Scott Lawn wins Rancho Bernardo honorary mayor contest

By Elizabeth Marie Himchak

After a spirited campaign, Scott Lawn has become Rancho Bernardo’s new honorary mayor.

Scott Lawn, Rancho Bernardo’s 2012 honorary mayor, learns he just won the contest, while Larry Herring, 2011 deputy honorary mayor, cheers. Photo by Beverley Brooks

“I’m absolutely thrilled,” Lawn said, crediting his campaign committee for much of his success. “They did such a great job.”

Lawn said the campaign, which began on June 3 at the RB Alive! Expo street fair and concluded Tuesday night at Savour RB, taught him some lessons too.

“The thing I learned … was that I always think of a campaign as an individual (endeavor), but clearly it is not individual,” Lawn said. “Whether it is for charity or real government, it is definitely a team effort.”

The honorary mayor contest has a charitable component. This is the second year it was organized by Rancho Bernardo Business Association, though it dates back to 1991 when Rancho Bernardo Chamber of Commerce — and later San Diego North Chamber of Commerce — ran the fundraiser contest.

A portion of money raised by the two candidates — local business owners Scott Lawn and Terry Klinker — is going to various organizations. This year’s recipients will be the Miss Rancho Bernardo pageant, Rancho Bernardo Community Foundation, Rancho Bernardo Historical Society and Rancho Bernardo Hall of Fame.

RBBA Treasurer Bob Wells said about $13,500 was raised by the two candidates. Last year, around $8,000 was raised.

Lawn said he is “thrilled” by the amount raised through his campaign, more than that raised by three candidates combined last year.

Besides raising money for various groups, Lawn said he used his campaign to promote volunteerism, something dear to him. His community involvement includes Rancho Bernardo Community Foundation, which sponsors the annual Hats Off to Volunteers recognition event. He took the list of 60-plus volunteer groups that participate in that and promoted them during his campaign party.

“One hundred took fliers (about the groups),” Lawn said, explaining even if that gets a few to join each he would consider it a “roaring” success.

Lawn as honorary mayor and Klinker as deputy honorary mayor will attend community and RBBA-sponsored events and business ribbon cuttings throughout the year wearing the medallions presented to them. The first event will be RBBA’s Sept. 18 mixer at Urge American Gastropub, followed by Rancho Bernardo’s 50th birthday party in Webb Park on Sept. 22.

As for the fifth annual Savour RB food fair featuring offerings prepared by 18 local restaurants and businesses, RBBA President Larry McIntyre called it “fantastic” since there were more than 500 in attendance. With the exception of parking difficulties due to around 300 attendees arriving between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., McIntyre said the event “worked out really well.”

He added the new venue, the Country Club of Rancho Bernardo, was “perfect.” The event had to be relocated this year because it had grown too large for the Courtyard by Marriott, which hosted it during Savour RB’s first four years.

“We were pleased by the amount of people who came,” McIntyre said. “It was great. Awesome.”

Related posts:

1. Vote early and often in Rancho Bernardo ‘mayor’ race
2. Savour RB food fair is Tuesday

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Posted by Elizabeth Marie Himchak on Aug 29 2012. Filed under Local News, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Bernardo/4S Ranch (Click here for more stories). You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry