Today at noon we had the “media opening” of the Wicomico County Republican Party headquarters. It’s unfortunate that despite the fact we were almost IN SIGHT from WBOC-TV (Channel 16) that no TV cameras were there. We did have a photographer from the Daily Times there, that was it.
Here’s a couple views of the building, just so you get an idea. The reason I placed the second one in was to give a better idea of what it would look like traveling southbound on Salisbury Boulevard. It’s just before the corner of Northwood Drive and Business Route 13.
I was one of those who participated in the ribbon cutting. If the picture in the Daily Times comes out like I think it should, it’s one of those rare times you’ll see me on the extreme left! Obviously I wasn’t in this picture because I took it. Some of those present from left to right are State Senator Rich Colburn (in the blue suit), County Council candidate John Cannon (shirt and tie), Clerk of the Court candidate James Gillespie (light blue shirt), Delegate Page Elmore (dark shirt), current Central Committee member Louise Smith (partially hidden in the red outfit), Wicomico County Ehrlich campaign manager Ellen Andrews (holding ribbon in center) and County Executive hopeful Ron Alessi (in the dark suit). The gentleman with the hands raised and his back to my camera is Wicomico County chair Dr. John Bartkovich. The candidates were in the middle of the shot while us flunkies were more to the outside; thus there’s a few faces I can’t place there.
It’s a pretty utilitarian building, I was told it was a parts counter for a former auto dealership. There’s not a whole lot of sitting room in there but it does have a nice long counter for putting literature on. We only have to put up with it for six weeks, I’m already signed up to work on the 20th and 27th of October in the afternoon.
I suppose I should mention that we had all but one of the incoming Central Committee there, only M.J. Caldwell was absent. I can account for his good health though (at least as of 4 p.m. this afternoon) as he got to shove a lot of paper at me. Yes, once again I am a homeowner. And I can take this opportunity to put a shout out to Bill, my sort-of new neighbor for the time being and the guy who sold me the house. He happens to be a monoblogue reader so I can tell him good luck in his new place. I’ve walked through his new neighborhood and I’m sure he’ll like living there.
Also today I went up to the Board of Elections to change my address and pick up the precinct results for my Central Committee race. I found out that campaigning and getting my name out did pay dividends.
There were two precincts where it turned out I did probably 90-95% of my lit drop. Those two were precincts 005-003 (voting at Delmarva Evangelistic Church) and 005-004 (which voted where I did at the Civic Center). In precinct 005-003 I finished 6th, but 5th through 7th were separated by 2 votes so I stayed pretty close to the field. In my home precinct (005-004) I finished 4th of the 7, and it was my second best percentage showing in the county. Because those two precincts had the second and fifth largest turnouts respectively, that’s what carried my totals. I also did better than average in the Camden area, which just may be an area where many of my readers live for all I know.
So that does prove what a little shoe leather and bike riding will do I suppose. It’s going to be interesting to see now that I’m a homeowner whether I’ll have politicians beating on my door.
Is that George Burns standing there?