Rally ends with door to door canvassing
Connecticut Post, Wednesday, October 22, 2008
By MICHAEL P. MAYKO
TRUMBULL -- No candidates ever came to Richard Parenza's house and introduced themselves before.
So when Parenza was in his yard watching his 3-year-old son Zachary and talking with William Rosa, his next door neighbor, and saw 4th District Democratic candidate Jim Himes approach and introduce himself Tuesday afternoon, he was surprised.
"This is the first time it's happened," said Parenza, a registered Republican who lives on Wilson Avenue.
"He seems like a nice guy, very personable," said Parenza after a brief conversation with Himes about the ills of the country.
A UConn/Hearst Newspapers Poll, released Monday, found Himes and incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays in a statistical dead heat just two weeks before Election Day. And it's people like Parenza who Himes needs to cross party lines in his quest to unseat Shays.
But Parenza hasn't decided who he's voting for yet.
"My biggest concerns are job security and the country's safety," said Parenza, an electrical installer employed at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford.
For about an hour late Tuesday afternoon, Himes knocked on doors on Wilson Avenue. Few opened. Those that did accepted his literature, shook his hand and asked no questions.
"I love door knocking," said Himes. "You meet some of the most amazing people. Yesterday in Norwalk I met a guy who was awarded the Purple Heart. He fought in Korea and he had the most amazing stories."
For the next two weeks, Himes will be knocking on a lot of doors, greeting commuters at train stations and attending "any gathering of more than 10 people in the district," quipped Mike Sachse, a Himes spokesman.
"He's going to be working 16 to 18 hours a day," he said. "He'll have plenty of time to catch up on his sleep after Nov. 4."
Tuesday afternoon Himes also attended a rally of the Working Families Party at the North End Library on Madison Avenue, Bridgeport. Approximately 45 paid campaign canvassers attended the event, after which they knocked on doors in Shelton and Trumbull urging support for Himes and Janice Andersen and Vincent Musto, two Democratic candidates for state Senate in the 21st and 22nd districts respectively.
Nick Spector, a 20-year-old sophomore at Fairfield University, who wants to be mayor of Bridgeport one day, was one of the canvassers. He's supporting Himes because "the country needs a veto-proof Congress." Lori Eckes, another canvasser, planned to knock on 80 doors over four hours Tuesday.
"I'll probably meet 30 to 40 people and get 15 to 20 to sign up with our party," the Bridgeport resident said.
