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JAY CRIDLINThe honorary mayor title goes to the person who raises the most money by July 4.
When Nat Storms became Brandon's first honorary mayor in 1959, he raised money by having his supporters try to catch a greased pig.
Times have changed. Sort of.
The three candidates in this year's race to be Brandon's honorary mayor hope quirky fundraising tactics - staging 1950s-style sock hops, auctioning off 79-year-old bachelors, organizing motorcycle rides - will pay off in victory.
"It can be a lot of fun," said Maureen Krzanowski, a member of the President's Roundtable of Brandon, which organizes the race. "Over the years, things have been hilarious."
The fundraisers are important because, well, they determine the outcome.
Each candidate must be sponsored by a business that is a member of the roundtable.
Whoever raises the most money between June 1 and July 4 is the winner. Eighty percent of the money goes to charity, 10 percent goes to the President's Roundtable and 10 percent goes to the candidate's sponsor.
Last year, two candidates raised $20,000 in the race. The year before, three candidates raised nearly $60,000.
Of course, the title of honorary mayor carries no real weight - a fact sometimes lost on visitors. One year, Krzanowski said, a Chinese delegation visited Brandon and wouldn't stop bowing to the mayor.
Three official candidates are in this year's race: Patricia Magruder, 56, of Brandon; Becky Jordan, 48, of Valrico; and Rosalind Cimino-Creager, 48, of Valrico.
Magruder, an insurance agent and chairwoman-elect of the Seffner Chamber of Commerce, is the race's early leader. She raised about $1,800 with a two-person golf scramble in Bloomingdale Sunday and another $2,000 with a breakfast Tuesday.
Her charities are the Brandon Outreach Clinic, the Hillsborough Education Foundation and YMCA outreach programs.
"I really believe in getting as much money for their programs as possible, and I just felt this would be a good way to do it," she said.
Magruder will stage a fashion show June 21 at the Brandon Elks Lodge, and a family picnic at Campo Family YMCA the next day. On June 28, she'll stage a 1950s sock hop and car show, and she'll wrap up the month with a second golf tournament.
Among other events, Jordan will organize an all-ages bachelor auction and a motorcycle ride around the county on Saturday; a golf tournament June 19 at Buckhorn Golf and Country Club; and a women's symposium featuring author Sheryl Nicholson at Crowne Plaza in Sabal Park.
Jordan's charities are the Brandon Outreach Clinic, the Bill Carey Boys & Girls Club, the Brandon Care Pregnancy Center, the YMCA Ophelia Project and Brandon Young Life. Her gung-ho approach to the race has been a long time coming.
"I've lived here all my life, and it's something I've always wanted to do," she said.
Cimino-Creager's primary fundraiser is a June 12 golf scramble at Buckhorn. Her charity is the American Cancer Society, of which she is the incoming local president. She is also offering raffle tickets for gift certificates at her store, the Green Boutique in Valrico.
The candidates have until 8 p.m. July 4 to raise money. The winner will be announced during Brandon's Independence Day festivities as soon as the race is over.
Until then, it's anybody's game.
"Just play nice," Krzanowski says.
- Jay Cridlin can be reached at 661-2442 or cridlin@sptimes.com