Jay Ovittore's Blog

End of the Road

As I embark on new endeavors in my life I have chosen to retire my personal blog, at least for now. Maybe I will continue here in the future, maybe I won't. I will not remove this blog until after Election Day '08, so as no one can cry foul about it's removal. If I remove it at all.

I appreciate all the dialogue on this site and the opposing views which were debated here. This site has created personal growth in my life.

I truly believe this medium is a wonderful tool to tell your stories, voice opinions, deliver news that isn't being delivered (especially local issues), and create change by bringing awareness to issues important to you. I encourage almost everyone I speak with that has a message of any sort to start a blog.

You can follow my new endeavor on my new blog. Keep on being the information seekers and the people who have the conversation.

I bid you adieu for now. See you around.

A GOP Halloween

Yvonne Johnson Kick Off Event

My weekend of politics continued back at the Koury Center on Sunday at 2pm. I attended the Yvonne Johnson kick off event. I walked into the Koury center to the sounds of hand drums and it really put a swagger in my step. I looked around and figured out that my swagger was part of a contagious energy that is found anytime you are around the Mayoral candidate and long time City Councilwomen Yvonne Johnson.

The only word I can use to describe this event is Wow! The second you walked in to the event the energy was all around you. I was really impressed by the turnout and so was the Koury Center who had to open another partition into a much larger area to fill the needs of hundreds that were in attendance. I have never seen such a turnout for a municipal race here in Greensboro. It was impressive.

All of Yvonne's grandchildren spoke on why there grammy should be Mayor including one grandchild reciting Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise" from memory. I had to wipe tears as this is Yvonne's favorite poem. I looked around and others were wiping as well.

Many spoke in favor of Yvonne and there was song and even Native American dance. Yvonne gave a concise speech that highlighted what she will do for this city that she loves. Among these things, she will strengthen the small and medium sized business community as she calls them "our foundation". As a small business owner I really appreciate the fact that this was addressed.

I have known Yvonne for a few years and the one thing that sticks out to me is her genuine love for the city of Greensboro. She works for the people, to solve problems and she gives it all that she has. She treats everyone she meets as if they were her family. I get a classic Yvonne Johnson hug every time I see her. There is hope for a wonderful future in this city, Yvonne Johnson is that hope.

I am as an individual offering my full support for Yvonne. You can too at her website.

A Wonderful Weekend of Politics

I attended three wonderful political events this past weekend. My weekend started on Saturday afternoon at the Koury Center here in Greensboro for the NC Democratic Party State Executive Committee Meeting. This is my party's semi-annual Executive Committee Meeting. For disclosure purposes, I am a State Executive Committee Member, with full voting powers. We conducted our normal business and cast our votes. It is really a good feeling to see Democracy in action within my party's walls. I won't go into particulars from the meeting on our business at hand. I will tell you the candidates for the '08 race who have publicly announced all had time to speak to a contingent that was represented from all corners of our state. We have a crowded field for State Lieutenant Governor and for State Treasurer. There are 4 Democrats in the race for both of those seats. I saw Richard Moore speak about his Governors race, if Bev Perdue spoke I missed it on one of my few trips out to speak with others in the hall. The meeting went from 2pm to 5pm.

At 5:30pm, the big event of the day began. The Sanford-Hunt dinner. This year the dinner was at George K's off of Holden Rd, right around the corner from the Executive meeting at Koury. This dinner pays tribute to two wonderful Democrats from our great state. Terry Sanford and Jim Hunt.

Every moment of this event, which sold over 600 tickets, was exciting and inspirational. Congressman Brad Miller gave the opening speech. Senator Betty McCain gave an inspired speech. We all ate and conversed and waited for our keynote speaker. Gov Jim Hunt. This is the second time I have heard a Gov Hunt speak and both times I walk away an inspired Democrat and a better person. There are so many representatives to mention that were in attendance, so I'll just leave it at if you are anyone in the Democratic Party, you were there. If you weren't you missed a wonderful event and must go next year.

A huge hand to my State Party chair, Jerry Meek. For your leadership and your vision. I thank you.

Here are some pictures taken by my friend Jerimee Richer.

Keynote Speaker Gov Jim Hunt

Congressman Brad Miller

Senator Betty Ray McCain

State Representative Grier Martin engages with a Young Democrat.

8th Congressional District hopeful Larry Kissel at Sanford-Hunt

State Party Chair Jerry Meek

Italy-Smugglers-Arms and Iraq

I read this story today on Yahoo(via AP).

Scary stuff. The Italian Government was probing possible drug smuggling and stepped in to a much bigger pile then they had thought. Apparently the smugglers were not dealing in drugs, but instead were dealing in arms. According to the AP story they found out about 100,000 Russian made automatic weapons selling on the black market to be shipped to Iraq. Even scarier is the fact that members of the Iraqi government were involved in this arms deal. The Iraqi government has made deals before, but always with the notification and approval of the US command. They had neither notified or received approval.

It appears to me that the Iraqi government is standing up. What was it that George Bush keeps tauting? Oh...I believe it was when they stand up we will stand down.

I see this as a good time to stand down!

Human Relations Appointment

I've been to busy with work to post this since Wed., but I served my first day of my recently appointed position as a Commissioner on the Human Relations Commission. I was appointed on 7/17/07 and will serve until 8/15/08. I have to pick two committees to serve on as well and I have chosen my first to be the Fair Housing Committee. I am interested in the Education committee as well. I look forward to serving this position and the people of the City of Greensboro.

The Human Relations Commission's mission is to promote fair treatment and mutual understanding among all residents and to resolve issues most likely creating unrest among racial and ethnic groups.

I would like to thank City Council members T. Diane Bellamy-Small and Goldie Wells for making the appointment happen. I look forward to working with both of you.

My Great Uncle Tom Evelle

As a kid I spent my summers in my Dad's home town of Mount Vernon, NY. I stayed with my Grandma Connie and my Great Uncle Tom. One particular day sticks out to me as one I will never forget.

I was playing baseball in the huge back yard, where the beaten down garage served as our backstop and the massive roots of the old trees served as bases. The game was really just me and the neighbors kid Jack Welsh. We played as we normally do and got hot as we normally did. Then the best part of summer in Mount Vernon, Grandma says, "Who wants some Italian Ice?" Of course we obliged with excitement.

The Italian Ice we were going to get were more like Gelato and hand made by a guy at the set of stores in a small strip mall down the street. I remember vividly how good the chocolate ice tasted and that I always wanted more. I miss those ices.

When we got back to the house we sat in the shade and drank Grandma's lemonade and cooled off a bit more. My Grandma and Great Uncle Tom sat with us in some outdoor folding chairs.

And then it happened. Out of the clear blue on a beautiful summer day a Monarch butterfly landed on Great Uncle Tom's head. What makes this funny is his hair is like Jason Alexander's (known to some as George Costanza), bald on top and hair around the sides. It was one of the funniest things I had seen in my few years on this planet and was forever etched in my memory.

My Great Uncle Tom was one of the most caring, funniest, and loving individual I ever had the pleasure to know. Always put a smile on face and always knew how to. He had owned a bar way back in the day and one of the pool tables was past on to my Dad and then resided in my apartment for years. When Great Uncle Tom was in the hospital in NJ for heart surgery, I went and saw him every day and every day he told me I was too young to be hanging out in a hospital with an old man. "Go have some fun", he would tell me. But I stayed anyway. Loved my Great Uncle to death.

On Sunday July 8th, two days before he was scheduled for another heart surgery, I received a phone call from my Dad that my Great Uncle had past. I broke down and wept and then pulled myself together as he would have told me to "be a man". I didn't get to make the journey to upstate NY for his funeral, but I was there in spirit. I plan to go visit his grave in the near future.

I wanted to share this with everyone, but most of all I wanted my Great Uncle Tom to know how much I will miss him and how much I loved him. RIP Great Unc.