Posts
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| Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez. |
One in the AM, and another in the PM, so that as many of her constituents that would like to speak with her, will have ample and regular opportunity do to so.
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| Her district has 450,000 people in it. |
Link to January 2017 blog where Caring Hearts received this award.
Somehow I got on her radar for that honor.
It's a bit on the surreal side to stand in front of a group of people, many that you know, and have a local official talk about things you've done.
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| Joseph Morabito holds up one side of the Power to the People Award, while Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez hold up the other side. Photo credit goes to Grace Morabito. ☺ |
Below is a video link, though the audio is a bit spotty because of the acoustics of the room, and no microphones, but most of it can be followed.
I got a call from her office in April telling me that I was selected for one of her Power to the People awards; I was gobsmacked.
The honor was originally slated for a morning coffee in Lake Elsinore, and I had the temerity to ask if there was a way that we could postpone it until an evening meeting so that my wife and friends could attend. If that wasn't enough, I asked when the next time she'd be meeting in Wildomar. (A true example of someone giving an inch and the other person taking a mile ☺)
It happened that June was the magic month, and the evening date was set for June 28th at Wildomar City Hall.
Then on June 11th my lovely wife Grace asked me when the date of the presentation was to be... I told her, "The 28th."
Her response flattened me, "That's the day you're flying out to visit your mother."
That was at 4:00pm, the day before the scheduled town hall at the VFW. I called the Assemblywoman's office, spoke with Katelyn Wilkerson, and told her of my dilemma. True to the form of the Melissa Melendez machine, within 15 minutes they were able to adjust the schedule to accommodate my travel plans.
This last minute change interrupted my chance to invite people as I had intended. Sorry to all that didn't hear about this. It was all short notice.
The backstory of how the blog originated.
For the five people that are curious (including my family members), I've always been interested in politics on all levels, but did nothing more than read, vote and comment... I never attended any city meetings, and didn't even know where Wildomar city hall was.
Over the years I've logged way too many comments at places like Yahoo News, PE and Patch. It was that last stop where I found an active comment section about issues in Wildomar.
It was also where my neighbor (someone I hadn't met up to that time) Kevin Jon Sax invited me, and others, to join a Facebook group that centered on Wildomar. I took to that right away.
I met Bridgette Moore by chance, at the Brown House on a blistering hot August afternoon, while Kevin and I were there picking up litter. She came over to make sure we weren't trespassing (at least that's how I remember it), which we probably were.
After introducing herself, she asked if I had any questions about the city. I asked about the fate of the fields on the west side of I-15 that straddle Baxter. She didn't hesitate to offer setting up a meeting at city hall along with the city manager... uh, no thank you... I wasn't that interested (or so I thought).
About a week later I went to my first city meeting, a parks subcommittee meeting. Then I went to a planning commission meeting, and finally a city council meeting.
Back in early October 2013, at Patch (which is nothing like it used to be), the topic of blogging came up, and I recall posting: only a moron would write a blog.
In less ten days I started Wildomar Rap (the truth will out).
I had no idea what it was going to be, but the person that was suggesting that I give it a try was the guy that had been haunting Wildomar since incorporation, and before that he was always hounding Lake Elsinore: Gil Rasmussen.
Check out my first blog issue, I think it still only has under 30 lifetime page views. It's actually rather telling, and has some of my poorly drawn cartoons in it too.
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| The lifetime pageviews are just under half a million at this point. The spike occurred when I blogged about Chelsea Romo being shot while at a concert in Las Vegas. |
After starting the blog, there are three things that made it work.
• First, the fact that I do the work —yippee!
• Second, and particularly critical to it staying around for more than 6 issues, is my wife and her encouragement to keep doing it.
• Third, and every bit as integral to the longevity of WR is Bridgette Moore.
Way back in the early days, she gave it credibility that it hadn't really earned to that point. Her stamp of approval opened the door for others to read it. I remember the first time she matter-of-factly mentioned the blog from the dais during a city council meeting, that was a trip.
In January of 2014 I opened the facebook page associated with Wildomar Rap, and this is what I put in the description area, though I don't think I ever hit the publish button.
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| That "one year experiment" is pushing five years now. |
Thanks to all those that read this blog. It's truly humbling.
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If I only had three words of advice, they would be, Tell The Truth. If got three more words, I'd add, All The Time.
– Randy Pausch
If Wildomar Rap only had three words of advice, they would be, Take Off Hoser... errr... I mean, Smile More Often. ☺
– Randy Pausch
If Wildomar Rap only had three words of advice, they would be, Take Off Hoser... errr... I mean, Smile More Often. ☺
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