Tea Party Rally in Euclid

Despite cold weather and the threat of rain, over 100 turned out on Saturday April 17th after the scheduled outdoor Tea Party rally at Surveyors Park was moved inside to the Shore Cultural Centre small gymnasium.

The grassroots Tea Party movement is getting a lot of attention nationwide from the print and broadcast media. Rallies featuring notables like Governor Sarah Palin and Congresswoman Michelle Bachman are drawing crowds in the thousands. A Tea Party Express group is hosting huge rallies in large cities coast to coast. Local groups like the one coordinated by Euclid residents Nancy Mihalick and Joe Udovic are springing up all over Cuyahoga and Lake Counties.

The attendees were mostly forty to sixty years of age. Like Tea Partiers nationally, they are fed up with the direction the current congress and president are taking the country. That thought is well expressed in the name of a group in attendance calling themselves GOOOH (Get Out Of Our House). The House of Representatives is historically known as the “ peoples house”.

The featured speakers were mostly office seekers like keynoter Sandra O'Brien going for  Secretary of State, Alyce Turner for 11th District State Rep., and Tony Hocevar for Rep. 7th  District . All took turns lambasting incumbents on debt and taxes, out of control spending and other constitutional issues.  Several area ministers spoke on moral issues in government legislation, including abortion. 

WELW 1330 talk show host Mike Gutierrez wowed the crowd with his dynamic oratory. Councilwoman Mary Jo Minarik gave an eye opening dissertation on Euclid city government issues. Resident Cary Masci commented on objectionable housing inspection practices.

Coordinator Joe Udovic encouraged attendees to pick up the coming issues of the free Euclid Observer newspaper for articles on how to get involved in the civic process by presenting the people's point of view by letters and articles to the editor,  working on campaigns for honest candidates and possibly running themselves. Euclid voters have lost several of their Charter rights as they have failed to be fully informed on the consequences as they voted.

With an anti-incumbent feeling against both major parties gaining momentum, and more independent voters showing interest in the issues, residents are likely to see more Tea Party rallies as we move into the fall elections.