The Committee Read Free Page A

suit wrapping his six foot four frame looked as dashing sitting as it did when he stood.
    For many in the room it was difficult to decide who to look at . . . the beautiful charismatic mayor at center stage or her painfully handsome husband, with hair like luscious black whipped cream only yards away.
    â€œToo many of our residents, people who work hard and make a decent wage, men and women squarely in the middle class, grow frustrated, as the city becomes ever more expensive and their dream of starting a family or owning a home falls further out of reach.
    â€œThis rising cost of living, the financial squeeze on our city’s working- and middle-class families—these are the fundamental challenges of our time, not just for our city, but for great cities around the world.”
    Tony Christopoulos, the mayor’s chief of staff, recited the speech word-for-word along with Camille in his head. “ And to sustain our economic recovery and this renewed confidence in our city, we must confront these challenges of affordability directly, in the Los Angeles way, big-hearted, but clearheaded.” He knew every word . . . because he wrote it.
    He beamed with a silent pride in the seat next to Sheridan. His eloquent words delivered by such a ravishing and influential mouthpiece was more than the twenty-nine-year-old Harvard graduate from Dowagiac, Michigan, could have ever imagined happening in his life. Camille liked to surround herself with beautiful things, and Tony was no exception. His brilliant analytical mind alone was justification enough to trust such a young man with the important position, but his Abercrombie & Fitch body and face made it impossible for her to select any other candidate as her number one man. She trusted him with her political life.
    Camille continued after another raucous ovation following her last proclamation. “One of the fundamental responsibilities of any mayor is ensuring public safety. Los Angeles remains one of the safest big cities in America. Thank you, Police Chief Nettles, Adult Probation Chief Wasserman, Juvenile Probation Chief Fullerman, and District Attorney Hansel Patterson.
    â€œHomicides are down 30 percent from last year, among the lowest in forty years, with shootings half of what they were ten years ago. But we can do better.
    â€œWith new police and fire academies made possible by our economic recovery, we’ll hire and train more first responders, from 911 dispatch operators to firefighters to police officers. Soon you’ll see more officers walking a neighborhood beat, from Wilshire Boulevard to Third Street to the South Central.”
    Camille’s glance rested an extra second on one of the reporters in the faceless clutter at the front of the room. She recognized Gideon Truman from his network news program. What is the national media doing here? she silently considered between promises of improved public transportation and a new baseball stadium. That’s curious. Their eyes locked in the span of a few seconds. The two most influential people in the room exchanged an imperceptible acknowledgment of each other’s powerful impact on the world.
    â€œThe new Doberman Stadium will be a multiuse indoor 175,000-seat arena,” Camille continued. “It will house our beloved Los Angeles Doberman Baseball franchise, which we all lovingly refer to as ‘The Dobers,’ becoming the new home of the Dobers who have called Los Angeles their home since 1958. The project will be financed privately, and the land will be purchased by the city of Los Angeles. The team would be given a sixty-six-year lease for the arena.”
    Camille spoke for exactly one hour, six minutes, and twenty-two seconds, stopping only to allow applause following every touted accomplishment and proposed initiative. The audience collectively decided to remain on their feet at the fifty-two-minute mark. There was no reason to sit. The room and every person watching the