Florida Keys Mourn a True Community Advocate
Kay Thacker: “The Blond Bombshell” – An Inspiration To Us All
by Christine Russell…….
I will never forget the day I met Kay Thacker. As a Key West activist, many years ago I felt the need to pay more attention to county politics when the “Gang of Three” (long ago former county Commissioners) were at the helm and Tom Willi was County Administrator. I knew only what I read in the papers about how the county was running amuck, spending wildly and foolishly (remember the Hickory House debacle and million $ plus loss) and then there was Tom Willi who convinced Tallahassee we could evacuate the Keys in 17 hours in order to get more ROGOS for development! What an era that was!
As some of us know, we citizens and taxpayers just can not sit idly by and watch our money foolishly spent and our islands destroyed. So I began attending County Commission meetings when they were in Key West and sometimes in Marathon if important items were on the agenda. As I became more knowledgeable about how and what was happening, I began to speak out at county meetings. Reading the local newspapers I was familiar with the infamous Kay Thacker from her Letters to the Editor, and finally one day I got to meet the woman I had long looked up to. This beautiful, tall, blond woman – who was seemingly as outspoken as I, and maybe more so – one day long ago approached me after a meeting…”Thank God for another outspoken loud mouth blond!” she commented. And that was the beginning of a long and wonderful friendship.
Kay was not alone in her activism, along with her came what I referred to as the 3 Musketeers of Monroe County – Kay, Pauline Klein and Ron Miller. Between the 3 of them, they knew as much or more than many County officials. Maybe it would be more appropriate to say they had extensive knowledge of county issues and past history – institutional knowledge – and they used this knowledge to improve the county, stop the cronyism, and fight developers looking to make quick bucks, ruin our islands, and leave on the first horse out of here! Kay was intimidated by NO one. She was the most eloquent and knowledgeable public speaker, and she could put you in your place if you were on the wrong side of what she believed was best for the community and its citizens. We did not always agree – and that led to some lively conversations! But that usually had to do with national politics. We nearly always agreed on local concerns and as to who the ‘bad’ guys and ‘good’ guys were. Thanks to Kay’s time and dedication I think we now have a much better and highly functional county government – just this blond’s opinion.
Kay had PASSION. She had ENERGY. And she had SPIRIT. Energy and spirit like Kay’s will never die. A person may pass on to another life, and I am quite sure Kay is now directing and organizing those in Heaven, of course with God’s help! But I know her spirit will live on here in the Keys and particularly Key Largo. Kay was and will remain an inspiration to us all. Her community service and activism should be an example to us all.
I feel so very fortunate to have many years ago met and become a good friend of Kay Thacker. She was my mentor here in the Keys. She taught me that we are all responsible for our government and the communities we live in. Let Kay be an inspiration to you – get involved. Pay attention especially to your local government. Speak out! Make a difference! ‘Give ‘em hell’ she would often tell me.
Kay was an exemplary example of Margaret Mead ‘s creed “”Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Thank you my friend Kay, for your many years of friendship, and the valuable lessons you taught us all.
Heaven has NO idea what they’re in for!
Your forever friend,
Christine
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What a beautiful eulogy for a great lady. A funny thing she did was send out the Key West Citizen to those who did not get it. It was her quiet way o fkeeping people aware even as she was so see severely ill. Thanks Christine.
Thanks Kay. We’ll miss you.
I met and started getting to know Kay Thacker, Ron miller and Pauline Kline in 2006, after I filed to fun for the District 2 county commission seat against incumbent George Neugent, when I lived on Little Torch Key. My mantra during that campaign, in which I ran as an independent and did zero advertising and had no website and got 1/3rd of the vote, was simply, “No more new development, period, the end. The Keys already are way over-developed and there is not a person living here who can look in a mirror and honestly argue otherwise.”
Kay Thacker had a way of calling herself a dumb blond, like what did she know? While, I imagined she was maybe dumb like a fox. Gosh only knows how many conversations I had with Kay about county affairs, as I was getting to know her, the quiet (mostly) Pauline Kline, Ron Miller and Sylvia Murphy, who made her political debut in 2006. It was thems up there on Key Largo, Alicia and Mick Putney on No Name Key, and Naja and Arnaud Girard and a few other people in Key West, who inspired me to start calling them all, ‘The Resistance.” An informal society who drew one line in the sand after another against a county government running amok.
Kay attended county commission meetings religiously, not talking much during citizen comments, but sitting in plain view in front of her elected county officials, taking it all in, staring at them as they went about their business, and their shenanigans. I regret to say I was not at the county commission meeting where then county mayor Mario DiGennaro told Kay, if she said another word, he would kick her out of the meeting. And soon after, as I heard it told, something was decided and Kay from her seat raised her hand and gave a thumbs down, and Mario kicked her out of the meeting. That, along with his and the other two Gang of Three members’ (Dixie Spehar and Sonny McCoy) vote to buy the Hickory House, sealed Mario’s fate as a one-term county commissioner, even though, in my estimation, by the time he ran for reelection in 2010, he was moving more and more toward seeing the light. Dixie and Sonny didn’t get reelected either.
Belonging to The Resistance was really different. Perhaps genetic. Certainly a matter of soul. I picture the scene you drew, Christine, of Kay up there with the heavenly governing body, holding their feets to the fire, pretending to be a dumb blond. I know she will be very much missed by her many friends, but I imagine she now is among many more friends whose assistance we who remain here on earth could use plenty more of.
Saddened by Kay’s physical departure. The force of her spirit is alive and well. Eternally present in the hearts of all those possessing a love for Mother Earth.
Kay’s steadfast determination and courage was unwavering. Her brilliance, dynamism and wit welded a power that brought about unremitting results.
Her penetrating love was palpable and cathartic. Upon my visits with her I always left feeling renewed and nurtured; filled with fresh ideas, answers and solutions.
The world lost a superior soul, distinguished beyond measure. I will miss her until we meet again.
Christine, thank you so very much for the beautiful words and sentiments.
Smart, tough lady. She will be missed.
Kay was my hero too.
She showed me the way to be a better force to fight against those who are corrupt.
For example: On issues like “affordable housing” (when they are NOT affordable).
How to fight the “gang of 3” , how to prepare for an issue at public meetings.
She made clear to always speak the truth, know what your talking about and never exaggerate . If you break these rules, you will not be credible. If you use these rules, people will respect you.
Kay took time to send all the BOCC minutes, articles, and information pertaining to agenda items, so we could prepare ourselves. At meetings, she never backed down and stood up for what she was fighting for. It was the people she was fighting for – at all times.
And as a friend, she was a “true friend”.
I was the radical democrat, and she was the radical republican – and yet we could fight together.
The community has lost one of the most powerful human beings it will ever know. She fought for us ….. all of us.
May her spirit enter eveyone’s body who “goes up behind the mike” at public meetings