asked her if she was registered to vote and if she plans to. This is a big election for college students. This is their first opportunity to vote in a presidential election. Quite exciting really. But like I before mentioned, they probably know and have heard much more about things on the national front that outside our front door. So I took the opportunity to talk briefly with her about the mayor's race. She knew that one was going on, but had no idea who the candidates were besides the incumbent, so on and so forth. A light bulb went off in my head. Young adults are such an untapped resource!! We've all, at some point or another, been guilty of not knowing the candidates and vote for the name that is familiar. Well to these twenty-somethings 'Mara Giulianti' is the only name they've ever heard. So those of them who are going to vote in the election on Tuesday because they're excited about voting in their first presidential primary are really going in blind and are shooting from the hip! If I can tell this one twenty-something about Peter Bober, and get her to tell one friend and forward my blog along, then just think of the chain of events that could follow!!! I've known this friend of my sister's for years, and I hope I'm an adult that she respects (somewhat!) and values my opinion. Plant that seed in their minds so that when they go out to the polls on Tuesday they recognize one more name besides just Mara Giulianti! PETER BOBER PETER BOBER PETER BOBER PETER BOBER PETER BOBER PETER BOBERPETER BOBER PETER BOBER PETER BOBER PETER BOBER PETER BOBER PETER BOBER PETER BOBER PETER BOBER PETER BOBER PETER BOBER PETER BOBER PETER BOBER PETER BOBER!

So I challenge all of my blog readers today! Find a young adult who looks up to you and plans to vote. Share with them your enthusiasm and excitement of things to come! Tell them that Peter Bober is young and motivated and that he wants to make Hollywood a place that these young adults will want to continue to call home in the years to come! Let Peter Bober be a name they recognize and feel they can trust!!!! And for all you district 1 folks out there! Make it a package deal...Peter Bober for mayor, and Sara Case for City Commission! Together we all can make this happen!!!!

woo hoo Sara Case now has her own commercial to be shown this weekend on cable! See it now on youtube. Cut and paste the link below into your internet browser!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbexf3ZjBtk

Peter Bober 4 Mayor & Sara Case City Commission Dist. 1

I have to tell you that I'm really genuinely excited about this whole election process. I've been so overwhelmed by the outpouring of support I've received from friends and total strangers who read about my encounter with Mayor Mara Giulianti. It's crazy!! David Mach, the owner of the building at the center of the eminent domain controversy that I wrote about in my previous entry was sent my blog. He wrote to me as well! Even Mara herself responded! I will have to post that! It would only be fair of me! This week could very well be my 15 minutes of fame. If Mara's not careful, I might jump into the election arena in the next few days! haha

But really what's so interesting, now that I'm "in the loop", is all the information I've taken in the last few days and the connections I'm able to make between events and facts. For instance, last night I massed mailed an article that was published in the Sun Sentinel yesterday "Group's Backing of Hollywood Mayor Raises Ire." Now I should've elaborated more on why I was mailing it out at the time, but really, I didn't make all the connections until much later. (I'm laying in bed trying to sleep, but can't because I have a million and one thoughts running..no sprinting..through my head!). So anyway here's how I understand it.....we've all been receiving what seems like numerous negative flyers about Peter Bober in the mail. Frankly, my neighbors and I are tired of them. I know that all candidates, regardless of what office they're running for, resort to some sort of negative campaigning. I think you have to. But the number of negative flyers we've been getting about Peter Bober borders on the ridiculous and absurd. I'm sure that negative campaigning does work in some instances. But enough is enough here! I truly think that it's having an opposite effect in this case. Quite honestly, Mara could be running against my 14 month old son (completely unqualified to hold the position for mayor, I mean he still poops his pants!), but he would have my vote if we received the same number of negative campaign flyers. So ridiculous right!?! So these flyers are being sent out by a group named "People for a Healthy Broward" run by a lobbyist. Now I'm not saying that I understand completely what a lobbyist does. I know they make alot of money, I know that they give away alot of money to politicians to make decisions in their favor which, if I'm not mistaken, alot of big wigs in Washington have gotten in trouble for. tsk tsk tsk! This group, "People for a Healthy Broward" was formed to protect the hospital district. Ok, when I read that in the article that I sent out to you yesterday, "Memorial Hospital Expansion" immediately came to mind. Bells and whistles went off in my head!!!! Soooo, that's one of the reasons why she voted in favor of hospital expansion!! Sure sure sure she loves the kids and the cancer patients, but here you've got this lobbyist group with lots of cash, who are trying to push for the hospital expansion and need the support of the mayor. So what do you do? You send tens if not hundreds of thousands of negative flyers against the mayor's opponent at no cost to the mayor. (I know you've seen them! They're quite beautiful really. All color, glossy! Let me just say "super duper expensive." These are by no means cheap!) In fact the mayor doesn't even have to put her name on them. She doesn't. She is quoted as saying in the paper, "I purposely kept my distance." Yeah, I'm sure she has. It's not like there are other candidates running for the same office. If the flyer is against Peter Bober, then it can only mean that it must be in support of.......(drum roll please.....) MARA GIULIANTI. (gag me!) She gets all of the pleasure with none of the guilt! It may not have her name or face on these flyers, but they are covered in her stink! For someone (Mara) who preaches ethics and morality, she could have at least approached the "People for a Healthy Broward" and asked them to halt their negative campaign efforts. She could've asked for them to instead send out flyers that supported her and her accomplishments, a list of her strengths! Which actually in her defense, I did receive on today. It had a quaint picture on the front of her and her husband along with her "two Hispanic grandchildren." It was entitled "Why Hispanics Should Vote For Mara" and is endorsed and paid for by her campaign. Although it got me to thinking....why just Hispanics? Why not Romanians, and Haitians, Canadians, African Americans? (just as a side note, the last negative Peter Bober flyer listed all of his campaign donations given by developers. I received a spreadsheet from David Mach detailing Mara's donations from developers. Overall developer total: $122,325.00. 51% of contributions from developer interests. Alright Mara and "People for a Healthy Broward" I'm starting to see alittle hypocrisy here! What's good for the goose is not good for the gander???? Pot calling the kettle black are we????)

(These are my own personal understandings! I'm not claiming them to be fact, but it's the way I see them! If under any circumstances I am wrong or incorrect in any of my interpretation of this, please let me know and I'll change them right away!)

I can't help but think of the old Steve Martin, Saturday Night Live Skit, where he's sitting alone in a dark room telling the audience, "If I had one wish for this Holiday season..." (I know you've all seen it!) Where he starts off "If I had one wish for this holiday season it would be for all the little children of the world to hold hands and sing together in harmony and peace." He then goes on to change the list and reprioritize so that includes 30 million dollars a month, a month long orgasm, all encompassing power, and then ends with "Oh yeah, the crap about the kids!"
I can just picture the Mayor pushing for hospital expansion "for the children" but really twiddling her thumbs "but yes, I also get tens of thousands of dollars worth of free anti-Peter Bober ads without any responsibility or ethical/moral backlash! AH HA HA HA HA HA!"

As I said at the beginning of this little blog entry of mine, I have received lots of emails from various residents most in support of Peter Bober and giving me a pat on the back for "standing up to that little troll." (yes, that is a direct quote! hehe) Now I did get one interesting email from a gentleman who is a "considerable property owner in downtown Hollywood." He wrote to me and said "that he shares the same feelings about Mara as well" but for his own reasons is still supporting her in her quest for another term. (whatever!) He goes on to say (and these are direct quotes, I'm cutting and pasting here!) "I think what's happened too her is that she been in the game too long. She certainly is not Ms. Congeniality and has really got me very annoyed on a couple of occasions." Ok, I'm just going to have to stop right here!!!! Is it really too much to ask, as a citizen and resident of Hollywood, for a mayor with a bit of congeniality? I'm not asking that they win the interview portion of the Miss America pageant, but our mayor should really have a bit of sparkle in their eye and a slight spring in the step. I don't know, I could be going out on a limb here, but our mayor is a direct representation of who I am, and where I live. Of who WE are and of where WE live. Many of you shared stories with me via email and phone of encounters with her in instances of where she was brusque and rude.

Boooooooo Boooooooo Boooooooooo Mayor Giulianti! She's today's "WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD!"
(alright all you Keith Olberman watchers out there! you get it don't you!!)

Let's all get out there and vote on January 29! Peter Bober for Mayor and Sara Case for City Commission District 1

Lastly, I want to send a shout out to Joan Baez, the lady who was accompanying Mara on her walk Monday afternoon. I want to apologize for referring to her as Janice Joplin. Apparently it was very rude and mean of me and I hurt her feelings. It was wrong of me to characterize her as Janice Joplin. We all know that Janice Joplin was an alcoholic and drug addict who died a young and tragic death. She looked nothing like Janice Joplin. I know Mara really appreciated her efforts on that chilly rainy day. She was quite pretty actually. I liked her glasses. A little on the argumentative side, but I forgive her for that!

(*I have cut and pasted a very poignant comment from a lady by the name of Tracy. This appears on the original blog!
Mara, the Sludge Queen, is pulling out all the stops. She must be running scared. It's time to put the lobbyists' and developers' (cash-)cow out to pasture. She uses her Jewish maiden name only at election time, and pushes her Hispanic grandkids into the picture at the same time. On the other hand, Peter Bober has never used his background or his family to "appeal" to voters. He was raised Jewish by his Jewish mother and Cuban (yes, Cuban!)father. Lovely, gracious, unassuming people. I've known Peter about 8 years. What a difference he will make to Hollywood's residents, who deserve better than they've gotten.)

Last thing I promise! For those of you who don't know me, I'm a local family/children's photographer. Check out my website
www.candidsbycourtney.com As a special promotion to all of you blog readers out there. Book a session with me, and mention that you read my recent blog entries and you'll receive a $50 print credit!!!!

Candids by Courtney Endorses Peter Bober for Mayor!

It's election time!! As we're trying to get a grasp on all the new amendments and candidates out there to be voted on here in Florida on January 29, let's not forget that in Hollywood it's time to vote for a new Mayor!!! With this being said I have to say that I Courtney Ortiz of Candids by Courtney Photography solely endorse candidate Peter Bober. Now our incumbent mayor Mara Giulianti has been mayor of Hollywood since 1986. I turned 10 that year, and I'm 31. I find it ironic that there are such strict term limits for the Commander in Chief of the United States, but Mrs. Mayor can run until she's voted out (fingers crossed) or she drops dead. Although I do think that the Mayor does have the best interest of our dear little city at heart. She has done alot for the revitalization of our quaint downtown area. Although now most storefronts on Harrison are empty. The by-gone skeletons of businesses that just didn't quite make it stare at you from bare windows. Mayor Giulianti has even gone so far as to attempt to use eminent domain as a means to her end. What is "eminent domain" you ask yourself?

The power to take private property for public use by a state, municipality, or private person or corporation authorized to exercise functions of public character, following the payment of just compensation to the owner of that property.
(http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Imminent+Domain)

Alright, I'm by no means a lawyer, but I understand that to mean, that the government can take away your private property for public use. Public use meaning they're going to need your space to build a hospital, road, school........etc......
Ok, she was going to TAKE away a building (someone's private property) that housed successful bustling local business, pay them grossly below market value, to build ...............CONDOMINIUMS (with retail space underneath)!! The crazy thing is (and I could be completely wrong here) that the developer had said that he could go forward with the project without this particular building. But our mighty mayor insisted! Luckily for the owner of the building and for all of us who own property, be it a business or residence, justice prevailed and the building is still there intact and the businesses there are still "in business." Now I'm a fair weather newspaper reader and local news watcher, so I'm sure my facts are skewed, but the eminent domain series of events was something that Lenny and I did try to stay on top of when they were occurring. There's a whole bunch of other stuff that she's done that's questionable, but I'm not going to try to pretend that I know details about it.

Though I can talk about what transpired at my front door today. This was the icing on the cake, the nail in the coffin......... This morning I was outside of my house with my son walking up and down the sidewalk. (He's learning to walk and loves to push things). Walking down the street are two young girls, probably early to mid-20's going door to door campaigning for Mara Giulianti. I was very straightforward in my stand that I would not be voting for our incumbent mayor and that I wasn't in need of any additional literature or flyers. They were just happy that I was voting and off they went. This was at about 10:00 am. Fast forward to 2:00 this afternoon. I'm sitting on the couch just getting down to work as Owen is peacefully napping, and three cars pull up in my front yard. A small army of people get out, one of which is (ta da!) Mayor Giulianti. I recognized her immediately. I should being she's been our mayor for 22 years now! (I did mention that right!? 8 Terms!) I quickly put the dogs out back, because had Owen woken up, Mara was going to be the one to get him back to sleep (and she doesn't have "the goods" if you know what I mean). So she comes to the door to ask for my vote. I politely say "no", and she proceeds to ask why. (Now before I proceed, let me paint a picture of the scenario for you. I definitely DON'T look my best, no shoes on, red toenail polish that should've been removed weeks ago, no make-up, frizzy hair, red knit dress on. I'm standing in front of "The Mayor", a distinguished looking older gentleman in a "Vote for Mara" T-shirt, an older hippie looking lady who just might have attended the first Woodstock, and a scraggly looking man who come to find out is from the firefighters union). I digress...Mayor Mara proceeds to ask me why I am not going to vote for her on January 29th. Now granted this is not a conversation that I was ready for. But I have to say for the most part I was able to hold my own and sound pretty psuedo-educated. She wanted to know specifics from me as to what Peter Bober has done as compared to what she has done and so on and so forth. But I was able to say that I did know enough about what she has done that I feel is questionable and that the negatives during her time in office overshadow any sort of positives. I continued to tell her that I was disenchanted with the job that she has done, and felt it was time for a "Change." (Thank god, the word "change" is one we're hearing alot of these days.) She, and her entourage just couldn't stop. It was "Peter this.. " and "Peter hasn't done that", and "Peter voted against the hospital expansion, a new children's wing and cancer center. He voted against it just because some people in the audience didn't want it." And that's when I had to stop her because lucky for me this is something that I do know just alittle about. I used to work at Hollywood Hills Elementary which is in the same neighborhood as the hospital. In fact, this mega huge hospital is smack dab in a residential area. I know for a fact, that many of the residents in the surrounding area are against the hospital expansion. Sure a new children's wing and cancer center would definitely be an asset to our community, but if the residents, "the people", your constituents don't want it, then maybe it's not the best thing. And isn't that what we want our Mayor to do?????? LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE! If the residents in the surrounding area don't want the hospital expansion, then the Mayor should too have voted NO (not "yes" just because she's getting some kick back from a developer!...now I just made that up, but it's not outside what she's known to do!). That's really what's best for our community, a leader who hears and acts upon the needs and desires of it's residents. A new children's wing and cancer center are wonderful, but Johnson St and 35th Avenue just isn't the place for it. And I told her this!!! :)

The conversation at my door ended with Mayor Mara making the comment to Janice Joplin, "If she (me) doesn't want to get involved in our government, then she doesn't have to." I thanked her for her time, and told her that I appreciated the fact that she personally came to visit and she was gone. I went inside my home and started to get angry. Mayor Mara was insulting and patronizing. I should've just left it at that, but to the embarassment of Lenny, I proceeded to chase her down the sidewalk to tell her that I thought she was insulting. That in fact, I'm very involved in our government. (here's my resume......volunteer on the Sara Case for City Commisioner Campaign, volunteer for Hillary Clinton, and an active member of the Hollywood Women's Club), and I thought it was a very presumptuous of her to assume that I don't want to get involved in the government just because I didn't agree with or want to vote for her. But she spun it (good little politician), to say that she meant that if I wanted to vote for someone who doesn't want to be involved in government (Peter Bober), then that was my right. So that was our official final end of my first, only, and hopefully last meeting with Mara Giulianti.

Through it all Mara Giulianti never said to me, "You should vote for me because I've done "x", "y", and "z." It was vote for me because Peter Bober is "x", "y", and "z". I, as well as many of my neighbors, are not won over by her attempts to smear Peter Bober's name. Mara should think about selling herself based on her own merits. Maybe the word pathetic and desperate can be used to describe her last ditch attempts to win over voters.

I want to end on this final note. Does Mara visit everyone's home who she knows are not supporters? When three cars pull up in front of your house (a Porsche, a Mercedes, and some Chrysler I might add), and a bevy of people get out and approach your house, is this supposed to be thought of as welcoming? It borders on intimidation, a bullying type of approach. We've had people on two different occasions come to our door campaigning for Mara Giulianti, and both times my husband and I have politely told them that we were not supporters. So really the Mayor coming to my house today can almost be seen as a desperate attempt to win over voters. I think placing a phone call would've been a much better campaign strategy. Coming to my house with a group of people, during my son's nap time, to discuss local issues isn't the way to do it. Pick your battles Mayor Mara. You can't win everyone all of the time!! And you definitely did not win me!!!! I wonder what the ACLU would say about this!!!!

I'm surprised I haven't seen her at a Hollywood Women's Club meeting. She told me she was a "lifetime member." I wonder when the last time she's been to a meeting that wasn't for campaign purposes.