This judicial candidate's presentation was about as bland as the above photo of him addressing a recent Monday lunch of the local GOP in Mansfield.

OLD TIMES REVISITED--

It has been about 25 years since I last attended a weekly, Republican lunch in downtown Mansfield.

This close to the election the lunches give current candidates a forum to present themselves and their campaign thoughts to a highly supportive and partisan crowd.

My near quarter century of absences began when I left the commissioner's office in the county courthouse in 1987 and drifted into the political obscurity of serving as treasurer of the Clear Fork Valley Local School District.

One person I was delighted to see at this lunch spanned those years of my absence; Ken Humbert, formerly of the Shiloh area and yet now a GOP precinct committeeman from his Mansfield home neighborhood.

It was marvelous to introduce Sue to Ken while we meandered briefly through that shared history of political involvement from the late 1970s, a few years before Ronald Regan was elected president.

County engineer Tom Beck was there as was Sarah Davis, country recorder, and Sue and I both signed their petitions for reelection, the start of next year's electoral cycle.  It was nice to inquire about Sarah's husband Aaron, a long retired Mansfield Realtor who is managing his early 90s these days.

Adrianna Miranda joined us at our table for lunch.  She was an exotic young lady from Argentina when I first knew her back then.  Now she is the very gracious GOP nominee for 6th ward council in Mansfield and chuckled knowingly when I inquired about the ratio of Democrats versus Republicans in her ward. 

My favorite candidate in attendance was Marianne Gasiecki, running for the Ontario Board of Education, as well as serving with distinction as the founder of the Mansfield Tea Party Patriots.

Frankly I am more pleased about her Tea Party work than I am with the Republican Party.

But, I also regard it a privilege to know Barbara Walter who is an enthusiastic co-worker with Marianne in the Tea Party movement while she also serves as chairwoman of the county GOP.  Go Ladies!

Barbara and I recently discussed Ryan Hoovler, candidate for Clerk of Mansfield Municipal Court.  She was delighted to tell me his presentation to this very group a few weeks earlier was rewarded with a standing ovation.  "I was so proud I wanted to adopt him," she enthused.

That's Jerry Thompson, candidate for judge of Mansfield Municipal Court in the above photo.  He was successful when I confronted him earlier with my litmus test for all candidates but he needs to spend more time being sincere with his audience than looking at his carefully constructed speech notes.

Tim Theaker, GOP candidate for Mayor of Mansfield was there.  He sat across the room and, well, smirked.  I wondered why he never bothered to offer his candidacy to the newcomers in the room.

Maybe he has an ample supply of committed votes already.

Maybe not.