TOLEDO, Ohio — The old Irish blessing says, "May the road rise to meet you." "All roads lead to Rome" mean an outcome can be reached by several methods, "A road less traveled" means you like to find your own way, don't necessarily need to follow in anybody else's footprints. Later this morning, we are talking roads with the agency that plans our roads. Which projects take priority when it comes to our roads, and guess what, you have a say in the whole thing. And why not? You have to drive in them.
But first, I'm welcoming in for the first time to my Leading Edge table, Ohio Rep. Douglas "DJ" Swearingen, R-Port Clinton. He represents our many viewers in Erie and Ottawa counties.
Swearingen was appointed to the Ohio House last year when state Rep. Steve Arndt decided to retire, jump on his 50-foot sailboat, or at least I'm told, and sail off on an amazing adventure. (I'm also told Steve has come back and wants a bigger boat.)
Rep. Swearingen is a married father of two. A political science graduate of Bowling Green State University, he then earned a law degree from the University of Dayton. When he is not legislating in Columbus, he practices law for a firm with offices in Sandusky and Avon, largely representing the interests of businesses? You were already very much involved in politics, though, as the GOP chair of Erie County Republican Party. Given your district, you better have the interests of Lake Erie close to your heart. What has Columbus done since your arrival to help alleviate the annual agal threat to recreation, the fishing and boating industry... And yes, our drinking water?
Whatever roads you took to get you wherever you went today, or any day, were planned years ago. It's probably why some roads have us asking, why didn't they make this road wider? It'd make more sense if they would have built it over there. Remember, things around our roads change, too. If you have ever thought, "Well, if they would just ask me I would have told them."
Guess what, you can tell them. What you want, where you want, how wide you want rands and interchanges and even bike and walking paths. They are the Toledo Area Council of Governments, TMACOG, and Marissa Bechstein is a transportation planner there. TMACOG has long been the leading agency when it comes to transportation issues in our area.
