8 September, 2010, Stark County, Ohio, USA
[Looks at lectern] Ladies and gentlemen of the Stark County Republican [lectern] Party Executive [lectern] Committee, [lectern] good evening. [lectern] and thank you – not only for your attendance [lectern] but for allowing me the opportunity to speak.[lectern] My name is Phil Davison [lectern] and I am seeking our party’s nomination [lectern] for the position of Stark County Treasurer.
[lectern]
On November 10th … [lectern] November of 2010, [lectern] excuse me…
In terms of my background, [lectern] I am from the village of Minerva, [lectern] where I am serving my [holds up four fingers] thirteenth year [lectern] as a – [lectern] of elected service as a Minerva Council member [lectern]. In terms of education, I have a bachelor’s degree in sociology, a bachelor’s degree in history, a master’s degree in public administration [nine-months-pregnant pause] and a master’s degree in communication.
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In terms of elections across Stark County, [lectern] I have represented our party twice [lectern] on the county ballot [lectern] in both the primary [lectern] and the general elections, when I ran [lectern] for Stark County Clerk of Courts in 1996 and Stark County Commissioner in 2000 [lectern] and I will not apologize for my tone tonight.
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I have been a Republican in times good, and I have been a Republican in times bad.
[long pause… looks at lectern]
Albett Einstein issued one of my most favorite quotes in the history of the spoken word, [lectern] and it is as follows: [lectern] In the middle of opportunity … [looks at lectern … yelps] excuse me; in the middle of difficulty lies ib- opportunity. I’m going to repeat that so I have clarity tonight. [lectern] In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
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This is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for. [lectern] The Stark County Treasurer’s office is a mess. [lectern] It is in dire [brief pause] need of structure and guidance. [lectern] And now is the time to seize this opportunity [lectern] with an aggressive and an even more aggressive campaigner.
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If nominated tonight, I promise each and every person in this room [lectern] I will hit the ground running, come out [lectern] swinging, and end up winning. [lectern] Let’s send a message tonight [lectern] to the people of [lectern] Stark County and to the people of the Stark County Democratic Party: [lectern] we’re tired of business as usual. [lectern] Drastic times require what? [audience member: drastic measures] Drastic measures. Yes. Who said that? Thank you. Drastic times require drastic measures.
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We will not tolerate incompetence and irresponsibility any longer. [lectern] Now is the time to snap the Democratic stranglehold on the Treasurer’s office in two, and I harken back to what my friend Alex just said. He ran against the Treasurer in 1996. It was a problem then, it’s a problem now.
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Infestation.
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Politics is not touch football. [lectern] Politics is winner take all. It always has been and it always will be.
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If nominated tonight, [lectern] I want to develop and expand [lectern] my campaign for what I believe is the greatest strength [lectern] of the Stark County Republican Party, and that is its people. [lectern] I believe in the axiom [lectern] that all politics is local. [lectern] And because of this belief, I want to [lectern] harness the thoughts and ideas [lectern] that individuals in our party have [lectern] concerning Stark County and its political subdivisions [lectern] and use that [lectern] to its fullest extent.
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Knowledge is power. [lectern] Let’s tap into this knowledge and use it as a tool [lectern] to win the Treasurer’s office. [lectern] Let’s use this knowledge not only as a tool, but as a weapon. [gestures as if unsheathing a sword]
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We must win this election. [lectern] If nominated tonight, I will win this election, [lectern] and I’m going to say that again so there’s no miscommunication tonight. If nominated tonight, I win. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell Randy Gonzales [lectern] I’m coming. Both barrels, guns loaded. [lectern] I believe in the entities and the principles of the National Republican Party, the State of Ohio Republican Party, and the Stark County Republican Party, [lectern] and if nominated I will not hide those [lectern] beliefs on my march to victory on election [lectern] day.
If nominated tonight I can guarantee with [lectern] one hundred percent certainty that what you are [lectern] seeing from me tonight is what everyone outside those [lectern] doors is going to get over the next [holds up eight fingers] eight weeks. [lectern] I used to be an idealistic [lectern] thinker; I am now a pragmatic [lectern] thinker. Government may be about service; politics is [lectern] about winning.
Tonight, [lectern] as a candidate [picks up speech] seeking the Republican nomination [looks at speech] for the position [folds up speech] of Stark County Treasurer,[ unfolds speech] I humbly ask for your vote [refolds speech] as members of the Stark County Republican Party Executive Committee. [puts speech in pocket] Thank you.