Guest List
Unbeknownst
to my sister-in-law I’ve invited several former San Diego mayors to her Christmas
party. According to Natasha Wolfe’s
party planning tips I found in The Daily Beast, “The best gatherings are
generally ones that have a few unexpected guests.” All the better of course if they are well-known, “The curiosity for a luminary and the awe of an accomplished individual adds
a little magic to a gathered group.”
Since my sister-in-law lives in San
Diego
Working in the same order in which they held office I began with
Roger Hedgecock (1983-1985) who was charged with several felonies related to receiving over
$350,000 in illegal campaign funds and was forced from office. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy
and was found guilty of twelve counts of perjury. Four days after he resigned he began a nationally
syndicated radio broadcasting career earning $300,000 a year until he retired
in February of 2015. Who at the party
could be better suited to moderate the limbo contest?
Next would be Maureen O’Connor (1986-1992), the first
woman to serve as mayor of San Diego
Susan Golding (1992-2000) was elected mayor twice despite her husband
having been caught laundering drug money in an FBI sting and sent to
prison. She divorced her husband but chose
not to run for reelection due to the heated controversy generated by a deal she
spearheaded involving stadium luxury boxes and bringing the Super Bowl to the
city. I’ve suggested she ask one of the
Charger players to bring her so she doesn’t have to come to the party alone.
Jack Murphy (2000-2005) resigned as mayor just as the city
reached the brink of bankruptcy with the city’s retirement system reaching a
deficit of $1.4 billion. Right under
Murphy’s nose three pension trustees who were later indicted had substantially
increased their own benefits and operated the fund at a huge deficit. According to the City Attorney at the time it
was “the largest financial catastrophe in the history of San Diego
Michael J. Zucchet (2005 for 3 days) became acting mayor
after Murphy resigned but soon he too resigned after he was
convicted of
one count of conspiracy, five counts of wire fraud and three counts of
extortion. This was in connection with a scheme involving fellow City Council
members who were convicted of soliciting
bribes from Cheetahs, a local strip club, to get the city's "no
touch" laws at strip clubs repealed.
Speaking of “no touch”, it’s such a shame I couldn’t invite
the late former acting mayor Bill Cleator (1983 January-May) who appeared to be
a shoe-in following Hedgecock’s resignation but declined to run for election
after making a classic social faux pas.
It seems that while escorting Queen Elizabeth II on a tour of the
harbor, in an attempt to be helpful Bill lightly touched her back to influence
her choice of direction. Evidently this
is rather frowned upon as was evident by the priceless expression on the queen’s face,
slow motion replays on television, and photos in every major publication in the
western world. Perhaps this helped lead
to the existing “no touch” law that the owners of Cheetahs were trying to
modernize.
How could my sister-in-law even think about a party without asking Robert Earl
"Bob" Filner (2012-2013) who resigned
amid multiple allegations of sexual harassment; later pleading guilty to state
charges of false imprisonment and battery. Women publicly claimed that Filner had
sexually harassed them, including a retired admiral, a Marilyn Monroe impersonator who
appeared at one of his fundraisers, a 67-year-old great-grandmother
who worked for the city, a nurse who said Filner demanded a date in exchange
for helping a Marine who had suffered a brain injury and PTSD, and several
female members of the U.S. armed forces who had been raped during their
service. I can hear Bob now, always the
gentleman as he walks into the party, “I think I’ll go see if I can help the
ladies in the kitchen.”