I went to the dinner not knowing exactly what to expect, who the guest speakers were, or what was on the menu, but Table 18 was the best ever. Thank you so much Bruce and Michele for letting me share this night with you.
Bruce and I got to talking in the hallway area near the silent auction tables, and he told me who the speakers were going to be, and started to point out certain dignitaries to me. Bruce is on the Board of Elections of Butler County, so he knows a lot of people.
One of the first people he mentioned was Andrew Hounshell, an Army veteran and steelworker, who is running for the United States House of Representatives in 2014 against House Speaker John Boehner. I walked up to Andy, shook hands and introduced myself, supportingly giving him many words of encouragement on his venture.
When I walked back to where Bruce was standing, he pointed in the direction of a gentlemen who had just walked in and said, "There's our guest speaker." I immediately turned and walked over to him and offered my handshake and happily introduced myself. I was truly having a Jerry Springer moment! With my camera in hand, a nice young man offered to take our picture. So there I was, shocked and surprised to be meeting with a civic icon, a former Mayor of Cincinnati, lawyer, newscaster, and international TV personality all in one. THE one and only JERRY SPRINGER. 
Just prior to sitting down to eat, I saw a Facebook friend of mine, a Yale Law School graduate, former president of the Hamilton County Commission, and former Cincinnati City Councilman, David Pepper. I walked over and re-introduced myself to him and mentioned that we had our picture taken together at the Governor's Mansion in Columbus during the last summer picnic held by former Governor Ted Strickland, which I attended. I also said I had read the news today about his newly announced candidacy to run for Ohio Attorney General against Mike DeWine. The chicken dinner was delicious and after a few announcements another featured speaker walked into the room with her husband, and I immediately recognized her from her frequent visits to The Ed Show on TV. After the meal, it was announced that there would be a short break so patrons could go to the hallway and check their silent auction bids, prior to the speaking event.
Being my brave self, I walked up to the front of the ballroom and I was second in line to meet and greet Ohio State Senator Nina Turner from Cuyahoga County (where I was born). With my camera in hand (again), her husband introduced himself to me first and asked if I would like a picture taken. I gratefully offered my camera for his use. I introduced myself to Mrs. Turner and made mention of my many views of The Ed Show where she was a frequent guest. In the specific introduction of Senator Turner to the crowd of about 200 people, it was mentioned that she is planning to announce her candidacy to run for Secretary of State against Jon Husted in 2014. At a recent fundraiser in the Cleveland area, headlined by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senator Turner was a sharp critic of the way current Secretary of State Jon Husted managed the 2012 election. Turner said the secretary of state ought to be safeguard voting rights. She accused Husted of doing the opposite. Turner said, "What we faced last year were long lines, appeals to suppress the vote, voter intimidation, and wasted tax dollars. We will not stand for that in the state of Ohio.”
The third speaker was State Representative John Patrick Carney from the Columbus area - another lawyer. However, I did not get a chance to meet him during the evening.
I felt very at home and at ease being around so many lawyers at the event, after all, both my friends, Bruce and Michele, are both lawyers (and I worked for lawyers for about 12 years of my working career)! But to me, it was still a JERRY SPRINGER DATE to remember!
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