'We need to change something in this country'

NORWALK — It was all right there in black and white. Or in this case, it was all right there in living color. Former Norwalk Mayor Sue Lesch was eager to point out the list of Democratic candidates in the Nov. 8 election while working in the party booth Tuesday at the Huron County Fair. Of the 10 faces on the board — six were women. For Lesch, who was Norwalk mayor from 2004-12, all of these women just being in this position is a great thing. "For my grandchildren, I'm really excited," she said. "It's not there yet. It's only on paper." When is Lesch going to have her name back on the big board? "I'm not going to be back on this board, but I'm going to work hard to help other women," she said. "We need to change something in this country. I think that might help." Looking back, Lesch said her years in office were a real struggle. "Toughest years Norwalk experienced in a long time," she said. "I had one year when we had money ... the rest of the years we were cutting." Lesch was in office during the Great Recession, a period of marked general decline that occurred between 2007-09. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country, but at the time, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded that it was the most severe economic and financial meltdown since the Great Depression. While economic times have improved, Lesch said the face of politics is going the other way. "It's just sad. Very sad where we are," she said. "I loved being mayor but I hated the politics. That's all it is now — it's politics. It's all ideology." Kids Day It was Kids Day Tuesday, and admission was free to the public until 3 p.m. A lot of people took advantage of the free admission — and the perfect weather — as the fairgrounds were packed Tuesday afternoon. And so was the parking lot. In the Pickworth building, youngsters lined up for the kiddie tractor pull. One-by-one they tried their luck — some going the distance while others went a couple of feet. Tuesday night was the queen contest, and Christian performer Matt Maher put on a concert in the grandstand. Wednesday is Veterans Day, as all military veterans get in for one penny. The OSTPA tractor pull will be held in the grandstand beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursday is Senior Citizens Day when all seniors will get in for one penny and motor cross takes over the grandstand.