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Family Practice: Move over, Steve Martin

By
Shannon Szyperski
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I’m less than two months away from earning my “10 Years of Motherhood” pin. Technically, I think I probably earned it five or six months ago considering it’s been about 10 and a half years since I started with my first bout of morning sickness. Nonetheless, my oldest is about to turn a decade old and my motherhood will officially do the same.

As this monumental milestone inches closer and closer to reality, I suspect I’ll struggle to grasp  and accept its weight in more ways than one. I’m counting on fits of denial, phantom ticks of my biological clock seeming to beg for one more baby and two to four middle-of-the-night, where-has-the-time-gone panic attacks. Perhaps because we are just so busy on a daily basis or perhaps because the fits of denial have already begun, what should be a wicked tugging of the ol’ maternal heartstrings has so far manifested itself in a completely different way. As I soak up my three wonderful children each day, all I can seem to think of is, “I can’t believe I have been having to repeat the same thing over and over for almost ten years now!”

.

That’s right. I have been spouting off the same motherly instructions for 10 long years, many to no avail. “Brush your teeth.” “Put that away.” “Please eat something.” “Turn the TV off.” “Say ‘thank you.’” “That’s enough.” “Put your clothes back on right now.” Over and over and over again.

My inability to get through to my fairly good children after reiterating the same simple commands repeatedly every day for nearly a decade makes me realize that not everything is our fault as parents and that children aren’t necessarily steered into compliance by suggestions from parenting magazines. I’ve spent years, nay, nearly a decade working tirelessly to mold my children to the best of their abilities and I have yet to feel triumphant enough to take a victory lap or two.

Despite my best efforts (make that 80 percent or so of my best effort or so), we’re still combating messy rooms, nose picking, picky eating, food all over the house, inappropriate attire, writing on furniture, homework refusal, bathing refusal, bedtime refusal, most every other kind of refusal, forgotten toilet flushes, sibling rivalry, hitting, yelling, and the all-time classic, talking back. Every. Single. Day. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

Fortunately, the years of experience have not left me completely without beneficial parenting skills, as I can name your toddler’s ailment in four symptoms or less and change a diaper with my eyes closed. Still, I can’t help but wonder at what point I’m finally going to get good at this. My bossy 9-year-old, school-hating 7-year-old and TV-addicted 3-year-old don’t quite move me to pat myself on the back for a job well done.

And then I remember a story a friend once told me. He spoke of how when, pre-children, he groaned at some friends with children for not being available enough and canceling plans at the last minute. “What jerks,” he thought. Upon having his own children and partaking in the 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year state of responsibility that is parenthood, however, he had an epiphany. “All of a sudden I realized,” he confessed, “that all of those years I was the jerk.”

Between his declaration and my ongoing realization that my kids aren’t and will likely never be parenting-magazine perfect, I’ve decided that much of raising children has to do with simply acknowledging what a jerk you’ve been most of the years prior. Even though I knew kids like the back of my hand before I even had my own, deep down I still had the notion that many a parent was doing it wrong.

Growing up, you think your own parents are doing it all wrong and then throughout young adulthood you can barely see children out in public without contemplating how superior your parenting skills are going to be to their parents’ skills. “My children will never be like that,” you oh-so-foolishly gloat.

Yet, here I stand, 10 years into the parenting gig and, despite both encouraging good choices and setting good examples, I can’t even get my kids to wear coats in the wintertime. That “10 Years of Motherhood” pin is no doubt going to be a reminder of how little I have it all figured out rather than a badge of wisdom. In the wise words of Michael Franti, “The more I see the less I know.”



Shannon Szyperski and her husband, Michael, are raising three children in Sylvania. Email her at [email protected].

Musicians come together for Acoustics for Autism

By
Brigitta Burks
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About 30 local musical acts will gather March 10 to rock out in support of Project iAm, a charity that provides scholarships to children with autism.

This is the sixth year of the event called Acoustics for Autism. The concert, which features three stages, is the result of founder Nicole Khoury’s hard work. The attorney started Project iAm after speaking with her best friend, whose child has autism, about the financial difficulties that families whose children have autism can face.

“I’ve seen the struggles of these families. They’re the people who need the money for their treatment and therapy and unfortunately there aren’t a lot of resources at all,” Khoury said.

Khoury’s band Arctic Clam is one of the bands playing at the show, which takes place at The Village Idiot and Buster Brown’s Lounge. Each venue features a stage and a heated tent will house kid-friendly activities and a third stage.

Many of the bands playing have been part of the event for years, Khoury said. Her band plays at 6:15 p.m. on The Village Idiot stage.

“It’s just an awesome, feel-good event. The musicians that are there want to support us and not because they want to put it on their resume,” Khoury said.

One of those musicians is Dave Carpenter, who will play with The Jaeglers at 8:15 p.m. on The Village Idiot stage. Carpenter helped co-found the concert six years ago.

Carpenter said when they started the event, he didn’t foresee it becoming as big as it is today.

“I jokingly say to Nicole, ‘It’s like pushing a snowball off a mountain.’ It just continues to build,” he said, adding that the musicians who keep coming back make it successful.

“I really want to highlight all the other musicians that have really helped us out. These musicians have donated their time on a Sunday.”

Playing on a Sunday is one of the things singer-songwriter Kyle White enjoys about Acoustics for Autism.

“It’s nice that it’s on a Sunday and I get to see all my musician friends,” White said. “We all play the same nights [the rest of the week].”

White, who has been involved with the annual concert since its start, also emphasized, “The energy’s always just amazing. All of the best music in the city is there in one day, so that’s always a bonus.”

White is set to play at 3:10 p.m. on The Village Idiot stage.

Another featured musician is John Barile, who is set to play with Bobby May at 3:50 p.m. on The Village Idiot stage.

“[Project iAm] does such a good job promoting [the concert] and it’s a great cause,” Barile said. “[Khoury’s] just a fantastic person.”

He said his favorite part of Acoustics for Autism is “the camaraderie of all us musicians coming together for a great cause.”

Jeff Stewart will play with the 25’s at 7:15 p.m. at The Village Idiot stage. Like Khoury, he has a personal connection to the concert’s cause.

“One of my best friends has a son that’s autistic and I know what he goes through,” he said. “It’s great to do this thing for the kids.”

He added that he is looking forward to playing at The Village Idiot.

“The Village Idiot is a small little community bar. … I’m looking forward to drinking the beer, eating the pizza and playing the music,” Stewart said.

The musicians also include The Eight-Fifteens. Pat Lewandowski, Calen Savidge, Brian Bocian, Zak Ward, Flabongo Nation and several others. DJ Sid will play between sets.

The concert also features chances for attendees to score some loot with a raffle, prize vault and silent auction.

Prizes include an iPad, an Ohio State University University of Michigan cornhole board with signed merchandise, a bat signed by Prince Fielder, a ball signed by Miguel Cabrera and a one-week stay in a Charleston, S.C., condo.

There is no admission fee at the door so all proceeds are made from donations and bidding.

Khoury said, “We don’t charge to get in. We hope you make a donation at the door, but you’ll never see us pushing stuff. I mean, I might have a cute little girl running around selling wristbands that you just can’t help but give her money, but we don’t sit there and say, �?Donate, donate, donate!’ We hope you come in and feel the love at the event and want to donate.”

Last year’s Acoustics for Autism event made about $15,000 and a second concert with Pittsburgh-based Rusted Root made $12,000.

Community partners also chip in for different supplies and prizes, Khoury said.

Last year, the nonprofit helped three or four families with treatment, therapy and other needs, she said. The criteria for receiving scholarship funds are available at www.aboutprojectiam.com/scholarships.php.

Khoury stressed that volunteering helps give applicants an edge.

“My main plea to people, parents who are applying, is get involved with this charity. We don’t ask for much of you; you know, volunteering for an event, or if you can’t get out of the house, I’ve got plenty of things for you to do at home. There’s a lot of grunt work that gets laid on my shoulders that I will happily delegate,” she said.

Those wishing to help with Acoustics for Autism can contact Khoury at [email protected]. To learn more and see a complete schedule, visit http://acousticsforautism.com/.

The Village Idiot is located at 309 Conant St., Maumee, and Buster Brown’s is at 313 Conant St., Maumee. Acoustics for Autism starts at noon March 10 and runs until 2 a.m.

Bill may allow Ohio adoptees to obtain birth certificates

By
Dave Willinger
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Bill sponsor Rep. Dorothy Pelanda, left, and Betsie Norris discuss the adoption bill prior to a recent hearing. Photo by Margaret Sabec.

An entire generation of adoptees in Ohio could finally be granted what some proponents of a bill — now in committee hearings in the state House of Representatives — say is a basic human right.

House Bill 61 and its counterpart Senate Bill 23 address what is referred to in Ohio adoption law as the “closed record period,” the years from 1964 to 1996, because adoptees born and adopted during those years are banned by law from accessing their original birth certificate.

That legal quirk resulted from the state’s closing such records in 1964, reflective of a trend at the time toward confidentiality. When a 1996 state law once again granted birth certificate access to adoptees there remained enough opposition to the change to prevent lawmakers from making those rights retroactive to 1964. Thus, a historical “doughnut hole” was created.

In today’s information society, driven by an ever-expanding Internet, preventing select adult adoptees from seeing their original birth certificates no longer seems the right thing to do in the view of many who advocate for adoption. Apparently, numerous state lawmakers agree. Besides the two sponsors for each bill, the Senate version has 10 co-sponsors while 25 co-sponsors signed the House bill.

If the new proposals become law, adoptees born in Ohio between 1964 and 1996 will have the right, upon their 18th birthday, to obtain a copy of their original birth certificate.

Proponent testimony is scheduled for March 6. The House Judiciary Committee will also schedule a hearing for testimony from anyone who opposes the bill, according to Rep. Dorothy Pelanda, R-Marysville, who together with Rep. Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, sponsored House Bill 61.  Pelanda told Toledo Free Press she is as yet not aware of anyone opposing the legislation.

“No group, no individual has come forward to say ‘I’m opposing it,’” Pelanda said.

Pelanda views the new law as “giving adoptees a piece of their history.” In practical terms, that piece is the name of the adoptee’s birth mother. Pelanda, an adoption attorney for 30 years, noted that unmarried women who give birth are not allowed by law to provide information about the father for the birth certificate.

Pelanda is also an adoptive parent.

“My daughter’s original birth certificate is precious to her,” Pelanda said, because it “answers in part who she is.”

According to a fact sheet advocating for restoring Ohio adoptees’ rights, provided by Betsie Norris, executive director of Adoption Network Cleveland, the intent of the 1964 state law sealing adoptees’ documents “was to erase any tie between the baby and the birth mother or birth family” and “was considered, at the time, the best way to ensure a successful adoption.”

The new legislation would not impact adoptees born after 1996. Its provisions would simply extend to adoptees born between 1964 and 1996 the same right to access birth records.

Norris, herself an adoptee, said the amended birth certificates are sometimes scrubbed of more than the birth parents’ information. In some cases, even the birth weight and time of birth are redacted.

Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life (ORTL), told Toledo Free Press his group supports House Bill 61 and its Senate counterpart.

Explaining the evolving thought process on this issue, Gonidakis said ORTL in 1996 opposed opening birth records to adoptees. Back then, Gonidakis was focused on law school at the University of Akron, but speaking historically, he said ORTL’s opposition at that time was based on “the fear” that “birth mothers might choose abortion over adoption” if they believed their confidentiality was not guaranteed.

Gonidakis said people today are being reunited thanks to information and records obtained through Internet searches by adoptees. The new law would streamline the process for those born from 1964 to 1996, said Gonidakis, who noted that birth parent information potentially can be important because of the medical history component.

Lucas County Probate Court Judge Jack Puffenberger told Toledo Free Press he finalizes about 220 to 250 adoptions each year. Puffenberger in February briefed a committee of the Ohio Probate Court Judge Association on the pending legislation during a conference in the capital.

Currently, adult adoptees born between 1964 and 1996 who want to obtain their original birth certificate must pay a $50 fee to file a petition with the Probate Court, which then determines if a release from the birth mother is on file, in which case the birth certificate is made available. In cases where no release is on file, Puffenberger said the petition can languish indefinitely.

“A lot of adoptees are confused about what rules apply to them,” Puffenberger said. The new law would allow adoptees to go directly to the Bureau of Vital Statistics to obtain their birth certificate. Judge Puffenberger said the new law “does not significantly impact the operation of our courts” but maintained it “will clarify the process” of adoptees obtaining their original birth certificates.

No opposition to the new legislation has materialized from birth parents who might oppose having their identities revealed, according to Pelanda.

One birth mother in Lucas County, Kate Oatis of Maumee, told Toledo Free Press she supports the new law.

As a single coed in 1980, Oatis got pregnant while away at college. “We were in love and had a relationship,” she explained. But personal circumstances ultimately led Oatis to give her daughter up for adoption at birth.

“The emotional toll is quite huge when you give away a child,” Oatis said. About five years ago she made contact with her daughter, a teacher in New York. But Oatis has regrets. “I wish I’d never done it now,” she said about giving up her baby for adoption. “It’s a trauma.”

Oatis, for whom “abortion was never an option,” recalls being counseled during her pregnancy by an anti-abortion group near her college. Today, she believes every pregnant woman who is considering adoption should hire her own counsel instead of relying on advice from someone representing a group that might have vested interests in placing babies with adoptive parents.

As for how other birth parents may view the new legislation, Oatis said, “I can’t imagine anybody standing up and saying, ‘Don’t give them the right to their birth certificate.’

“It’s always better to live in reality,” she said.

Bill sponsors Reps. Nickie Antonio (front) and Dorothy Pelanda (rear). Photo by Margaret Sabec.

Bob Dylan to perform April 21 at BGSU

By
Dock David Treece
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Legendary musician and cultural icon Bob Dylan will perform Tangled up in RED: An Evening with Bob Dylan at Bowling Green State University’s Stroh Center on April 21.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the programs and services of the American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio, including disaster preparedness, disaster relief and recovery assistance, support for military members and their families, health and safety training and more, according to a news release.

The Los Angeles-based folk-rock band Dawes will open the show at 6:30 p.m. Dylan will take the stage at 8 p.m.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. March 8 at the Stroh Center box office and at ticketmaster.com. VIP tickets are $125 and are available exclusively through the American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio, by calling (419) 329-2573. Student tickets are $25 and available with a student ID at the Stroh Center box office.

Dylan, who is perhaps best known for his era-defining work, including “The Times They Are A-Changing,”  “Blowin’ In the Wind” and “Like A Rolling Stone,” released his 35th studio album, “Tempest,” last fall.

‘SNL’ alum Jim Breuer coming to Fat Fish Blue March 8-9

By
Toledo Free Press
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The last time Jim Breuer was in Toledo, he was working on a set of material for a new comedy special being filmed shortly after his Glass City appearance. Now, that special is recorded and ready for distribution. So, what’s Breuer working on this time? Another new special, of course.

“The one that’s filmed comes out this spring — it’ll come out on [premium cable channel] Epix and Netflix,” Breuer said in an interview with Toledo Free Press Star. “So this one I’m working on a whole [new show]. Just started last week and this has got a lot of new material that no one has ever seen before.”

There’s no rest for the seasoned comic. The veteran of “Saturday Night Live,” “Half Baked” and more clearly does not believe in resting on his laurels as he prepares to play the Funny Bone at Fat Fish Blue in Perrysburg on March 8 and 9. He said that developing new material can be a little nerve-racking — but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s a little spooky at first, but I freaking love it. Last week in San Jose, [Calif.], I did pretty much a whole new hour and got a standing O. I was so freaking excited. Because, you know, I have all the material to fall back on, just in case. When I’m doing all the newer stuff, I’ll give them all the other stuff they still haven’t seen yet.

“And I’m pretty confident, too,” Breuer added. “Nobody’s seen all the stuff that I’ve already put on film that hasn’t been released yet. So I’m already locked and loaded with an hour and a half, two hours of playing material.”

Breuer also has another advantage — a seemingly effortless connection to area audiences, exemplified by the tremendous response he’s gotten with each trip through the Glass City.

“For one thing, I consider that area kinda blue-collar, and I relate really well to blue-collar. I grew up like that, my dad grew up in that area,” he said. “So I think that just the blue-collar mentality of how that area grew up, I can relate to it really well.”

In addition to the pressure of developing new material, there’s another facet of Breuer’s new direction. While for years the comic played for a largely adult audience with a more mature set of material, in recent years he’s toned down his act into something a little more family-friendly — a shift that is beginning to pay dividends in the makeup of his audiences.

“I’m starting to see multigenerations showing up. And it’s probably the best stand-up I’ve ever had, hands down. In the past, I was really just trying to — I don’t wanna say ‘shock’ ‘em, but really trying to appease the audience. Well, now, I’m appeasing myself and not trying to appease an audience to just be funny in general. Where now, I think I hit every demographic.”

Many audiences are familiar with Breuer from his most famous gigs, though, most significantly his three-year run as a cast member on NBC institution “Saturday Night Live.” Still, if you ask the man himself, he is much happier being in control of who and what he is onstage every night nowadays.

“‘SNL’ is a different beast. You gotta do characters, and you’re trying to appease an audience. You’re in a certain mold, you’re forced to be in a certain mold. Stand-up, I’m a free entity. I get to go far and wide and do what I want. I’m not edited, and I’m not trying to be a character or do a specific type of comedy.”

That joy of freedom extends now to the way his specials are distributed in the age of streaming video. “In the past, we were kinda pigeonholed with Comedy Central and HBO, or [another] cable network. And the big problem with that is, once they air it, you gotta hope they air it enough times for people to see it, and you’re really only looking at a one-month run of certain times.

“So when Netflix came, I thought this was a perfect match, because I don’t fit on Comedy Central. Their audience is really young boys. Young, like, juvenile-type boys. My audience has broadened. So you’ll be able to watch me at any time. You can download me at 10 am, you can watch me in front of your family … I like that I have that kind of full access now. I like that I don’t have a network going, ‘He’s on at 1 a.m.’ I mean, what kind of parents are up at 1 a.m. to watch me, when they’re my target audience?”

He hasn’t forsaken cable entirely, though — Breuer is also working on a pilot for VH1, as well as a complete revamp of his website. But don’t expect the ever-busy Breuer to completely embrace social networking just yet.

“The tweeting’s not gonna get people in the club. It’s nice for publicity or whatever, but my wheelhouse is onstage. When I’m home, I’m home. I’m a father, I’m also a son with an elderly father who lives with me. I don’t have time to try and be funny all the time. There’s a human side to everyone. I really don’t have that energy that I feel like I need to be on 24/7.”

Consultants recommend firing of top BOE officials

By
Brigitta Burks
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Updated with BOE meeting information at 2 p.m. Feb. 26:

On Feb. 25, consultants tasked by the Ohio Secretary of State with evaluating the Lucas County Board of Elections recommended that Director Meghan Gallagher and Deputy Director Dan DeAngelis be fired. However, at a Feb. 26 board meeting, no movement was made toward removing either employee.

Also on Feb. 26, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted officially removed the Lucas County Board of Elections (BOE) from the Secretary of State’s Office (SOS) administrative oversight and assistance.

In August 2012, the SOS placed the BOE under the oversight of special masters and then appointed two consultants, citing a dysfunctional board culture. Jim Ruvolo, a Democrat who served on the BOE from 1976-82 and from November 2011 to February 2012, was one of the consultants. Jon Allison, a Columbus-based attorney and Republican, was the other. The men received $7,500 each for their work, with Allison receiving $1,000 more to compensate him for travel and lodging.

The consultants presented their report at a Feb. 25 news conference. It read: “We conclude that the Lucas County Board of Elections as presently situated is devoid of management leadership, is without most of the basic organizational structure, policies and procedures necessary to function as an accountable government entity and is culturally plagued by mistrust and fear.”

Fundamental things

In a Feb. 25 interview with Toledo Free Press, Husted said, “The only thing that surprised me [about the report] is just how many things are wrong [with the BOE]. There’s some pretty fundamental things, things like not even having a simple organizational chart.”

The next day in a letter written to board members, Husted wrote, “With yesterday’s release of Mr. Allison and Mr. Ruvolo’s report and recommendations, you have been provided with a roadmap to place the Lucas County Board of Elections on track. My office has provided you with all of the tools and resources that we can reasonably provide.”

�?Absolutely not’

Jon Stainbrook, board member and chair of the Lucas County Republican Party, stressed that the report was a recommendation and board members were “absolutely not” firing Gallagher or DeAngelis.

At the Feb. 26 board meeting, Stainbrook introduced a resolution that would eliminate many nonsenior level BOE positions and then require those employees to reapply for their jobs. He cited the employees as the one constant at the BOE since board members and directors frequently leave.

Board Member Anthony DeGidio said he was not prepared to vote on that measure at present and the BOE took a recess to discuss the matter privately. After the recess, Chairman Ron Rothenbuhler said the motion had died without a second.

The Lucas County BOE was the only board in Ohio under the oversight of the SOS during the 2012 elections. In late November 2012, h

aving given the BOE time to focus on the election, the consultants interviewed the board members, special masters, director, deputy director and six other board employees to create

their recommendations.

Allison said that while it is the nature of BOEs to be made up of members of opposing political parties, “In most of the counties in the state, the vast majority of the counties in the state, the Republicans and Democrats find a way to get together to work out their differences.”

In their report, the consultants recommended that the Lucas County BOE immediately remove Gallagher and DeAngelis and that the SOS appoint special masters to manage the BOE’s daily work until the new director and deputy director start, which was advised to take place by May 1.

By July 1, an evaluation of the effectiveness and appropriateness of BOE employees’ duties should also take place, according to the recommendations. And by no later than Aug. 1, the board should make the policy changes necessary to “remedy each of the deficiencies described in this report and take action to train all board employees.”

The deficiencies were grouped into three areas on the report: fundamental government entity management, organizational deficiencies and cultural deficiencies.

In terms of fundamental government entity management, Allison said the BOE does not put together a yearly line item-based budget or possess a table of organization, personnel procedures and policies and performance metrics.

“All those things are basic building blocks and the voters and taxpayers of Lucas County should expect that those fundamentals are in place,” Allison said.

Under organizational deficiencies, the report referred to the BOE’s management of physical assets like printers, copiers and computers as “embarrassingly lax.” The consultants also recommended that the BOE’s senior management organize a weekly forum where employees and higher-ups can communicate and develop plans to improve performance. The BOE should also improve its records and information storage, according to the report.

�?Unhealthy’ and �?aggressive’

The cultural deficiencies section referred to the relationship between Gallagher and DeAngelis, using words like “unhealthy” and “aggressive.”

“There is no working relationship. There is no communication. It’s a situation that is built on paranoia and mistrust,” Allison said.

He added that board members must be mindful that they set the tone and appear civil and professional.

Ruvolo, who said he left the BOE due to his travel schedule, said he felt frustrated while serving.

He also said of his role as a consultant, “I knew there would be questions about my impartiality and quite frankly this is too important,” adding that he did not seek out the position, but was appointed.

“This report reflects [my and Allison’s] recommendations, me with perhaps more knowledge than I should have had. But I think it’s important that I had some knowledge.

“We want people to know that their vote is going to be accurately counted and that it’s going to be fair. And quite frankly, I don’t think the citizens of Lucas County have had that faith for a long time,” Ruvolo said. “So we’re making those recommendations understanding that we’re affecting two lives and perhaps more than that.”

After the Feb. 25 news conference, Stainbrook said, “This is a report done by two people, [one] from an outside law firm in Columbus and one of those people was Jim Ruvolo, who sat on the board and was responsible and has to take responsibility for many of the tie votes and much of the discord at the board.”

“Why he was chosen for this report, I don’t know,” Stainbrook said, adding however that he is prepared to move forward and work with Rothenbuhler, also chair of the Lucas County Democratic Party, to deliver “the best elections possible.”

Both he and Rothenbuhler said that the BOE does have some of the mentioned procedures in place.

Rothenbuhler said, “Certainly to say [policies and procedures are] nonexistent is just not a fact, [although] they may need some drastic revisiting. The board’s going to take the recommendations under advisement and make sure before we take any quick or hasteful actions, that it is part of the solution.”

Stainbrook said, “I just don’t think these gentlemen looked far enough into the details to know what we actually have, so we will do a line by line, you know, rebuttal answer to this report.”

However, he added later that the BOE probably agrees with 90 percent of the report’s findings.

He also pointed out that Gallagher, who replaced former Director Ben Roberts in February 2012, hadn’t served in her position long.

“Meghan was hired, what, five months before the Secretary of State came in? … How can you be held accountable for something that happened for five months?”

Husted said that “given how many times we’ve been through this,” he is confident that the BOE will implement the consultants’ recommendations.

�?Question the messenger’

“The expectation is that they will take the recommendation of the report and act on that,” Husted said.

He added, “Mr. Allison and Mr. Ruvolo are very talented and they certainly demonstrated that they could work together on putting a good report together.”

Husted said of Stainbrook’s remarks, “When you don’t like the results of what you get, you question the messenger.”

Allison said that because of safeguards in place and the special masters, he saw no issues in the counting of votes in the November 2012 election. Still, if corrections aren’t made, the deficiencies may “creep” into other areas, he stressed.

Also at the meeting, Stainbrook said that the search for a new office space capable of handling the BOE was to be “re-energized.” The consultants’ report recommended that the BOE consolidate its offices and warehouse operations.

Board Member John Irish said he was prepared to vote for all the consultants’ recommendations, but was told by Rothenbuhler that that was inappropriate. Irish then requested that Gallagher and DeAngelis present the BOE with an organizational chart, a progressive discipline policy, a plan for dealing with physical assets and a policy for board members dealing with middle management by the next meeting.

DeAngelis said he and Gallagher were working on presenting a new policies and procedures manual.

The BOE is slated to reconvene March 19.

‘Playing Nightly’: New documentary features Toledo musicians

By
Toledo Free Press
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Five prominent Toledo musicians are the subjects of the new documentary, “Playing Nightly.”

Jeff Stewart, Johnny Rodriguez, John Barile, Bobby May and Kyle White are featured in the film, which will premiere March 5 in Maumee. Toledo natives Jason Hamilton and Mike Malone produced the film.

Hamilton, also a director, started making a film about a guitar player years ago, but the project’s financing fell through. However, he still wanted to make a film about professional musicians.

Toledo musicians, from left, Bobby May, John Barile, Mike Malone, Kyle White, Jason Hamilton, Jeff Stewart and Johnny Rodriguez. Toledo Free Press Photo by Joseph Herr.

“Sometimes we have a concept or are given a concept of what ‘making it’ is. What we lose sometimes is that people are making a living doing what they love and that’s pretty cool,” he said.

Hamilton and Malone, also a videographer, first worked together on 1998’s “The Toledo Conspiracy,” the first 35-mm feature film shot totally in Toledo.

Malone, a member of the band Locoweed, also brought his own experience as a musician to the film.

“It was a labor of love, I’ll tell you, it really was,” he said.

Toledo itself is also an integral character in the film.

“A lot of people, my wife for one and her sisters, think that this is a great thing for Toledo because it looks like Toledo is a really boppin’ town,” Malone said.

While the crew was filming a segment on May and Barile at Ye Olde Cock n’ Bull, a Toledo Mud Hens game got rained out.

“So it looks like there’s people walking around in the rain; that’s how happening Toledo is,” Malone said with a laugh.

Stewart, a busy singer/songwriter, added, “That’s how it is now. It’s starting to happen now a little bit. It’s happening in waves.”

“We have the ability to make a living here with our trade. People talk about how there’s so many gigs here. We can do that; we can work as much as we want and be comfortable.”

Barile, who has shared the stage with Jethro Tull and Foreigner, said he hopes the film gets big so people can see the quality of musicians Toledo has to offer.

“There’s awesome, awesome musicians in Toledo. I’ll put them up against any musicians in the country,” he said.

“[The musicians in the film] are all fantastic musicians and it takes a more or less special type of person to play music seven or eight times a week.”

Rodriguez, a longtime performer on the Glass City music scene who has performed with The Drifters, said with a chuckle, “I felt kind of humbled by the fact that I was featured [in the film].”

The musicians also said Hamilton and Malone put them at ease during the interviews and filming.

“They’re such easygoing guys. It was easy to get right into the plan,” said May, who is the inspiration for Crystal Bowersox’s “Grey Haired Rock Stars.”

White, who has been playing in Toledo for 15 years, said, “I didn’t feel weird or intimidated by it or anything. Just because these guys are so cool and made me feel really comfortable.”

Stewart said everyone came across authentically in the documentary.

“Once you started talking, Jason’s very good at making it conversational so you really started forgetting about the camera,” he said.

Hamilton said he allowed the musicians to tell the story rather than have a narrator.

“The interesting thing that we do with this is there’s no narration and we try to take the interviewer out of the equation totally … it’s a little different from a standard documentary you might see,” he said.

May chimed in, “And if it’s a huge success, can we do our own voices on the cartoon series?”

The producers plan to use any donations gathered at the Maumee premiere to enter the documentary into film festivals to build acclaim.

“The more we have of that, it will create a certain amount of awareness. With a documentary, you’re not going to see a lot of theatrical releases, but you can have an avenue for Netflix, iTunes, for those kind of structures,” Hamilton said, adding that he plans to continue to explore the Toledo music scene in future works.

Hamilton said his favorite part of the film is “when you hear people talk about their families and that life and kind of [developing] their original voices … that’s wildly interesting.”

Barile said his favorite moment of filming was talking about “his greatest performance” — playing guitar for his then 25-minute-old daughter Aria. She is now three and already a musician.

Hamilton said that while filming, he learned how close-knit Toledo musicians are, something the musicians also echoed.

“I thought it was awesome to be included with a group of such inspiring musicians who have been inspiring me musically over the years,” White said.

Hamilton and Malone also noted that the Toledo community has been supportive of the project. Many bars let them hang posters in their businesses, they said, and about 15 Toledo bars are featured in the film.

Barile credited Toledo with enabling him to perform for a living.

“People have always supported me on both a personal and professional level,” he said, later adding, “I can’t imagine having to wear a tie.”

“Playing Nightly” is 73 minutes long. The film will be shown at 7:15 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. March 5 at the Maumee Indoor Theatre, 601 Conant St., Maumee. A red carpet photographer will be on hand and a donation of $5 is suggested for attending.

May and Barile will play at an after-party at the Village Idiot, 309 Conant St., Maumee.

For more information, visit leatafilms.com.

Answering the call: McNamara enters mayoral race

By
Jeff
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0

While a group of supporters and onlookers tightened their coats and stamped their feet against the cold, Toledo City Council President Joe McNamara appeared unaffected by a recent 30-degree morning in North Toledo, despite wearing just a suit and tie.

“We’re here today as a nod to Toledo’s past, to present a vision of Toledo’s future,” McNamara said Feb. 12, standing outside Fire Station 3 on Bush Street to officially announce his mayoral campaign.

“Toledo will keep me warm,” McNamara later joked to a reporter who asked if he was cold.

McNamara, an at-large councilman elected in 2006, chose the spot near the historic Vistula district because of his efforts to fix and reopen the station.

Echoing the famous words of Martin Luther King Jr., McNamara said he was “moved by the fierce urgency of now” to declare his candidacy.

“Some of my political associates have cautioned me that I should just run for another four-year term on Council or to run for something else and then run for mayor when covered, but I can neither sit back for another four years and watch Toledo continue to decline nor take some other position just to stay in elected office,” McNamara said.

Calling City Council “a dream job,” McNamara said he is proud of his record there, but feels he could do even more to help the city he loves from the mayor’s seat.

McNamara, who is also an attorney and practices law Downtown, said Toledo’s next mayor needs to be driven by a bone-deep passion for the Glass City.

“For this person, being mayor of Toledo is not a job, it’s not a paycheck, it’s not a path to PERS (Public Employees Retirement System), it’s not a stepping stone to higher office, it’s not something one does because they are retired from another career,” McNamara said. “Being mayor of Toledo during these difficult economic times is a calling, it’s a need, it’s a passion. It’s a burning desire to help this community and build the best future possible. I’m here today to tell you I feel this passion in my heart and in my bones.”

Toledo City Council President Joe McNamara announces his campaign for Toledo mayor on Feb. 12 at Fire Station 3 in North Toledo. Toledo Free Press Photo by Sarah Ottney.

McNamara didn’t mince words about Toledo’s struggles, but also never wrote it off as hopeless.

“We have to be honest. We are losing this city,” McNamara said. “We lose this city with every kid who fails to graduate from high school. We lose this city with every kid who does graduate high school and moves away from Toledo. We’re losing this city with each home foreclosure and with every job that moves to the suburbs and every shooting that happens in our neighborhoods.

“Toledo deserves better. Toledo deserves safe, clean neighborhoods. Toledo deserves a strong public school system. Toledo deserves to have economic opportunities where anyone who is willing to work hard can raise a family and provide a better life for their children.

“But to have this future, we need to invest in ourselves now. We need to get the next election right. To breathe new life into the city, we need to breathe new life into the 22nd floor of [One] Government Center.”

McNamara, a Democrat, will face Mayor Mike Bell, a political independent in office since 2010. Alan Cox, a union president and neighborhood development specialist, and minister Opal Covey have also announced plans to run. Lucas County Auditor Anita Lopez has said she is considering, but has not officially declared.

Job creation

A major focus of McNamara’s administration would be creating jobs for Toledo residents, in part through economic development incentives.

“Studies on economic development repeatedly point to a self-evident fact: When people are gainfully employed, the entire community benefits,” McNamara said.

The more people working, the more money the city will collect in taxes, he said. Income tax collections were at their highest in 2007, totaling about $169 million. A year later — as the economy soured — collections dropped by nearly 10 percent, only to continue sinking by almost another 10 percent in 2009 before rising again in 2010. In 2011, the most recent available report, the city collected about $153 million.

Creating economic opportunities would be McNamara’s main “weapon” for fighting poverty, blight and crime.

“Toledo is facing many serious challenges and no matter how you look at it, the root of those problems is poverty,” McNamara said. “Poverty is growing in Toledo and this is unacceptable because the median income of our population affects everything.”

Economic development is the area where Bell has been the weakest, McNamara said.

“The City of Toledo’s economic development decisions have to be smart. We have to do better,” McNamara said. “We have to stop shooting from the hip and focus our sights on creating good-paying jobs for those who live in the city limits.”

McNamara said “the jury is still out” on the sale of the Marina District to Chinese investors, which Bell helped orchestrate.

“We hope they do something with it, but what jobs have been created?” McNamara said. “Selling city assets to foreign investors is not the same thing as promoting investment, as creating jobs, and that has to be the focus.”

Organized labor has to play a role in reaching that goal, McNamara said.

“The blaming of organized labor for our economic woes by some local and state politicians is wrong, counterproductive and politically motivated,” McNamara said. “It has to stop.”

Public safety is another area Toledo needs to improve, McNamara said, noting there are fewer patrol officers on the streets today than in 2009.

“We need to continue to hire police classes, not just to keep up with retirements, but to get back to our authorized strength,” McNamara said. “While new crimefighting technologies and strategies are promising, nothing compares to having a robust police force that can build community relationships and proactively address crime.”

The city also needs to balance removing blight without compromising the essence of its historic neighborhoods, he said.

“One of Toledo’s most amazing strengths is the diversity and uniqueness of its neighborhoods, but one of Toledo’s greatest challenges is the stability in the future of its housing stock,” McNamara said. “We have to be vigilant in removing blight but wary of the tear-down mentality that threatens the very building blocks of our historic neighborhoods.”

Family legacy

McNamara said he is passionate about upholding his late father’s legacy of service to Toledo.

McNamara was 6 when Dan McNamara, a former city councilman and Lucas County auditor, was killed in a freak traffic accident in 1983 where another car’s tire came through the windshield of his own.

Although his father was a Republican, McNamara has said their core beliefs are the same.

“When I read [his 1978 campaign manual] for the first time, I felt a very strong connection to my dad and what he believes,” McNamara told Toledo Free Press last year. “The desire to serve the public to the best of your ability is universal and is apolitical.”

McNamara’s mother, Jill Kelly, a former director of the Lucas County Board of Elections and former assistant Lucas County prosecutor, and his wife, Valerie Moffitt, who works for a community development corporation, are also inspirations, he said.

“Giving back to the community is a way of life in my family and we treat it like a calling,” McNamara said.

Bell’s response

Bell said he welcomed McNamara as a challenger.

“I do commend him for stepping up and committing to the race because these races are not easy,” Bell said.

However, the mayor took issue with several of McNamara’s assertions, including that his administration has been lax on public safety.

“Crime rate has been reduced by 18 percent in the last year and we’re on track to hire more police and firefighters than have been hired by anyone in the strong mayor form of government, so I think we’re committed to safety,” Bell said.

Counting the 30 firefighters and 50 police officers proposed in his 2013 budget, Bell will have hired 172 firefighters and 165 police officers since 2010, according to numbers provided by his office. That’s compared to 10 firefighters and 32 police officers hired by Mayor Jack Ford from 2002-2005 and 15 firefighters and 30 police officers hired by Mayor Carty Finkbeiner from 2006-09. Finkbeiner also hired 75 firefighters and 126 police officers during his first term from 1994 to 1997 and 69 firefighters and 93 police officers during his second term from 1998 to 2001.

Bell also disagreed with McNamara’s statement that he is disconnected from Toledoans.

“I think anybody who has ever seen me out anywhere would disagree with that,” Bell said. “As my staff commonly says, it commonly takes me 10 to 20 minutes to get out of a room. So I don’t believe I’m disconnected.”

Bell cited the Jeep plant expansion and Hickory Farms moving from Maumee to Downtown Toledo as examples of economic development that have taken place while he has been in office.

“I think that’s a good movement of people and money into Toledo, not to mention a lot of smaller businesses that have moved into the Downtown Toledo area,” Bell said. “So I think we’ve done a good job.”

Bell also noted that real estate prices on houses have increased 15 percent in the past year and revenue is up nearly $20 million since 2010.

Comparing himself to McNamara, Bell told a Blade reporter Feb. 12, “I have more spinal cord than he has.”

Asked to expound by Toledo Free Press, the mayor said he was referring to the common understanding of the term backbone.

“Tenacity. The ability to make a decision and stick with it,” Bell said. “I’m not trying to be insulting, but I believe he would be more wishy-washy. Easier to influence. And [he’d] probably take us back where we just came from.

“We have worked very hard the last few years, not only locally but nationally and worldwide,” Bell said. “For many people that has been a very uncomfortable experience. Many people would like to leave things how they were in 2010, with an unbalanced budget in the red and no idea how we were going to fix it. What I had to do was create some major changes in the system to make sure our budget was in balance. I don’t believe he has the ability to stand firm enough on decisions like that to be able to protect the City of Toledo.

“I just look forward to the election period,” Bell said. “It’s going to be fun.”

Largest campaign loan

According to end-of-year campaign finance reports filed in Lucas County on Jan. 31, McNamara leads Bell in fundraising efforts.

McNamara reported $57,258 in contributions during the last six months of 2012, for a balance of $69,524. Bell reported contributions totaling $11,340 during the last six months of 2012, ending the year with $46,701 in his campaign account.

However, McNamara also continues to carry the largest outstanding loan by far, with $112,902 in personal loans to Friends of Joe McNamara reported, dating from 2006. That’s compared to no outstanding campaign loans for Bell.

Potential mayoral candidate Lopez raised $27,745 in the last six months of 2012, ending the year with a $47,209 balance. Her report lists an outstanding loan of $7,600, dating from 2004.

Supporter excited

North Toledo resident Chuck Sorensen attended the Feb. 12 announcement and said he appreciated McNamara’s fight to save the local fire station and supports his bid for mayor.

“I’m excited at the prospect,” Sorensen said. “There has definitely been an increase in poverty and I’m concerned about the level of crime. I like his focus on economic benefit for the city.”

For more information, visit www.joefortoledo.com.

Ottawa Hills teen remembered as kind, smart, positive

By
Jeff
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When the Ottawa Hills High School (OHHS) girls’ basketball team traveled to Gibsonburg on Feb. 7, a familiar face was missing from the student section.

Senior Brian Hoeflinger made it a point to come to every game, home or away, and was known for his exuberant clapping, said classmate Grace Petro, a varsity basketball player.

“He could clap on anything — his leg, his cheeks, other people — and he always dressed up [to match the game’s theme],” Petro said, smiling at the memory. “You just expected him to be at every girls’ game. I think he only missed one game. He was usually one of the only students there. He felt bad the girls’ team didn’t have many supporters. He just loved going to everyone’s games and supporting them.”

Three days after Hoeflinger’s death, Petro teared up instantly at the mention of her friend’s name.

She and the rest of the OHHS community were left in shock Feb. 2 as word spread that the popular 18-year old had been killed in a car accident the night before.

Smart, positive, goofy and kindhearted are words that come up again and again when people describe Hoeflinger. The Ottawa Hills resident, who previously attended St. John’s Jesuit High School, transferred to OHHS for his senior year and seemed to transition seamlessly into the student body, said OHHS Intervention Specialist Sharon Abendroth, whose son Matthew played golf with Hoeflinger.

“He walked into our school less than a year ago, but you couldn’t
tell,” Abendroth said. “He fit into our family very well. It was a natural fit and it felt like he’d been here for years. You couldn’t ask for a better kid to join your school.”

‘A good kid’

Ottawa Hills superintendent Kevin Miller said Hoeflinger was “a good kid involved in good things.”

“He was a very present young man, a great personality,” Miller said. “Just a personality that endeared himself to the people around him. That’s what I know about Brian. He was just a very vibrant young man.

“We’re a small school system,” Miller said. “Our average class size is about 75 and about two-thirds of every class has been here since kindergarten. It can be hard for a new student to come in and fit into the friendships that have been formed for many, many years, but Brian did that with ease.”

Academics were important to Hoeflinger, who carried a 4.5 GPA and made several references on his Twitter account in January to taking advanced placement classes, including AP English and AP Calculus, doing homework and staying up late studying.

Memorial items were placed at the site of the Feb. 1 accident.
Photo by Sarah Ottney

Hoeflinger also displayed a creative side, Miller said, recalling a self-portrait made as part of a digital photography class assignment depicting him crouching beside his golf bag.

“It was unusual and showed a great eye, so he was not only intelligent, but creative,” Miller said.

The OHHS golf team competed at the Division III state golf tournament in October, finishing fourth. Hoeflinger was named first team all-conference and second team all-district.

Abendroth said Hoeflinger was a mentor to her son, a sophomore golfer.

“To my son, he was a leader, a mentor, a great role model, athletically and academically,” Abendroth said. “I don’t know if it’s because he had younger siblings or what, but he was able to connect with kids of all ages. It was a gift he had.”

Hoeflinger has three younger siblings:brother Kevin, 15, and sisters Julie, 14, and Christie, 11.

Although he coached him for only one season at OHHS, golf coach Jim McGill had known Hoeflinger for years through his involvement with the Toledo Junior Golf Association, where Hoeflinger played and McGill is a director.

“Brian was such an awesome kid and an integral part of the team,” Mc-Gill said. “He befriended the entire team, including all the younger kids. He had tremendous golf ability and in terms of being a leader, he led by example and character.”

Senior Elizabeth Noble said everyone at OHHS liked Hoeflinger, even those — like her — who didn’t know him well.

“He was just a happy light in the halls,” Noble said. “All his friends want him to be remembered as the goofy, happy, smiling person he was.”

In honor of Hoeflinger’s goal of attending the University of North Carolina to become an orthodontist, Petro, Noble and the other OHHS cheerleaders wore light blue bows in their hair featuring the initials “BH” and a heart at the boys’ basketball game at Maumee Valley Country Day School on Feb. 5. There was also a moment of silence and many Maumee Valley players wore light blue socks.

Petro and Hoeflinger became fast friends after meeting last spring.

“The one thing he would always tell me is he wanted everyone to love each other and just get along. He was always positive about everything no matter what,” Petro said. “You could really just tell he cared about other people. Obviously everyone cares about others, but you could just tell when he talked to you that he cared about you and others.”

Petro helped organize a surprise party to celebrate Hoeflinger’s Dec. 28 birthday. On the day of the party, Hoeflinger tweeted: “It’s my birthday! I’m 18 years old and happy as hell! Can’t wait to see what the future holds :)”

The accident

Petro and Hoeflinger were both at a friend’s house on Feb. 1, hanging out watching a movie with about a dozen friends after the boys’ basketball game against Cardinal Stritch High School. The two didn’t talk much that night.

At some point, Hoeflinger left the house. Shortly before midnight, he was southbound on Edgehill Road in Ottawa Hills, driving a black 2008 Pontiac G6 registered to his mother, when the vehicle left the west side of the road, struck a tree near a bridge over the Ottawa River and caught fire, said Lt. William Bowers of the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Toledo post.

The crash was reported at 11:54 p.m. Feb. 1 by Sgt. Mark Kolasinski of the Ottawa Hills Police Department, who came upon the wreck during a routine patrol. According to the police report, Kolasinski found Hoeflinger unconscious in the driver’s seat, wearing a seat belt. He used a fire extinguisher to knock down some flames in the engine compartment before he and several other first-responders from various local departments worked together to free Hoeflinger “just as the vehicle [became] engulfed with flames.”

Shortly after midnight, Petro got a call from a friend who lives near Edgehill Road saying there had been an accident. Petro said her mind immediately jumped to Hoeflinger and she and some friends went out looking for him.

“I feel like we all had a feeling,” Petro said. “We just knew something wasn’t right. We were just hoping he was at someone’s house or somewhere else.”

They drove by the accident site about 12:30 a.m., but couldn’t get too close because police had blocked off the bridge. Besides Ottawa Hills Police, personnel from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Toledo Police, Sylvania Township Police, University of Toledo Police and Toledo Fire and Rescue also responded to the scene.

Petro drove past Hoeflinger’s house a few times, but he didn’t appear to be home. Around 2 a.m., a friend called to tell her Hoeflinger had died.

Hoeflinger had been drinking the night of the crash and was found to have a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.15. The crash remains under investigation.

“Brian made very few mistakes like that in life,” Abendroth said. “He was a hard worker, loved life, great family. Really had some neat goals.”

Vigil

The school’s annual Turnabout Dance, where girls invite guys, was scheduled for Feb. 2. Hoeflinger was planning to attend and had a date, Petro said.

The dance was postponed by school administrators, but the vigil that took place instead was completely student-driven, Miller said.

“Kids find ways to mourn in their own ways and one of those ways was to form a vigil,” Miller said. “If we just kind of step to the side, they will figure out how to get through this together. They were just sharing their thoughts and feelings and taking some time to honor a classmate.”

The vigil was attended by more than 270 people, representing several schools, Petro said. Hoeflinger’s parents, Brian and Cindy Hoeflinger, were also there.

“The enormous outpouring of love and support for Brian and our family has been overwhelming to say the least,” Hoeflinger’s father posted to his wife’s Facebook page Feb. 5. “We are realizing just how many lives one individual can touch in such a short lifetime and in such a positive way. There are no words to describe the appreciation and love we feel for everyone supporting us in this time of intense pain. But the memories of which are being shared with us through Brian’s friends in person and through Facebook are a testament to the love and joy Brian brought to so many people and how he touched their individual lives. Our entire family is realizing that Brian’s death was not in vain because so much good and positive energy has been instilled in so many people he knew. That’s how Brian was and that is how he will always be remembered!”

The family has set up a Brian Hoeflinger Memorial Scholarship Fund through Huntington Bank. No further details were available at press time.

Somber return

The place where Hoeflinger’s vehicle left the road is on a curvy, quiet, wooded street, a little more than a mile drive from his home. Not far away a sign reads, “Please drive slowly, we [heart] our children.”

On Feb. 2, someone spray painted Hoeflinger’s initials and a heart in blue on a tree at the crash site.

By Feb. 5, dozens of flowers had appeared along with a green teddy bear and a stuffed dog. A note affixed to the tree with a pushpin reads “To: Brian, Stay Strong.” An oversized paper card proclaiming “WE [heart] U BRIAN!” contains notes from several schoolmates.

A rock outside Ottawa Hills High School was also spray painted with blue letters reading “RIP BH” on the front, “We [heart] You” on the top and a cross on one side.

The first few days back to school have been somber, Miller said.

“It’s been quiet,” he said. “We’ve tried very hard to bring some normalcy to the students’ lives because that’s very important, that there are activities and just a regular school day they can count on, but we balance that by being very sensitive to their needs. We had 19 counselors in the building on Monday and of course our own counselors remain available. It’s just balancing a sense of normalcy with acute sensitivity to the needs of our students.

“They say it takes a village [to raise a child],” Miller said. “Our entire community has come together to help us deal with this loss. Not just Ottawa Hills, but surrounding communities. His was a wonderful young life full of potential and we’re incredibly sad. When you go on a journey like this, if you can do it together, it makes it a little bit easier.”

Ohio author collects tales of ‘lively nonagenarians’

By
Jeff
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A positive attitude and a willingness to try new things were common among the nonagenians Ohio writer and photographer Connie Springer interviewed for a book.

“There’s just a joy of life about them. They’re always ready to experience something new,” Springer said. “They said if they are asked to do something, they can get ready in 10 minutes. They don’t say ‘no’ or turn down an invitation. I thought that was really nice. Even a lot of younger people don’t really do that.”

Ohioan Connie Springer is author of ‘Positively Ninety.’ Photo courtesy of Connie Springer.

Springer, a New Jersey native who has lived in Cincinnati for 27 years, is the author of “Positively Ninety: Interviews with Lively Nonagenarians.” The book was a finalist in the Non-Fiction Narrative category of the 2012 International Book Awards.

Nonagenarians — people age 90 to 99 — comprise less than 1 percentof Ohio’s total population, but their numbers are growing, according to researchers at the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University Ohio. In 2010, there were 76,545 Ohioans age 90 or older; by 2020, more than 100,000 Ohioans are expected to have achieved this milestone.

“It’s fascinating to hear the stories of people,” Springer said. “One woman, who was 98 when I interviewed her, said she only stopped jumping rope a few years before. People do these amazing things. Just because you’re aging doesn’t mean you have to stop what you enjoy.”

Springer conceived of the project after watching her once-vibrant mother isolate herself after the death of her husband, something Springer feels contributed to her dementia and death at age 85.

“Over a decade ago my mother, in her 80s and saddled with dementia, lived in a nursing home surrounded by peers with vacant stares and immobile stances,” Springer wrote in the book’s introduction. “My view of aging became skewed. Do we all end up like this if we live long enough? I needed a different perspective.”

Her first interview was a friend’s 90-year-old neighbor, June, who attributed her long life to an optimistic bent and doing things in moderation, Springer said.

“Don’t dwell on your age,” the woman advised Springer. “Do as I do — just keep your body moving!”

Over a two-year period, Springer met with 27 more “lively nonagenarians,” located through word of mouth. A City of Cincinnati Individual Artist’s Grant helped fund the work.

Most were from the Cincinnati area, but some were from elsewhere, including Detroit, Boston and Washington, D.C. Springer spoke to each person for two to four hours, asking questions about their past, present and aspirations for the future.

She also took a portrait of each person.

Although she didn’t come away with the definitive secret to long life, Springer compiled a list of common characteristics she calls the 20 Personality Traits of Lively Nonagenarians:
O Flexibility (being willing to adapt to
new situations)
O Having a sense of humor
O Living simply
O Taking one day at a time
O Never turning down an invitation
O Doing things in moderation
(particularly in regard to food)
O Getting regular exercise
O Having an optimistic attitude
O Keeping mentally stimulated
O Being open to meeting new people
O Relating to younger people
O Being connected to friends and family
O Involvement in enjoyable activities
O Loving to read
O A “nothing can stop me” outlook
O Sharing and caring
O Not thinking about age
O Being interested in what’s going on
around you
O Never quitting learning
O Being just plain lucky (blessed with
good genes, good health and meaningful
relationships)

“My hunch is that these traits leading to what may be called ‘successful aging’ are not newly gained in later years but rather are ones that these individuals have demonstrated their entire lives,” Springer wrote in the book’s introduction. “Although the traits are probably innate, one might attempt to emulate one or more to change a negative or isolating pattern.”

Springer stayed in contact with many of the interview subjects. Eleven of the 28 have since died, she said.

“I think it was a good experience for them too,” Springer said. “Older people are so often not used for a resource. People don’t ask them questions about their past. It’s such a shame. There’s so much to learn from people’s experiences and how they coped with things. I feel like it benefited both of us as well as future readers and viewers. It’s very inspirational.”

Springer said she often hears from people that the project helped change their outlook on aging.

“They were feeling sorry for themselves and now they feel like, ‘What am I depressed about?’” Springer said. “It just changed their whole perspective.”

A traveling exhibition, currently on display at Northern Kentucky University, features framed color portraits and excerpts of text from the 28 interviews and is available for display.

To order the book or inquire about the traveling exhibit, contact Springer at [email protected] or (513) 871-1677. Cost of the book is $25 plus tax and shipping.

For more information, visit www.conniespringer.com.

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