MOUNT VERNON — “A lot of fun, people having a good time, and much excitement and enthusiasm were words which described the atmosphere from Mount Vernon area residents when Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney visited the grounds of the Licking County Courthouse in Newark on Sunday on his Rust Belt tour.
“There was a lot of excitement among the people in the crowd. People were very anxious to see a change,” said Fred Dailey who was attending the rally with his wife, Rita. “They were very hopeful, they were very buoyant, and they were excited about his message.”
Having attended other rallies in the past, Dailey pointed out that a difference in this rally was obvious with it being on Father’s Day. “He’s obviously a family man. He had five boys, and several of them spoke about what a great father he was. The message came across pretty loud and clear that he’s a problem solver.”
Elements of Romney’s speech that Dailey emphasized were that if elected he would “Repeal Obamacare, address the well-being of small businesses, approve of the Keystone Pipeline and stress the need for our country to become energy independent.”
“The people were very excited, and his message was very well received by them,” said Dailey of the more than 2,000 people who gathered for the rally.
Also attending Sunday’s rally was Mount Vernon City Councilwoman Janis Seavolt along with her husband, John. As enthusiastic as the crowd was, Seavolt explained that security measures were extremely high with Secret Service officers everywhere. Security officers were even perched on the cupola of the courthouse. Those attending the rally also had to walk through a scanner in order to be checked for weapons or other illegal items. “It was good security,” said Seavolt. “They were really watching the crowd but were really nice.”
