As things go in the world of television series, the announcement that NBC was casting Rep. Santos – played by Jimmy Smits – children, his election to president seemed to be in the bag, but with the show’s term limits looming now anything is possible.The show and its fans had a recent blow with the death of John Spencer, whose character had been President Bartlett’s chief of staff and recently Rep. Santos vice presidential running mate. Spencer’s character had suffered a heart attack last season, the same ailment that felled the acclaimed actor late last year.The winner of more than two-dozen Emmy Awards, “The West Wing” is in its seventh season and until recent years was among the highest rated programs on television, although the cancellation “wasn’t entirely unexpected,” noted Krause. “Ever since we started following the chatter on entertainment Web sites this summer,” there have been indications that the show – which was switched for its traditional Wednesday night slot to less friendly Sunday - was coming to an end.“It was worse for viewers, they couldn’t find it,” and when they could it was frequently preempted for other shows. Cancelled or not, Krause doesn’t hold out much hope that Vinick was headed for the White House: “Based on the campaign being run this year, suddenly his staff is not nearly as smart as they were last season,” and campaign issues seem to favor Rep. Santos in general.Bobkiewicz, whose next goal is to actually bring Vinick to Santa Paula for a hometown visit and perhaps a stop at his Depot campaign headquarters with a welcoming SPHS marching band, has been planning another event around “The West Wing” episode where the presidential election is decided… stay tuned indeed.
Could cancellation of “The West Wing” swing election for SP’s Vinick?
January 27, 2006
Santa Paula News
In a move not completely unexpected, NBC cancelled “The West Wing” with the last episode airing May 14… but that doesn’t mean that Santa Paula favorite son presidential candidate Senator Arnold Vinick still won’t face off against the Democratic challenger, and maybe even win.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesIn a move not completely unexpected, NBC cancelled “The West Wing” with the last episode airing May 14… but that doesn’t mean that Santa Paula favorite son presidential candidate Senator Arnold Vinick still won’t face off against the Democratic challenger, and maybe even win.“This may be good news for Santa Paula, since Alan Alda’s character Sen. Vinick may be elected President after all if Alda does not have to continue in the role after this season,” City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz wrote in the city blog. “Stay tuned….”Things were looking slightly askew for Vinick, the focus of a city campaign to declare him as one of their own, after he mentioned a California citrus connection when he announced his candidacy one year ago. Then Mayor Mary Ann Krause and the City Council pushed to have NBC to officially declare Vinick – whose “West Wing” Web site bio stated that he was born in New York shortly before the family moved to California – Santa Paula’s favorite son.After the non-traditional show biz lures of citrus products, SPHS caps and T-shirt were sent to “West Wing” staff, Bobkiewicz sweetened the pot of potential exposure by staging a grand opening of Vinick headquarters at the Depot after the City Council officially declared Vinick a Santa Paulan. After months of Bobkiewicz’s bombarding “West Wing” staff with Santa Paula postcards, books about the area and its history and anything else with SP on it, NBC decided that Vinick was indeed a Santa Paulan.Information that was added to Vinick’s Web site biography includes his fondness of the Santa Paula California Oil Museum. Indeed, during a “West Wing” presidential debate aired last year - screened at a Community Center fundraiser - it was discovered that Vinick had retained a fondness for oil companies in general. Other details linking Vinick to the city where he is the favorite son also heightened his connection to Santa Paula.
