Vote for Joe

average JoeOhio Tour cont:   We went north to Vermilion, Ohio, on Lake Erie.   I gave a talk at St. Mary’s Church, then we did a whistle stop event in the downtown area at noon.   Afterward I interviewed Mayor Jean Anderson.   She is a year and a half into her first term, and quite a dynamo.   Her administration has helped pave the way for a new company, Cleveland Quarries, to locate in Vermilion — providing 73 new jobs.   She also told me about a new Youth Center that is designed as an after school place for physical recreation, tutoring and just a “safe environment to hang out in.”   Among a number of other projects, Ms. Anderson said her administration is working to make Vermilion a commuter rail stop to Cleveland.   In the context of strategies to reduce global warming, this is something our administration would push for as well,  nationwide… We then headed west to Sandusky, Ohio, where I was interviewed by a reporter from the Sandusky Register newspaper.   I said we’re spending billions to go to Mars to see about water, and so on — while meanwhile Lake Erie is still quite polluted.   What’s up with that… And as if to underscore this, we camped at East Harbor State Park that night.   And a sign at the beach said “No Swimming” because the bacteria count was extremely high in the lake.

For Labor Day yesterday, I labored.   I stumped in downtown Berlin Heights, Ohio.  I also  interviewed Jack Vandebemt.   He was collecting signatures for his 71-year-old, soon to be father-in-law,  Albert Maynard.   (The family was collecting signatures to help keep  Mr. Maynard  in his home of 17 years.)   Jack said Mr. Maynard’s home is on Metro Park property.   And although he was verbally told he could stay  in  the home the rest of his life, Jack continued, the Parks Department is now asking him to leave.   (The story has been featured in a couple local newspapers.)   In the past two days, the family had collected a phenomenal — for these parts — 600 signatures.   Mr. Maynard is somewhat of a local hero, having once saved a local couple from a burning house.   What’s more, his wife had recently died.   “It’s just the idea of  his age and health,” said Jack, explaining  he would do everything he could on a grassroots level to help Mr. Maynard stay in his home…   I then headed down a back road out of Berlin Heights, ending up at Tim Tullinghast’s fruit and vegetable stand.   Mr. Tullinghast and his family have been in their house — for eight generations.   “I’d never sell the house,” he said.   “It needs to be passed on because of all the heritage.”   Note:   While at the stand, a good number of people pulled up — including many who were interested in the campaign.   I passed out flyers and posed for cell phone pictures.   This went on for the better part of an hour.   By the time I left, I had a watermelon and at least a few more votes.

“average JoeOhio Tour” cont:   We headed west to Milian, Ohio, for the Milan Melon Festival Parade.   What a crowd!   Our kids buzzed about the average Joe mobiles (one driven by Liz’s father Stuart) on roller blades throwing candy and passing out flyers.   I walked along the curb, shaking hands and promising everyone wearing an Ohio State shirt (and there were a lot) that:   “When I get to D.C., I’m going to have a big buckeye put on top of the Capitol Dome!”   (Well I can do that, can’t I?)   Passing through the bandstand area, the announcer noted that another of my campaign promises is that I was going to have “…melons at the Inaugaration.”   Just as he finished reading this, I turned to the crowd in the stands and yelled:   “AND A MELON IN EVERY POT, TOO!”   (Well, when in Rome…).   Note:   The night before, we attended part of the High School Band Concert and the Melon Festival Queen Contest.   As the contest was going on, I milled about passing out flyers  and  finding myself in a conversation with a  local high school football coach.   At one point I asked him:   “Why does the Milan Melon Festival Queen need a chaperone?”   He didn’t know.   Answer:   “So she cantelope.”   He smiled.

We’ve been at home preparing the campaign vehicles for the next Ohio tour legs.   We’ve had to replace a master cylinder, a transmission starter switch, a battery… and thus is the lot of an independent presidential candidate with old vehicles.   Note:    I just received the following.   It is  a You Tube of a talk I gave to the General Assembly at the Green Party National Convention recently.

In my last post, I talked about a brand of “Social Justice Football” we’re involved with here in Cleveland.   The concept, in part, actually originated from a ball diamond cut out of a corn field in Arthur, Illinois.   We stopped there during our Campaign 2000 travels.   It is the place I will throw out the “first pitch” when I’m president.