Radio Free JoJo

Just a quick note to warn you and to learn from my mistake last year. I always e-file my federal return, but mail my state and local returns. Well, because of e-filing and the general lack of Tax Day being an event, the Post Office no longer postmarks returns up until midnight. You have to get the returns in before their last pickup or else you will have to use an automated postage machine. Last year, there was a line an hour plus long at the Main facility on E. 38th because the machine transaction takes a while for each piece of postage, and if you are mailing three returns, you can be there a good five minutes. Multiply that by dozens of Erie procrastinators and you’ve got a problem.
Consider 6:00 at the main facility as T-hour, not midnight, ok?

Over at Outside Erie, the discussion is whether there is such a person who could be an ideal candidate to run for local office in Erie. I think that it would be hard to find someone who wouldn’t be simultaneously loved by one side and scorned by the other.

But beyond the politics, and after the election, what kind of leader do we need in Erie, for such a time as this? I’m pretty sure that this is a question that can’t be answered in one post, so let me get started and we’ll go from there.

I think that it’s important to begin with the position. Where does the real power lay for generic Erie, meaning the area that is recognized by those out-of-town as Erie, not just the municipal boundaries? By the way we need to make that distinction, because we may find that a Millcreek Township supervisor could have as much power and agenda-creating force as the city’s mayor, given the socioeconomic strength in that suburb.

Is the real power centered in Millcreek or Summit, or is it at City Hall, or the County Court House? 25 years ago, there would have been no contest: Erie Mayor Lou Tullio was the power broker personified. Of course, back then the county was quite new under the Home Rule Charter, and the suburban townships were full into their own business.

However in 2009 the significant decline of the city center has been accompanied by the decline in its power base. Retail has long moved its traffic to Millcreek and Summit, following the housing migration. You have a situation where thousands of people can live in generic “Erie,” work in “Erie,” and shop in “Erie,” while rarely traveling into the City of Erie.

I still think that it would be difficult for a township supervisor to lead a regional area-wide agenda. The commissioner’s chair is a slight bully pulpit. So that leaves the city’s mayor and council, and the county executive and council. As much as I’d like to see the mayor be the captain of Erie’s team, right now in my opinion it is only the county executive who holds the wherewithal (fiscal and powerbase) to lead the community’s agenda.

The county has to be the seat of good government, economic development, and facilitating networks toward the advancement of the region. The county exec should have something to say about everything that is part of life in our community, including law enforcement, education, water & sewer, and emergency response.

See how hard it is to define our leadership? It’s taken us 440 words just to figure out his or her position! Next time, we’ll start knocking down some of the traits we want to see in our community agenda-makers.

Please chime in on what you think!

If you live in the Erie area and do not have a place to worship on this Christmas Eve, then I’d like to cordially invite you to Christmas Eve services at McLane Church in Edinboro. I’ll be part of the praise team singing, and we plan on have an uplifting and meaningful celebration of the birth of Jesus.

Service times in Edinboro on Rt. 99/Edinboro Road 12 miles south of the Millcreek Mall (map) are:

• 4:00 PM
• 6:00 PM
• 8:00 PM

We will also be having a Christmas Eve service at the Erie “church in a bar” at 9:00 PM at the Cell Block, 1213 State St.

We’d love to have you! Merry Christmas!

This day before Thanksgiving has always been one of excitement and fun. And for a period of eight years, Thanksgiving was this huge holiday for me which gives me great memories.

The story starts right after college when my high school buddy Joe took a job in Florida, taking his new bride, my high school buddy Jackie with him. They had their first child about a year later and invited me and a few of our other high school buddies to join them for Thanksgiving. I remember that first trip quite well because it was only the second time I had been on a plane, and I ended getting stuck in Cincinnati for several hours because of a mechanical breakdown. That’s back in the day when they would give you a voucher for a hotel room and meal vouchers. I ended getting rerouted to Atlanta where I met up with some of my other buddies who were on their way to the same get-together.

On that trip we all helped to make the turkey dinner, took care of the new baby, played games, drove to the beach, swimming in November, and took my first trip to Disney World, living a kid’s dream at 23. With that get-together we set a precedent that would follow our group of friends for many years to come. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the best attributes of the internet is when you find a site that you really enjoy and enriches your life. For two years, perhaps the site that exemplified that for me was Erie Media-Go-Round, lovingly and creatively edited by Jack Tirak.

In what started as an outlet for him to blow some steam off over what he deemed were television stations reluctant to embrace the new HDTV technology, Jack created a community of old timers and newbies, producers and consumers, all who love, or love to hate, Erie media. EMGR was the epitome of the best of Web 2.0.

It was a highlight of my day hearing from old friends, getting scoops, and weighing on the current topics. I would sometimes turn to EMGR a dozen times a day, reading and laughing and being incredulous. There were times I’d take almost an hour crafting a well-honed comment; I didn’t want to sound stupid in front of my fellow communicators! It was a great resource and pastime.

I’ve sorely missed EMGR and Jack’s passion for excellence and creativity. Since his passing I really have missed his final triumphant work that really made my day often.

I think Erie has such a rich media history and story. The personalities in traditional and now new media are interesting and passionate about their craft. The pace of change in technology and the business realities all point to a need for a place where we can encourage and challenge and strengthen each other. Erie needs a media blog!

That’s why I’ve begun The Press and Tower. Read the rest of this entry »

Anybody whose known me for a while knows that I’m a big supporter of the Community Blood Bank. In my previous job I conducted dozens of on-air blood drives over the course of a dozen years, with WCTL winning “the Battle of the Broadcasters” at least twice when I was there. I’ve had the privilege to take part in their banquet a couple times, and I’m getting close to my second gallon donated.

That’s why it goes without saying that I’m asking all of my readers, whether they live in the Erie area or not, to give blood this week. If you are here, you need to go to the Community Blood Bank at 26th and Peach Sts. for the Erie Blogs Week II blood drive. It only takes about 45 minutes from entrance to exit and you’ll be so glad you did.

Please make sure you mention Radio Free JoJo when you donate, ok? That would be greatly appreciated! And wear the Band-Aid proudly…you did something great!

The Erie paper has a front page article this morning analyzing the possible running mates for the two presumptive nominees. This comes after the hug-fest between former PA Governor Tom Ridge and Republican Senator John McCain early this week. The ETN suggests that current Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell could make a good number two to Senator Barack Obama run, admitting though that Mr. Rendell has articulated his lack of interest multiple times.

All of this talk has the premise behind it that Pennsylvania is in play for the General Election. My take is that since you have to roll back twenty years to find the most recent Republican Presidential candidate to win the Commonwealth when Bush 41 took the state over a flawed Dukakis, this state is Obama’s to lose.

On the other side of the Commonwealth continuum, you have Virginia, which used to be a safe take for the GOP. But with the population growth in Northern Virginia turning the Old Dominion to the left, we could be enduring a Beltway-sized wait on election night to color the state red or blue.

However, the inclusion of governors from each state as the vice-president pick could be enough of a catalytic event to flip these battleground states. For PA, the popular Tom Ridge brings a national presence from being the original Homeland Security secretary. His biggest and perhaps insurmountable negative is his pro-choice abortion stance. Ridge’s inclusion on the ticket could turn the state red, yet have little impact on McCain’s likeability in the Midwest and South.

Likewise, if Obama were to pick Tim Kaine, the current Governor of Virginia, it would probably generate enough momentum to bring the state to the blue tipping point.

It really depends on the math: as the campaigns run their models if they find that the electoral votes of Pennsylvania and Virginia are so critical to the success of either campaign, you just might see this scenario play out. That’s if you believe that VP choices even matter to voters anyway.