At 4:28pm I received an email from the Office of the Mayor. It’s a request for Angelenos to name their top Angels. That is, who is the most awesomest volunteer you can think of? The Mayor cares. Really. He wants to lavish the top 5 winners with the opportunity to be on stage with him for a few moments next Wednesday when he’s inaugurated for his second term.
There are True Angels in this city. They are the people who devote untold hours each day to building their communities and lifting up those less fortunate than themselves.
Whether painting a mural, planting a tree, or serving food to seniors, True Angels realize we are all in this together, and that social change only comes with active, committed engagement. These True Angels come together from all different backgrounds and from all across Los Angeles to lay the foundations of stronger communities for future generations.
Help me recognize Los Angeles’ True Angels by sharing with me the story of a truly exceptional volunteer. That volunteer can be you or someone whose service you admire. Five of these volunteers will be invited on stage with me next Wednesday, July 1, as I am inaugurated to my second term as Mayor of Los Angeles.
During the ceremonies, I will
recognize these five volunteers as True Angels whose commitment to their brethren and to their city inspires us all.
Thank you,
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
That the inauguration was going to happen was no surprise. Surely this alert could have been sent out earlier. As I mentioned, this email went out today June 26th, at 4:28pm. A Friday afternoon. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, June 30th by 5pm. The inauguration is on Wednesday, July 1.
This email enforces that the mayor’s office and the mayor himself are out of reach with the normal people of this city. How many everyday citizens do you think get email alerts from the Mayor’s Office? How many everyday citizens do you think read email or even bother to go online during the weekend? If this is even mentioned in our local news beyond a small blurb, I would be surprised.
That’s not even to mention the people selected. Say, it’s Harry from the local rec center. Harry always finds the time to help fix or replace the items the city should be taking care of. Harry teaches art or maybe boxing. Harry also works two jobs just to make ends meet. So, Harry gets a congratulatory phone call from the mayor’s office, sometime between 8pm and 8am. Do we honestly think Harry is able to call in sick to work just so he could be a prop for Mayor Villariagosa?
For now, I’ll not speak of the fact that a mayor who barely eeked out a second term having an inauguration in a city with such dire financial troubles is probably not a good idea. I’ll reserve my judgement for July 1.
The Wanna be a prop in an inauguration? Here’s your chance! by Anika Malone, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Tags: antonio villaraigosa, losangeles