Opinion: Florsheim Cares About All Residents

Submitted by Sigrid Atherton.
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What I know about Ben Florsheim can be best explained by an afternoon he spent at my house the weekend after July 4th. My husband and I had worked for weeks to introduce Ben to Westlake area residents. We knocked on our neighbor’s doors, made flyers, and invited everyone over for a meet and greet with a Mayoral candidate.

I spent the morning of the event cooking enough food to feed several dozen people. We set up a tent in the driveway and waited. We waited and waited. Ben was there, patiently waiting with us for someone to arrive.

Finally, a kind woman arrived. She was a neighbor and member of a local union.  Ben spent an hour listening to her and discussing his ideas for Middletown. Over an hour later as we packed up, another neighbor stopped by to talk about her young children and how difficult it can be to find good quality child care. Ben listened and talked with her for over thirty minutes.

Ben could have been out canvassing, reaching many more potential voters. It was, after all, a beautiful Saturday in July. But he stayed at our house talking with these few neighbors, one at a time.

Ben not only cares about Middletown as a whole, but he cares for each individual resident. I know based on this experience that he is genuine and sincere.