Ohio's City of Toledo Mayor: For Whom The Bell Tolls.

Once again, the political scene in Toledo, Ohio in regards to the 2013 mayoral campaign seems to be more like a three-ring circus. Well, actually, it seems worse than a 3-ring circus.

Thus far, there are seven people who have publicly announced that they are in the race for City of Toledo Mayor in 2013. As time goes by, there might be even more people announcing their candidacy for the position of Toledo Mayor. The September 10 primary election ballot will whittle the number of candidates down to two mayor candidates facing one another off in the November general election.

Here is the list of the presently declared 7 mayoral candidates:

1. Incumbent Mayor Independent Mike Bell
2. Toledo City employee and Local 2058 A.F.S.C.M.E. President Independent Alan Cox
3. Toledo City Councilman Democrat Joe McNamara
4. Retired Toledo City employee Libertarian Michael Konwinski
5. Evangelist, Minister, and Just Recently A Declared Republican Opal Covey
6. Lucas County Auditor Democrat Anita Lopez
7. Toledo City Councilman Independent D. Michael Collins

You can get the gist of what is going on in this year's Toledo Mayoral politics by clicking over to read each of the following:

• AFSCME leader Alan Cox vows to work to repeal strong-mayor system, The Blade (www.toledoblade.com), Tom Troy, January 12, 2013.
• Answering the call: McNamara enters mayoral race, Toledo Free Press (www.toledofreepress.com), Sarah Ottney February 14, 2013.
• Lucas County Libertarian Party announces its candidate for mayor, Toledo Free Press (www.toledofreepress.com)  March 12, 2013.
• Toledo history lesson from Opal Covey, Blade Slices - Politics (www.toledoblade.typepad.com/bladeslices), Tom Troy, March 13, 2013.
• Libertarian Konwinski plans to run for mayor, Covey says she’s a GOP candidate, The Blade (www.toledoblade.com), Tom Troy, March 14, 2013.
• McNamara slams Lopez over workers at her event, He says 6 county employees attended mayoral kickoff, The Blade (www.toledoblade.com), Ignazio Messina, April 25, 2013.
• Mayoral candidate Anita López calls Bell, McNamara “out of touch” with voters, economy, La Prensa (www.laprensatoledo.com), Kevin Milliken, April 27, 2013.
• Mayor’s race features 3 top contenders, But others may enter already-crowded field, The Blade (www.toledoblade.com), Tom Troy, May 13, 2013.
• Collins jumps into contest for city mayor, He vows to reopen district police site, The Blade (www.toledoblade.com), Tom Troy, May 15, 2013.
• Heavy mettle, Toledo Free Press (www.toledofreepress.com), Michael Miller, May 17, 2013.

Opal Covey, who seems to change political parties as often as you and I change clothes, has run for Mayor of Toledo on several occasions as if she has been on a mission from G-d. Indeed, how many remember the Mayoral Candidate Forum for which I facilitated and served as moderator?!! You don't remember? Well, then, click over and take a look at the blog entry of HistoryMike: AUG 28, 2005 - Toledo Mayoral Candidates At Beaner's Cafe and you will see that Opal Covey was there.

An, oh, by the way, this is not the first time that Mike Bell and D. Michael Collins have had a slugfest in the quest for the office of Toledo Mayor. Take a look at this previous Roland Hansen Commentary:
Michael v. Michael OR All About Mikes in Toledo, Ohio, June 30, 2009.

And with this June 2, 2010 Roland Hansen Commentary Mike Bell, The Motorcycling Mayor of Toledo, Ohio in mind, I now ask for whom the bell tolls.

Not a Happy Mothers Day; and, No Happy Birthday, either!

Today is Mother's Day here in the United States of America.

Mother's Day in the United States has become so commercialized and no longer really meets its original established intention as a holiday.

In fact, read this excerpt of an article that I found:

The American incarnation of Mother’s Day was created by Anna Jarvis in 1908 and became an official U.S. holiday in 1914. Jarvis would later denounce the holiday’s commercialization and spent the latter part of her life trying to remove it from the calendar.

You may read that entire article from History.com by clicking onto the embedded link as follows:
Mother's Day

My mother, Pearl Hansen (nee Perel Lerman), died in 1984. Since that time (and even before her death) not one single day has ever gone by that I have not thought of my mother; and I am now 65 years old.

That being said, for the life of me, I cannot understand why so many people write "Happy Mother's Day" in regards to their own deceased mother on internet social media networks, such as Facebook. To me, that is just plain sick, if not totally stupid. The decedent is dead! DEAD - did you read that! DEAD - do you hear me? How the hell can the dead mother have a happy day??? DUH!!!!

I HATE WHEN PEOPLE WISH A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO THEIR DEAD MOTHER!!!

And, by the way, that same line of reasoning of mine is applicable in wishing a dead father a Happy Father's Day OR a dead mother OR a dead anyone else, for that matter, a happy birthday. DUMB! JUST PLAIN DUMB!

But, this is all just my own personal opinion, and many people not only disagree with me, they also are offended by my expression of my opinion on this topic of wishing dead people a happy day for any occasion.