Q: How does a person become a delegate? I put my name in that I was interested but I thought it was a long shot. I got a call from the State Party Chair saying that I was on a list of candidates. I brought a few friends to the meeting, which is open to all registered Democrats, and got the call.
Q: These days a lot of people are disenchanted with the two major parties. What makes you proud of your party? A lot of good has occurred in the last two years and I prefer the Democrats' stance on our rights and women's rights. The President gets criticized no matter what. He made some bold moves with health care and saving the auto industry. If he didn't do anything he would have been criticized for that too. I don't agree with all of the values of the Democratic Party but the values I most closely align myself to are the Democrats' values.
The Convention
Q: Do you know other delegates going, or are you about to join thousands of strangers on the convention floor? I know a lot of them but there are some newbies here. I am spending a lot of time with Middletown Mayor Dan Drew and Hartford City Council President Shawn Woodens. There are a great number of people down here that we do know and we've enjoyed our time now.
Q: What are you looking forward to most at the convention? I'm looking forward to Barack Obama's speech on Thursday night. It is the highlight of the convention and I'm interested to see what he has to say about how he will attack the issues such as the economy. I want to hear his plan because I haven't heard any plan from the Republicans yet. The speech is also outside at the football stadium so that will make it more exciting. Charlotte is beautiful and we are enjoying it. It is interesting to see all the security here as well. It's pretty strict.
Q: What would you want your neighbors to know about the convention? It's hot, haha. We are trying to stay out of the heat.
The Election in Their Town
Q: If Obama asked you what issues really matter in Berlin, what would you say? The high school renovation.
Q: What is the most surprising thing that you’ve seen or heard about the convention? It is early in the process but already it has been great to the luncheon for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. We are there with Mayors from Los Angeles and San Francisco and also some tiny towns. It is nice to sit and talk to other Mayors who are dealing with the same type of issues we are in Berlin. I met and talked to Kevin Johnson, he was in the NBA and is now the Mayor of Sacramento. We talked and we are all dealing with issues like schools, roads, bridges and highways and how to finance those projects. It's nice to hear whether it's east coast or west coast we are all in the same boat and we're not alone.
Salina said he was looking forward to First Lady Michelle Obama's speech and sent the photo of her speech above.
On Tuesday one of Salina's mentors, Congressman John B. Larson, will speak at 5 p.m. Governor Dannel P. Malloy will also speak on Tuesday. He is set to address the DNC at 6 p.m.
