A cocktail and a perfect excuse.
That was necessary for me to find myself at the Doral Cultural Arts Center in the town of El Doral, south of the state of Florida, in the United States, on March 8.
At the reception, a beautiful girl played an outstanding violin. The guests had cups and works of art, whether paintings or sculptures, surrounded us.
Nevertheless, my journalistic radar was alert because at some point the leading mayor, ChristiFraga, from whom, up to that moment, so much had been heard but so little I knew: first mayor woman of the city, just over 30 years old, and a smile that had been framed at the door of the place, as part of a face that did not respond to the usual portraits of politicians.
A while later, I had about five minutes of conversation with her, directly and without middlemen, to agree to the interview.
Fraga was born in the U.S. but she's a daughter of Cuban father and mother. The photos of his office, and those that one can find online, appear with his husband and his son, age seven.
He goes to the gym before 5: 00 a.m., 3 times a week. Due to his leading mayor's system, she does not manage local government funds directly but does an administrator. That allows you to move forward with your company dedicated to accounting and financial advice (Christi is an accountant).
To simplify: his work sessions will never last less than half a day and as a result "I sleep four or five hours... I cannot stop being a mother, I have been careless of my company, and how I conduct this office puts quite a lot of stress on me. For instance, at this time, some two hundred emails have been built up and I have to answer."
It's so subtle and efficient in managing his jobs that it's hard to figure out when an order's been given, but it's clear that nothing's overlooked.
While we're starting the talk, with the 11: 30 a.m. sun coming through the window, she's changing from Spanish to english and she's telling her office manager to keep an eye on how to figure out who.
"I'm sure that my close relationship with the community and the fact that I have been always moderate in my political arguments have made us gain the elections, even with the vote of many women who are Democrats but share with me values such as families and especially the protection of children," Fraga says, who's a Republican but had never had to put that status before last year.
Christi explain to me that in the American political system, parties are not involved with local and county office applications. Just when it comes to state and federal and Red and Blue charges come into play with their apparatus.
So "I have been knocking doors, because I know The Doral of my whole life, and on my website you can see who collaborated economically with my candidacy. That's how it works here."
One of the local newspapers, the Doral Family Journal, points out that the government of Christian puts into place a digital information access system with the registration of available resources, especially designed for flood situations, or emergencies as a result of climate issues. I use this information to ratify them.
"Even within these first hundreds of days of government, we are meeting step by step with what we have promised in the campaign, so we have brought to the council a proposal to conduct a pilot program with this resource centre, because we note that the population of El Doral grows quickly with immigration, and then those who come do have no idea where to find help for some things, or services that offer non-profit organisations."
The first language of Christmas is English, but the second is Spanish that was spoken at his home, and the third is Italian, as a result of his study of a race that he put on his way when his decision was made by the administration of his resources and at the same time his earlier political office.
That's why it sounds extraordinarily musical when it's talking.
The mayor of El Doral dreams of a town that accentuates his family and community traits. "We are looking at the grounds we can buy to develop sports projects, to give housing to older people (...) we want to improve the town's industrial park and generate high quality jobs because our neighbours have people with good academic skills."
Christi sees his assistant passing through the glazed corridor. He gets a visual and Marion gets into his office. It's been more than an hour since the talk started, and the mayor of an eternal smile's hungry.
We do the photos, and she's firing me by inviting me back whenever she wants.
The form of exercising the power of the mayor's office is through the Legislature, to which the mayor belongs. Each proposal should pass through the compound and she did not directly manage public funds.
"I'm not a strong mayor" Christi told me at some passage from our talk, referring to these details.
Nevertheless, we should have a few words about this. For perhaps the fortress - especially with the fresh air of the woman's condition as she incarnates it - lies in keeping the doors of the mayor's office open, maintaining closeness with the community (and with the press) and making moderation the new flag.
That would be an oxygenation that democracy needs, without a doubt.