Co-honorary Mayors Ted McGinley and Gigi Rice are ready to work for the town–They are pictured with the “first dog” Teddy.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT/CTN
Actors Gigi Rice and Ted McGinley are Pacific Palisades new honorary co-Mayors, replacing former Mayor Eugene Levy, who gave the couple this parting advice “I would give any incoming Mayor the same advice former Mayor Billy Crystal gave me, ‘embrace everything with enthusiasm and you will enjoy the job.’”
The couple, who have lived in Pacific Palisades for 30 years, are already well on their way to heeding Levy’s advice. Less than a month after the announcement they were at a fundraiser/event for Gerry Blank’s karate studio and McGinley attended the announcement at Caruso’s Village of Elyse Walker moving her flagship store to the Village.
“I want to help in any way I can,” Rice said. “I want to be a cheerleader so that our community can come back.”
McGinley added “We clearly understand it’s only an honorary position, but we are hoping to help our town move forward with the intention of creating a place where families can once again flourish and escape the madness of the ‘big city.’
“A place where education, community, generosity, health, faith, and quality of life matter.,” he said. “We want to return the Palisades to a community where people wished they lived.”
The two met in 1988, at the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater, while doing a play I’m not Rapport. McGinley said two Broadway greats starring Ozzie Davis and Joel Silver were starring in the play, but his attention was across the room at Rice.
“I didn’t speak to her for the first two weeks of rehearsals,” McGinley said. “I just watched admiringly from across the room. On occasion she looked my way as well.”
Rice said simply, “It was love at first sight for me” and McGinley adds, “we fell madly in love.” They will be married 34 years this month and both add that “they love each other’s company and are still in love, even more today.”
After the married, they initially lived in the Hollywood Hills, but there were no sidewalks. McGinley said, “My lovely wife absolutely wanted to have parks and sidewalks with shops to walk with our new son.”
“Jimmy Dunne convinced us that the Palisades was the perfect place to raise our family,” Rice said, and added that the Palisades “reminded me of growing up in Ohio.”
When the family moved into their home, they were greeted with cookies from neighbors and phone numbers to call if they had any questions.
McGinley said, “I slept under Jimmy Dunne’s piano in the Marquez area for a few months and loved the area, but thought it was so far away from everything. Once we had kids, that was exactly what I was looking for.”
They agree that Pacific Palisades is filled with people who respect each other and understand they lived in a rare space and time.
Their hope after Pacific Palisades is rebuilt is that it will come back to what it once was a “’secret little paradise’ so far from the bustling LA in every way, where our families thrived and a mix of ages of the people who filled our community.”
The mayors were asked if there was a particular store they loved. Rice said, “We loved Vittorios and Greg’s grill, and Cathay Palisades, Morts, and Kay and Dave’s. We loved all the restaurants Pearl Dragon and Miso Mike and Beech Street.
“I guess we are eaters not shoppers, she said.
“Personally, I’m an Anawalt guy,” McGinley said. “I was SO happy when they opened and can’t believe they have remained open for us. Love the people who work there, and the quality of products there.
“Also, I can’t wait for another Starbuck, Bank of America and my frozen yogurt store,” he said.
The couple raised two sons, Beau and Quinn, who were active in baseball, soccer and other Rec Center Sports. Rice served as an AYSO referee and McGinley was an assistant coach for Pacific Palisades Baseball Association. When their boys were younger, you could find the couple at all the sporting events.
Their favorite activities are walking and hiking and “we love the beach,” Rice said, but maybe the top choice is “walking to dinner and seeing friends all over town.”
‘’Palisades is best when the price of living there is reciprocation of participation, kindness and respect…even love,” McGinley said.
The former Palisades Chamber of Commerce Executive Arnie Wishnick had wanted the couple as honorary co-mayors for decades.
Rice was Carly the hooker on the John Larroquette Show. She was also Vivica in Night at the Roxbury and her list of television/movie parts is extensive.
McGinley also has a long list of credits on IMDb and is currently on Apple TV’s Shrinking where he works with a few other Palisades residents, Harrison Ford, Christa Miller and Coby Smolders.
Why were they finally convinced to take the “position?”
“We care about rebuilding the Palisades into a desired place to live and thrive.”
The two are adamant that if there is an opening of a business or a reopening, “We are happy to attend anything we can! Seriously. We are up for anything we can do to help.”
Co-honorary mayors celebrate the town that was and will be.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT/CTN
Spectacular human beings! Lucky the Palisades to have them in our amazing community family.