[ back ]
Geauga couple have up-close seats for inauguration
(by Joan Demirjian - January 15, 2009)
Geauga couple have up-close seats for inauguration
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
Bainbridge resident Janice Carson is looking forward to a great birthday celebration this year. Her birthday is Jan. 20, the same day as the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.
Mrs. Carson, chairwoman of the Geauga County Democratic Party, will celebrate her birthday at the inauguration in Washington, D.C.
She and her husband, Terry Carson, will be at the ceremony with about 1 million other people that day. It will be a first for both of them.
The inauguration is at noon on the Capitol steps. While Mrs. Carson has never met Mr. Obama, she has met Sen. Joseph Biden, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Al Gore and Jimmy Carter.
"It's a historic event, and I'm honored to be given the opportunity to attend and represent Geauga County and the 14th Congressional District," Mrs. Carson said.
"It's going to be exciting," Mr. Carson said. He is impressed with Mr. Obama, he said. "Even Republicans are saying that he is making the right moves to get the economy on track, and everyone is impressed with how fast he is working."
Confidence in the country by people is critical to get the economy on track as well, Mr. Carson said.
"It's a historic thing," he said of the election. "America really grew up in many ways when they elected a black president. "Obama is very mature, and the way he speaks is well-measured, and I like that in a leader."
Mrs. Carson received two inauguration tickets because she was a presidential elector. She received notification through Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's office.
The Carsons will stay with their daughter, April Carson, and her husband James Ewing, a major in the U.S. Army, who live in Washington, D.C. Their daughter is a 1994 graduate of Kenston High School in Bainbridge.
They will be 2 1/2 miles from the Capitol, Mrs. Carson said. Everyone has been notified that the Metro train within two miles of the Capitol will be closed, and they will walk to the Capitol, she said. "They are being very strict."
The Carsons have seated tickets on the Capitol steps. There are bleachers and chairs in that area that will accommodate 5,000 to 10,000 people, she said.
From that point back, all the way to the Lincoln Monument will be for those who will stand for the ceremony, Mrs. Carson said. "They are saying to come early and expect to stand four to six hours for the process and the ceremony," she said.
"They are expecting 1 million people for the ceremony and 3 million for the parade," Mrs. Carson said.
She said that a search of hotels shows they are "astronomical" in cost. One hotel she checked was $4,000 for a couple for four nights, and includes the Ohio Inaugural Gala and two cocktail parties.
The Carsons also looked outside the D.C. area in Maryland and found one house for rent at $600 a night. An owner of a house on 9th Street was asking $12,000 for five days.
An Ohio delegation is staying at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel on Connecticut Ave., she said. The delegation includes Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland.
The Carson family will attend a cocktail reception Jan. 17 and dinner Jan. 18 at the Mayflower.
While in D.C., the Carsons will visit the Vietnam, Korean and World War II memorials and other museums, Mrs. Carson said. "We love Washington."
In looking ahead, she said, "Obama has a huge job. I hope the public will be patient. The problems didn't happen overnight and it will take some time to get the country back on course. It's a huge task," she said.
"I thought he showed a lot of judgment and insight when he chose his cabinet members, and he surrounded himself with an excellent team, and that is going to help him be successful," Mrs. Carson said.
"I hope Congress passes the stimulus package as proposed," she said. She believes it is the right approach to address deep-seated problems in the country, she said.
"I'd much rather see the country spend billions of dollars rebuilding infrastructure, promoting education and hospitals, and developing alternative energy to make America great again, than dropping bombs on Iraq and Afghanistan.
"It's far more productive to put people to work with a meaningful job than it is to just hand them a stimulus check," Mrs. Carson said. "Tax cuts are good, but I'd much rather have a job."
[ back ]
