http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog Blog Entries for jenniferbrunner.com en Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:05:29 GMT Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:05:29 GMT info@bluecampaigns.com info@bluecampaigns.com http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/317 <div style="float: left;"><div class="img-shadow"><a href="http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/images/max-big.jpg"><img src="http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/images/max-small.jpg" border="0"></a></div></div> Max (on the right), the loving and stalwart campaign dog, passed away the evening of August 6, 2007 from complications arising out of his recent cancer surgery. Max was 13 years old and started life literally as a junk yard dog. He was rescued around his first birthday when he was brought the Brunner farm in Columbiana County, and wormed his way into his family's life and household in Columbus. A committed family man, Max helped raised the six children that grew up in the Brunner household. His "hugs" and greetings were legendary and he knew how to sooth a troubled spirit or a crying child. Max traveled a lot in his lifetime having been as far west as a college visit to one of "his kids" at DePauw University in Green Castle Indiana. A hard working Jennifer Brunner supporter, he saw, traveled and campaigned in close to all of Ohio's 88 Counties in 2005 and 2006. In one 24 hour period in 2005 he waded in the waves of Lake Erie and rested among the shade trees on the banks of the Ohio River. Max worked Franklin County parades and endured hundreds of pettings and pictures in the two successful efforts to get his human mom elected judge in Franklin County. Max was very protective of his family and cheerfully would rise at any hour in the night to accompany his human mom or dad to their respective offices as a companion and protection. He was the sentinel and top dog that greeted and passed judgment on the admissibility of all visitors to the Brunner home. He remembered everyone who visited, and especially loved his human grandparents. Max loved to return to and roam the farm where he came into the family, but was always ready to travel home with his family. Max was preceded in death by his long time companions, Maggie, Pete, and Chloe. He is survived by the extended Brunner family, including his companions Jake, Harry and Leo. While Max is sadly mourned and warmly remembered by his extended family, including and significantly Jake, they are buoyed by the conviction that all dogs, especially this loving and gentle great spirit that was Max, go to heaven. 7 Aug 2007 20:49:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/193 Election day and it was still very dark. Your correspondent woke to sounds of someone screwing around in the kitchen and I realized our children, John and Laura (our daughter from Boston who you haven't read much about), were leaving to put signs out at polling places. It had always been our family tradition on election day to get up early, put out signs at polling places, go vote, and then go have breakfast out. Now, our young adult children were out screwing around the city putting up signs at polling places for their mother. We caught up with our staff and our children around 6:30 a.m. and had a breakfast at Bob Evans on Olentangy River Road. By that time, we were dressed for the day. Your correspondent had an oral argument in the 10th District Court of Appeals, and Judge French complemented your correspondent on being there that day when there was obviously so much going on. After the oral argument, it was very hard to continue working. We had discussed going to see a movie that afternoon, but we were still at the office working. We arrived at our home around 4:30 to have a quiet supper with friends and family coming into town. It was hard to eat and there were a lot of butterflies in the stomach. We had originally planned to go downtown at 7:30, but we were advised that the federal court had ordered the polls in Cleveland to stay open until :00. So, it wasn't really worth going downtown at 7:30. Yet, by 7:30, it was also impossible for our candidate or your correspondent to sit still. So, we dressed and went downtown with friends and family to wait it out with our staff in the suite. The Hyatt on Capital Square was a crush of people and it was difficult to make our way to the suite. Our candidate was a celebrity and there were folks stopping us every two feet as we made our way to the suite. By the time we got to the suite, we were spending so much time with friends and supporters that the butterflies went away and we had other things to focus on other than awaiting the election results. Then, slowly, the results started trickling in. with 1% of the vote in, our candidate was already in the lead. Shortly after the polls closed, Secretary of State Ken Blackwell conceded to Ted Strickland. Then our friend, Frances Strickland, appeared at our suite and invited our candidate to be on stage when Ted Strickland made his speech, so she went down at 10:00 p.m. Your correspondent attempted to make his way into the ballroom with his parents and family members. We were barely able to squeeze into the ballroom, which was packed very, very tightly. If anybody went by you...well, you got very personal with them. While your correspondent was standing there, his cell phone rang and our staff announced that CNN and ONN had projected our candidate as the winner!! So, your correspondent telephoned our candidate while she was on the stage with Ted Strickland and his family and announced that news. Then, the call came that her opponent wanted to speak to her on her cell phone. It was a tight squeeze to get through the crowd and luckily, with the badge he was wearing, your correspondent was able to get back stage. Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman motioned your correspondent onto the stage and I was able to grab our candidate and tell her that she needed to exit the stage to accept a call from her opponent. This was sometime around 10:30 p.m. As we stood in a back hallway, our campaign manager, Kate Anderson, handed her cell phone to our candidate and we heard her accept the concession of her opponent. The conversation went something like this: Our candidate: Greg, how are you doing this evening? Opponent: Well, not as good as you are. Our candidate: I wanted to wish you and your family the best. It was stunning! The "down ticket" candidates were not scheduled to give their speeches for awhile yet, so we made our way back up to our suite where all of our staff and many friends and family and other well wishers had crowded around. Then, in short time, it was time to go down on stage and have our candidate give her speech. We went up on stage with many friends and most of our family on stage with us. The first part of our candidate's speech was probably not the best speech that your correspondent has ever heard her give. You could tell she was struggling to remember all the people that needed to be thanked and to be able to express what she was feeling. But, about mid-way through the speech, she abandoned that and then spoke from the heart about what she hoped to do with the office and where she hoped to take it. The cheers were deafening and you could see her draw confidence from that. It was stunning to stand up there in this crowded ballroom of cheering folks and have them wave back to you and scream out adulation towards our candidate. The moment was simply electrifying. Then we made our way off the stage to a media room where lots of TV reporters and press reporters, and even radio reporters, were interviewing our candidate. Your correspondent spent some time with Peggy Cordray, the wife of our new treasurer. We speculated on our respective spouses and careers and where we might be 8 years from now. One particularly fun interview that your correspondent heard our candidate give was to the Sun Newspapers, one of the two newspapers in the entire state that did not endorse her. When the reporter from the Suns News asked what our candidate attributed her success to, she indicated it was all the newspaper endorsements she received. Apparently, the irony of that statement went over the head of the reporter. We then made our way up to the suite and spent time until about 2:00 a.m. when the room had dwindled down to just a few folks. Even trying to leave the hotel at 2:00 a.m., we saw so many friends and supporters that it took another hour to make it to our car and into our home. We then watched election returns until approximately 4:00 a.m. the next morning. Our candidate was up by 7:30, and later, we went out for brunch with friends and family in from out of state. By 6:00 p.m., on November 8, we were alone in our home, but still running on adrenaline. We were up at 4:00 a.m. the next morning to drive our daughter Laura back to the airport so she could fly back to her job in Boston. We went to work that day and continued to work the rest of the week, but somehow even with our first day off since August 3, on November 8, we hadn't yet caught up on our sleep. Finally, by November 10, we were exhausted. The Secretary of State Elect quickly found a place to get away and we flew to Amelia Island near Jacksonville, Florida, where we proceeded to spend two days sleeping pool side or in the hotel room. We didn't tour, we took one walk on the beach on Sunday morning, and we even ate some of the meals from room service, just so we could rest even more. Being Secretary of State Elect does come with a few rewards, like having received an invitation from president of the Ohio State University to attend a brunch prior to the Ohio State-Michigan game, which should be the national championship this year. Clearly, that is not something that happened to our candidate or your correspondent before she became the secretary of state elect. It will be nice to stop traveling Ohio for awhile, but we do look forward to many more travels and watching Ohio turn around. 8 Nov 2006 22:49:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/196 As we raced across Ohio, we hit some snow squalls and some gray skies. The clearness of the day wore away, yet my Italian driver drove on through the snow squalls as if in a mountain race. The land is flat and high speeds can be maintained relatively easily. We passed many vehicles and farmers with wagons of grain. As we raced along, we had time to think of the many interesting things we had seen in the day. For instance, at one time in Williams County, we had passed through a village by the name of "Brunersberg." Your correspondent saw the name on a barn of F.G. Bruner, which are the initials of his uncle, Frederick George Brunner, the son of George Frederick Brunner. Still, your correspondent was more than a little agitated, sick with worry about having missed the 6th speech and not fulfilling his duties to the candidate and the campaign. We arrived in Sandusky just as Marc Dann was concluding his speech and Chris Redfern, as the MC, managed to fit your correspondent in as the last speaker before Lee Fisher began to speak. The speech opened with regaling the crowd with the misadventures of the last couple of hours. In the end, however, the enthusiasm in the room, plus the levity at laughing a little bit at your correspondent and the campaign's incompetence, helped raise the energy level even further. It's clear that the democratic faithful is on fire, sniffing victory in the air and what has continually been described as a democratic tsunami. 2 Nov 2006 23:41:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/194 For those of you familiar with Ohio geography, when you read the caption to this, you knew right away there was something wrong. Unfortunately, we didn't in the campaign car. The schedule your correspondent received indicated that we were to head to Ottawa in Ottawa County to 135 West Main Street, Ottawa, Ohio. We dutifully followed the Mapquest directions, although it seemed terribly far from the next event. We arrived there only to find the Ted Strickland tour had been there the prior evening. Predictably, Ottawa was not in Ottawa County. The rest of the campaign was in Ottawa County, just to the northeast of where we had been in Bowling Green when we discovered we were 4 miles off course and in the city of Ottawa instead of at the appropriate event in Ottawa County. Then began the mad dash to make it to the next event. John Michael Spinelli, although tending to be a more conservative driver, in this instance showed his Italian heritage and drove the LHS as if it were a Ferrari. We made the 4 mile journey from Ottawa to the next event in more than record time. Luckily, just before your correspondent's cell phone died, he was able to get off a phone call to Lou Gentile to inform them that we would not be at the 6th stop of the day in Ottawa County, since we were in the city of Ottawa, Putnam County, over near the Indiana border. We then raced as your correspondent's cell phone died, to try to catch up again with the tour. 2 Nov 2006 23:37:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/190 There is no other chairman of a county party quite like Al Baldwin. Al's brilliant white hair and commanding presence, demonstrate the strong leadership of the Democrats in the county. The event was held in a chapel on the Bowling Green campus and the place was packed. Outside, there were Blackwell protestors who mainly tried to disrupt the excitement of the meeting, but who after awhile gave up and smoked some cigars. Eventually, the abandoned their placards on the ground. We spoke to an enthusiastic crowd and obviously, one of the most liberal crowds we would meet along the way. This was one of the stops where Liz Brown's speech was particularly well received because, as is your correspondent's perception, so many of the young people in the crowd related to the way she spoke and her speech patterns. Again, there was a lot of media in the crowd and folks seemed genuinely excited on the Bowling Green campus that so many statewide office seekers were there seeking their approval. The excitement was starting to reach a fever pitch. All to quickly though, it was time to make off for the next event. 2 Nov 2006 23:27:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/198 This was your correspondent's first visit to Fulton County and it was beautiful! The rally was held in a wonderful public park in the shelter house there and there were many media, both from Toledo and Columbus covering this event. The room was absolutely packed and our candidate's message was well received, notwithstanding the stumblings of the messenger. We ran into Joe Hallett, one of the editors of the Columbus Dispatch, among all the individuals that were there covering this event. The energy in the room was high and there were many folks eager to hear about the democratic ticket and to bask in the excitement. All too quickly though, it was time to move on to the next event. 2 Nov 2006 23:18:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/191 Most folks know Williams County, and especially, Brian, Ohio, as being the home of Etch-A-Sketch. In our four visits, we've come to know it as the home of good food and warm, well informed people. It's surprising that most of the rest of Ohio doesn't pay much attention to Williams County, but Williams County is sure tuned into the pulse of Ohio and, indeed, the nation and the world. The event was held at Mohre's Family Dining Restaurant on West Butler Street. Your correspondent was pleased to learn that Mohre's is directly related to "Sam's" in Blakeslee, Ohio, the wonderful little restaurant we had discovered over the summer. It appears that the same family operates both restaurants and the food was equally as good and surprisingly well prepared and deliciously presented as in any fine restaurant you may find anywhere else in Ohio. Too often, those of us who live in the larger cities think that in the smaller towns you only get the heavily fried, greasy fare. Yet, it is clear that Williams County at least has a couple of wonderful restaurants that set the standard for all the cuisine in the county. We raced into Williams County on a bright clear day and your correspondent was overjoyed to find his sunglasses on the floor of the car. That made the day so much nicer and we enjoyed a wonderful rally there. This was the second time your correspondent had spoken in Williams County in the last two weeks and by now with four visits, many of the folks there become old friends. We had time for a quick bite to eat (15 minutes) before it was time to race off to the next event. 2 Nov 2006 23:16:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/192 Lou Gentile is the man. Lou's been traveling with Ted Strickland for as long as Ted Strickland's been running for governor, originally being his driver and later moving up to being his personal assistant and man with the Blackberry. At the Paulding rally, Lou asked your correspondent to move on with Liz Brown and warm up the crowd in Defiance, Ohio so we did! The event organizer in Defiance wasn't too sure about letting your correspondent and Liz Brown speak, but soon learned that we were pretty practiced at this and we think he was fairly gratified at the way we were able whip up the crowd in preparation for Ted Strickland. As the rest of the statewide ticket arrived, we quickly exited away from the warm and friendly folks in Defiance, Ohio. As we were leaving and walking through the crowd, so many people reached out and shook our hands and thanked us for giving up our family members and for standing in for them that day. They were genuinely pleased to see statewide politicians, and indeed the ticket, come to their city and pay them the respect that they so richly deserve. On the other hand, we felt really gratified and really heart-warmed that so many of them had taken time away from work in the middle of the morning to come out and show their respect to the statewide ticket. It is your correspondent's hope that we can remember as a ticket and as democrats to not forget the so-called "little counties" because they're good people who deserve to know that the rest of the state and, indeed those that would like to be their leaders, truly care about what's happening there. It's not enough to reach out to them by television and radio ads; it's important that you take the time to go visit. It was cold when we stepped outside and the winds in northwest Ohio made it seem even colder, but still there was that warmth that we've been bathed in inside the union hall that made you feel just a little bit impervious to the cold. 2 Nov 2006 23:15:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/195 It was dark and it was cold. The temp here dipped down to around 27 degrees according to the car thermometer on the geezer mobile (the 19 green LHS). Your correspondent headed down to the parking lot of Hills Market and met his traveling companion, John Michael Spinelli. We headed north on Olentangy River Road to where it intersects with 23, headed west on 30 to Paulding, Ohio. There was no time for breakfast and we raced to beat the clock. Somewhere in western Ohio your correspondent was having trouble fighting sleep although behind the wheel. Thank goodness for the corduroy in the berm of the left-hand lane. The realization was enough to wake your correspondent up for the rest of the trip, but clearly, the old man was getting tired. When we arrived in Paulding County, the site became familiar and your correspondent realized we'd been there a year before and in fact ended up at the same Fraternal Order of the Eagles hall. The last time we were there, we shared the podium with Brian Flannery in his ill-fated attempt to unseat Ted Strickland. This time, your correspondent was the opening speaker on the Ted Strickland Turn Around Ohio tour of 8 western counties. Your correspondent spoke first, closely followed by Liz Brown, Sherrod Brown's youngest daughter. We have fond memories of playing Monopoly with Sherrod while our older daughters played and our wives suffered and slept in the final months of their pregnancies. It was interesting to see this brilliant and articulate young woman deliver a spectacular speech and realize that was the young child in utero during that remembered Monopoly game. Later, when the rest of the statewide ticket arrived, your correspondent moved off the stage and stood at the back observing people. A young girl from the audience, probably around 8 years old, got up and sang "God Bless America." She was pretty good, but what was particularly moving was watching an older man, wearing a USA sweatshirt, who was directly across the hall from me in the back. It wasn't certain whether he was the child's grandfather or not, but he was clearly moved by it and I watched him mouth every single word with her and saw the tears gather at the corners of his eyes. What is particularly moving in all of the smaller, sometimes forgotten counties, is the deep sense of patriotism and love for Ohio that you see abounding. The site of his intense feelings over this song invoked a similar response in your correspondent. Then again, the coffee and the jelly filled donut might have helped as well. 2 Nov 2006 23:11:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/197 As we drove south on 53 towards Tiffin University, the night was dark, it was cold, and intermittently, we saw snow squalls as we raced to catch up to the tour. John Michael Spinelli is an interesting male driver, in that twice during this trip, your correspondent heard him pull up to people and ask directions, as men never do. This saved us in Tiffin, helping us find the hall in which the theater was located and which was not correctly marked on Mapquest. When we rolled into the hall, your correspondent's hand was shaken by a number of students who greeted us we rolled in and we were predictably late to the stage. Yet, as your correspondent made his way through the crowd, so many folks reached out their hands and shook his, congratulating him and thanking him for being there. It was a very different experience for your correspondent. Your corespondent bounded up on the stage to meet our irrepressible chairman, Chris Redfern. Really, the state party chairman has a very thankless job. There are so many people to appease and it's as thankless as being the president of a school board. Everyone assumes you're being paid the big bucks, but the pay isn't really worth the aggravation that goes with the position. Chris Redfern handles that pressure with grace and aplomb. He's energetic at the mike and helped bring the crowd to a fever pitch. Brother Spinelli said your correspondent gave his best speech of the day, but really, your correspondent doesn't remember it. It was more the crowd feeding your correspondent it's own energy and the speech moved through almost Zen like. Your correspondent made his usual comparisons between our candidate and her opponent about how he came to Ohio to marry a rich woman and try to take over Ohio after only being here 7 years. Marc Dann, showing his irrepressible humor, followed your correspondent and turned to him and said, "Rick, I don't know that you're in any position to criticize anyone for marrying up." At that point, all the tension over the last couple of hours released for me and I burst into really belly laughs. The crowd loved it and Marc Dann's reputation as a humorist is forever secured in my book. It's been mentioned in previous installments of this blog how extremely funny he can be. This was one of those moments and it set the tone for the rest of the evening. Because it was the last stop of the night, we were able to stay and listen to Ted Strickland's speech and Lee Fisher's speeches and see the crowd feed off of each speaker as they finished their speech. Barbara Sykes' speeches have become increasingly moving throughout the day talking about her roots as the child of share croppers and the fact that her father couldn't read or write. Being at Tiffin University was especially great because there were so many young people and there seemed to be even more young people than appeared at Bowling Green. Clearly, this was a big deal for Tiffin, Ohio. As the evening wrapped up, we were reluctant to go, but frankly, your correspondent's voice was very tired. We made the trip back with former State Senator Jeff Johnson and had a really wonderful time, including a good dinner at the Rusty Bucket before wrapping up the evening. By this time, it was clear there were only 4 days left and time was winding down. 2 Nov 2006 11:48:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/173 In a way only Stephanie Tubbs Jones can do, there was a raucous rally at the auditorium of the Cuyahoga Community College. There were a couple of good jazz bands and a female performer known as "Lil Kim" who we had previously heard at the Fairfax Businessman's Association back in August. Stephanie Tubbs Jones in her own inimitable way had the crowd ripped into a frenzy and our candidate addressed a raucous group. The voters left there fired up to go out and do justice. On a sad note, however, we learned that Judge Marbley's order doing away with ID requirements for absentee voters had been reversed by the 6th circuit on the way home. Our candidate was greatly troubled by that. We drove home with the clear dark skies overhead wondering whether we would have a fair election on November 7, 2006. 29 Oct 2006 23:56:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/163 We "fell back" this morning and an extra hour's sleep was made available to us. The sun rose a brilliant orange over the eastern horizon in the Worthington Hills section of Columbus. We were soon in our car heading north under bright blue skies with huge clouds that looked like big battle ships chasing across in the autumn wind. As we headed north, there were less and less leaves on the trees and the color had begun to fade from the hillsides, although it was still evident here and there. The drive from Columbus to Ashtabula is about the farthest trip you can make from Columbus across the state, taking approximately three and one-half hours to reach. When we arrived at the Ashtabula County headquarters, we found a large and enthusiastic crowd had gathered. Our candidate was the last to speak and actually ended up not only speaking, but leading the crowd in "God Bless America." She was interviewed by the local newspaper and then the local TV station did an interview with our candidate and your correspondent about their experiences along the trail. We ended up staying almost an hour beyond the time we were to stay and had to rush to our next event in Geauga, Ohio. 29 Oct 2006 23:55:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/176 We rushed down to Kinsman, Ohio, just outside of Chardon to the Geauga County headquarters. When we arrived, folks were waiting at the door having held over from the hour of the rally to specifically receive our candidate. In addition to the crowd gathered in the headquarters, there was a film crew from Channel 4 in London who were there to interview our candidate on women in politics. Our candidate gave a rousing speech and we hung around with our many friends in Geauga County, this having been our fifth or sixth time in Geauga County. Our signs have been used up again and we left a contingent of signs there at the Geauga County headquarters. With the interview with the film crew, we again stayed a half hour longer, but we still had time to stop at the Bone Fish Grill in Independence, Ohio to have a delightful seafood dinner before going on to the next event. 29 Oct 2006 23:55:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/171 The final stop was a house party on the northwest side of Columbus at the home of Bipender and Manju Jindal. These are very proud Indian folks who are proud of their citizenship and invited many of their Indian friends, both Hindu and Ziek, and other immigrants to their home on the northwest side of Columbus. The Jindal home is particularly spacious and they were able to have many rows of chairs stretching from their family room into their kitchen. Mr. Jindal spoke to the crowd on the importance of voting and castigated the neocons who have so polluted American politics and foreign policy. Speaking that evening were state representative candidate, Ted Celeste, county commissioner candidate, Marilyn Brown, and of course, our candidate. After a good evening of political debate, some wonderful vegetarian Hindu food was served and it was a welcome repast for your correspondent and our candidate because they had not eaten the entire day on the campaign trail. There were so many delightful folks there, including a wonderful Englishman and his Moroccan wife who spent a great deal of time talking to your correspondent. As we concluded the evening, we made the short drive home, marveling on our experiences of the day and frankly, very tired. The morning would come quickly, although we "fell back" this Sunday and we got an extra hour of sleep before the next day's rallies. 28 Oct 2006 23:55:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/179 We arrived at our final stop of the date, which was held at a flea market just north of Logan, Ohio. The wind had turned very cold by that point, but that didn't stop this crowd of Hocking County Democrats being there to cheer on Ted Strickland. Your correspondent was remembered by many of the attendees for having spoken just a couple weeks before at their county party dinner. We received a very warm greeting and our candidate's speech was wonderfully received. Ted Strickland then asked the crowd to step in close and we used each other as a wind block while Ted delivered an absolutely blistering southern pastor's speech. We had time to visit with our good friends, Judge Richard Waller, and Reverend Bob Woods, who had earlier given an invocation over the rally. As usual, we stayed and were one of the last people and were therefore late to our candidate's next speech. We left the Ted Strickland Get Out The Vote rallies with a warm sense of satisfaction and good memories of the folks that we had spent time with that day. As we headed north and west on State Route 33, we commented on the wonderful scenery we had seen that day in the rolling hills of southern Ohio and how many of the leaves were still on the trees as compared to the northern part of the state. Nature gave us a spectacular color show and the people had buoyed our hearts for the last few days of the battle. There were only 10 days left. 28 Oct 2006 23:54:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/181 We raced west towards McArthur, Ohio with our happy hearts from Meigs County. McArthur is the least populous county in the state. It has only one high school and every student in the county must drive to the county seat each day or be bussed to the county seat to attend high school. The county party headquarters is an old cinderblock building of about 12 x 15 feet, located not far off the city square. There, an enthusiastic crowd awaited the arrival of their hero, Ted Strickland. We all crammed into the small hall and our candidate spoke, along with Rich Cordray. Then, Ted Strickland took the floor and began to regale the folks and wonderful laughter. Your correspondent heard his very first specific campaign promise from Ted Strickland at this event. Several years ago, the lodge at Zaleski State Park had burned to the ground. It was a source of employment and a source of pride for the local residents. The state of Ohio had somehow used the insurance proceeds for some other purpose and the lodge remains closed and burned. The local residents implored Ted Strickland to reopen the lodge and he promised them that he would find a way because he had so enjoyed the park in the past. It is truly a shame and your correspondent has noted at other times in this blog the state of disrepair in which we have found our beautiful state parks. Ironically, about a year to year and a half ago, the state legislature thought that they could start charging $5 admission to state parks. There was such a general outcry that that plan was scrapped. Nonetheless, the state of disrepair of our state parks is disgraceful. As these folks in Vinton County aptly noted, the state of Ohio had used the insurance proceeds somewhere else and had left them with a burned down hulk of the once beautiful lodge. We ended our visitation in Vinton County because it was time to move along to the rally in Hocking County. 28 Oct 2006 23:54:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/182 With the civil war in Somalia in the last decade, many Somalians had to flee for their life. Initially settled throughout the United States, they have tended to congregate in St. Paul, Minnesota and Columbus, Ohio. At present, it is not certain whether St. Paul or Columbus has the greatest population, but now Columbus has 40,000 eligible voters of Somali decent. This was their community's first candidate forum and many candidates were there learning about the community and for the community to learn about the candidates. It was wonderful to be there for their first experience with American democracy. The candidates' forum was moderated by the Columbus Dispatch. Our candidate only spoke briefly and was unable to take any questions with the format. The important part of this forum, however, was that the candidates realized the importance of the Somali community and the Somali community felt the power of its numbers and influence. 28 Oct 2006 23:54:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/184 We rose to a cold, windy day with lots of rain falling. We headed south in S.R. 33 to the great village of Nelsonville, Ohio. The rain had started to let up a bit, but it was cold as we pulled into the square. We dismantled a barricade and pulled our vehicle inside. The rally was held outside in the square with the candidates speaking from the second floor balcony of the old hotel on the square. Soon after we arrived, our candidate spoke and was greeted by thunderous cheers from the crowd. We then stepped downstairs and got cups of coffee and then made our way back across the square and out to the next stop. 28 Oct 2006 23:53:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/185 Meigs County is absolutely our favorite county to visit in the whole state. In fact, when our candidate spoke at the City Club Cleveland Forum, she was asked the question what's your most memorable thing on this campaign and the thing that made you sure you wanted to do this job? Our candidate answered unequivocally, "Meigs County." She talked about the Gilmore's Sunny and Cher act and the home cooked meals we experienced there. Finally, we talked about the patriotism and how the whole Democratic party in that county stood up and sang acapella "God Bless America" ringing the hall with their song. So, it is with no little anticipation, that we drove south and east on State Route 33 and Ohio 833 to Route 7 along the river and rolled into Pomeroy. The clouds were playing havoc with the sun, intermittently blocking it out, but the sun was battling through the winds blew cold down the river. The river's swollen here with a lot of logs and picked up a bit of silt. It still reflected the sunlight well as it broke through and the irrepressible chairperson, Sue Maison, had predicted, and her prediction came true, that the sun would break through for Ted Strickland. The Gilmores were playing their tribute songs and a crowd sprayed the winds to hear our candidate speak. The Republican headquarters was across the street and there were 3 or 4 hardy souls trying to put on a brave front for old Ken Blackwell, but it was clear that the majority of the residents were solidly behind their congressman, Ted Strickland. In this part of the state, there are neither Republicans or Democrats; just Ted Strickland fans. A lot of these Ted Strickland fans were out and wildly cheering him on. After the speeches were finished, our candidate couldn't walk 2 feet without being stopped by someone who wanted to spend some time with her. For someone like your correspondent trying to keep a schedule, it was maddening, yet it was very heartwarming to see how genuinely our candidate had been accepted into the hearts of the local folks. She had regaled them with stories of her talk at the Cleveland City Club and how she mentioned Meigs County as being the reason she loved doing this. There are lots of wonderful people in Meigs County and they haven't always had it the easiest with these tough economic times, but they have a generous spirit and warm hearts and they genuinely love America. The Stricklands didn't have any easier a time pulling away from that crowd. It was very hard to leave these wonderful, generous folks despite the chill of the air and how warm and comforting the heated seats of the war wagon were going to feel. As we drove out of town, we knew we'd be back because something seems to draw us to these warm and generous people along the river. 28 Oct 2006 23:53:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/164 As we left Jefferson County, we made our way south along Route 7 to Bridgeport, Ohio, where Route 7, Route 40 and Interstate 70 all convene. In the downtown section, there is a large Fraternal Order of Eagles hall where we met. For a mid-afternoon rally, the rally was well attended and it was interesting listening to the local candidates. Your correspondent sat with Rich Cordray and we were each able to give a short speech before Ted Strickland took the podium. There were some wonderful cookies and punch served and it was a good place to replenish ourselves before the next two stops of the day. 27 Oct 2006 23:52:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/180 We arrived at the VFW hall after what seemed a long, long drive south along the Ohio River on Route 7. You go through many towns in Monroe and Washington Counties, and as we headed south through Washington County, the river was our traveling companion. The river looked placid and unruffled by the increased amount of water from the drenching rains from the last couple of days. It was cold and a surprising number of leaves still bedecked the hillsides so that there were blotches of color and the scenery was still beautiful. We arrived to a packed VFW hall and were able to slip inside during the pandemonium created by Ted and Frances' arrival. Your correspondent was escorted to the head table and very quickly, Ted Strickland took the podium to speak. Ted delivered one of his impassioned speeches, but cautioned the crowd that although victory is near, "the hay wasn't quite in the barn yet." The crowd received him enthusiastically and gave him a standing ovation at the end of his speech. We then quickly enjoyed a great dinner and even before everyone had been finished through the food line, Charlie Wilson was introduced as the next speaker. Charlie is the candidate for US Congressman. He was apologetic about the need to speak so early, but indicated that he needed to get home and get some rest to start the next day on the rallies. Your correspondent was the last speech and the keynote speech of the evening and the time was used not only to talk about our candidate, but also about Marc Dann and Bill O'Neill. Remarks about our candidate drew much applause and the speech was interrupted several times by applause. As the evening ended, we made our way home from Marietta, arriving home just a little before midnight, safe in the mini war wagon, our S-10 pickup. 27 Oct 2006 23:52:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/189 Your correspondent has written before about the wonderful drive down Ohio Route 800 south into Woodsfield, Ohio. Even in the rain and the mist, with many of the leaves beaten off the trees by the high winds and rain, the drive was still absolutely breathtaking. Occasionally, the rain would lift for a few seconds and the vistas were as commanding as ever. The winding and twisting roads were somewhat more challenging in the rain and the mist, but at a slow and steady speed, we still made excellent time. We arrived to a hall on the fairgrounds that was packed with local democrats there to cheer on their hero, Ted Strickland. Your correspondent was favored with an extended speaking time to fill up the time until Ted and Frances Strickland arrived. The crowd was receptive and enthusiastic and the irrepressible county chairman, Herb Zerger, had them whipped up into a frenzy for our candidate. Afterwards, we spent a little additional time visiting with all of our friends because Ted Strickland had to cut his visit a little shorter than he wished in order to make it to the next county. 27 Oct 2006 23:52:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/177 After the late night in Williams County, your correspondent rose early in the pre-dawn darkness to begin the trek to the southeast corner of the state to join the Ted Strickland rally. I met John Michael Spinelli, a friend from over 25 years ago, who had volunteered to drive with your correspondent. We sped north on Interstate 71 and then east on Interstate 30 through the misty rainy morning to the quaint village of Lisbon, Ohio, county seat of Columbiana County. Your correspondent has many childhood memories of the trek to the county seat of Columbiana County. The rally was held at the Steel Trolley, a 24 hour old fashioned diner, just down the hill from Ted Strickland's residence in Lisbon, Ohio. We enjoyed lots of warm coffee with the local residents and a boisterous rally before we made the mad dash on the next stop in Stratton, Ohio. 27 Oct 2006 23:51:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/187 We made our way south on Route 7 along the Ohio River to Stratton, Ohio in Jefferson County. Our destination was John Abdalla's steak house. John is the irrepressible chairman of the Jefferson County Democrats and the mayor of Stratton, Ohio. His steak house is reputed throughout the Ohio River Valley as one of the best places to eat. It is very quaint and there is nothing fancy about it; it's just lots of very good food and beef cooked in generous and delicious portions. We spoke to the local assembled Jefferson County Democrats and then were treated to a sumptuous lunch at Abdalla's Steak House. All too soon, it was time to face the cold and the rain again and make our way to Monroe County. 27 Oct 2006 23:51:00 http://www.jenniferbrunner.com/blog/entry/175 The town of Edgerton has the word "edge" in it because it is in the very northwest edge of Ohio. As we started northwest across Ohio, the cold, rainy winds of November were giving us a preview. The night was wet and misty and the drive more complicated by the misty rains that were on the verge of freezing. We arrived at St. Mary's Church in Edgerton to the warm fellowship and warm meal that we remembered from the previous year. Your correspondent's traveling companion was Michelle Stephenson, the campaign's emissary from Emily's List. The basement of St. Mary's Church was packed with warm and friendly faces and we enjoyed a sumptuous meal of beef. Your correspondent was particularly pleased when his dessert was a butterscotch meringue piece of pie. Among the speakers that evening was Bill O'Neill, and Frances Strickland with her guitar. There was lots of gaiety in the hall and everyone sensed victory in the air. We began the long drive home through the misty cold night, ending up back in Columbus around 12:30 a.m. As our journey ended, we realized there were only 11 days left. 26 Oct 2006 23:50:00