At the DNC Delegation, Mayor Drew Talks About Winning Ohio

CHARLOTTE, NC — Stow Mayor took an .

She lead the Ohio delegation in the pledge of allegiance, listened to a series of increasingly impassioned speakers address voting rights in the state and then returned to her hotel to talk about the convention with Stow Patch:

How was the bus ride in from Ohio?

"The bus ride was long. It was about nine hours. It left at 7 a.m. and I left at 5:30 a.m. to make the bus."

Is this something the mayor of Stow usually does?

"I’m not here representing Stow. This is my first convention ... this is my first time to doing anything like this."

So how did you hear about it?

"I got a call from the Ohio Democratic Party asking me if I wanted to be Superdelegate. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity — to me, this is a better vacation than going to lay on a beach."

How do you think Obama's message is doing in Northeast Ohio?

"In Northeast Ohio, there's only a small band of people who don’t know who they’re going to vote for. Most people have had their minds made up for a long time."

Ohio's economy is doing better than some states'. Does Obama or Kasich get more credit?

"Most regular Ohioans don’t want to give Kasich or Obama credit. It’s like a car, we don’t want to know how it works. We just want it to work." 

If you were advising either candidate in their quest for Ohio's electoral votes, what would you tell them to talk about more?

"Infrastructure. Not necessarily that word, but: We’ve had a series of water main breaks. People understand water lines. People are greatful for road repair. We need to invest to make sure that they have readily accessible wireless internet.

"Without a solid infrastructure, small business owners can’t do their jobs. In the 1950s and 1960s this country underwent a transformation: sewer lines, water lines, roads bridges. And it’s like when you buy a house, all that stuff — the roof, the furnace  — all starts to crumble at the same time.

"We’re never going to get the resources back from the state that we had before 2009. It’s a sea change in how local government operates. Most responsible (local) officials recognize that. So we need to find national policy that supports our local needs."