(no subject)

I went to my polling place this morning to vote in the county elections. Nobody was there and the door was locked and the lights out. I called the board of elections and they're baffled. They're sending out a troubleshooter to see what's going on. She kept asking if I went in the right door. I kept saying I checked all the doors and had been voting in this location for years and knew exactly where it was (it's right next door for cripe's sake!).

This is the poorest advertised election I've ever noticed. I say "noticed" because there's probably several I never knew about. I only knew about this one because I happened to use a company vehicle to pick up a co-worker from the airport last night and whoever had driven it last had left the radio on and tuned to an Akron talk radio station. I subscribe to the Akron Beacon Journal and there was no mention of the election date in there (though I have been noticing letters to the editor regarding the candidates). I've also been watching the news and there's been no mention of it there, either. No signs. No mailers. Nothin'. Maybe this is just one of those things we're expected to just know. Like when the presidential election is held.

(no subject)

I got more info on the polling place problem. According to the Summit County Board of Elections, there is no voting in my ward today. Dammit. I should have registered to vote in Akron already. Mayoral elections are up and I would really like to help vote Plusquellic out of office. Here's why!

A couple months ago Mayor Plusquellic had an evening meeting with the Akron Museum's director at one of the finest restaurants in town. He parked in a parking area near the restaurant, paid $5 and parked his car in the middle of the lot. The attendent didn't like where he parked his car since it didn't work with his system of parking cars and asked the mayor to move his car to the back wall. The mayor told the attendent he was the mayor and didn't want to be blocked in in case there was an emergency and then used (please note the quotes) "a few choice swear words" to get his point across. The attendent apologized and offered the mayor his money back. The mayor thought this was a trap and got even more upset. The next day he called the attendent's boss and had the attendent fired. The worst part of this story is that, with the exception of Plusquellic's car, the lot was completely empty.

So here's a parking lot attendent making no more than $7 trying to do his job well. A mayor who is having dinner at one of the most expensive restaurants in the area on taxpayer money who decides to be a jerk because he's the mayor. What kind of emergency was he expecting at 9:00 in the evening? In Akron. Ohio.

Mayor Plusquellic wrote a letter of apology in the Beacon Journal and docked himself a day's pay. He did not ask that the attendent get his job back.