St. Augustine Beach Reformer Rose Bailey Files to Run For Retiring SAB Commissioner S. Gary Snodgrass' Seat

It's official: St. Augustine Beach reformer has filed to run for the St. Augustine Beach City Commission seat being vacated by retiring two-term Commissioner S. Gary Snodgrass. Commissioner Snodgrass is not running for re-election in 2018; he will be greatly missed -- his wisdom in changing his mind and opposing firing of all 17 St. Augustine Beach Police officers helped save the itty-bitty city from First Amendment litigation it would have lost. The firing was the idea of then-Mayor ANDREA SAMUELS and the current Mayor, RICHARD BURTT O'BRIEN.

Ms. Bailey was named a Pittsburgh bank vice president in 1973, eleven years before the term "glass ceiling" was ever invented. Yet the MORRIS COMMUNICATIONS owned St. Augustine Record deprived her of fair coverage and unfairly endorsed corrupt self-serving RICHARD BURTT O'BRIEN in a 2016 editorial, brandishing MORRIS family male chauvinist piggery, sexism and misogyny.

Here's what I wrote at the time:


Elect ROSE BAILEY, an adult "ringmaster," defeat ruthless, reactionary RI¢H O'BRIEN

In its misguided, brief, smug and forgettable endorsement of RICHARD BURTT O'BRIEN, fourteen-year incumbent St. Augustine Beach Commissioner, The St. Augustine Record says that his opponent, Rosetta Bailey would be the "ringmaster" of "the circus."

No, Rose Bailey might just be the smartest Commissioner in the room, asking questions, demanding answers, protecting First Amendment rights.

She's got more experience in business than failed juvenile Commissioner RICH O'BRIEN.

In 1973, Rose was named a bank vice president in Pittsburgh -- eleven (11) years before the term "glass ceiling" was ever coined, Rose broke the "glass ceiling."

She deserves your respect and your votes.

Rose will stand up for your rights, stand up to developers, and help drive the money-changers from the temple of our democracy in St. Augustine Beach.

By the way, Wikipedia defines a ringmaster as:

A ringmaster, or ringmistress or sometimes a ringleader, is a significant performer in the many circuses. Most often seen in traditional circuses, the ringmaster is a master of ceremonies that introduces the circus acts to the audience.

Ring of the Circus[edit]

A ringmaster introduces the various acts in a circus show and guides the audience through the experience, directing their attention to the various areas of the circus arena and helping to link the acts together while equipment is brought into and removed from the circus ring. A ringmaster may interact with some acts, especially the clown acts, to make the various acts part of a seamless circus performance. Ringmasters have become an integral part of the many circus shows and sometimes will be involved in elements of some of the acts performances.

It is traditionally the ringmaster's job to use hyperbole whenever possible while introducing the acts to enhance the expectations of the audience. Declarations of the "biggest," "most dangerous," "amazing," "spectacular," and similar expressions are common.

A ringmaster is traditionally attired in a bright tailcoat, often red with gold trim and with a top hat. The outfit is designed to look like an 18th-century gentleman's riding habit, and often includes a whip, a relic of when the ringmaster directed the performance, not as an announcer and host but as director of the many equestrian acts. It is generally accepted that this costume was first adopted by George Claude Lockhart on the orders of Bertram Mills in 1928, when Lockhart worked as ringmaster for his circus at Olympia, London.^[1] A female circus leader is known as a ringmistress, and often wears a red skirt and knee-high black boots, and either the same topcoat and tails as a ringmaster or a blouse.^[2]

In non English speaking countries the ring master is known by different titles. In France he is called "Monsieur Loyal" after the Anselme-Pierre Loyal (1753-1826), one of the first renowned circus personalities.