Harlan Days Thank You

I wasn't in Harlan for Harlan Days this year. I was at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico with my Scout troop, a trip we committed to long before I decided to run for Springfield Township Trustee. But even from a thousand miles away, I got to watch this campaign show up for our community in a way that says more than anything I could have said myself.

My wife, Kim, coordinated getting the float finished and delivered to the parade, with Wendy McConnell helping line up many of the riders and walkers. Sharon Harris coordinated the Republicans for Jim Smith supporters who joined in — bringing her usual ideas, enthusiasm, and even frisbees for the crowd. Brian Amstutz and Mark Roemke pulled the float itself. And the float was manned by a multi-generational, bipartisan group of supporters, neighbors of every age, walking and riding together behind a shared belief that Springfield Township deserves stewardship, integrity, and transparency.

That's the campaign I want to run. Not one built around me, but one built around neighbors who show up for each other, whether or not I'm in the room.

Thank you to everyone who helped decorate, drove the float, walked the parade route, or just came out to wave. Thank you to Sharon and the Republicans for Jim Smith supporters for standing alongside my own campaign team on the same float. And thank you to Kim and Wendy, who made sure all of it actually happened while I was hiking a mountain in New Mexico.

I'm back in the township now, and I'm grateful for every one of you who carried this campaign forward while I couldn't.