Three weekends ago, nearly 600 of Tampa Bay's most notable politicians, activists and social butterflies put on their formalwear best for a night of dinner and dancing.

Former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco worked the same room with movie star John Travolta. Elvis' wife and daughter were there, too. Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie Presley dutifully greeted the locals, at one point sitting with Travolta alongside Victor Crist, a Republican state senator from Tampa. Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, Pinellas County Commissioner Susan Latvala, Manatee County Commissioner Gwen Brown and Tampa City Councilmen Shawn Harrison and Kevin White attended. So did state Rep. Everett Rice, Largo Mayor Bob Jackson, and Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard, who beamed as he welcomed the crowd. Miami state Rep. Gus Barreiro addressed the guests, as well, speaking about his legislation against overmedicating schoolchildren.

At the climax of the party, Texas rock 'n' roller Edgar Winter strapped on an electronic keyboard to play his 1973 No. 1 hit, "Frankenstein."

This night of society hobnobbing and artistry went unchronicled by local media, largely because of its host – the Church of Scientology. For four years, Scientology has thrown a black-tie gala to bring together Tampa Bay's powerful to mix with its own Hollywood celebs.

"The … thing we found after the first year [is that the party] was a remarkable mixture of diversity in the community," said Ben Shaw, Scientology's director of external relations and its most visible face in this area. "There's Republican events, and there's Democratic events. But we had every race, color and creed.

"It helped create the spirit of unity that we wanted to have," Shaw said. "I think people enjoyed that. It is like a little Switzerland; you can come there and feel really safe."

(It's right about here in the story where the critics of Scientology are going to say to themselves – or in letters to the editor – that this party is just clever marketing by Scientology using its celebrity devotees to gain access to those at the highest levels of our community and further spread its influence.)

Scientology was founded upon the works of L. Ron Hubbard, who in millions of words laid out what church officials best describe as a meeting ground between science and religion. Scientology's applied religious philosophy teaches that the human soul is immortal through many lifetimes and that its extensive, confidential and complex training provides the path to full spiritual awareness and freedom. That Scientology charges for its services, in some cases tens of thousands of dollars, has made it the target of critics' assertions that it is a money-making scheme.

I attended the party, as I have on one previous occasion, as a guest and not as a journalist. I worked with Scientologists when I was the president of the Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation and forged some friendships. (Some of the officials who attended – including Harrison, Hibbard, Brown, Rice, Jackson and Crist – are former political clients of mine.) It's a strange position to be in, given that when I was a reporter for the St. Petersburg Times in the early 1990s, Scientology was my beat for about a year. I did regular battle with Scientology's spokesman over what I wrote and whether the stories I pursued were newsworthy or not.

Scientology officials don't make the gala a secret, but they also don't make accommodations sought by daily newspapers like the Times to cover it. Shaw said he invites the newspaper's reporters and editors on the beat each year but won't allow them to interview guests or take pictures at the party. With those conditions attached, the Times declines the invitation.

The inaugural anniversary party, held on the 75th birthday for the landmark hotel four years ago, was the subject of great curiosity. What elected official would dare go and risk being tarred as a "Friend of Scientology"? The Times published a 1A piece on who was going and who declined the invitation.

This year brought none of that. Two state officials lauded Scientology for its volunteer ministers' 16,000-plus hours of work in the aftermath of the hurricanes. Barreiro thanked Scientology for its strong advocacy against psychotropic drugs given to schoolchildren.

Relations are so relaxed that I sat within three feet of Scientology's chairman, David Miscavige. Just a decade ago, a sighting of Miscavige in town brought about journalistic scrambling to track him down. Time magazine in 1991 claimed he had an "obsession" about security. At the party this year, he sat quietly with his wife while those around him whooped it up, away from celebrities and without security.

The crowd has grown every year. Shaw said late-RSVP'ing guests were put on a waiting list, and three tables had to be added in a nearby room for overflow. The four course meal was elaborate, and the entertainment was impressive, although it couldn't match the show two years ago, when jazz pianist Chick Corea and trumpeter Mark Isham joined Isaac Hayes for a version of the "Theme From Shaft." Travolta danced to it. Quite a sight.

SPARKMAN SWITCHING: Plant City Mayor Mike Sparkman met Friday with Hillsborough Republican Party chief Al Higginbotham as he gets ready to switch parties. The lifelong Democrat said his soon-to-be former party had nothing to offer him any more as a conservative rural politician. Sparkman's term in office ends in June, and insiders believe he is considering running for Tom Lee's Senate seat in 2006. He said he has not made any decisions about future campaigns. Former state Rep. Sandy Murman is already in that race, which would lead to a robust Republican primary, at the least. Her campaign team includes Rudy Guiliani's and Katherine Harris' TV adman, Adam Goodman of Tampa. (Murman is a former political client of mine.)

DAVIS STEALS THE SPOTLIGHT: Just before Democratic primary opponent Lawton "Bud" Chiles III formally launched his campaign at noon in downtown Orlando (Thursday, Feb. 10), Congressman Jim Davis announced that he would run for governor, too. He's already running a smart race by trumping Chiles' announcement. Davis dominated the Associated Press' newsfeed for the cycle, relegating Chiles' event to an afterthought.

FOX FOR CONGRESS? A new name in the mix for Davis' seat is Albert Fox Jr., the man who enticed former Mayor Greco to go to Cuba and meet Fidel Castro. The word is spreading through West Tampa that Fox is contemplating the seat. Fox grew up in Tampa and went to Jefferson High before leaving for Washington and national politics. He is now the head of the Alliance for Responsible Cuba Policy. He did not return phone call and e-mail requests for an interview.

The Political Whore can't believe how much Lisa Marie Presley looks like her daddy. It's eerie. You can reach Political Whore at 813-832-6427 or by e-mail at wayne.garcia@weeklyplanet.com.

This article appears in Feb 16-22, 2005.