Vinick: Emmy award last salvo for SP’s favorite son presidential candidate
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Published: August 30, 2006
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula Times
You didn’t need to check the city blog this morning to learn the news that Santa Paula’s favorite son candidate for President, Senator Arnold Vinick, picked up a major prize.
Rather the prize - the coveted Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - was awarded to Alan Alda, who played Vinick on the politically charged “The West Wing.”
The NBC series left the air earlier this year after eight hit seasons, dozens of Emmys and universal critical acclaim.
“Congratulations to our Favorite Son, Senator Arnold Vinick” wrote City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz on the blog, a major feather in the cap for Santa Paula which successfully lobbied creating the fictional background for the Senator that tied him strongly to the Citrus Capital of the World.
It was almost a year ago that NBC gave in to the Council supported campaign launched by Councilwoman Mary Ann Krause to claim Vinick as Santa Paula’s favorite son.
Krause noted in January 2005 that Vinick - kicking off his presidential campaign filmed in neighboring Fillmore - mentioned that he had been raised in a citrus growing area and what better place to be from than Santa Paula?
After the initial announcement that Vinick, an attorney, indeed hailed from Santa Paula, the lobbying began with the initial volley being crates of locally grown citrus and area memorabilia.
The gala campaign kickoff was held at the Depot - Vinick’s hometown campaign headquarters which remained festooned with signage until the last segment of “The West Wing” - and special T-shirts and buttons were creating tying the candidate to the city.
Bobkiewicz made regular weekly mailings to Story Editor Lauren Schmidt including postcards, books and anything with SP on it except of course for salt and pepper shakers.
Finally the effort paid off when in September the television show’s website biography mentioned Vinick’s Santa Paula background including his being the only write-in candidate elected successfully to the City Council.
Vinick, a Republican in the sea of Santa Paula Democrats, lost the election but was named Secretary of State showing the high regard his intelligence and humanitarian interests drew.
Vinick, Alda, winning the Emmy was the last sweet salvo in the saga of the fictional presidential candidate and his hometown.
The Vinick campaign brought “National attention to Santa Paula, our citrus heritage and our long history of civic engagement,” said Krause Monday.
“Obviously we have to stay the course,” with the plans for a new wastewater treatment plant including securing funding and keeping the state water quality folks at bay, implementing the recreational and downtown plans - the latter emphasizing zoning issues - and kick starting the recently funded Harvard Boulevard Specific Plan.
Krause noted that “Arnold Vinick certainly would have a strong appreciation” of the issues faced by the Council.
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