President of The President of Me, throws hat into the ring

Rebecca Wittman, owner and President of The President of Me, has thrown her hat into the ring for Honorary Mayor of Vashon, naming the Vashon Heritage Museum as her SuperPac, er non-profit cause.

Wittman’s platform, “MUSEUMCARE” is a campaign to address the sorry state of old art curation on the island - no wait, that’s not right. According to the posters, it’s “to help repair the crumbling foundation of our beloved Heritage Museum, because a community that forgets (to support) its history is a COMMUNITY doomed to crumble... “ The campaign hopes to raise $20,000 by the end of the election. Wittman, who recently sent shock waves through the community when she announced in an April Fools prank that she was moving to Brooklyn, will celebrate the launch of her campaign with a big party at The President of Me this coming First Friday, May 6th. Another fundraiser at the Heritage Museum, replete with stump speeches and wine and charcuterie platters, is planned for a date to be announced later in May. Guests are strongly encouraged to bring their checkbooks to all events.

Wittman, who lives in a nearly one-hundred-year-old house on the island, and who served on the Heritage Museum Board for four years, is a strong champion of Vashon history and states, “if Vashon is to maintain its essential character, long time residents as well as newcomers must be active stewards in the preservation of that character. Pledging allegiance to our Heritage Museum is step one in that stewardship.”

The campaign’s manager, the one-named mannequin Berenice, is a familiar figure in the community, perched on a folding chair in front of Wittman’s shop five days a week. In fact, she (Berenice) lobbied hard to be the actual candidate, losing the argument only because she’s incapable of standing up straight and cutting ribbons. As a compromise, Wittman has allowed Berenice to be the “face” of the campaign, on the promotional poster and fundraising kiosks, because (according to Berenice)  “Rebecca is not nearly as photogenic as I am. Face it - I’ve become selfie-central on this island; that broken down bike in the tree is yesterday’s photo op compared to me.” Wittman’s only concern is that her campaign manager is starting to channel the bluster of a certain frontrunner in another election.

No stranger to tongue-in-cheek political parlance, Wittman felt running for Mayor during this year of Presidential politics was a no-brainer, and said as much in remarks at her recent announcement. “It doesn’t take any brains to be Honorary Mayor of Vashon. Cutting ribbons? I do it everyday at the shop when I send someone out the door with a gift.” Again, echoing the tone of that certain front-runner in that other election, Berenice went on to explain her own assessment of the field. “Look at the competition so far: a big, mute sheep that pees on its constituents’ feet, and a street corner vegetable hawker. Where’s the challenge?”

The campaign is adamant that it WILL be accepting money from Wall Street, as well as Vashon Highway, Quartermaster Drive, and Cemetery, Cedarhurst, Reddings Beach, Bank, Burma and Bachelor Roads... and all Burton and Vashon Post Office boxes, since there are no terrorists on Vashon. Anyone donating more than $1000 will be invited to the inaugural dinner at Wittman’s home, where there’s ample parking (on the neighbor’s well lit property).
A website is being set up so donors can link directly to the Museum account, to make donating to the campaign a no-brainer (NOTE: Museum donations to the May 5th “Give Big” campaign don’t count toward the Mayoral election.) Just like real life, all donations to the Rebecca Wittman for Mayor campaign are fully deductible - as long as the check is made out to “Vashon Heritage Museum”.

Anyone with questions about the campaign can reach the candidate directly at 206 947 4777.