Obama the Victor in Clare County

After months of campaigning, it’s all finally over. No more political commercials or mass mailings. It may come to no surprise to some, that the projected leader of the presidential election the democratic Senator Barack Obama from Illinois is now the President Elect waiting to take office on January 20th.
In Clare county 7,496 people voted for the Obama/ Biden Campaign and 6,793 voted for McCain/ Palin. That’s a difference of 706 votes, a fairly close margin.
Now that it’s all said and done, how are you feeling about the president elect? Are you confident in his abilities as the next president? Do you think that John McCain would have done a better job? How will his next term affect Michigan? This is your opportunity Clare County, voice you post-election opinion.

Correction NOTICE

In the October 30th issue, in the "Who's on the Ballot for November 4th Election" segment we did not publish the names of candidates running unopposed, we are sorry if this caused any confusion. The candidates will however be on the November 4th ballot.

Sorry for the inconvenience

~Clare County Cleaver Staff

Harrison Cross Country Sends Two To State Finals

The Harrison Hornet Cross Country Team competed at Regional 19-3 in Benzie Central last Saturday and, as a result of their fine running, two Hornet athletes will represent Harrison at the state finals on Saturday, November 1st at Michigan International Speedway.
Junior Blake Allison again led the boys by finishing 1st overall in 15:57. This was the fastest time of the day in any of the three divisions and earned him a chance to compete for the state championship next Saturday. Blake's time currently ranks him in the top five in the state. Senior teammate, Michael Ledford ran a season's best 16:59 for an 8th place finish, also sending him to state. These two runners were part of Harrison's team that finished 12th at the state finals last year.
As a team, the boys finished 5th on the day, narrowly defeating Clare by 4 points, reversing the finishing order in the Jack Pine Conference. Along with Blake and Mike, senior Zach See finished 29th in 17:54, senior Ryan Colville was 37th in 18:14, and senior Bruce Gingery was 61st with a time of 20:03. Zach's and Ryan's times were all-time personal bests for the two, with Ryan dropping his best time by over 45 seconds.
The three girls that ran for Harrison also ran their lifetime bests. Emily Ledford finished 30th overall in a time of 21:28, while Becky See was 78th in 26:29 and Annika Kilb was 79th in 26:33. For the day, seven out of ten of Harrison's runners ran their fastest times ever.
Blake and Mike will be competing in the Division 3 State Finals against some 250 runners on Saturday. Race time is set for 10:30 a.m. Good luck and congratulations to all on a successful season.

Full Interview with Kathy Wilton

1) Why should voters elect you?

My experience includes owning my own small business, managing several very successful businesses and being a Gladwin County Commissioner for 10 years. I have the knowledge and the fortitude to work on a variety of subjects for the good of the district. I have extensive experience with individuals, townships and counties. All of which will be of benefit to the voters. I currently work part-time for a local internet company. We help small businesses in the area reach all around the world to expand their opportunites. This type of experience will also help this district immensely.



2) You have been a county commissioner for years, what was your greatest accomplishment?

Working with a variety of issues and the people toward a common goal is always an accomplishment. I always took the time to listen and evaluate any and all information. But if I had to name one thing, it would be the fact that I served on Mid Michigan Community Action Agency Board of Directors, and continue to do so, and all the great work that the Agency does. The new building for MMCAA that has been built to centralize services between Farwell and Clare and the new senior citizen housing project that is going into downtown Clare are really making a difference in so many peoples lives in Clare County.



3) If elected what are your plans to help Michigan workers?

I will do everything I can to make this area a place that businesses will want to come and prosper and those businesses that are here, want to stay. I will promote our workers, our business sites and our work ethics. We have the capabilities in this area to make parts for wind generators and solar arrays. I will work tirelessly to help in any way I can.



4) Where does the future of Michigan’s economy lie?

The future lies with renewable energy. Our future lies with our children and a solid education for them. Working with the school systems and businesses we can accomplish anything we set our minds to do. Join me and work for our future together.