I am finishing up for the day when I get the email at 4:59 on Tuesday afternoon. Can I do an event Wednesday evening for a retiring mayor in the city of Gulf Breeze FL?
Now I hate politics and refuse to vote because I believe to the bottom of my very soul that all politicians are crooks and in it for themselves.
But I take the job.
It’s Christmas time and I can use the money. I’m not selling out. Really I’m not, I tell myself. It’s my policy to treat everyone the same. Even slimy politicians.
Tara, the events coordinator, is ecstatic and very vocally thankful that I could make it.
I arrive early as is my custom.
This is a rec center but it is a nice one, and the halls here are definitely decked.
It’s beautifully and tastefully decorated with greenery and beautiful sparkling centerpieces and a large wooden centerpiece for the buffet table. Very artful. I smile. I love my job so much.
I find Tara and she again is so so thankful I could be there. She tries to help me set up my easel but I know she’s busy, so I shoo her away and tell her I’m good and I start setting up.
As I’m doing so, I notice an older woman walk up to the podium on the stage that takes up the width of the room. I watch her wondering who she is. A speaker?
I finish setting up and the woman is still there. She’s going through her notes. And I hear someone call out to her from across the room to ask her a question. “Mayor Fitch,” I hear.
OH. The mayor is a WOMAN.
I am simultaneously gladdened and also ashamed of myself for being sexist. It’s not on purpose. I just didn’t grow up in the era of Paw Patrol. I’m a gen xer. My cartoons always had mayors who were men.
I finish setting up and I take a breath. Look around. It’s beautiful and sparkling. I’m also about ten minutes early and no one else is here. The mayor is still standing there at the podium frowning down into her notes.
Despite my social anxiety, I decide to go introduce myself. If she doesn’t get one now, I know she won’t have time later.
I swallow my nerves, square my shoulders and make a beeline for her.
She looks up. Smiles. I smile back.
This lady is nice looking. She’s a boomer and her face is lined, but she has blue sparkly eyes that belie a sense of humor.
“I thought I’d introduce myself,” I find myself saying. “My name is kathy buskett.”
“I’m Cherry. Nice to meet you.“ We shake hands.
She's informal. Not pretentious at all.
I can tell all kinds of things about people from their face and demeanor alone. It’s my job to size people up quickly.
This lady is a good egg. Honestly, I’m a little surprised. Mayors are supposed to be pretentious windbags. This lady isn’t like that in the least. I am impressed. And that’s not an easy thing to do.
“I’m the caricaturist for the evening,” I tell her. “Would you like to get drawn now while you have the chance?”
“Sure!” She says enthusiastically. Then she thinks. “How long will it take?”
“Just A few minutes”, I say.
“Alrighty!”
We march over to my setup.
I give her my spiel about what she has to do. Just look at me. You can talk. You don’t have to smile the whole time. Then I start to draw her.
“Cherry,” I say as I sketch. “That name reminds me of a book series I used to read when I was a girl. Cherry… Ames I think it was?”
“Yes! She was a nurse wasn’t she? I read all those books. And Nancy Drew too!” She’s smiling ear to ear and that’s what I decide to exaggerate.
“Oh I loved Nancy Dew! I also read the Bobsey Twins.”
“And don’t forget the Hardy Boys!”
Cherry exclaims.
Well Whatdya know. She’s a reader!
My estimation of her goes up a notch. I am growing more and more surprised by this lady.
As I’m drawing her a woman comes up and greets Cherry like she’s a long-lost friend. Cherry looks at me for permission and I wave her off. Go. Greet your friend.
She hugs her and reconnects, and I sit patiently waiting.
“I’m sorry,” she says a moment later and I say no problem. I am almost done. Catching her sparkly eyes. Her sassy little bob haircut. Her big smile.
A moment later it happens AGAIN. Someone wants to connect. Again she greets the person with a hug like a long-lost friend. Again she sits down and apologizes
I think I had better turn this drawing around and reveal it before this happens again.
I do and she loves it. But she’s getting distracted by people at this point. The hall is filling up.
I quickly roll her drawing and hand it to her.
And suddenly I’m busy.
I start drawing people and don’t stop for an hour and a half.
At that time someone makes an announcement and everyone in the hall grows quiet.
I finish my last drawing and then listen to a woman tell an expertly told story about Mayor Cherry Fitch eating a chili dog at Dairy Queen. It is funny and unexpected and highlights how down to earth and practical Cherry is.
Even though I know the storytelling technique of getting someone to like you by having someone else talk you up, I am liking Cherry more and more.
I look around the room and do a quick head count. There are probably 300 people here. All to see her off for her retirement.
Another person gets up and gives a stirring speech worthy of JFK. He talks about Cherry and how she spearheaded a legacy project to make sure the water in gulf breeze will be clean for the next 20 years.
This is a cause that is close to my own heart as I know about the problems with the water in our area on a pretty personal level.
They call this the cancer belt. We get all kinds of weird rare cancers here. My dad is a survivor of one of them. I and others believe it’s due to the fertilizers in the water.
They are showing a slide show too and I watch mesmerized as I see pictures of mayor cherry fitch going to a water treatment plant wearing waders and holding her own amongst a sea of men.
I am so impressed at this point I am about to burst. I can’t believe I drew this lady earlier so nonchalantly. I wish I could make as much of a difference as she has.
Miss Cherry also evidently was, once upon a time, this speaker’s high school GUIDIANCE COUNSELOR. That’s how she got her start?!? As a guidance counselor? I am flabbergasted.
I find myself wondering if I will ever go into politics. This lady is truly inspiring. I am reminded of Eleanor Roosevelt as I write this. No lie.
Finally Cherry herself takes the podium.
“I had been struggling to write this speech for about ten days but nothing sounded right. Finally I called my friend and asked her for help.
She listened to my speech and then told me that instead of talking about all the projects we worked on, that I should just speak from the heart.”
She puts down her note cards.
“So that’s what I’m going to do.”
She went on to say how much she loved being the mayor and how it’s been 12 years and it’s just time to let other people have a turn.
“I’m not leaving because I’m unhappy. I’m leaving because it’s time,” she says.
She speaks of all the projects she worked on. Another one was a literacy project for kids which evidently at this very event had raised $25,000. Another cause close to my heart
She speaks about how blessed she was to work with a board that overlooked political views and got things done. They would take a vote and that would be it. Once it was taken, they would move on and no one got upset with each other.
She said she’d visited other towns and she found out it that often isn’t the case and she’s so glad they were able to put aside partisanship and work together to make gulf breeze a better place.
I was so stunned by all of this I found myself wishing I lived in their town.
Maybe someday.
Of course, at the end everyone gave her a standing ovation. Myself included.
This small two-hour event changed my point of view and restored my faith in politics.
Not all politics Mind you. But politics the way it used to be, the way it’s supposed to be.
People might say we’re backwards and behind the times here in the south and that’s definitely true. But sometimes that’s an advantage.
The people here are still decent. They still care about each other. They still work together for the common good.
Tonight, Mayor Cherry Fitch helped me see that not all politicians are money grubbing sociopaths.
In fact, Despite the fact that she’s retiring,
Mayor Cherry Fitch gets my vote.
_____________________
My name is Kathy Buskett and I'm a professional caricaturist with 25 years of experience. If you'd like me to come to a special event, contact me at kathybuslett@gmail.com
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