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Three To Vie For Ruskin Honorary Mayor

Tribune photo by LOIS KINDLE

Mary Ann Wilhem, John Block and Dolly Cummings symbolically toss their hats into the race for honorary mayor of Ruskin at the Ruskin Chamber of Commerce morning coffee July 1. The contest will continue until Oct. 27.

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By LOIS KINDLE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 5, 2008

RUSKIN - RUSKIN - Dolly Cummings, John Smith and Mary Ann Wilhelm all share the same goal: They want to be the honorary mayor of Ruskin.

On Tuesday, the three Ruskinites announced their candidacies at a Ruskin Chamber of Commerce gathering at Little Harbor. The race will end Oct. 27, and the winner will be announced Nov. 1 at the 20th annual Ruskin Seafood Festival. The mayor-elect will take office in January at the chamber's annual membership and awards banquet.

"It's a fun and exciting time in Ruskin during the honorary mayor's race," said Melanie Morrison, executive director of the chamber. "All the candidates tend to think outside the box while planning their respective fundraising events. You really get to know a lot about each of them.

"They're a great group of people with great charities and some great events for the entire community."

The position is essentially a public relations job with a title and no pay. The winner represents the chamber at events like the seafood festival, ribbon-cutting ceremonies and annual awards presentation.

To win, the candidates garner votes by collecting money. The candidate with the largest total is the winner. Each candidate gives half of their proceeds to the chamber and the other half to their charities of choice. More than $17,000 was collected in 2007, and $8,500 went to area charities.

Dolly Cummings

Cummings, 50, is a community activist, naturalist, educator, civic volunteer, wife, mother of two and the manager of Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center.

"When Dolly moved to this area, she hit the ground running," said Mariella Smith, environmentalist, community activist and business owner. "In fact, she volunteered for a workday at the Cockroach Bay Nature Preserve while she was on vacation before she even moved here.

"She's been involved in the Ruskin Community Plan, the Ruskin Community Development Foundation, Ruskin Tomato & Heritage Festival, Camp Bayou and the Hillsborough County Invasive Species Task Force."

Smith said Cummings never seeks the spotlight, performing many services for the community with little or no fanfare. She called Cummings a gifted grant writer, who has brought millions of dollars into the community for various projects.

"I really admire her, and I consider her a friend," Smith said.

Cummings said she is running for honorary mayor because she wants "to help tell the story of this wonderful town and all that it has to offer."

Her charity is Camp Bayou.

John Smith

Smith, 54, co-owns H&R Block franchises in Apollo Beach, Ruskin and Sun City Center with his wife, Penny.

He helps out at organizations such asthe United Way, American Cancer Society and the Mary and Martha House. He is a member of the South Shore Business Association and serves on the chamber's board.

Smith is running to raise money for Mary and Martha House, a Ruskin-based shelter for battered women and their children.

"It's all about the charity," he said. "I was fortunate to be involved in the previous mayors' race and saw the out-pouring of time and money for the different charities.

"Mary and Martha House is the only facility of its kind in the South Shore area, and it is in need of volunteers and money to achieve its goals. I am happy and proud to be representing the nonprofit in this way. If I was not running for honorary mayor, I'd be helping whoever was, because I think it is a great thing we're all doing in this community, and especially at this particular time.

"Every event I go to, he's there," said Jan Falcione, the thrift store manager at Mary and Martha House. "He's that kind, warm and welcoming face you see when you walk in the door. We're very fortunate to have him as our candidate."

"John plays a bad game of golf, but he'd make a good mayor," said Tony Zipperer of Zipperer's Funeral Home. "He's given a lot of his time to the community, has been very active in the Ruskin chamber the past couple of years and an effective board member."

Mary Ann Wilhelm

Wilhelm, 50, the owner of Wilhelm Heating & Air Conditioning, has tried to capture the title of honorary mayor before.

"The third time's a charm," she said. "We always have so much fun with campaigning and raising money for Deputies Darlin's and the American Business Women's Association Education Fund. Kids and education: What's more important than that?"

"Mary Ann would make a good mayor because she really cares about this community," said longtime friend Anne Madden. "The money she collects for her charities goes toward helping people who slip through the cracks.

"We've been through a lot of life together. I admire her personal strength. When Mary Ann does something, she does it right. She has very high standards."

DOLLY CUMMINGS

AGE: 50

BIRTHPLACE: Windbur, Pa.

RESIDENCE: Ruskin, 12 years

JOB: Volunteer manager of Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center; home health care supplies business

EDUCATION: bachelor's in biology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1995

COMMUNITY SERVICE: Ruskin Community Development Foundation, Ruskin Community Plan, Ruskin Tomato & Heritage Festival, Camp Bayou and the Hillsborough County Invasive Species Task Force

PERSONAL: Married 31 years to Frank Cummings; two children, Robert, 29, and Beth, 25

MARY ANN WILHELM

AGE: 50

BIRTHPLACE: Cooperstown, N.Y.

RESIDENCE: Ruskin, 17 years

JOB: Owner-operator, Wilhelm Heating & Air Conditioning

EDUCATION: Bachelor's in business administration, Pace University in White Plains, N.Y., 1981

COMMUNITY SERVICE: Ruskin chamber board treasurer, six years; American Businesswomen's Association, 10 years; has held all officer positions on its board

PERSONAL: Married 26 years to Al Wilhelm, who died in 2004; three children, Paula, 26, Ben, 23, and Elizabeth, 20; grandson, Tyler, 3

JOHN SMITH

AGE: 54

BIRTHPLACE: Fayetteville, N.C.

RESIDENCE: Ruskin, 2 years

JOB: Co-owner of three H&R Block franchises

EDUCATION: bachelor's in organizational development, Warner Southern College in Lake Wales, 1990

COMMUNITY SERVICE: United Way, Leukemia Society, American Cancer Society, Mary and Martha House, and Paint Your Heart Out!; South Shore Business Association member; Ruskin chamber board member

PERSONAL: Married 16 years to Penny Smith; stepdaughter, Joannah, 34; grandson, Ethan, 5

Reporter Lois Kindle can be reached at (813) 865-1553 or lkindle@tampatrib.com.

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