A little male bonding at Governor's Mansion

A little male political bonding took place at the Governor's Mansion Monday night. Gov. Charlie Crist invited the incoming leaders of the Legislature over for some wine and a meal of swordfish and rice pilaf. Reporters sitting a few feet away had trouble hearing everything, but it seemed like mostly small talk: FSU football's kicking game and even why state senators serve staggered terms (Sen. Jeff Atwater was explaining that one to Crist's fiancee, Carole Rome).

The dinner was a smooth start to what could be a rocky journey as the state's finances remain very shaky and more bad revenue news is expected by the end of this week.

"We love you as people," Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp told Atwater and Rep. Ray Sansom, R-Destin, who will be sworn in as House speaker Tuesday. "Yeah, there's challenges but there are opportunities too." Both lawmakers brought their wives and kids and Atwater brought his mom, Mrs. Patricia Atwater, and he regaled the group with stories about his great-grandfather, the flamboyant Gov. Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, who served a century ago.

"His entrepreneurial spirit is what led him to public office -- Florida's Fighting Democrat," Atwater said. "So we have a great bit of bipartisanship too." At one point, Crist chief of staff Eric Eikenberg pulled Atwater aside for a brief talk in which Atwater nodded his head in agreement. Eikenberg said later he was only reminding the senator that "the governor and the governor's office is committed to working with them."

With pool reporting by Mary Ellen Klas of The Miami Herald

Comments

The press needs to get a grip.

It's hyper-paranoid to think that a secret GOP plan would be hatched with kids and spouses in the room.

I see the bonding, but who is the little male?

[thatguysgottago.com]

Charlie is a respectable, honorable person.

Did idiot Greer barge in with a stripper?

Greer wasn't in the dining room with everyone else. The Mansion chef slopped him out back at the trough.

Who is the guy to Sansom's left?

That is the lovely Erik Eikenberg! Weasel-ly, ain't he?

It doesn't take much to be a leader in the legislature these days.

[founder]

Very good move by the Governor!

And for once, Greer ain't on the scene. Even better!

No, 11:34, "Weasel-ly" is anonymously blogging nasty comments about someone you don't know - someone who is one of the nicest guys in this business and who works his butt off all day every day doing the right thing.

"That is Erik Eikenberg! Weasel-ly, ain't he?"

... The weasel. Yes. George's weasel. Does not think for himself.

Ok Erin and Eric - just tell us - did you just end up writing this yourself? This was very entertaining and would have never been printed like this in a newspaper.

Where is the straight up AP story we were promised before you caved under pressure from the St Petersburg Times and the Miami Herald at 5:00 pm to get into the room and make things so unenjoyable and uncomfortable for the children and teens in attendance at what should have been a nice, quiet time. Did anyone ask the parents if it was ok for additional press to be there or do parental rights not matter? The ultimate insult, letting it be public that people invited to be hosted at the dinner have to send in a check for it.

DATE: November 17, 2008

TO: Interested Parties

FROM: Erin Isaac, Governor’s Communications Director

RE: Pool Report from Tonight’s Dinner with President-Elect Jeff Atwater & Speaker-Designate Ray Sansom

Please see the following pool report from Mary Ellen Klas, Miami Herald, and Steve Bousquet, St. Petersburg Times, regarding tonight’s dinner with President-Elect Jeff Atwater & Speaker-Designate Ray Sansom.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please call Governor Crist’s press office at (850) 488-5394.

# # #

Pool Notes for Mansion Dinner Nov. 17, 2008

Pool Reporters: Mary Ellen Klas, Miami Herald;
Steve Bousquet, St. Petersburg Times

Gov. Charlie Crist and fiancée, Carole Rome, hosted a dinner of shrimp and swordfish at the Governor's Mansion Monday night for incoming Senate President Jeff Atwater and House Speaker Ray Sansom and their families. The dinner and the cocktail hour that preceded it was an exercise in relationship-building among the three leaders who are about to embark on a very rocky journey as the state's finances remain extremely shaky with more bad revenue news expected at the end of the week.

Also attending were Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp and his wife Cyndie, chief of staff Eric Eikenberg and his wife Tania and communications director Erin Isaac.

The families arrived at about 6:30 p.m. and, shortly after, they gathered for pictures with the governor.

At 6:38 p.m, Crist welcomed the party of 18 in the dining room for what he said was "a very happy occasion and a very important one. It's truly an honor to have your families here."

Sansom blessed the dinner of swordfish and rice pilaf, asking God for "wisdom beyond our understanding" and to "give us the calm that the people of Florida expect."

Kottkamp commended Atwater and Sansom, saying, "We love you as people" and described them as "two decent hard-working guys" who are "products of the Legislature." Indeed, the two legislators joked during dinner about how they met: as alternating chairmen of the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee in the 2003-2004 term.

"I had no intention of ever doing this,'' Atwater said. "Neither did I,'' Sansom replied.

Kottkamp congratulated the leaders for surviving a grueling campaign. "We are excited for the next two years,'' he said. "Yeah, there's challenges, but there are opportunities, too," Kottkamp said. "This kind of positive working relationship will be good for the state.''

Sansom quipped: "We don't know what's worse, the campaign or the budget."

Crist: "What you have done for the people already is exciting."

Chef Joshua Butler introduced the main course: wild caught Florida shrimp cocktail with seared sea scallops tossed in remoulade sauce on a bed of Romaine lettuce.

"The world's greatest chef,'' Crist said of Butler.

"The world's greatest governor,'' Butler answered.

Crist sat with Rome and Atwater to his right and Sansom and Eikenberg to his left. It was difficult to hear much of their conversation over the din of the room and the background playing of the piano player in the adjoining room.

Dinner conversation ranged from FSU football to the unseasonably cold weather to the staggered terms of state senators to Sansom's daughter, Jessica, who's studying -- gasp! -- journalism at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.

Kottkamp tells the story of visiting with a first grade class and his standard reminder to them that he works for them. One first grader figures that out and says, "Well, if you work for me, can you go to McDonald's and get me a happy meal?" Another kid raised his hand and exclaimed "That's not healthy." A testament, Kottkamp said, to the eat-healthy campaign in schools.

Atwater's family included his wife, Carole, his mother, Patricia Atwater, and his children Amy Leigh, John, Amanda and Courtney. Sansom was accompanied by his wife, Tricia, and their daughters Jessica, Carlee and Julia.

Eikenberg pulled Atwater aside for a five-minute conversation in which Atwater is seen agreeing. Later, Eikenberg would only say that he was reminding him that "the governor and the governor's office is committed to working with them."

At the end of the meal, Crist introduced Atwater and his mother, Patricia to tell the story of her flamboyant grandfather, Gov. Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, who was governor of Florida 100 years ago -- from 1905 to 1909.

The Democrat ran guns to freedom fighters in Cuba at the turn of the last century and, so the story goes, turned down an offer to be the vice presidential running mate of one of Crist's heroes, Theodore Roosevelt.

"He said, 'No, I don't want to leave Florida,''' Patricia Atwater said.

"His entrepreneurial spirit is what led him to public office - Florida's fighting Democrat,'' Atwater said. "So we have a great bit of bi-partisanship too."

"That's wonderful,'' Crist said. "We work as a team. That's the only way we're going to accomplish these things.''

Dinner ended at 8:20 p.m.

Because of the legislatively-approved gift ban, Atwater and Sansom cannot take free food and drink from the governor, who employs a lobbyist. The lawmakers were advised to send checks of $35 to the Governor's Mansion Foundation.

Erin will never be taken seriously at any level.

[Disinterested Party]

7:56...boy is that tale boring. Did any of the senators stagger?

[terminator]

the picture speaks a thousand words:
caption of Chuck Crist staring blindly at his meal of shrimp and swordfish "man this really sucks, Johnny how did you lose to a black man"?
"what am I going to do now? I don't know how to govern and the ship SS Florida is sinking. I'm screwed.
please lord isn't there a higher office I can campaign for"?
well take solace Chuck, I hope your looking forward to your impending nuptials!

Make me puke. This isn't news. It's fluff for our gay governor and his token fiancee.

What happened to AP?

8:51 is right.

Instead of showing off the fake fiancee over swordfish and rice, Crist should be figuring out what he's going to say on Friday when the revised economic forecast is released on Friday.

[Gilbert Ford]

My how short the memory for some of these Legislatures...The State Pension Fund is in the tank ($62B), yet they are fatcatting it off of Rice Pilaf and Swordfish! Excuse me, isn't this how AIG did it? Get the bail out money and have an expensive shindig in California, why we taxpayers takes it in the shorts! Better yet, the AIG executives goes to England the following week for an expensive hunting trip.

Financial irresponsibility I think!

When are our Legislatures gonna learn that, in these terrible financial times taxpayers look, take notes and vote?

I don't know if I share the same philosophy with others, I do VOTE and I have a voice...doggonit!

[Greentitan]

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[David Hearne]

Charlie Crist and Adam Putnam talking football. Armand and Albert preparing for Senator Keeley's visit.