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St. Petersburg mayor lets his silly side shine through
By BRYAN GILMER, Times Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG -- Deputy Mayor Mike Dove thought he was dressed casually in khakis and a polo shirt for the grand opening of the Childs Park Pool. Then Mayor Rick Baker showed up in swim trunks with a towel over his shoulder. Baker pointed at Dove and made an unexpected announcement: "If at least 50 of you kids jump in the pool, he'll jump in too -- with his clothes on!" Dove chuckled, assuming the mayor was kidding. But the shirtless mayor threw an arm over Dove's right shoulder and dragged him to the edge of the pool. There, Baker paused to let Dove hand off his wallet, keys and glasses. Then Baker swept them both into the pool as the kids howled. Rick Baker: millionaire corporate lawyer. Conservative investor. History geek. Relentless pounder of talking points on the campaign trail. Now, more than a year and a half into his term, Baker has loosened up. The 46-year-old father of young children is concerned less about looking goofy than he is about projecting an image of St. Petersburg as a young, fun place to be. He got into an acrobat's huge metal wheel and rolled around the parking lot of Tropicana Field to help Cirque du Soleil promote its upcoming run there. He stuffed himself into the cockpit of a race car made for someone a full foot shorter at a media event for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He enjoys playing with people's surprise at his 6-foot-7 stature. When a community group gives Baker a T-shirt, he puts it on over his dress shirt and tie. "Mayors historically in our city, especially in the '20s and '30s, were the No. 1 promoter of the city," Baker said this week. "Part of the promotion is the P.T. Barnum hype. A couple guys in Tampa just asked me, 'Hey, man, did you ever get into that car?' They thought of St. Petersburg. That's great." City Council member Bill Foster recalled Baker's patrician predecessor. "I honestly don't remember David Fischer doing anything like that," he said. So far, his playful streak is getting good reviews. "I think it's good public relations," said City Council member Virginia Littrell. "It's inviting to people. The mayor and I had lunch (early in his term), and I said, 'Why are you so highbrow?' I think we've seen another side of him since then." Downtown Partnership executive vice president Don Shea thinks Baker is enhancing the city's reputation. "He's like a big kid, and I mean a really biiiig kid," he said. "As far as the dignity of the office goes, I think sometimes we take things too seriously. There's no reason we can't have fun celebrating our successes around here." Foster, too, was surprised. "He's a much funnier person than I ever thought," Foster said. "I think he's demonstrating his youthfulness, his playfulness, his physical fitness." Baker says he remains very serious "about the mission" as mayor, but that he is taking advantage of opportunities to have fun. "My wife would tell you my personality is coming out now," he said. "It's always been my personality. If I'm wondering whether or not I should do it, I'll do it. But nope, I'm not going to go out of may way to look goofy or a fool."
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