Rasor for Stow

Today was a little different on the campaign trail. I ran into several residents who were mad at the current council members. In knocking on 600 doors, I have only run into one resident who said he was loyal to any of my opponents. Today, I found a wealth of people who want to toss them out.

If you are one of these angry residents, please know that I appreciate your candor, and you can trust that I will change how the Good Ole’ Boy Network runs City Hall.

Below are two pictures from my photo shoot last night. I plan to use the left one in an upcoming promotion. The right photo will be published in a magazine this fall. I would provide details, but my opponents don’t need to know everything.

Special thanks to Barb and Duane Himler at Photastic Images. The Himlers were kind enough to volunteer their time for a photo shoot tonight. I can confidently say their professionalism is only surpassed by their ability to put the subject at ease. I’ll post some shots soon.

The Himlers suggested that I start to post some positive comments from readers, rather than just the negative ones. Here is a positive comment I received from a resident on Sunday:

I got your flier tonight. Whoever put it in my mailbox knocked the box off of the house. That’s good though (I knock the stupid thing off of the house every other day). If not for that, I probably would have tossed the flier in the trash, but instead, I read it.
Which brought me to your website. I’m quite intrigued. My wife and I have lived on Maplehurst for over three years now. I think we’re in the forgotten neighborhood. Mostly renters, mostly near the poverty line, and most of my neighbors don’t have college degrees. I think that the city forgets that we’re here. Last winter, they didn’t plow our street for two days. I couldn’t leave my house for work. I emailed the mayor, and she told me Route 8 was their priority. My response was that if people couldn’t get to Route 8, what’s the point? I don’t think she cared. I’m working on my degree in biochemistry, and if that’s the way our politicians are going to treat us, then why would I stay here after I graduate? It’s good to see someone coming in and shaking things up a little. Small town politics is a boys club, and sometimes you have break up their clubhouse to make changes. Good luck!

Indeed, I am running to represent the ENTIRE city, not just my friends. That’s why I’m walking neighborhoods. As I walk, I take notes about what concerns citizens. The Good Ole’ Boys Network is so out of touch with what bothers the average Stowite, it is frightening. The Good Ole’ Boys Network is great at taking care of its members.

Let’s make this the year the citizens speak out at the polls. This is your city, after all; not theirs.

Welcome to MikeRasor.com. It was a real pleasure to meet residents in the Heather Hills neighborhood, specifically on Berkshire, Goldfinch, Whippoorwill and Sandpiper.

Please take the time to read my Issues page and contact me if you have questions or concerns.

It was funny how I also ran into my fellow at-large candidate, Elgie Underwood, who is a very well qualified member of the community. He and I have similar interests and ideas to improve Stow.

Special thanks to all of the residents who took their time to speak with me today. I walked several streets in Precinct 4-A — the west part of Stow.

Several residents invited me inside for a chat. The Shaffers were kind enough to give me two glasses of water, which propelled me for another two hours. Mr. Feeney was good enough to give me a book about Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone. I hope to get started reading soon!

I knocked on doors between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. By my count, I hit 80 condominiums. Residents at 50 of these condos were home. If you are visiting this site after my visit, please know that you will be hearing from me again.

On an unrelated note … I received a message from someone who did not provide his/her e-mail address or real name, only calling him/herself “Your Opposition.” Here is the comment:

Your proposed city council budget cut means that council members still get paid $111/hour. How benevolent of you!!!!!! Can you explain this?

Yes, I can explain this. I am proposing a cut that I believe has a legitimate chance to pass. I could propose Hudson’s salary of $10 per week, but I don’t think many people would support it — particularly not the other members of council. A salary of $10,000 is in line with surrounding communities of this size. Sure, it’s a moderate cut, but it’s a realistic one, too.

As Stow residents are learning of this campaign, this Web site’s traffic is skyrocketing.

We saw an 86 percent increase in viewers from last week to this week. During that span, new visitors increased by 243 percent. To be specific, we had 153 new viewers from last Sunday (July 19) to this Saturday (July 25). Although we are only two days into this week, the traffic is surging even higher.

You might attribute these increases to a surge in the campaign effort. I’m not so sure. We have not done anything new in the past 10 days. The difference, in my opinion, is word of mouth. Stowites are learning that there is finally a concerted movement to improve the way things work at city hall. They are telling their neighbors. Folks are ready for an energetic approach to fixing Stow’s budget crisis.

To be candid, I believe the pressure is still on us. We must continue to accelerate. Having 153 new visitors is great improvement from earlier this month, but it’s not enough. I ask your support in telling your friends and neighbors. I will do my part by meeting as many Stow residents as I can every week. My team will soon deliver a second piece of literature that details the mistakes made, and outlines my remedy for our budget crisis.

Remember, It takes a Rasor to cut this budget

I’m happy you chose to follow up on the literature you received this weekend by visiting my Web site. Through the site, I welcome you to contact me or read my stance on the issues.

If you asked me to sum up my candidacy in one sentence, I would say, “It takes a Rasor to cut this budget.” City council’s spending has been irresponsible at times. The city is facing a budget crisis. City council’s expenditures — along with a $1.1 million drop in tax revenue — have led to a $591,000 deficit in 2009. If you read my “Issues” page, you will see that we can no longer trust the sitting council members to handle our money.

If you scroll down, you will see that my specific plan calls for $350,000 in specific budget cuts. Plus, I pledge to scrutinize every item on the budget. To add to revenue, I will strive to secure corporate and retail tenants for Stow’s vacant buildings.

As you read on my literature, I soon hope to walk your neighborhood and meet you personally. I am also available for one-on-one meetings.

As reported by Marsha McKenna in the Stow Sentry, city council plans to dedicate KidStation Playground in former councilwoman Pat Saltis’ memory.

It’s a great tribute to a school teacher who worked to achieve that unique playground. Classy move.

We had a couple unfortunate incidents this week regarding my car magnets.

One was stolen yesterday from my mom’s car as it sat at a home on Darrow Road. Earlier in the week, one of my opponents’ friends contacted my brother’s employer, telling the employer to force my brother to take down the magnets.

It was wonderful to meet about 30 homeowners in Bayside Lake today. I had some of the longer conversations since I started going door to door 10 days ago. I will do my best to address the concerns on your mind. Special thanks to Mr. McCauliff for the drink of water. It gets hot out there!

That concludes my work in Precinct 2-A. I’m going to have some dinner, then head out to Precinct 4-A.

More good news: The Web traffic has maintained its high volume of new viewers. I get spoiled with my Zips blog (17,000+ hits per month), but having 35 new viewers per day isn’t bad when we’re talking about a political site in one city.

The total viewers (as opposed to new viewers) continue to climb. As of 5:15 p.m., we’re on pace to break the site’s high-water mark.

Greeting to those visiting MikeRasor.com for the first time. This is the campaign to breathe new life and energy into Stow’s government. I am the candidate who supports roads, safety and financial responsibility. You can contact me through the button above.