The former attorney general told about 150 people that Democrats must organize early to win the next election, but said she is enjoying spending time with family and isn't planning to run.
By JAMIE JONES
Published October 25, 2003
[Times photo: Cherie Diez]
Jaclyn Cunningham of St. Petersburg, center, said to Janet Reno, "You're a magnificent person. Why aren't you running for president?" Sylvia Scott of Largo, right, waits her turn to meet the former attorney general at the Radisson Hotel on Friday.
PINELLAS PARK - She has grooved to Abba's Dancing Queen under a glittering disco ball in Washington, D.C. She has snorkeled near Biscayne National Park, kayaked through a rough green river in Jamaica.
And in the past year, Janet Reno has taken on another role: doting great-aunt.
"You want to see her really light up, you put that baby in her lap," said Reno's longtime friend, Alan Greer.
A year after losing the Democratic nomination for governor, Reno is exacting as ever, busy as ever.
On Friday, the former U.S. attorney general parked her red Ford Ranger at the Radisson Hotel in Pinellas Park, an hour early for her scheduled appearance at a Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee fundraiser.
In a first-floor hotel room, Reno briefly studied her reflection, her eyes moving over her bright peach suit. Then she walked out into the polished lobby and greeted the first of roughly 150 guests.
Standing by a column, watching Reno work the crowd, Hal Alterman of Clearwater said: "Just an icon. Florida's gift to the nation, as it were."
It was a reunion of sorts, Reno returning to those who worked on her campaign in Pinellas County. The same qualities that hurt her during the race also make her popular: She is unassuming and soft-spoken, prefers small gatherings to large crowds.
When she isn't speaking or teaching at the University of Miami or Cornell University, Reno, 65, is spending time with her family.
Reno and her sister, Maggy Hurchalla, flew to Jamaica over Labor Day to white-water kayak, taking on a river with class three rapids.
"The first day, she did it and wiped out," Hurchalla said. "The second day, she did it with great skill and cunning."
Reno's niece, Hunter, had a baby girl, Ella, about 10 months ago.
"She is wonderful," Reno said. "I try to chase after her. I take her around the block. I sing to her, tell her poetry." (Wynken, Blynken and Nod is a favorite.)
The other day, Reno watched Ella take her first steps.
"It's amazing to see this progression, watching the growth of my daughter," Hunter Reno said. "She is just a wonderful delight to us."
Reno is assured of much more than a footnote in Florida history. She became the state's first female state's attorney when she was elected to that post in 1978, and she held the job for 15 years.
She was also the nation's first female U.S. attorney general, a job she held longer than anyone in a century.
She remains outspoken on popular issues, including the Terri Schiavo case, a woman at the center of a renewed legal battle over the right to die. The Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush last week entered the debate, allowing Bush to order that a feeding tube be reinserted in Schiavo, who has been in a persistent vegetative state since 1990.
Reno called their action "such a tragic mistake," saying the decision rested with the courts.
On Friday, before guests sat down for a meal of pepper and herb crusted London broil and carrot spice cake, Reno gave a short speech, encouraging Democrats to get organized early for upcoming races, to become experts at communicating over the Internet and getting students involved in campaigns.
As for Reno, she isn't planning another run for office.
But she won't slow down, friends say.
"I expect to get a cell phone call from her three days after we have her funeral," her friend Greer said, chuckling.
- Times staff writer Wes Allison contributed to this report, which also contains information from the Washington Post.
- Jamie Jones can be reached at 727 893-8455. Send e-mail to jjones@sptimes.com
