Displaying items by tag: Republican National Convention

The Republican National Convention is over, but the impact Northeast Ohio has had on at least one out-of-state delegate is enough to make him want to move here.

"I love it," said Efraim Manglona Atalig, mayor of Rota in the Northern Mariana Islands. "I was thinking, like, I wish I could move here."

Atalig's explanation is quite simple.

"I felt welcome and the people are friendly."

The delegates of the Northern Mariana Islands spent the week in the Akron-area. Atalig said he was able to explore the city and visit some of Northeast Ohio's most popular attractions, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"It was awesome."

Atalig said that it was the friendly environment that surprised him and left him wanting more.

"The people, at least in the establishments that I visited, the cashiers and the waitresses, they're very very friendly, and that struck me."

Gov. Kasich won't be speaking at the Republican National Convention itself, but we now know where he'll be on one day next week in Cleveland.

The Ohio RNC committee will hold a reception Tuesday afternoon for Kasich at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Gov. Kasich is not on the official speakers list for the convention itself, but had already said he'll be in Cleveland next week.

Before going to Cleveland, the governor will speak at the NAACP National Convention on Sunday night in Cincinnati.

The namesake of the University of Akron's Bliss Institute and past Republican National Conventions are getting some attention inside a new exhibit on display in downtown Akron.

Victor Fleischer, associate professor and head of the University of Akron Archival Services, said the exhibit will give visitors, (especially those here for the upcoming RNC), a look at the political legacy of University of Akron alumnus Ray C. Bliss.

"He was really known for reviving the Republican party after the failed Barry Goldwater campaign, helping (Richard) Nixon to be elected president in 1968 and helping to preserve the two-party system which is very important in American politics."

The exhibit will include historic photographs, documents, artifacts from UA's archival services, and period clothing from the Summit County Historical Society. It will also showcase memorabilia from past Republican National Conventions.

(Ray C. Bliss, photo courtesy of the University of Akron Archival Services)

The free exhibit titled "Mr. Chairman: Ray C. Bliss and the RNC" is currently on display inside the Ohio Building at 175 S. Main Street (King James Way). The exhibit will remain open through November 8th. It's located on the fourth floor of the Ohio Building during normal business hours from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

There is talk of protests and potential riots at the Republican National Convention, and local security experts say the area should be prepared - even into the Akron/Canton area.

Tim Dimoff's SACS Security is monitoring security concerns for private companies for the RNC.

He says what happens in downtown Cleveland in July could very well effect how far protesters go.

"How good is the security up in the convention area, in the greater Cleveland area, how well they manage that," Dimoff tells WAKR's Jasen Sokol, "can determine how far south of Cleveland protesters or people will go."

Dimoff says there could be "decoy" protesting groups that spread away from downtown Cleveland into the suburbs, and even into Akron and Canton, and that those groups could be testing security outside the convention area.

He says that though there's not a strong worry about a terrorist attack at the RNC, any large political convention is a possible target.