Expanding campaign and a sip of warning

Tampa columnist HOOPER E-mail: Click here Archive

© St. Petersburg Times
published March 6, 2002

Gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride is getting a bigger campaign headquarters, and Old Hyde Park Village is getting a new tenant.

McBride, who had been operating out of a guest home on his Thonotosassa property, is going to acquire the old Eckerd store in the Village. Campaign managers are set to move March 13, but the telephone numbers will stay the same.

I thought it might be a sign that McBride, a Democrat, needs more visibility. But a campaign official said it's a sign they need more room for an increasing number of volunteers.

There must be something in the water.

It's a familiar expression, but the city of Tampa says it's not an expression you should necessarily believe when you are dealing with businesses offering free water testing. The Tampa Water Department sent out a release recently warning that "salespeople often use scare tactics . . . to sell you unnecessary products for water filtration and purification."

Sandra Anderson, consumer affairs manager for the department, said the city doesn't want people to get scammed.

"I'm sure there are businesses providing a legitimate service, but our water meets or exceeds all federal and state standards for safe drinking water," Anderson said. "We take pride in that. All we're saying is if you have concerns about your water, you should call us before purchasing expensive equipment."

Anderson noted that Pinellas Utilities and the city of St. Petersburg have issued similar warnings.

The water may meet standards, but there is a different taste to Tampa water than say Tallahassee's or Atlanta's. Don't ask me to explain it, but I can tell the difference just like I can tell the difference between Coke, Pepsi and Royal Crown.

Charisse Strawberry, wife of famed Yankee Darryl Strawberry, will host a celebrity wives fashion show Friday at the Avila Country Club. The event will benefit the local chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. It will include Nina Wells (wife of David), Laura Pettitte (wife of Andy), Shikiri Johnson (wife of Keyshawn) and Lauren Dungy (wife of Tony). Fox 13 anchor Secily Wilson will emcee.

Somewhere between SportsCenter, The Real World and having 100 movie channels to choose from, I forgot how much I enjoy contests (they're not beauty pageants, they're scholarship programs) such as Miss America, Miss USA and Miss Universe. As a kid, I used to pull out a sheet of notebook paper and do my own scoring.

The joy of that came back to me Saturday when I attended the Miss Tampa Pageant. It wasn't on the some scale as say, the 1977 Miss Universe contest won by Janelle Commissiong of Trinidad and Tobago (yeah, I was watching that night), but it was a fun and entertaining evening.

Jennifer Pierce, a University of South Florida student, proved a deserving winner (in the eyes of this pseudo judge). And the song and dance revue by the "Miss Tampa" dancers choreographed by Amy Garton was a highlight.

Another highlight was meeting former restaurateur Buddy Johnson, who founded BuddyFreddys, one of the few places where my kids will eat vegetables. I tried to goad the former state representative into telling me he was considering a return to politics, but he just smiled.

Are you wondering how a married man can write in a newspaper that he enjoys beauty pageants? I hope my wife knows it only helps increase my appreciation for her. Ask yourself, can a movie critic watch only one movie? Can a television critic watch only one show?

I'm just refining my critical eye so that when I tell my wife, "You look good today," she knows it has real validity.

I bet you wish you had put on your long boots before you read those last two paragraphs.

That's all I'm saying.

-- Ernest Hooper can be reached at (813) 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com.

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