The doctor is in.
Cindy Perkins, a chiropractor who lives and works in Lutz, won the annual Lutz Guv’na race, a campaign for the ceremonial title where all the money raised goes to local organizations.
(Courtesy of Suzin Carr)
Perkins claimed the Guv’na sash by raising the most money during her campaign.
“I was very excited, and I still am. I was very shocked, actually,” said Perkins, owner of Back in Health Wellness Center on North Dale Mabry Highway in Lutz.
Her campaign win was no landslide victory, however. According to Eleanor Cecil, a member of the Lutz Civic Association, the race went down to the wire.
“It was very close. I really think it was the closest we’ve ever had,” she said.
In a campaign season where the five candidates raised almost $9,500, Perkins edged “Papa” Jay Muffly by less than $10. The totals were counted multiple times to ensure they were correct.
The funds raised by all the candidates will be distributed to local organizations. In the past, recipients have included Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Friends of the Lutz Branch Library, the Old Lutz School, the Civil Air Patrol, and the Lutz Patriots. Between 15 and 20 different groups will receive grants from the Guv’na race in a typical year.
Cecil, who has been involved with the race for about 13 years, said the money is only part of what makes the Lutz Guv’na race special. The entire event is supposed to be fun, and the candidates are expected to enjoy themselves while they work for the title.
And from what she saw, all five candidates — Perkins, Muffly, Liane Caruso, Jerome Smalls and Susan Gulash — did just that.
“I went to many of their events and I really think they had a good time with it, and they put in a lot of effort,” Cecil said.
She noted they also worked well as a group, hosting joint events to raise money and supporting each other throughout the race.
Perkins said she enjoyed meeting the candidates she didn’t know, and making stronger friendships with the ones she had already met. Her campaign raised more than $4,000 of the total, and said the money brought in shows the positive impact of the campaign on the community.
“To come close to raising $10,000 that’s all going to go back to different local schools and other nonprofits and charities, that’s fantastic,” Perkins said. “It really shows how a few people can kind of pull a community together.”
Even though the title has been passed, Cecil said that the previous Guv’na left some pretty big shoes to fill. Suzin Carr, who has been Guv’na twice, was very active in the role and even helped recruit the new batch of candidates to replace her.
“She did more than just be Guv’na. She helped us out a lot and took the lead in a lot of things,” Cecil said. ”She’s really a phenomenal lady.”
Perkins not only is ready to fulfill her traditional Guv’na duties, such as attending Lutz events, she’s taken Carr’s lead and started the recruitment process for the next batch of candidates.
“I’ve already started trying to talk some people into doing it next year,” she said.
Businesses or organizations in the Lutz community are welcome to apply for a grant as long as they are designated as a nonprofit and are not affiliated with a religious organization.
For more information on how to apply, e-mail Eleanor Cecil at .
Published July 16, 2014
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