Washington whirlwind: Atherton councilman gives first-hand account of inaugural festivities Washington whirlwind: Atherton councilman gives first-hand account of inaugural festivities (February 02, 2005)

By Jane Knoerle

"Celebration" could be the theme song for the four days Atherton Councilman Charles Marsala spent last week in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Marsala, a Republican, attended the January 20 inauguration of President George W. Bush as a guest of Democratic Congresswoman Anna Eshoo.

The visit combined good times, networking and a little business.

The "Celebration of Freedom" program held on stage in the Washington Mall on January 19 set the tone for the for the inauguration, says Mr. Marsala. "It was an American thing, not a partisan thing,"

The program, which included the Apollo astronauts, a tribute to Ray Charles and fireworks, had to be cut short because of the weather. The cold didn't dampen the partygoers spirits, however, he says.

Mr. Marsala teamed up with Jani Friedman of San Francisco during his stay. The two are co-chairs of the event committee for Lead 21, a Republican organization promoting leadership in the 21st century. Other local members include Michael Kim and Carolyn Bechtel of Atherton and John Gable of Portola Valley.

One of the better parties of the evening was put on by the Mavericks, Republicans, ages 25 to 45. "We got crazy as the night went on. We played Texas hold 'em poker and won tickets to a Jimmy Buffet concert," says Mr. Marsala.

There also was a visit with the Louisiana delegation. Mr. Marsala's hometown is in Monroe, Louisiana. "I've got 300 cousins there," he says with a laugh.

The next day the pair had seated tickets to the inaugural ceremony, arriving 90 minutes ahead of time. "We got in right away, but people who had standing-room tickets waited two-and-a-half hours because there weren't enough security officers," he says.

That afternoon they attended a reception given by Tech Net, a lobbying organization that represents 100 high-tech companies in the Bay Area.

That evening Mr. Marsala donned a black tuxedo and a red tie to match the red satin gown worn by Ms. Friedman and set off for the Democracy Ball held in the Washington Convention Center. "There were eight balls (at the center) with 4,000 people at each ball," he says. They also dropped in at a couple of other balls.

Former San Mateo County supervisor Ruben Barrales was the guest speaker at a Friday brunch sponsored by the California and D.C. chapters of the Lincoln Club, whose members include big-time donors to the Republican party. Mr. Barrales is a deputy assistant to the president.

"Atherton is facing challenges with retirement benefits. I had a discussion with Ruben to see if the federal government is going to become involved with this problem. His job is to liaison between the federal and local government," says Mr. Marsala.

Mr. Marsala was scheduled to head back to California Saturday afternoon, but forecasts of more snow prompted him to head to the airport at 3:30 a.m. that morning to see if he could grab an earlier plane. Going standby, he was able to catch a 6:30 a.m. flight.

While the weather may have snarled traffic and airline schedules, the beauty of the capital in a blanket of snow just added to the experience, he says.

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