At this month’s Community Coalition Breakfast a new honor was awarded to Deputy Mayor Toni Atkins. For the first time ever, The Center awarded “The Key to Hillcrest,” given to Atkins in recognition for her work over the years on the San Diego City Council and her recent appointment to Deputy Mayor.

Mayor Dick Murphy has consistently said a lot of very nice things about Toni Atkins,” said Robert Gleason, chair of The Center’s board of directors. “In making his recommendation, the Mayor repeated them . . . and then unfortunately was forced to reiterate and reinforce them when a member of the public maligned her appointment purely on the basis of her sexual orientation.”

Mayor Murphy noted her intellect, work ethic, ability to run meetings, and dedication to her job and her constituents. When it came time to vote for her as the next Deputy Mayor, she had the unanimous support of the entire city council.

Atkins has a long history of service to the GLBT community and the citizens of District Three. However, her appointment as Deputy Mayor recognizes not just the depth of her service to our community, but also the breadth of her service to all of the citizens of San Diego. A tireless public servant, Atkins dedicates her time and attention to the causes she cares most about — affordable housing, parks, and neighborhood revitalization.

“She works to advance the ‘gay agenda’ by pushing for such items as utility undergrounding, new sidewalks, landscaping, and street repairs,” Gleason pointed out, poking fun at conservatives. “And, in all those areas, she is truly making a difference.”

In addition to serving on the City Council Rules Committee and the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee, Atkins represents the city on the boards of the Workforce Partnership where she is also the chair, the Metropolitan Transit District Board, SANDAG’s Regional Housing Task Force, the City-County Joint Homeless Task Force, and the San Diego River Conservancy.

“We at The Center talk often about the fact that our community has struggled and continued to grapple with huge issues of civil rights and community justice and, despite victories along the way, there’s always more to do to advance the cause,” Gleason said about the Key to Hillcrest honor. “Because of that, we’re not so good at stopping to savor the moment and reflect on the victory and what it means — focus on just how far the LGBT community has come. That’s why we hosted a community celebration for the Lawrence v. Texas victory, and that’s why we wanted to celebrate Toni’s elevation to Deputy Mayor. Her appointment is certainly a wonderful acknowledgement of Toni’s personal achievements, but it’s also a step forward for the entire LGBT community.

“We wanted to show how proud we are of Toni by presenting a symbol of our affection and respect for all she does for the city,” he added. Most people in the LGBT community see the work that Toni does specifically for us and for District Three, but many of them do not have a full appreciation for the breadth of her work for the entire City of San Diego. That’s why the Mayor chose her to be the Deputy Mayor and we wanted people to know about it.”

Atkins, who is one of the hosts of the Community Coalition Breakfasts, was unaware of the special presentation that awaited her at the Dec. 19 event, but noted that her staff was insistent that she arrive on time.

“I think that The Center — particularly the board, the director and staff really feel like these types of things need to be celebrated in the community when we have victories,” Atkins said. “Certainly being appointed Deputy Mayor is a symbolic victory for our community, and I think they feel it’s their responsibility to make sure we celebrate these things publicly, so that the community is aware that it is a bigger issue, that it is a big thing for our community.”

She added, “It was a nice gesture for the community, and certainly for me, but I think it really is about all of us and how far we have come and where we are today. I’m certainly ever-mindful of that responsibility on the council — that it’s about all of us.”

The Key to Hillcrest is a new honor created by The Center specifically to recognize the outstanding achievements that Atkins has made in the name in the GLBT community.

“A number of people related to The Center and a number of community members who had read about Toni’s appointment voiced to Delores the hope that somebody would ‘do something’ to recognize this historic event… so we did,” Gleason said. “To the best of my knowledge, giving a ‘Key to Hillcrest’ is not something that’s been done before. And it’s not part of any organized program — it’s an honor that’s unique to the Deputy Mayor just as she is unique to all of us and to the City of San Diego.”