Five candidates are trying to unseat Democrat Marcy Kaptur from office. Their first test will be the May 4 primary.
Kaptur was first elected to the 9th District seat in 1982 and has since become a member of the Agriculture, Transportation/Housing and Urban Development and Defense Congressional subcommittees.
“The American people have always met the great challenges. I will continue working to build an America that is strong at home and respected abroad,” she stated on her Web site.
Kaptur outlined four steps to better America, including taking action to attract good paying jobs and pursuing policies to make America competitive in the global economy. Kaptur also wants to revitalize communities by stopping the denigration of U.S. culture and values.
Rep. Kaptur’s Democratic opponent is Dale Terry of Huron, Ohio who said politicians are not complying with the Constitution.
Terry stated his opinions on his Facebook fan page, “The Terry in ’10 Campaign.” He opposes national health care reform.
“This is the ‘Perfect Storm’ aimed at defeating Marcy Kaptur! With ‘Reagan Democrats,’ disillusioned Independent voters and upset Republicans, we all can kick [Rep.] Kaptur out of office,” he wrote.
Rich Iott and Jack Smith are the Republican candidates. They believe U.S. leaders are not adhering to the Constitution. They also want to fight the national health care reform.
“At the core of our national problems is the failure of our leaders to adhere to the Constitution. As a result, our economy is in a shambles, and our nation is at risk from both foreign and domestic threats,” Iott said.
Smith said the nation is moving away from the values it was built upon.
“The most important step is to stop the progressive direction we are being forced in by those in Washington,” Smith said. “We as a people have allowed our representatives to stray from the fundamental values of the Founding Fathers and the Constitution. The Toledo area and the nation as a whole must make job creation a priority … Putting money in the hands of job creators is the first step.”
Iott wants to reduce Washington’s involvement in taxation and borrowing money from overseas. “American workers and American entrepreneurs are the most productive and innovative in the world… they can do anything they set their mind to doing as long as Washington stops throwing financial and regulatory roadblocks in their way.”
Iott was the president and CEO of Food Town Supermarkets until 2000 when the company merged with Spartan Foods. He also serves in the Ohio Military Reserve.
Smith is a former Marine and veteran of the Vietnam War and Desert Storm. He served on the Toledo Police Department for nearly 34 years, rising to the rank of chief of police.
For more information on the Republican candidates, visit www.jacksmithforcongress.net and www.voteiott.com.
The Libertarian candidates running for office are Joseph Jaffe and Jeremy Swartz.
The Libertarian Party was founded in 1971 upon the principles of “smaller government, lower taxes, more freedom” with a “live and let live” attitude, according to the party’s Web site.
“The economy, jobs, taxes, out-of-control government spending, and having a congressman who will actually work for and listen to the people and who has true constitutional principles and values are the center point of my campaign and are all tied together into one huge issue,” said Swartz. “With the number of empty buildings and other various key locations, Toledo has potential for large growth in the coming years, but that cannot be done with cumbersome and high taxes on businesses.”
Swartz owns a gun and served on three Wyandot County volunteer fire departments. Jaffe is a member of the National Rifle Association and is a small business owner. Both believe it is time to look beyond Republicans and Democrats for a new voice in Congress.
“The average Joes of America are being forsaken. We’re going in circles and Americans lose. We need to break the cycle of Republican and Democrat,” Jaffe said.
Jaffe, who has been working with his family business since the age of 16, understands what it’s like for a small business to survive and operate.
In Washington, Jaffe would defend small businesses that often get overlooked. If elected, he said, citizens would be sending one of their own to Congress.
“I’m a working class person. I know what the common man feels and what they go through. I’m passionate and care about the country,” Jaffe said. “I’m not a career politician. When I’m done doing my thing in D.C., I plan on going back to my regular life.”
For more information about the Libertarian candidates, go to www.jaffeforcongress.com and www.swartzforohio.com.

With the primary election drawing near, two local democrats are making one last push to rally support for their candidacy to the Ohio Senate.
In a 2006 special election, Democrat Joe McNamara was elected to a Toledo City Council at-large seat.  After Mark Sobczak resigned in June 2009, McNamara’s colleagues unanimously voted him council president to fill the vacant position.  After being re-elected in November, McNamara did not seek his seat as president in January.
Now, McNamara is trying to reach a new pinnacle by becoming a state senator.
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen,” said McNamara, reiterating comments British politician Sir Winston Churchill made at a conference in Washington, D.C.
The reason for his run is simple.
“There has been a lack of interest by our politicians to represent the people and we need to have strong leaders take on special interests and stand up for the middle class,” McNamara said.
If elected, McNamara will promote alternative energy jobs, especially doing more to brand and grow Northwest Ohio in the green industry.
Other policy initiatives he hopes to pursue include advocating strong neighborhoods by addressing foreclosures as well as supporting more financial regulations for lending practices.
McNamara also wants to increase penalties for individuals who engage in human trafficking, which he refers to as “modern-day slavery.”
McNamara believes his disposition will continue to garner support from the public.
“I’m an effective legislator. I speak my mind and stand up to power,” McNamara said.  “I’m also a man of principle and have the ability to work with people from many ideologies.”
McNamara is not the only Democrat running for senate.
For more information on McNamara, visit mcnamaraforohio.com.
Edna Brown
Fifth-term state representative Edna Brown (D-Toledo), is McNamara’s primary opponent.
A former councilwoman, Edna Brown was re-elected to Toledo City Council District 4 during the same November 2001 election Jack Ford won as mayor. In December 2001 she was  selected as the appointee for the District 48 seat that Ford resigned from to take office as mayor, officially taking the position  Jan. 8, 2002.
“Being that my term is up as a representative, I saw the Senate as a way to continue what I love to do,” Brown said.
If Brown is elected, focus on the economy is a priority.
“I will look at ways to use the stimulus money to create jobs to improve infrastructure, provide tax credits and mortgage relief to families so they can avoid foreclosures,” Brown said.
Jobs creation is not the only avenue of concern. Additional points of focus for Brown will pertain to the elderly, women’s health and violence issues, and children.
Brown said she believes her years of political knowledge will serve her well in continuing to address the needs of the people.
“I know my way around government and I’m able to work on both sides of the aisle,” Brown said.  “I’m also a strong advocate for the people in Northwest Ohio and being an elected official for sixteen years, from the local to the state level, I would be able to go in and legislate immediately,” Brown said.
For more information on Brown, visit www.state.oh.us.
The winner of this race will face Republican Tom Waniewski in November. Waniewski, a city councilman, is unopposed in the primary.
“I think the main reason I would like to serve in this public office is I would like to do for a larger portion of the population what I have been able to accomplish for my district in my two short years as councilman,” Waniewski said. “Change the culture of government, change the way public service is handled and empower people to get more for their tax dollars.”

When Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop chose not to run for re-election in November, he left the field open for nine candidates to run for his position in the May primary.
Six Democrats and three Republicans hope to make it through the primary and subsequent election in November to join Pete Gerken and Tina Skeldon Wozniak in leading the county.
Carol Contrada
Sylvania Township Trustee Carol Contrada wants to bring an outside voice to the Board of Lucas County Commissioners.
“I bring a different voice to the position. I bring a voice from the suburbs and all the jurisdictions that surround Toledo,” she said.
Her experience in Sylvania Township will help her represent the 11 other townships in the county, she said.
As trustee, Contrada helped the township achieve a Double-A rating, maintained and improved the township’s infrastructure and improved emergency services, she said. Additionally the general fund has improved every year, Contrada said.
“I’ve worked on a three-man board, maintained a budget with multiple funding sources and provided services within that structure,” Contrada said.
Contrada said regional growth and collaborative partnerships are the key to improving the job market for Lucas County residents and providing more efficient governmental services.
Contrada has served seven years as trustee and is first chairwoman of Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Government’s (TMACOG) executive board.  A personal injury lawyer, she is a member in the practice Contrada & Associates. For more information about Contrada, visit carolcontrada.com.
Andy Glenn
Springfield Township Trustee Andy Glenn wants to bring conservative values to the Board of Lucas County Commissioners.
“I think I’m the only candidate with a track record of a true conservative approach,” he said.
Glenn hopes to lower taxes and  lower the cost of doing business in Lucas County to attract more businesses and jobs to the area, he said.
As trustee for six years, Glenn and his fellow trustees have been able to continue operating as normal without layoffs, creating a deficit or increasing property taxes, he said. Glenn was able to cut spending to what was necessary and was part of employee concessions.
“I will fight to keep the cost of living and doing business in Lucas County low, attracting new jobs and business to Lucas County to turn our economy around,” Glenn said.
The Republican said as commissioner he will continue to fight against attempts to create a storm water utility that will tax people when it rains on their property. Additionally, he will fight the spread of a county-wide tax to fund TARTA, he said.
“It’s important to get a voice from outside the City of Toledo. We’ve  had people who would step up from the city for a number of years and it  hasn’t served our area very well,” he said.
For more information on Glenn, visit www.andyglenn.org.
Art Jones
Former Toledo City Councilman Art Jones brings experience from all sectors to the Board of Lucas County Commissioners.
“I have the experience to be commissioner. I’ve been a negotiator, legislated, served in the administration, out of the administration,” Jones said.
Jones was a member of the UAW and negotiated contracts prior to entering the political arena in 1990. Before being appointed to Toledo City Council in 2000,  Jones served as campaign manager for different members of the Democrat Party.
After being re-elected in 2001 and serving a term on council, Jones served as a community liaison on former Mayor Jack Ford’s staff. As liaison, Jones was responsible to resolve any complaint that came to the city, he said. In this position he was point man for the Korean War monument.
Since 2004, Jones has devoted much of his time advocating for minority inclusion in government construction projects and fighting issues of domestic violence.
Jones said the county commissioners are responsible for funding law enforcement and if the funds aren’t there, it’s the commissions job to find a better way to pay for those services. The commissioners are also responsible for working with area agencies to create jobs, he said. “I’ve been there and I’ve done a lot of things. [Serving as commissioner] is not a paycheck in mind, but it’s a responsibility.”
Ben Krompak
Democrat Ben Krompak said a new approach should be taken in county government.
“I’m an advocate of change. I want to be an agent of change in office,” he said.
The East Toledo resident believes it’s a critical time for the community due to the deep economic crisis and high unemployment rates. With the government contemplating service cuts and looking for places to find revenue, its time to think outside the box, he said.
“I’m committed to doing things differently,” Krompak said. “How we provide government service and embrace a bolder region.”
Krompak emphasizes a regional approach to providing service to avoid duplication and cut costs.
Krompak is also “excited” about clean energy in the region. He believes the region has an advantage in this field and wants to grow the green industry in the area, as well as place individuals on green power training paths.
Krompak is a communication consultant for political candidates as well as nonprofit organizations and is the founding principal of Krompak Communications LLC. He has a background in public policy and served on TMACOG’s growth strategies council.
Krompak is involved in housing and community development issues and has worked with Tina Skeldon Wozniak and Councilman Joe McNamara to create a new job power training operation through The Source, he said.
“I have the intensity, focus and political chops to get things done,” Krompak said.
For more information about Krompak, visit www.benkrompak.com.
Earl Murry
Former professor Earl Murry believes he can bring performance, professionalism and progress if elected to The Board of Lucas County Commissioners.
The Democrat’s first priority is bringing jobs to the area, he said.
“You can’t do it by sitting in One Government Center. You do it by putting together individuals in the business world,”  Murry said. “You need to understand the infrastructure that attracts businesses to Northwest Ohio… And openly seek businesses that want to relocate from other cities, states and  counties.”
Murry was instrumental in the late ’60s, ’70s and ’80s in a group that attracted Huntington National Bank, the GM Delphi plant to Columbus and Bank1 (formally Chase), he said.
The Maumee resident serves as a vice chairman on the Board of Directors of the Economic Opportunity Planning Association (EOPA) of Greater Toledo and has served as a board member of the National Urban League as well as a board member of Zepf Mental Health Center. A former professor of education at UT, he also served as interim assistant to the president of UT.
“I intend to get Toledo and Lucas County,  back on track. To make it looked at exceptionally favorable,” he said.
For more information about Murry, visit www.facebook.com/pages/Earl-Murry-for-Lucas-County-Commissioner/107937975913529?ref=ts.
Tim Porter
Democrat Tim Porter said he hopes to bring his administrative background to the role of Lucas County Commissioner.
“I’m an administrator not a politician. I’m very enthusiastic on how we can get out of this depressing situation and really make Toledo Lucas county a fantastic place to live,” he said. “As an administrator I understand how to get things done efficiently with limited funding.”
As commissioner, Porter would like to focus on economic growth, safety, tourism and joint service ventures, he said.
After talking with a number of individuals around the county, Porter has drawn up proposals for a mechanized recycling facility (MRF) as well as a centralized 9-1-1 dispatch, he said.
“Instead of making it just a dream, let’s make it a proposal of something we could do … and start moving forward,” Porter said.
The MRF could recycle the county’s solid waste into something that could be sold, in addition to creating jobs in the area, he said.
While a centralized 9-1-1 dispatch could increase efficiency, saving cost in the long run.
Additionally, Porter said he would like to see the governmental entities pair up to create a joint water and sewer district.
Porter has served as a health care administrator in hospitals for more than 15 years.
For more information, visit www.electtimportercommissioner.info.
George Sarantou
Councilman George Sarantou is running for Lucas County Commissioner because he believes as commissioner he can help a larger population.
“I love public service and enjoy what I do. There is no question these have been challenging times, but I really believe there is a real opportunity to do more good,” he said.
If elected Sarantou will consolidate services between government entities, promote economic development and retain jobs. He would also make sure the county’s public safety forces have the best equipment and training, as public safety is the government’s No. 1 obligation, he said.
“Not only have I talked the talk, but I’ve walked the walk on so many issues affecting people throughout the county,” he said.
Sarantou has served eight years on council and was re-elected for this third term as an at-large member in November. Sarantou is finance committee chairman and is a member of TMACOG’s  transportation council as well as a member of the Downtown Improvement District board of directors.
As a member of city council Sarantou fought for lower electric rates that helped the entire county and is working on a regional flooding study with the federal government through his involvement with TMACOG.
The Republican said electing him as commissioner would help balance the county government, which is run by two Democrat commissioners.
For more information about Sarantou, visit www.votesarantou.com.
Dan Steingraber
As commissioner, Republican Dan Steingraber hopes to represent small business at the county level.
“I think it’s time that small business owners… step up and take a more active role in government as elected officials,” he said.
Steingraber owns Steingraber & Associates, a real-estate appraisal business.
“I think I have a really solid skill set to be a commissioner. I’m soup to nuts; business development, business management, budget projections, budget management, personnel, payroll. You name it and that’s my experience. I’m the commissioner of my business,” Steingraber said.
The Oregon resident said the commissioners’ office needs to build a level of trust with outlying communities in order to move forward and work together. Procedures need to be examined and analyzed to perform service more efficiently, he said.
Steingraber, a long-time high school and college lacrosse official, served as Toledo representative to the LCIC,  is chairman of River East Associates and is a member of United East.
Steingraber said he hopes during this election voters look at the resumes of the candidates, like they are hiring someone for a job, he said.
“I don’t need a job, I’m not a career politician. I’m outside the circle of politicians. I didn’t run for city council someday be state Representative. I don’t have any aspirations of being anything other than the commissioner,” Steingraber said.
For more information about Steingraber, visit electsteingraber.com.
Michael  Zychowicz
Sylvania lawyer Michael Zychowicz said he hopes to provide new leadership for the county.
“The county has a pressing need for someone with experience in business and understands the community’s needs,” he said. “The dire situation that the recession has put us in now calls for new leadership, as well as credible leadership and I think I bring those things to the table.”
If elected as commissioner, Zychowicz has two main focuses; being careful with taxpayers’ money while not sacrificing needed services, and economic development.
Zychowicz emphasizes the need for regional collaboration within the county and outlying areas to better utilize taxpayer money.
Economically, Zychowicz would like to build on the success of businesses in the region while seeking out new business.
The Democrat  has served as president of the Toledo Civil Service Commission, as well as president of Toledo Trial Lawyers Association and is a member of Public Defenders Board.
If elected Zychowicz would work with the other commissioners, but would not be a “rubber stamp,” he said. If he doesn’t agree with something the other commissioners have proposed, he will attempt to make persuasive arguments for his view, he said.
“We can’t play politics as usual. We have to have someone who can understand the pressing issues of our time, and I think I can do that,”  Zychowicz said.  “I don’t need this job, I want this job.”
For more information about Zychowicz, visit www.mikez2010.com.

After almost a quarter century of leading groups around the world, we’ve been on the pointy edge of just about every conceivable travel convulsion.
We’ve been delayed by ice and snow and high winds. By mechanical failures and tardy flight crews. By strikes, slow-downs, student demonstrations. By terror alerts and sickness.
You name it. We’ve probably been there.
But the idea that air travel throughout Europe and around the world could be brought a complete standstill for the better part of a week by some unpronounceable volcano in Iceland, well, that’s something that in our wildest dreams we could never have anticipated!
And it’s not that we’re unfamiliar with volcanoes.
We’ve watched Mount Etna throw out its molten lava while eating dinner in the safe confines of a Sicilian restaurant. We’ve trekked to the very rim of Mt. Vesuvius and peered down into its awesome crater and then seen for ourselves the dramatic eruption results in Pompeii. And we have a copy of Simon Winchester’s account of the Krakatoa disaster, signed by the author.
But what happened last week when Eyjafjallajokull (alternatively known as E-15) erupted through a sheet of ice, pulsing plumes of dangerous ash into the flyways of the world’s airlines, is nowhere in our volcanic vocabulary!
By now we do know some of the numbers.
Like 95,000 flights cancelled. Eight million passengers stranded worldwide. Airlines losing $200 million a day and several billion for the week. Add to all that the costs of lost commerce. And missed shipments like vegetables, flowers and nuts. The cancellation of business meetings. And conferences. And sporting events. And we’re starting to get into some serious money!
What we will never know or be able to totally comprehend, unless we were actually caught up in the chaos are the millions of human dramas.We’ve heard a few of the stories.
Like the endless days and nights hunkered down in airport terminals. Trying vainly to get current travel information. Listening in on all the churning rumor mills. And the awful uncertainty of a fluid situation and never knowing what was happening.
Then those gut wrenching decisions. Whether to wait at the airport. Or make a run for alternate transportation onto already overflowing trains, buses and ferries. Or to try for new accommodations with the money running out.
And what about the hundreds of stranded tour groups of students or seniors or hikers or art lovers who missed their trip of a lifetime, their river cruise or bus tour or transatlantic crossing?
According to reports, it’s going to take weeks for the airlines to clear up the passenger backlog with planes and crews out of position and preference going to currently booked passengers. And it’s certainly going to take many more months, if not years, to work on all the insurance claims and the refunds and the litigation.
There are a few upsides that we can think of.

• A flurry of scientific studies on the effect of volcanic ash on jet engines will certainly be initiated.
• There’ll be better coordination in future among the European civil aviation authorities
• And perhaps, best of all,  anyone living in the flight paths of all those screaming jets will have had at least five restful nights and a chance to hear the morning birds!

There are also lessons to be learned by the rest of us.

• Use a travel agent to book your trip and enjoy personal assistance in case of travel disruptions like this. Their fees are a small price to pay.
• Purchase travel insurance for overseas trips — cancellation and interruption. And read the fine print.
• Carry a cell phone that will work in the countries you’re visiting.
• Make sure you have emergency phone numbers for your travel agent, airline, rental car company, hotel et al.
• Allow some flex time in your itinerary for unexpected delays.
• Always stay abreast of current events wherever you are. A pocket radio can help.
• Make sure you have enough money to handle emergencies.
• Travel light to ensure mobility. And that means no luggage bigger than standard 22-inch carry-on size.
• And always have a Plan B in case of unexpected delays or erupting volcanoes!

Every dance has its share of wallflowers, those folks with introverted tendencies who hug the perimeter waiting for someone of equally nonexistent social skills to ask them to dance or just acknowledge their presence with a conversation starter like, “I love the penholder in your shirt pocket.”
The NCAA is considering an increase in the size of its annual post-season college basketball tournament, referred to as “The Big Dance,” or just, “The Dance,” by adding 31 wallflowers.
That’s pretty much what you would get when you add so many additional teams to an already brimming field of 64 participants.
You would go from, “Dancing With The Stars,” to “Dancing With The Sub-pars.”
With apologies to numbers 65 and beyond, March Madness would become a square dance because of too many squares.
Bigger might be better in some cases but once you reach full capacity the law of diminishing returns takes over and the fire marshal even gets involved.
If the NCAA expands its tournament field to 96 teams the tournament, heretofore college basketball’s signature event, will not become emancipated but rather emaciated in appearance.
Getting trampled in the process will be the significance of college regular-season games, conference tournaments and, of course, the NIT, which the NCAA also controls.
Isn’t there already enough dilution and dullness with teams of significance scheduling teams of insignificance in the preconference season so the big shots can pad their way to the essential minimum of at least 18 victories? That at least qualifies for scrutiny from the Big Dance chaperons.
And with the college game stripped of much of its significance by a postseason monster jam, you might wonder where the fans land in this abusive overhaul. Certainly not on their feet as experience gives way to newly rewarded mediocrity.
From a fan’s interactive perspective, what sporting event has more appeal than March Madness? But filling out a 96-team bracket might be more of an issue than filing your income tax.
Imagine Selection Sunday when brackets are filled and teams are seeded. It might spill into a Selection Monday with analysts arguing as to why the team that finished fourth in the Horizon Conference should be seeded higher than the team that finished third in the Frontier League, both part of the 96-team mob scene.
The genesis of all of this full court claptrap is of course greed, as usual perpetrated by television. The NCAA can opt out of the final three years of its 11-year, $6 billion television contract with CBS between now and July 31. The NCAA has already been prostituting itself on the mean streets of network and cable TV, looking for a client with enough capital to maybe stretch over the next 15 years in return for more games. If TV says it wants more teams in the tournament you can bet the NCAA will oblige. Gotta boost those rights fees somehow.
How does anyone just detonate what, again, has proven to be the almost perfect tournament template as was displayed during the recently-ended 64-team NCAA tournament? Talk about upsets and drama? There was no downside. The tournament shrieked, “Don’t, in your wildest dreams, think there’s a better event, a better format!”
On the first weekend, 48 games were decided in the final minute of play and of the 16 teams that advanced to the following weekend’s regionals eight were seeded fourth or lower and four were seeded ninth or lower.
It doesn’t always work that way but the existing model showed that it can accomplish what it’s designed to do.
The NCAA’s mantra is whatever is in the best interests of the student-athlete, preceded only by what’s in the best interest of the NCAA preceded by whatever television demands.
Greed has no conscience.
The NCAA’s basketball tournament has always been lauded for getting it right, especially when compared to the BCS and its national championship team selection. Sixty-four teams are given the right to win a national D-1 college basketball title. As for college football, only two teams are selected through a system that is complicated, often inaccurate, biased and unreasonable. College football would be ecstatic to have just an eight-team playoff.
Only 18 percent of its member teams make the NCAA Tournament compared to 56 percent of football teams that participate in usually meaningless bowl games. The NBA and NHL both have 53 percent of their membership in postseason play while the NFL has 37 percent and Major League Baseball 26 percent.
The difference in those numbers is that there are 347 schools in Division 1. Maybe it’s time we threw them all in the tournament pot. By now we would be entering the Region 12, fourth round of subregional quarterfinals play with Drake’s Bulldogs battling the Missoula Montana School of Music, the Bulldogs playing their eighth game in the last nine nights.
The NCAA’s tournament plan was purposely leaked to Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, who obligingly leaked it to the public to soften the blow should 96 teams lead the big parade. It would still have to be approved by the D-1 men’s basketball committee and its board of directors.
Let’s hope there resides some sanity somewhere before the Big Dance experiences its last tango with total tolerance.

The sunburned man leaned conspiratorially close to my shopping cart and said, “no offense, but you know those guys were queer, right?”
I followed the general direction of his index finger, which was discreetly pointing to the side of the Meijer checkout lane at a magazine that featured the cast of “Twilight” on its cover. In my confusion, my first thought was that the man, dressed in well-worn denim and a blue T-shirt with the logo for The Who on it, didn’t strike me as a vampire fiction fan.
“Pardon?” I asked.
“Queen, was queer,” he said with a lowered voice, and I realized he was referring to the black T-shirt my almost-4-year-old son was wearing, which featured the band’s name in silver. “Queen was queer,” he repeated. “Queer queen. Queen queer. Queen Queen queer queer.”
I felt like I had bumped into a redneck Dr. Seuss, and shifted more of my frame between the man and my sons.
“You know, I thought you should know if your boy is gonna wear that shirt,” he said, as amicably as if we were discussing the weather. “You want him and his brother to grow up to be men, right?”
I looked at Evan’s 2-year-old brother, Sean, who was kissing the forehead of a Little Mermaid Barbie doll.
The man in The Who T-shirt gave me a “just pals” nod of his head as we continued waiting for the line to move.
Clap-clap-crunch
During the chaos and overwhelming spectacle of the Barnum & Bailey Ringling Bros. circus at the Lucas County Arena in November, there was a moment when the arena went black and a familiar beat shook the arena.
Clap-clap-crunch. Clap-clap-crunch.
Clap-clap-crunch. Clap-clap-crunch.
“We will, we will, rock you.”
Clap-clap-crunch. Clap-clap-crunch.
“We will, we will, rock you.”
Clap-clap-crunch. Clap-clap-crunch.
As much as the images of lions, clowns and acrobats, our sons took that beat and four-word refrain home from the circus. Evan and Sean clapped to the beat and warbled the words the best they could; Sean in particular took great joy from singing “we will rock you.”
I used Goldwave software to make an amateur edit of the song’s drumbeat, chorus and guitar solo, and slipped the track onto the car-friendly disc that featured ABC and 1,2,3 songs with a mix of The Beatles, They Might Be Giants and Bobby Bare tracks.
So it was a laugh a few weeks later when a clearance rack at Target revealed a black, long-sleeve T-shirt with the band Queen’s name in silver, over several lines reading “We will rock you.”
Evan loved it, and it gave Sean more excuses to sing the chorus.
To this point, we have not spent any time worrying about our sons and gender roles. For starters, we are firmly in the category of those who believe orientation is decided at the DNA level; it’s not a choice we are going to influence through exposing the boys to Metallica, rare steak and Robert Mitchum’s “Night of the Hunter.”
We have let them play and explore with death-dealing robots, super heroes, dragons, and princesses, mermaids and Julie Andrews’ “Sound of Music” as they want to.
There are so many child-raising factors to deal with — health, education, socialization, potty training and 1,000 other challenges — that devoting energy to being concerned about an orientation we can’t control does not make any sense. I do not believe letting Evan wear a Queen T-shirt with lyrics to a song he has never even heard the complete version of is going to determine the gravity of his future loafers. Frankly, it’s icky to even be on that path of speculation.
The kids are all right
A week or so ago, at a Monroe County Meijer, the boys and I waited in a slow-moving line. The man directly behind me, wearing jeans, a navy blue T-shirt with the “arrow” logo for The Who and a sunburn that was either permanent or extremely recent, playfully traded mock shoulder punches with his son, a thin but tough-looking boy in his early teens, wearing a dark camouflage jacket and his own sun-exposed skin.
As we waited and waited, Sean grew restless and dropped his Little Mermaid doll to the floor. The teen picked it up and handed it back to Sean with a smile.
“Nothing like raising boys,” the teen’s dad said, by way of introduction.
I gestured to his son and said, “You have a big head start on me.”
“He’s my fourth,” the man said, looking at his son with open pride. “Hard work but fun and the best thing I’ve ever done.”
I nodded at that sentiment and tousled Evan’s hair.
The sunburned man leaned conspiratorially close to my shopping cart and said, “no offense, but you know those guys were queer, right?”
Once we established that the man’s concern was for my boys and their potential friendships with Dorothy, I worked to formulate a response.
“You want him and his brother to grow up to be men, right?” he said.
“I’m not sure what else they would grow up to be,” I said. Not wanting to feel defensive, but still feeling that urge to defend, I said, “We have some gay family members, so they’ll have support either way.”
The sunburned man raised his eyebrows, looked at the line next to ours, motioned to his son with his thumb and they switched lanes with no comment.
I looked at my beloved sons and just for a moment tried to imagine them, you know, wearing queen T-shirts their whole lives.
I could not imagine loving them any less.
The sunburned man and his son made their way through the line as we did, and as we headed for the door, he made a half-salute and said, “Hey, dude, no offense. God bless.”
I stepped closer to him and, with a wide smile, said, “You know, Pete Townshend and Freddie Mercury had more in common than a love for rock opera and power chords.”
I did not look back to see the man’s reaction. I loaded our groceries into the car, strapped the boys into their car seats and slipped in the CD with the “We Will Rock You” edit on it.
Clap-clap-crunch. Clap-clap-crunch.

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. E-mail him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.

Bill Cosby has several groundbreaking moments on television — from being the first African American to co-star on a series, “I Spy,” to hosting “Fat Albert,” an educational cartoon, to masterminding one of the highest-rated family sitcoms, “The Cosby Show.” What meant the most to the comedian?
“The only show that I knew would be monumental in my whole career was a TV show called ‘You Bet Your Life.’ It probably was the lowest-rated show I’ve ever done,” he said. “This is the comedian’s wheelhouse, to talk to people and counter with humorous things; I just knew I couldn’t beat it.
“I have no idea about the mystery to solve it, why it didn’t work.”
The engaging entertainer who has written best-selling books and won Emmy Awards for his TV work and Grammy Awards for his comedy albums was in New York City when he answered questions for Toledo Free Press during a phone interview April 14.

TFP: Have you thought about bringing back “You Bet Your Life” with all the reality TV?
Cosby: I don’t know [big laugh]. I just know when I’m performing — for instance, I was in Montclair, New Jersey, Sunday night, just to give you an example, I introduced a man who was 80 years old … his name is Calvin Jackson… and I said to him … ‘The house gives me two seats, you take my two seats up front.’ … And I sat down and I smiled and I said to him, ‘Your daughter loves you very, very much; she wrote this wonderful letter hoping I would say happy birthday’ … I said, ‘Do you have any other children?’ He said, ‘Yes, I have twin girls.’ I said, ‘Congratulations. How old are they?’ He said, ‘42 and 41.’ I said, ‘Whoa!’ Now the audience laughs. I said, ‘The second one was a little slow coming out, wasn’t she?’ The audience laughs even more. I said, ‘So where’s your wife?’ He said, ‘She’s in heaven.’ I said, ‘I would imagine so, being in the stirrups for a whole year waiting for the second.’ Well, the place went crazy, and he loved it.
And I’m telling you that this kind of humor needs to be seen on TV. When we talk about reality, that would be reality. It’s not written by somebody making up something; it’s people talking to Bill Cosby.

Bill Cosby

Now I’m not going to do this when I come to work in your city unless — it isn’t something that I hunt and peck; I’ve got my own stuff, which I guarantee will hurt faces, yes, face hurting. And people generally leave my show saying two things: How did he get in my house? And No. 2, I’m not alone.
TFP: You went back to school to get your master’s and doctoral degrees after you were a star. Talk about why education is so important.
Cosby: I did great up until [grade four and] it was now on me. It’s things called homework; I didn’t do it. … At age 19, I quit high school; I was still in the 11th grade …
In the Navy, my wake-up call was really an actual wake-up call. The man came in at 0430; it’s pitch-black outside, my first morning wake-up in boot camp, and I didn’t want to get up. And that man made me get up; he didn’t put his hands on me, but just kept looking like he would, and he got in my face, his cigarette on his bottom lip, and he said, ‘I am not your mother.’ It was there and then — now think about it, I had three years, 11 months and 29 days left [laughs] in the Navy, and I wanted to get out. And I said to myself, I now understand, I’m going to get my high school diploma and I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m going to do everything I can to keep from having myself in a position where I’ve got to do these things and I don’t want to do these things. … I took the SAT exam to get into Temple University; my score was 500.
They put me in remedial everything, but I will tell you this: It was fantastic because I was ready, and I didn’t thumb my nose at the word ‘remedial.’ All I knew was I was enjoying — this is important — being born again … in terms of loving to study, loving to do my work, loving to learn.
TFP: Did you always plan to keep your comedy clean?
Cosby: I’m not afraid of being called an old fuddy-duddy … I’m 72 years old. I was 27, 26 years old standing onstage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the Academy of Music; it is sold-out. My mother cannot believe her son is this major funny person. She is seeing me for the first time in her life. I’m doing a routine that is a hit called ‘Noah and the Ark’ from the Warner Bros. album. And my mother is sitting with Aunt Lil about eight rows back in the middle center. And I start to do this routine, it’s my big closer, my hit, and there’s a part where I say, ‘What the hell is going on?’ That word, back then, was a curse word. There was no cursing in our house … And as I approach the part of the routine where you’d have to say ‘What the’ and say the word ‘hell,’ I looked and I could see my mother, but I’m not looking directly at her, and I’ve got to make up my mind as I’m doing the routine, and the tension is building, and I said it. And I saw my mother flinch.
After the show, people were backstage and I felt this sharp pain in my thigh, and it was my mother pinching me and looking at me, and we both knew why she was doing it. And I said, ‘I’m sorry, Mom.’ And later when we were alone with Aunt Lil, she said, ‘How much further do you plan to go with this language?’ And I said, ‘Mom, that’s the only thing.’ And she said, ‘Why did you write that?’ I said, ‘Mom, I was a character.’ And she said, ‘Well, you better find better characters [laughs] with cleaner mouths.’
… They have all these comedy clubs — but in the fairness of it, the places are packed. So the people don’t walk out … people are used to [profanity]. … I don’t do it because my people, obviously, would be getting up in droves and walking out, and the word would be that Bill Cosby has lost his mind and that dementia has hit him so hard that’s all he can think of. They would be surprised, but I think the most important word would be disappointment, and I don’t want to do that on purpose to them.

Cosby will be in Toledo May 2 for shows at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Stranahan Theater. Tickets range from $39.50 to $59.50. www.billcosby.com.

Republican voters will have three men to choose from in the May 4 primary for the Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals term beginning Feb. 9, 2011. Robert Christiansen, Frederick “Fritz” Hany II and Steve Yarbrough are seeking the support of Republican voters from Lucas County.
Voters from Wood, Fulton, Williams, Sandusky, Ottawa, Erie, and Huron Counties are also a part of the area that makes up the Sixth district of the Court of Appeals. Their votes will also count for this race, though Lucas County contains the largest percentage of voters.
Robert Christiansen
Robert Christiansen serves as a Toledo Municipal Court Judge, elected in 2005.  Prior to that he served 21 years on the Lucas County Common Pleas Court.  He left the bench to run for an open court of appeals seat in 2004 where he won a majority of the vote in every county in the district but Lucas County; the late William Skow won Lucas County and the election.
First appointed to the bench in 1981 to the Toledo Municipal Court, Christiansen was the youngest serving judge in the state of Ohio.  His law degree was received from the University of Toledo.  His past volunteer efforts include local chapter chairman and national trustee of the Arthritis Foundation.
Christiansen said, “I have tried cases from the routine up to death penalty murder trial, every kind of case a trial judge can try.  I want to bring that experience to the Court of Appeals and continue my service in the system.”
Christiansen does not have a campaign Web site.
Fritz Hany
Fritz Hany is the Ottawa County Municipal Court Judge. He has served there 19 years. Currently, all five judges on the Court of Appeals come from Lucas County.  The lack of representation from other counties is one of his motivations for seeking this position, he said.
He said he would bring “a more expansive reflection of the communities” to the Sixth District Court.
He has been a faculty member of the Ohio Judicial College since 1999 as well as being appointed by the Ohio Supreme Court to several boards including chair of the Ohio Traffic Rules Commission.
When he sought appointment to the Court of Appeals in 2009, the Toledo Bar Association rated him as “highly recommended.”
Hany said, “during my career as a Judge, I have administered or presided over, in excess of 300 jury trials, 1000 bench trials, 15,000 pre-trial hearings and sentencings and performed over 350 marriage ceremonies.
“In part, due to the Ottawa County Municipal Court’s unique geographical location and its burgeoning seasonal tourist population, I hear cases filed by 20 separate state and local law enforcement agencies along with the myriad of civil lawsuits which are filed annually in the Court.”
Hany has a Facebook page for his campaign at www.facebook.com/HanyforCourtofAppeals.
Steve Yarbrough
Steve Yarbrough is presently a visiting judge through assignment by the Ohio Supreme Court, he has previously been elected as a judge in 1989 for Lucas County Domestic Relations Court and Lucas Common Pleas Court in 1993.  He has also served in several political positions, including two terms on Toledo City Council, chairman of the Lucas County Republican party and the Ohio Senate.
He said he has spent virtually his entire professional life in public service and believes that his experience as a judge, legislator and teacher will assist in meeting the needs of the court. Yarbrough has also previously served on Ohio Supreme Court boards.
Yarbrough said, “I have experience in all of the lower courts and all of the courts in the Counties that make up the Sixth District, which is needed to protect people’s constitutional rights at this time.  The third branch of government needs strong leadership and that’s what I bring to this position.”
The winner of the Republican primary will  face Keila Cosme, who was appointed Oct. 9, 2009 to the vacancy created by the death of Judge William Skow. As the uncontested Democrat on the May primary, she automatically moves on to the Nov. 2 election. Democrat Mark Pietrykowski is uncontested in the primary and on the November ballot for the term beginning Feb. 10, 2011. Both Sixth District Court of Appeals spots are a six year term.
Yarbrough has a campaign Web site, yarbroughforjudge.org.

The Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) will host a workshop for automotive manufacturers and suppliers April 27 in the Scott Park auditorium at the University of Toledo.
The workshop is designed to help manufacturers and suppliers learn how to modernize, innovate and diversify their business in order to take advantage of proven strategies that can increase productivity and profitability, according to the ODOD.
Attendees will also learn about funding opportunities available through the ODOD to help pay for the cost of improving their operations during this period of economic recovery.
Edward Montgomery, director of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers and a member of the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry, and Roger Kilmer, director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Manufacturing Extension Partnership, will be special guests at the workshop.
A panel of local business executives will discuss some of the opportunities and problems of doing business with the auto companies.
The panel will include Bruce Butcher, vice president of corporate strategy for Dana Corp., Mike Bugert, president of Ottawa Rubber Company, Tom Weinrich, president of Metal Forming and Coin Corp., and Rick Yarder, president of Yarder Manufacturing Company.
Bill Wersell, director of the Small Business Development Center at the Toledo regional Chamber of Commerce, will moderate the panel discussion. After lunch, Montgomery and Kilmer are scheduled to meet with representatives from UT at the Clean and Alternative Energy Incubator on the main campus.
The morning program will include presentations on credit, financing, and exporting services by the Small Business Development Center and International Trade Assistance Center. Another session on market diversification and manufacturing technology will be conducted by staff from the Manufacturing and Technology Small Business Development Centers (MTSBDC).
Afternoon sessions will address profitability, product design and commercialization led by the MTSBDC with presentations on services of the Procurement Technical Assistance Center at UT and training by the Defense Logistics Agency Internet Bid Board System known as DIBBS.
The workshop will run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will cost $25 to attend. Register at www.recoveryworkship.us or call 800-848-1300 ext. 62711.

Women’s Initiative of United Way will host its annual meeting featuring keynote speaker Madeleine Kunin on April 27.
Kunin is the former governor of Vermont, U.S. ambassador to Switzerland, deputy secretary of the  U.S. Education Department and author of “Pearls, Politics, and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead.”
“I’m really looking forward to this event,” Kunin said. “It sounds like a great opportunity to promote women and leadership.”
Women’s Initiative, founded in 2001 and a partner organization with United Way of Greater Toledo, works with 10 nonprofit organizations annually, encouraging the support of community through volunteerism.
Linda Liber, Women’s Initiative meeting chairwoman, said the annual meeting is aimed at inspiring local women to make a difference.
“What Women’s Initiative wants to do with this event is bring in women who will stimulate women in our community to make a difference,” Liber said. “We want women to understand that they can make an impact without a lot of money.”
Additionally, the meeting raises awareness for causes that Women’s Initiative promotes, said Simone Hayes, Women’s Initiative vice-chairwoman.
“We want to empower and educate women to know that they can make a difference, and we want to give them an outlet to help,” Hayes said.
A portion of the proceeds from the evening benefit the 2010-2011 Women’s Initiative’s grant recipients.
“[Women’s Initiative] chooses the very best grants to donate to,” Liber said. “Recently we donated over $166,000 to women and children in our community.”
Kunin said she plans on discussing the lack of women in U.S. government.
“When I was elected, I assumed that gender barriers had been broken,” Kunin said. “When I turned around, I didn’t see those people coming up behind me. We need to examine why there are so few women in U.S. politics. Only 17 percent of the members of Congress are women … I want to talk about how we can change that and what difference that would make.”
Kunin said it is important that women and children have role models.
“We have to see it to believe it, and we have to see it to be it,” Kunin said. “We need politics to reap the benefits of the talents that women bring to any field.”
Kunin said she became involved in politics because of a safety issue with her children. Her involvement in politics was also motivated by women’s and environmental issues.
“When I began in politics, I didn’t know if I would like it or if I would be any good,” Kunin said. She said she worked her way up, even living in Switzerland for three years when she was ambassador.
The annual meeting features networking beginning at 5 p.m. Kunin’s program begins at 6 p.m. with a book signing and cheese and fruit reception immediately following from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. A cash bar will also be available.
Liber said a pearl necklace is part of the raffle prize in honor of Kunin’s book.
The evening is hosted at The Dana Conference Center on UT’s  Health Science Campus. The cost of the annual meeting is $25 in advance, $35 at the door or $15 with a valid student ID. To register for the event e-mail rsvp@unitedwaytoledo.org or call (419) 254-6777. Visit the Web site for more: www.womens-initiative.org.