Last night the Baste Roast of me raised nearly $25,000 for the Arthritis Foundation. It was a memorable time for all –everybody got a few good licks in.
Collier Merrill stole the show with a routine he and my daughter Cat had worked out. He came in late right before his spot on the program – walked on the stage – and began a powerpoint presentation honoring Richard McAlpin – not me, Rick Outzen. He went on for about three minutes about McAlpin before Cat cut him off and took him behind stage. Then the audience heard Collier (who still had the microphone with him) argue and fight off stage behind a divider about why he was at the roast. People were laughing so hard that they were crying.
All the speakers were great. Dee Dee Ritchie was a wonderful emcee. She is still basking in the national victories of the Dems.
John Stuart – Q100 Morning Crew (and program director) -held up the Pensacola telephone book and said it was a list of my enemies and then went thru a long list of room charges from Oct. visit to Las Vegas
Evon Emerson – Pensacola Chamber president – placed a target around my neck and preceeded to talk about my battles with the Chamber and the political community.
Quint Studer – Studer Group/Pensacola Pelicans – joked about being at the confessional at St. Ann and that after the priest heard my sins confessed it really made it easier for everybody else.
Buzz Eddy – Gulf Breeze City Manager – talked about gift for getting along with other governmental bodies and my legendary exchange with Santa Rosa Co. Commissioner John Broxson when I cussed him out and threatened to arrest him for trying to move a water station out of Gulf Breeze after Hurricane Ivan.
Ed Gray III – Santa Rosa Co. School Board – gave my Christmas wish list.
The group at the event was probably the most diverse they have ever had – Besides my staff and the Gulf Breeze City Council: Patrick Madden, John Griffing, Arety Sievers, Mike Burke, Susan Watson, Pensacola Young Professionals – John Hosman, Ashley Hodge, Michelle Rushing and Marina Paul, Liz Campbell, David Alsop, JB Schluter (who was elected to my seat on the GB Council),Gwen Applequist,Harry Wilder, David Morgan, Jeff Deweese, Francis Yeo, Chuck Emling, Pete Heckathorne, Steve Zieman, Todd McWaters ….about 135-140.
Note: With this event, the Independent News has raised in 2006 over $100,000 for various charities: Arthritis Foundation, Junior Achievement, Penascola Museum of Art, Pensacola Symphony, Favor House, Pensacola Little Theater, American Lung Association and others. We did with either events we created or established ones that I chaired and the IN staff helped.
