Busy...busy...

I've been rather busy this past week and weekend as I worked on the committee for my 25th high school reunion - and then as we celebrated a friend's 36th wedding anniversary...so I've been a bit remiss in my postings.

Several thoughts while I work on a post about flood insurance and the new FEMA flood maps that are soon to come out...

* Rep. Paul Gillmor will be missed by many. Since part of his district included small portions of Lucas County, he and his office staff always kept me informed about issues and projects he was working on. Whenever he was in the area, he'd call to see if there was anything needing attention.

He was kind, diligent and very capable. He exuded intelligence, but in a quiet way. I'm reminded of the phrase, "still waters run deep." He was also funny with a very quick, dry wit.

He represented all his constituents well - balancing the various interests within his district. He wasn't one for big headlines, but he was certainly one for hard work. And he was consistently rewarded for his efforts by his re-elections.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family and his staff.

* I understand why elected officials always want to encourage people to 'buy local' but I can't help but be struck by the hypocrisy of the same people enacting laws and regulations that add to the prices of local products, making them less competitive in a global marketplace - necessitating the need for local preference legislation. But the headlines look good - at least for those not paying attention.

* GOP candidates are coming to Michigan! An October 9th debate at the Ford Community Performing Arts Center will be sponsored by CNBC and The Wall Street Journal. The two-hour debate will air live at 4 p.m. EDT on the cable channel and be rebroadcast on MSNBC at 9 p.m.