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What if Hillary Lived on Our Island?

The other day as I drove up to the 4-way stop in the middle of our little town I saw a woman who made me think of Hilary, nicely coiffure, smartly dressed in that stylish way that women of Hilary’s age dress and I thought what if Hillary lived on my island, how would she fit in?  Who would she hang with?  She is past the PTSA age after all.  Would she volunteer for our schools or at minimum the food bank?  Perhaps she would head up the scholarship committee, a behind the scenes group.  Or join with Tag and the other folks trying to solve our emergency health care crisis.

Would she smile if you run into her at the grocery store or would she have employees shopping for her and never know the joy of greeting her neighbors in the aisles? Of being connected to our community, our friends and family?
Would she fit in with the new wave of entitled islanders who keep to themselves and enjoy their property and their privacy?  If she did get involved: would it be only to write a letter to the editor or to give Ivan a run for his money on being the local vocal democrat?

What if Bernie lived here?  Would he be as loud and intense as he appears on TV?  Perhaps he is hard of hearing? Would you hear him booming from the samples kiosk to the produce department? Would he eat breakfast for real at Sporty’?  Would he become just another Island character? I can see him working at the food bank and the community garden wearing a chewed up straw hat. He would sincerely make promises to help those in need but struggle to keep them for nothing moves at a rapid pace.

He would have to motivate the team and I don’t see him as a team player but as someone who is not easily understood.  He could work on the interfaith council however and help with the homeless.  And he would run for unofficial mayor and win but it would be very close for the old goat would have a lot of votes.

And speaking of non team players what about Donald the Trump, how would he fit in to our little microcosm? Would he have the patience to handle the ferries and be nice to the workers?  Or would it be off with their heads? Would he be offended when he was the first car in line for the next boat?

I could imagine he would make his presence known at the County Club whether he played golf or not.  I’m sure the members and public would get tired of his boastful ways and just avoid him.  Would James come out of retirement to cut his hair and try to make him more stylish?  The comb-over orange hair never was in.

Perhaps he would buy the Muckleshoot’s land to build a Casino.  He then might join the Chamber running it to benefit his own pockets.  Plus we would finally have a new owner of Misty Isle thus dashing the dreams of our little non-profit Land trust. The Donald would put all the Island’s real estate agents temporarily out of business by buying up the available properties but they would be back in business when all those properties defaulted.

If you think of our potential presidential candidates as your neighbors who would you vote for: the trail blazer, the well meaning one, or the one who acts like royalty?  Are you still thinking about whom to have a beer or glass of wine with at the Red Bike or the Hardware Store?

I would hope that islanders are beyond marketing and truly think about the substance of the candidates’ promises and the image that would be projected on the world stage.  Which one of our “neighbors” would you want speaking for our little slice of heaven?  The choice is yours. When the time comes, vote as if it matter because it does.
Correction!
My apologies to Mr. Jim Griswold who told me directly that he is still cutting and styling hair at James Hair Design and is no way retired.
Having grown up on Vashon I know that rumors are rampant.  Gossip leads to believing something is true because you heard it in the checkout line or it was mentioned on Facebook.
 If you heard someone has died, don’t necessarily believe it until you read the obituary because you just might run into that person at the Post Office.
We all live within the boundary created by Puget Sound and we all sink or swim together.  How we separated truth from fiction is up to us.  A lesson learned is not to assume but to go to the source.  Sorry James.                                                                                                           
Sincerely Penny Kimmel