Deppa ended up donating anonymously to a woman in West Virginia, but the entire process took much longer than she anticipated. Still, she said, her last-minute campaign is going smoothly, and there's no need to worry about any more medical interruptions.
"I don't drink, I don't smoke, I exercise, I eat right," she said. "And I may only have one kidney, but I'm all heart."
If she's elected, Deppa said, her attitude and her business experience will prove useful. All of her frustrations have given her a firsthand idea of how to deal with the ins and outs of business.
And she said her stint on Main Street is a reflection of a larger problem.
"Stores come and go like the wind," she said. "$10,000 for a store on Main Street? We'd have to get some really, really rich people who don't live in town. I couldn't afford that as a local."
To fix that issue, Deppa suggested partnering with other cities that have gone through similar trials to learn from them. She also wants to look into tax breaks - anything to ensure that local businesses are populating Annapolis' storefronts.
Beyond Main Street, Deppa stressed the importance of pushing businesses back into Market House. She wants it full of fresh produce, fish and flowers, in the vein of a European market.
"Why is the Market House empty and the jail full?" asked Deppa, who wants to focus on digging the crime out of subsidized housing. She said the root of the city's problems lies in drugs and "misspent youth," which she said are concentrated in subsidized housing.
The key there, she said, is volunteering and education. Deppa has spent time with volunteer organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club and Rotary, and suggested others follow in her footsteps.
"So many people become ignorant and complacent and say, 'There's nothing I can do about it,' " she said. "Well, that's boloney. Everybody can do something. Sponsor a kid, become a 'Big Sister,' join the Rotary, join a church, volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club, go out to one of the youth centers. ... Just do something to make Annapolis a better city, because there's so much more that we can do."
