From left: 2013 Honorary Mayor of Riverview Elijah Heath, Edward Jones Investments; and 2014 candidates Cliff Kennedy, Alley Cat Pest Control; Michelle Mosher, Great Florida Insurance South Shore; and Michael Beiter, stand-in proxy for Christian Beiter, Preservation 1st Financial Group, LLC. HUTH & BOOTH PHOTO
On August 6 a Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce Kick-Off Party was held for the 2014 Honorary Mayor of Riverview Race. A large crowd of spectators gathered at Barnacles in anticipation of this annual event. At 7 p.m., current Riverview Honorary Mayor Elijah Heath, Edward Jones Investments, asked that the proverbial ‘ring’ be brought forth for the tossing of the hats.
Prior to the main event, Mayor Heath invited the FishHawk-Riverview Rotary Club to the podium for a presentation. President Christine Ans then presented Honor Flight of West Central Florida with a $1,000 check to help with its upcoming trips to Washington, D.C. Jim Haake, president of Honor Flight of West Central Florida, was on hand to accept the check and to tell the crowd about the fantastic efforts that have been made toward getting WWII veterans to D.C. to see their memorial.
With most of the crowd donning their own variety of “hat,” it was time to see who would be tossing theirs through the ring. The first candidate to step forward was Cliff Kennedy, Alley Cat Pest Control. Cliff was followed by Michelle Mosher, Great Florida Insurance South Shore. Third but not least was Christian Beiter, Preservation 1st Financial Group, LLC. (Christian could not be present at the event, but was represented by proxy Michael Beiter.)
The candidates now have seven weeks to plan, implement and host a variety of fundraising efforts to raise money for their charity(ies) of choice. Every dollar raised equals one vote. The winner will hold the title of Honorary Mayor of Riverview from Jan. 1, 2014 – Dec. 31, 2014 and will also be appointed to the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for the same period of time.
The race results will be announced at the GRCC Monthly Membership Luncheon on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013. After last-minute donations are collected, the winner will be proclaimed at the end of the luncheon.
The candidates’ charities are:
• Cliff Kennedy – Rotary Club of FishHawk-Riverview Foundation and Honor Flight of West Central Florida/
• Michelle Mosher – Honor Flight of West Central Florida and Voices for Children of Tampa Bay, Inc.
• Christian Beiter – YMCA Camp Cristina.
