AUGUST 4, 1995 GAY PEOPLE's ChroNICLE

COMMUNITY GROUPS

Lakewood mayoral candidate speaks to Log Cabin

by R. Woodward

For showing that particular voters are not being ignored or taken for granted, there is nothing more convincing than a candidate actually being there to talk to them. Present as a guest speaker at the July 13 meeting of the Log Cabin Club of Northeast Ohio was Pam Smith, the Republican candidate in this year's race for mayor of

Lakewood.

A resident of Lakewood since 1974 and a member of Lakewood City Council since 1989, Smith said that she is running for mayor because it is her town and she wants to do things for it-and not because she plans to use the office as

a political stage on the

way to Columbus or

Washington. She said

the guest speaker at a gay political club so early in the campaign-weeks if not months before any such appearances by her political opponents (if her political opponents bother to show up at all).

Smith heard comments and anecdotal material from Log Cabin members about anti-gay violence a ce around the Cleveland-Lakewood border, and said that from what she

that she was in fact lobbied by local Republicans to run against Mary Rose Oakar in the 1992 election. She said that she decided not to run to save her family the hassles of trying to establish a household in Washington while also trying to maintain one in Lakewood.

Educated as a school teacher, Smith described herself as "a strong public school supporter." Her own children have gone through the Lakewood Public Schools, she said, and she regards their having done so as necessary social training. She pointed out that different elementary schools in the Lakewood system have different teaching styles and that parents may choose from among them.

Smith said that in doing her job she has had no problems with being the only Republican on the Lakewood City Council.

In discussing her background, Smith was quick to counter stereotypes about Republicans being social reactionaries. "My parents are long-time Republicans and long-time supporters of Planned Parenthood," she said. Smith said that she herself has been targeted by anti-choice propaganda and added that she is not easily intimidated by such propaganda even though it causes doors to be slammed in her face when she is out campaigning.

How little Smith is intimidated by talking to gay voters indicated by her choosing to be

chronicle classifieds are

cheap easy

call 216.631.8646

COMMITMENT Vows

I perform ceremonies outside the traditional fold with sincere respect for each couple who love, honor & cherish each other.

Please call Rev. Renee Goodman 216/247-2772

knew about the Lakewood police that the problem was not with their response time or follow-up in particular cases. She indicated that she needed some more specific data and specific suggestions to work with. Smith said that she knows many gays living in Lakewood as fellow prop-

erty owners and most certainly as fellow taxpayers. Gay taxpayers, she indicated, would be better defended from tax gouging by her as mayor than by either of the two Democrats most likely to be running against her.

She mentioned some difficulties with Lakewood's current tax base-such as 51 percent of the housing being occupied by renters and not much space for building new buildings to expand the tax base. But she insisted that Lakewood's current budget is adequate if properly managed.

Proper management, she concluded, is what Lakewood residents would get more of from her than from her opponents. She is a long-time resident, she said, who has always been pleased to respond to the practical as-

PROGRESSIVE URBAN REAL ESTATE

PURE

PHONE: 589-9696

1017 Fairfield Ave. Cleveland, OH 44113

HOW TO LIVE TO BE 100

1. Cut back on animal fats, alcohol and pomposity.

2. Exercise every day--walk to your neighborhood bakery.

3. Buy a home in the city, and eliminate stress brought on by 40-minute commutes, killer mortgage payments and pressure from neighbors to keep that lawn clipped and weed-free.

Call P.U.R.E., the premier urban real estate specialists, to learn more about the freedoms of city living.

New! Tremont Century Home: Single family with 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths, formal dining room, eat-in kitchen, and hardwood floors in beautiful shape. Could convert to a double. In move-in condition, not a drive-by. $35,000.

New! Tremont Double: Colonial with 2 bedrooms, 1 full bath in each unit and separate utilities. Porch, fenced yard, some appliances. Movein condition. $35,000

Ohio City: Banquet-size dining room, skylighted kitchen, large deck, finished rec. room in walkout basement, lower level built-in 2-car garage, versatile layout (up to 6 bedrooms, or pick one for a home office or family room), security, ceiling fans, porch. $134,900

Tremont Townhouses: Three like-new, Civil Warera units. Two bedrooms with garage, central air, brick patio, 1.5 baths--buy three and save! $56,000 each..

Metro Hospital Area: Recently painted two-family with new porch and porch roof, new electricals, 2-car garage, some appliances. Solid, clean, good moneymaker. $39,900

Murray Hill Schoolhouse: Sleek, contemporary, loft-style condo, renovated in a neo classical look featuring artistic lighting, ornate columns, marble flanked fireplace, long balcony, hardwood floors. Parking, tax abatement, low fees, lake view. $189,000

Your community real estate company. Ask us about our other listings.

pects of running things. Among her involvements in Lakewood have been working a precinct chair, serving on the Lakewood Hospital board, and being a member of the Lakewood League of Women Voters, not to mention the various involvements both direct and indirect that necessarily go with serving as a council member. Smith says that she knows how to appreciate good advice and said that members of the League of Women Voters are particularly deserving of her gratitude for "their excellence as educators."

Smith said that those interested in seeing for themselves what her legislative style is

like can do so very easily by attending a Lakewood City Council meeting on the first or third Monday of any month. She suggested that those who do so ask about attending some committee meetings since committees do most of the council's actual work. The big meetings are often disappointing to visitors, Smith said, because they are mostly summaries of things that have already been decided. Smith mentioned that one of her likely opponents is not currently a legislator and the other one is a state representative in Columbus, and that she herself is the only mayoral candidate that most Lakewood residents can actually watch at work this year.

CUSTOM FURNITURE FOR YOUR HOME.

WOOD IT IS!

PIANO INSTRUCTION

2116 COON ROAD COPLEY, OH. 44321

Nelson Harper, Doctor of Musical Arts

(216) 666-4899

Member, Music Teachers National Association

Recordings: Vienna Modern Masters

Now accepting private students, Dr. Harper has served on the faculties of Denison University and The Ohio State University, and serves as pianist for Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus.

Lessons include:

Training in classical piano music

Music Theory

Ear Training

Monthly group Master Class

Chamber music and accompanying skills

Studio conveniently located in Dennison Place (Victorian Village) area. Please call Nelson Harper at (614) 421-2147 for further information.

RANDALL B. SHORR, ESQ.

ATTORNEY AT LAW

Proudly serving our community by providing sensible, sophisticated solutions to your legal problems

General Practice of Law

Concentrating in:

• Real Estate (Including Co-Ownership Agreements)

• Corporations and Partnerships

•

• Wills, Trusts & Powers of Attorney

6314 Franklin Boulevard, N.W.

Cleveland, Ohio 44102 Phone: (216) 631-1221