Embracing Activism Amidst Division: Danielle Fascione's Journey to Political Engagement
In episode 73, we sit down with Danielle Fascione, who walks us through her transformative journey to political activism from the cozy, liberal streets of Lakewood, OH to the conservative heartbeat of Wadsworth, OH.
Danielle is a 34 year old, part-time helping professional, part-time DIYer/home beautifier, and now, part-time activist. She is married with two cats and she and her husband have lived in Wadsworth for the last 5 years.
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00:00 - Finding Community in a New Town
11:07 - Building Momentum in Political Activism
17:28 - Community Involvement and Political Activism
32:22 - Building Bridges Across Political Divides
It's invigorating to know you're not alone.
Speaker 2:
Like it's validating.
Speaker 1:
it's motivating, like when you see these people who feel the same. It's a different feeling if you don't see it and you're like, maybe I'm the only one, like, maybe I'm the only one who feels that way, right, but it is so encouraging when you see others getting involved.
Speaker 3:
Welcome back to the United she Stands podcast, the show that brings kindness and women into politics.
Speaker 2:
I'm Ashley and I'm Sarah, and we're two women from Ohio who are here to become more educated about American politics and build a community so we can all get involved and make an impact together. We hope we'll inspire and empower you along the way.
Speaker 4:
Hello everyone and thanks for tuning in to another episode of the United she Stands podcast. We're here today talking to Danielle Thassione, who we coincidentally met through a couple different channels, both virtually and in person, at a baby shower, but she's here with us to talk about her experiences and how that led to getting involved in politics and becoming an activist. So Danielle is a 34-year-old part-time helping professional, part-time DIYer, slash home beautifier and now part-time activist. She is married with two cats and she and her husband have lived in Wadsworth, ohio for the last five years. Welcome, danielle. We're so excited to have you.
Speaker 4:
Thanks for having me. Yes, we're so excited to have you today, and I give you a warning before this that we tend to crack a beer or so before this, so would you like to share what you're drinking today, danielle?
Speaker 1:
Yes, I have a lovely liquid IV Got to stay hydrated. Yes, love that. What flavor.
Speaker 4:
I think strawberry lemonade, nice, I'm obsessed with the Aussie berry. That's a good one too.
Speaker 1:
You have, and sea berry. Sea berry is good too, oh.
Speaker 3:
I haven't had that one. I don't know what any of that. Try it Nice. Well, sarah told you we drink on this, but we're actually, and we are. We are drinking beer, but they're not out. It's like beers. So we are semi-hydrating, not with electrolytes, it's liquid.
Speaker 4:
I didn't think of it that way. But yeah, you're right, we are hydrating, we're not.
Speaker 3:
So we're drinking the Sunshine State Tropical IPA by Go Brewing and, like I said, it's a non-alcoholic beer and this is my first non-alcoholic beer and it tastes pretty good.
Speaker 4:
It tastes like a real beer.
Speaker 3:
It's pretty wild.
Speaker 4:
Yeah.
Speaker 3:
I'm very. It feels like you're drinking a beer, which I feel like it's like half the fun yeah for sure Right.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, all right.
Speaker 3:
So we're going to dive in. Danielle, we're really excited to have you. So we know that before you lived in Wadsworth, you moved from Lakewood, which really is for our listeners that don't know right outside of downtown Cleveland a pretty typical blue area from a political spectrum right and then you moved to Wadsworth, which is more suburban, more rural and definitely more red area. So can you talk about just how you and your husband ended up in Wadsworth and just what has your experience been like from moving from Lakewood to Wadsworth?
Speaker 1:
Sure, yeah, so I grew up in Brunswick, which is not too far away from Wadsworth, and my husband grew up in Cleveland, and so we had an opportunity while we were both in school to have an apartment out in Lakewood and it worked for us for I don't know, I think we're in there just under two years and we loved it. We could walk anywhere we wanted. It was super diverse, super fun. Yeah, I don't just like a little bit of everything and we felt very like welcome, we kind of felt at home. It was very vibey, people are age, you know, and into the same things, all of that. And then we started looking at houses, because living in an attic apartment of a Lakewood house was not ideal, and so we started looking at houses and we just looked at things that were like 30 minutes away from both of our work locations, which led us, you know, around Fairlawn, wadsworth, maybe Brunswick, that kind of stuff. And we came to an open house and looked at the house that we're in now. The people had already moved out and I think the kitchen was kind of a mess and like people weren't. Really I don't think they were willing to take on the project, the NIRDI wires, where I love to paint everything. We were willing to take it on. He looked up Wadsworth really quickly. We hadn't heard much about it. He saw this commercial and it was like Wadsworth, a town unmatched, and like up and coming and like it's a beautiful place to raise your kids which we, you know, now don't plan on having kids but at the time sounded really lovely, right, and so we bought the house and yeah, that's, I guess, how we landed in Wadsworth.
Speaker 1:
I think we quickly kind of realized that it was very different from Lakewood. We spent the first full year here renawing our house, and so we were kind of like in a self-induced isolation, I guess, like we weren't meeting people, we were just exploring and discovering things in the city. So I don't think it had really hit us yet, like where we were. And then the pandemic happened. So we moved in here at the beginning of 2019, and then COVID and we were all on lockdown and all of that. So like we got our house all together and we're ready to like have people over, meet people, but then we're all on lockdown and then 2020 hits and it's like a presidential election and it was, you know, a big one.
Speaker 1:
And then we start seeing like what kind of town we moved into, with people erecting signs and lots of flags and lots of bumper stickers and just lots of things, and yeah, we started feeling like maybe we didn't move to a town that we feel welcome in and, yeah, there was a lot less of the signs that we would want to have out in people's yards. I think we just quickly were like, did we move to a place that we can't live in? And thinking about, do we have to move? Are there other options? How long do we have to be here? We've just invested all this time, money, energy into our house. Can we pick it up and move it to Fairlawn or somewhere else, which you can't do, I learned, I looked into it. You cannot, in fact, just pick up your house and move it somewhere.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, so I don't know what, daniel, I don't think I told you I lived in Wadsworth. I think I told you, maybe when we had some Instagram chats, but I lived in Wadsworth. We lived in Wadsworth for years, but then we built a house in 2020 and thought we'd be there forever. We were close to work there and then both being husband and wife where we worked and we no longer really needed to be in Wadsworth, and we were like, why are we in Wadsworth? Because our families were not even close by either. So we both fully worked remote and we were like we ended up moving, but we built that house. So I was always like, can't we just like pick it up and move it?
Speaker 1:
I know the feeling.
Speaker 3:
Yes, but I also know the feeling of you know. I know exactly what you're describing because I lived in Wadsworth as well.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, yeah. So that's where we kind of were at. We were like do we move? Do we stay and try to, like you know, make friends stand our ground, da-da-da, and our vote matters here, or do we? Yeah, we're just like toggling with our options.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, so it sounds like you all are still in Wadsworth and you decided to take your ground and not pick up and move your house because unfortunately that's not possible. So, but you were still searching for that sense of community, especially with the pandemic, and, like you said, your house was completely redone, you were ready to host and show it off a bit. So how did you actually go about doing that and what did you stumble upon?
Speaker 1:
So, okay, finding our people, I guess, like we quickly learned, okay, well, who are we as people? We had to define ourselves. I guess, if we're not this and we're not like extreme or not super conservative, what are we? And so I guess there was a little bit of like a moment of are we Democrats? Are we independence, like what are? And so what kind of people would we be looking for? Right, well, we know we are looking for people who are allies to the LGBTQ community. We would be looking for just, I kind of identify as like a humanist, like someone who just cares about people, and I tend to vote a certain way right, like I tend to lean left most of the time. I used to like to think that I would just vote for whoever seemed like the best person for the job, but I don't know that we have that ability and opportunity to necessarily vote that way right now. But so, okay, we land on Democrats. Maybe we're Democrats, right, and so it's like, okay, are there other Democrats in town? I mean, is there one Like one.
Speaker 1:
Can we just find one Democrat right? And then we like I can't remember how maybe it was some Googling and some like Facebook searches to find some groups and I think we stumbled on Wadsworth Democrats. So they existed right. There weren't maybe many of them, but they were around and we learned that they have like a club and that they met like once a month. And we were like okay, like let's just see what it's about. Let's go to a meeting, see if we can get involved or help in some way.
Speaker 1:
I am not the kind of person who's going to like go door knocking and like try to talk to people about candidates or anything like that. So we just kind of went and we were like here's what we are willing to do if that's available, which is just like doing some literature drops If you have lit for us. We love to walk, we walk. You know, when we lived in Lakewood we would walk three miles a day, just all around town, and so we're like we would totally do a lit drop. So we start going to these meetings and there's only like four people that are really coming to these meetings and really active, right, like there's a president. She's always there she's running the show, and then there's just a couple of us and that starts to feel pretty discouraging, like really quick. And so we were kind of in and out, like we were really in and out of volunteering, and it was like sometimes we would feel super motivated and then other times we'd be like, wow, we're the only people in town who care about this.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, that is hard to keep going, yeah.
Speaker 1:
And so I guess, okay, well, we're now like four years after that kind of time and I've been able to like really watch the group grow and as more people start to get involved, I feel like we're like rallying people, we're building momentum. You know, we have new people on the social medias and I run some of it and just, yeah, like networking, which I also just I mean, you guys are so great at like reaching out to people and that like wasn't me. I have no idea that you should like reach out and talk to people and try to make friends. And so I just like quickly learned that there were more people in town who felt exactly the same way as me, Like feeling like you kind of have to hide who you are, Can't really be yourself.
Speaker 1:
I'm so super red and conservative that I've had people tell me they like were fearful of being targeted. I've had a neighbor tell me all of her signs have been stolen just straight out of her yard. So like people would tell you these stories and then you're like, oh, I could see how the group of people you know dwindled to what it was because of fear and, you know, low motivation. But yeah, we have a really great group of people now in this Wadsworth Dems Club and I've been able to see it grow, so that's awesome.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, just personally, I never put a sign in my yard in Wadsworth because I did not feel safe to do so. So not even like a candidate sign, like you know, like I always liked like the signs where it was like science is real black lives matter, you know, like those, I wanted one of those so bad and I was like I literally feel like my house, would you know, like I'm not really to risk my son for that sign to be in my yard kind of thing. So I totally get it, especially, and we actually have that exact sign.
Speaker 1:
And honestly, we've had like people walking by who we've actually only ever had really good feedback from neighbors about it.
Speaker 1:
We haven't been targeted because of that. It was a fear prior to putting it out, but I was like, listen, if we do fear that, then maybe we really do have to move, because I don't know that I personally can like hide who I am, or and also like if there was anyone else on our street feeling that way, like feeling like they like had to hide themselves or whatever I wanted them to know, like hey, we're a friendly neighbor, like we could be a place that you could come to, you could have friends here and that's exactly how you connected with my friends, our mutual friends.
Speaker 1:
Exactly so.
Speaker 4:
just walkers would come by and be like I like your sign, you know and I remember when they first told me about you, they were like yeah, we saw, we saw some like liberal signs in their yard.
Speaker 1:
And I'm like that's so awesome and that's exactly how we've like found our people and like made community. I guess is like through just being ourselves and not being afraid and not hiding it, I guess. Unfortunately, our friends moved since then, so I have to find new friends. I actually have since then, like you know, more networking and more making friends, but that's the only way that I've been able to really make it in this town.
Speaker 3:
But I do think it's so important because, to your point like, there's other people out there feeling that.
Speaker 2:
So we and I know we're talking about Wadsworth, right.
Speaker 3:
But in this case there's the super conservative kind of like I would say majority there and you guys are more in the minority, leaning left, being maybe a little more liberal. But like that is, I think, in neighborhoods across America right now, it's just so divisive that you're almost scared, if you're in that minority, to show that at all, and I think it's such an important message that you shouldn't have to be and that is like how you find, that is how you know you're not alone, like there's other people too. So, yeah, I just like kudos to you guys for the sign and doing all of that because, like I said, I didn't do it when I lived there. I was too uncomfortable to do it.
Speaker 1:
And I get that. I totally understand why it's a legitimate fear and I don't think if we didn't have a camera like a ring doorbell, I wouldn't have felt as comfortable. But you know, now with technology I can kind of keep an eye on things if anything were to happen. But we've lived here now five years. No one has taken my signs, no one has bothered my house, and so it is like encouraging to just keep going. It is encouraging, yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 3:
Okay, so you kind of talked about it a little bit. Can you talk about it more specifically, just like your experience with Wadsworth Democrats, like what do you guys do, kind of what are those meetings like? Like what kind of activism does it enable you to do?
Speaker 1:
Yeah, okay, so they meet or we meet once a month. We're finding that you know, we went from those meetings with four people to just yesterday we had a meeting and 30 people showed up, which is kind of amazing.
Speaker 1:
That's so great, yeah, and we're like finding like, okay, an hour is no longer enough because everyone's really excited and we have so much content to go over and things to talk about that that hour goes by so fast. And socializing, like again, we're all excited that we're finding people with similar you know thoughts and feelings about things. So, yeah, we meet once a month, but we've also now supplemented like a little like teams group on Microsoft to just kind of like keep in touch with people outside of that month meeting to like get more done, I guess. And so we are working just right now, since it's the beginning of the year. We kind of reflected on last year, the things that went well, the things that we would like to do better, like goals for the club this year, and we're just starting to kind of put the feelers out for like what kind of community work we would want to do. So we're everyone seems to be in agreement that we would really love to work with the Suprema Senior Center and do something with them, maybe reading to them, bringing pets up there, like something we haven't decided what, but that's really exciting.
Speaker 1:
I know they've done like meals on wheels in the past, things like that, but I think now we're looking to like really show our faces, like being a part of the farmers market and having a booth there so we can get people registered to vote and also know that there's a Democratic club in town. We're looking at things like we have a blue tip festival every year. We're talking about being involved, like they're talking about a summer concert series. So we've talked about maybe like sponsoring a band or something like that. There's just I don't big big things. I mean just way more than what they had been doing.
Speaker 1:
I know they were pretty much just like trying to support any Democratic candidate that was in Wadsworth, but I think now we're really like pushing getting our name out there so people know we exist, and just like so the community can see more of us. I don't know it's not scary, we're not hiding it anymore, we're here, not going anywhere, be a part of it or don't, but like that's awesome. It's almost a feeling like I mean, if we and I don't want to say people, cause I was feeling this way too If we were feeling bullied like we're not going to continue to be bullied anymore, like we are going to do our thing, we're passionate about helping others, passionate about being involved in the community, so we're doing it.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, that's incredible.
Speaker 1:
I love that.
Speaker 3:
Sorry, no, I was just going to ask do you guys do like? Cause I think I've seen and I don't know if this is just you personally or if it's part of the club but like, have you went together signatures for things like the gerrymandering or the redistricting reform or rank choice voting, or you know any of those types of things?
Speaker 1:
Yeah, so I am involved with the citizens, not politicians group, which is a nonpartisan like organization who is collecting signatures right now for an anti-gerrymandering amendment that we hope to be on the ballot in this November. So we need to collect like 700,000 signatures, which sounds like a lot, but obviously they plan for more than what they actually need and we have until June to do that. But, yeah, in December I signed myself up and like learned again and like I'm always pushing myself a little bit more, a little bit more. So like what was comfortable for me in 2020, which was just lit drops and like no contact, is now I've worked my way up to okay, I'll learn about collecting signatures, which means I'm probably talking to people and like starting a conversation asking if you're a registered voter, and it's out of my comfort zone. It's totally new to me.
Speaker 1:
I don't feel good at it yet and maybe I never will. I don't know. I mean, there's people that I'm working with who are. They call them like signature hungry, right, like they've been doing this for years. They collect so many hundreds, they're turning in hundreds of signatures and I'm just starting off, and so I'm like very kind of timid and nervous to talk to people. But I've attended all the classes to learn about how to collect signatures correctly and how to talk to people about gerrymandering and like again, just like kind of challenging myself a little more each time, I guess. So yeah, I am collecting signatures currently for Medina County and Summit County. That's awesome.
Speaker 3:
So yeah, I mean and that's the crazy thing, means there it's like but that too, like you do, get more confident yeah, you know you can be more by the time. Right, get involved in some way, even if that's a small way, and then, like you kind of build that confidence to be able to do the things that maybe scared you a little bit ago. That's awesome.
Speaker 1:
I can tell you the helpful thing is having a buddy system and like a friend that will do it with you, I swear. And there's like something that just is comforting about another person who will go and learn all the things with you and do it side by side so you can be awkward and nervous about it together and then keep cheering each other on and supporting each other.
Speaker 3:
I don't know what your experience has been, but ours has been like everybody is so welcoming and nice, no matter what we've went to or done or reached out to. Like you know, if we've tried to be involved in something, everyone's like, yes, like they want people want these organizations especially. They want volunteers, they want help, like they are going to like open their arms to you.
Speaker 1:
Yeah. So I have mixed feelings. I feel like the nonpartisan kind of organizations, like Citizens, not Politicians, things like that. They have definitely been just arms open and supportive and will educate me on whatever and not make me feel stupid about it. I will say it starts to feel a little different on like a county party political level, like oh, okay, yeah.
Speaker 1:
And I. That's like a whole nother day time story, all the things right. I don't want to get into that, but there are still some old school thoughts about. Like you know I hate using this term it feels a little gatekeep-y sometimes and just people want to do it a certain way. They're kind of afraid to let the new people in. There was a little pushback on things sometimes, but there are some people who have been doing this a long time, who are ready to pass the torch and they're like, yes, please get new blood in here. You know. So I have personally experienced some mixed vibes.
Speaker 3:
And I think it just depends. Yeah, that's fair, because we've definitely more worked with, like, the grassroots orgs. Yes, definitely different.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, yeah, and I just want to plus one your buddy's system advice.
Speaker 4:
That is exactly what I did. Two different buddies One we're staring at right here Ashley, we I went totally out of my comfort zone. I think Ashley did too. We went to a reproductive justice event in Cleveland over the summer and I was like so lit up, we were just like giddy in the car when we left. We're like we have to go like grab a beer, like we're just so excited. And then, a few days later actually, I moved to Columbus and I have a good friend in Columbus who's also trying to stay up with politics. We have very similar beliefs.
Speaker 4:
And then there was this rally at the state house for issue one in November, so the reproductive rights amendment in Ohio and I was like, oh my gosh, I'm really nervous. I want to do this, but I'm really nervous. Like it's literally at the state house, like wow. And so I asked her. I was like, hey, like any chance, you're free Sunday at one. And she's like, yeah, let's go. And so we went and it was so fun, it was awesome, it was so like the energy that we were like it was just, it was fantastic.
Speaker 1:
It's invigorating to know you're not alone.
Speaker 4:
Like it's validating.
Speaker 1:
It's motivating, like when you see these people who feel the same. It's a different feeling if you don't see it and you're like maybe I'm the only one, like, maybe I'm the only one who feels that way, right, but it is so encouraging when you see others getting involved.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, and at some point getting involved, not just like they feel the same way as you Like.
Speaker 1:
There's people out there fighting for ways, yeah Doing the work, yeah for sure, yeah, it's really incredible.
Speaker 3:
And then Sarah was like in every Ohio magazine Ohio, what is it? The Ohio Capitol Journal? Yeah, every like issue or every article on issue one. After that, sarah's like in the pictures.
Speaker 4:
Yes, me and my friend Michelle, we were like from row. I'll send it to you after the.
Speaker 3:
Sarah was just like sending you the wrinkles Like hey, that's me, that's me, that's me.
Speaker 4:
I was like cool, I'm like, this is now, this is something I can get behind Sarah's like I'm going to every rally Right, but then at that rally. I was just so jazzed and so ready to go. I signed up to collect signatures or not collect signatures to go door knocking and make sure people had a voting plan and ask them if we could count them to vote or count on them to vote yes on issue one and, if not, like educate them and do lip drops that they're not home.
Speaker 3:
If you want to ask me like one year ago, maybe even like eight, months ago if I would have ever done that, I would be like, oh, that's so funny, Absolutely not.
Speaker 4:
Like never, ever, ever, ever. And I did it and I went with my same friend. I asked her if she wanted to go and we had a blast. It was so fun and we were. We were in a really good area, a really liberal area, I should say, and so like that helped. We didn't have a lot, we didn't have any like. There was like one offer conversation, but that was like not even bad. So it was a really good experience and I just like I'm still just like. That was in October and to this day it's February 7th 2024. And I'm still so proud of myself for doing that.
Speaker 1:
I feel so good that I did that. That's amazing and truly like that's just the little like foot in the door that I would need. If I had a buddy like you who was super stoked and you were like, let's go door knocking, I would take your lead right and I would be nervous, for sure, but trust in the fact that you had a good experience and that you were really excited about it and you were like, yeah, we can totally do this, and then I would probably be on board too.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, it was. It was fun. So, yeah, I love the buddy system, and then it's more, just more people out there and getting more people involved, so that's always great. The more the better. Yeah, I love that. So how has this whole experience changed your perspective on living in a predominantly Republican area as a passionate Democrat?
Speaker 1:
So, okay, change of perspective. I feel like this comes back to a little bit to like my job, who I am as a person. I'm a counselor and so I am constantly. If there's a problem, I'm problem solving. Yes, but I'm also trying to put it into perspective of like what is in my control.
Speaker 1:
I love to do a locus of control which is like what is in my control, what is out of my control, and sometimes it's just a little like I'm always doing this with my kiddos, but sometimes I need to do it for myself, right, a little self reflection and it's like okay, can I change that we live here? Probably not right now. No, that doesn't make the most financial sense. Can I change that my neighbors are going to have really super conservative signs around me and that makes me feel uncomfortable? No, I can't change that. Can I change that the Wadsworth Democrats Club only had 15 people coming to it? I don't know, can I? I mean, I'm trying, right, it's like I can change it in the way of like what can I do to improve that? How can I get more involved? Can just? You know I'm always constantly looking at how to be better and do better, and so all of it was a change in what can I do to make it okay to live here or to make it bearable to live here. And so it's like, if I'm seeing that I'm not happy with how many people are coming to these events, then it's like, keep finding the people right. Like a third of Wadsworth voters are Democrats. Like I look at all of our elections, one third, okay, we're there, where are you? I just have to find you right. And things like we had a Democrat run for counsel this past November and he only lost by under 300 votes. And so like, okay, changing the perspective, that's not a lot when there's 24,000 people in Wadsworth and he lost by under 300 votes. Not that all of them are voters, right, registered voters but in the grand scheme, we're talking thousands of I'm sure there are thousands of voters at least.
Speaker 1:
And so just like, what can I do? It's just, it's a change in my perspective. Like, how, what can I be a part of? And so it's like, if I'm unhappy with their social medias and they're not posting enough, they're not, they're not reaching the younger people, they're not doing this, they're not on Instagram, okay, how can I change that? I'm gonna help them, I'm gonna ask. Well, first ask them if they want health, and they were open to that. So we started an Instagram. We're, you know, more active on the Facebook. We're also, you know, bridging gaps and meeting people on teams in between our monthly meetings. It's just like I'm always trying to do more and do better, I guess, and so the perspective has gone from do we need to move? To like okay. I think I'm okay here for a little bit, because I've found some people that you know are in it to win it with me.
Speaker 4:
So yeah, that's so amazing and it's so much easier than moving.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, right. And who wants these interest rates right now? Not me, yeah.
Speaker 3:
Definitely not All right. So we're gonna start to wrap it up. We always kind of end with like two wrap up questions here. So the first one is what would you tell folks who feel similar to you or looking to get involved in their community, like in general or specifically in politics?
Speaker 1:
I would say start small and start with something that feels comfortable. So if that's, you know, going to a meeting, even if you're not comfortable going to a meeting, we have a Zoom meeting once every four months or what it like for, yeah, right, for a quarterly. So, yeah, if you don't want to go into the bar and see a bunch of people and you have social anxiety, meet us online. Don't even turn your camera on if you don't want to Just like a little baby step, right, like whatever feels comfortable. If you're not cool with door knocking and you are cool with lip drop, lip drops we need that too If you don't want to be involved in meetings at all, or lip drops or anything. But you have the ability to financially support in some way like we are always looking for stamps, you know, to send postcards or whatever for supplies and things like that. So finding that little like baby step, I guess, is what I would say. Starting off small, comfortable. The buddy system, yeah, I think that's it.
Speaker 3:
I think that's great advice and you kind of touched on it. But we've always said this too, like you can donate your time or you can donate your money or you can donate both, but both are equally important. So you know to your point you're not comfortable maybe being physically present or doing something like yourself, like that. Monetary donation goes a long way to whatever the org is that you want to support.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, exactly, I even just like sharing online. Like, if you're okay with following a Facebook page or Instagram page, just liking and sharing. It's free, you don't have to leave your house to do it and it still helps out a lot.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 4:
All right. Last question here Do you have hope for the future and do you have a hope for Wadsworth, ohio, and how is getting involved in this group impacted that?
Speaker 1:
I feel like I obviously have hope if I'm like not if I'm, I don't have the urge to like pack up and leave anymore. Right, there's obviously something that is keeping me here. I think I have hope that someone ran for council a Democrat ran for council and he was under 300 votes away from getting in. I have hope when I hear that, like 30 years ago, all of council was Democrats. I have hope because I have found people and made friends and you know, at minimum there's I can rely on maybe 25 to 30 people once a month to come together who think the same as me and want to do better and want to try to something, to do something. So, yes, I definitely have hope.
Speaker 1:
And I still understand if people come to this town and they're like, what did I do? I need to move and pack up and move, I totally get you. But I would say, maybe stick it out, find your people, find the community or make it yourself. And yeah, I mean there's always hope, like there's always. Again, what can I control if, if I can't hang out in Wadsworth but I live here, I can go to Akron, I can still visit Lakewood all the time? I mean there's always, there's always hope. There's always something I love that.
Speaker 4:
There's always hope. We we tend to ask the do you have hope? Question to a lot of our interviews, but I don't think we've ever heard. There's always hope.
Speaker 3:
Like there's always something People say yes, they have hope, but they don't think. Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 4:
We are new tagline. I love that yeah that's great.
Speaker 1:
There's always hope, like there's always one little something somewhere. You just have to find it, yeah.
Speaker 3:
So I actually do have one more question. I know we sort of up a gut, but now that you've talked to this, I have a question for you, because I tend to think of the Republican Party now as two different parties. I think of like what I'll call the logical, reasonable people who have conservative views that are Republicans, and then I think of the Maga Party, who are extremists and probably the people putting up the signs that scare you and make you uncomfortable. Yeah, so just curious, if you guys have tried to like, reach out in any way, to like that more you know, sane, moderate side I'll call it and like, because I think that they're, in all of American history, like those. These two parties have compromised. They have worked together. Like we now have this extremist faction that is causing, you know, people like you, to feel unsafe in rural America. But I'm so just kind of curious. I know this wasn't a question we queued up for you, so I'm sorry if I put you on the spot.
Speaker 1:
Honestly, I'm really glad that you bring it up because I feel like earlier I like I had a tab in my brain that I wanted to bring up and didn't, so this is perfect. And so, to answer your question, yes, I have reached out. So, and Wadsworth is known for having many neighbors Facebook pages, and that is kind of telling in itself that, like people didn't feel represented enough on a neighbor's page that they needed to go start their own, start their own, start their own. So there's like 10 neighbors pages and I do just kind of watch how people respond and start to notice like, ok, who's kind of level headed, who is kind of in the middle or you know, more liberal, and so my radar is always on for like OK, who could I be friends with Basically, who could I be an ally with?
Speaker 1:
And actually the mayor's husband is very reasonable. Obviously, everyone on council and everyone on the administration team is all Republican, but we have been going. There's a group of friends and I have been going to the city council meetings since like last October, and the mayor herself is always very kind. She answers all of our questions without making us feel stupid about anything. If we have an email, go out to her. She's always very thorough and kind in her responses, but anyway. So her husband is, of course, on these neighbor's pages. He supported Michael Reese, which is a Democrat who ran for council in November, who lost by under 300 points or 300 votes. He supported him. He like posted that, he had his sign out in his yard. He got a lot of flak for that because being the mayor's husband and being Republican like of course, they're like we need to vote this mayor out now and I thought that was very brave of him and the mayor to do. I thought that was such a like an olive branch extension and like, hey, there are civil Republicans, there are middle ground Republicans, there are, you know, not extremist Republicans, and it was kind of like the exact thing that this town needed. It was like we needed an olive branch, we needed to start building this or bridging the gap really between us. And I reached out to the mayor and I just said, you know, okay, well, this not to like tangent, but I liked our mayor so much that last let's see Last primary last year she was running against another Republican who was an extremist and I felt like I live in the city, I want to have a say in who my mayor is and I don't want it to be an extremist.
Speaker 1:
So I voted for a Republican mayor, which now means that my voting history has an R next to my name, which I've never had before. But that was me also extending the olive branch and being like I can vote for a Republican if it means that that is the right person for the job. And in that scenario she was the right person, I felt, and I didn't want an extremist as our mayor. So, anyway, I messaged the mayor and was like I just want you to know like I voted for you. I've changed my party to vote for you and I just really appreciate that you and your husband have tried to like bridge this gap and I as a voter also have tried in this way. Yeah and yeah.
Speaker 1:
Anyway, fast forward to just like last week and I had a meeting with the mayor's husband about the anti-jerrymandering amendment, because I reached out to him and was like hey, you're really level headed on all these you know Facebook pages, on the neighbors pages, and I'm just wondering if there's any chance that, a you'll sign it and B like if we can get some Republicans on board, because it is a nonpartisan issue.
Speaker 1:
There's the amendment you know wants to be made up of five Republicans, five Democrats, five independents, and so it would be really nice to have representation from a Republican and not just Democrats and liberals and independents. And he totally agreed and he's going to talk. You know, he can't personally be the face of, you know, the Republican who is going to be, you know signing off on this, but obviously just because of his situation with the mayor. But he, you know, has friends that he's going to talk to, which I think is really cool, and he gave me the time of day to just talk about it. So, yes, to answer your question, yes, I'm always open to like talking to the middle ground, just anyone who's level headed, reasonable to talk to, absolutely Not afraid to go there.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, I love that. Thank you for answering that.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, and he agrees, like he said. He agrees and describes it exactly like you that there is two different groups in the Republican Party now, yeah, yeah, and thank you for answering that, because I think for us, like that is just something we always want.
Speaker 3:
You know, obviously Sarah and Eileen left as well. We've talked about it on the podcast. We've come out in support of certain issues, like the reproductive freedom amendment, you know, back in November. But we do try not to typically like endorse a candidate or whatever. We want people to come here and feel safe, that they can learn, and so, just as you were talking, you know it was kind of like it's very easy for us to just put people into camps, which is what the two-party system does. But, just like you just talked about, we all know that there are good people on both sides. There's good people fighting for good things in both parties. I just thank you for going into that.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, that's a good story.
Speaker 1:
Oh my gosh, I think I've perfectly correct, if you were to have told me a year ago, two years ago, three years ago, that I would be talking to the mayor at council meetings and going to school meetings and just all the things I would have said you're crazy. That's not life, that's no.
Speaker 4:
That's so amazing. Oh my gosh, you're such a badass Danielle, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. I'm so inspired by you guys.
Speaker 1:
Honestly, you kept pushing me. I'm like, oh my gosh, these two girls can do it. I can do it. Thank you, yes, I love that.
Speaker 3:
That's what I'm going to wrap with for our listeners. If us three can do it, you guys can do it. Get involved in whatever you're passionate about. Find a group, find an org and take that first baby step.
Speaker 1:
I love it. I love that.
Speaker 4:
There's always hope too. There's always hope. That is actually how we're ending. There's always hope.
Speaker 3:
Thanks for tuning in this week, guys, and we'll catch you next week.
Speaker 2:
Thanks for joining us for today's episode. We really appreciate the support.
Speaker 3:
We would also really appreciate it if you hit the follow button and share this episode with anyone you think would enjoy it.
Speaker 2:
And we'd like to thank Kevin Tanner, who edited this episode. If you're interested in learning more about him and his services, his website and Instagram are in the show notes. With that, we'll see you next week.
Speaker 4:
Hello everyone, thanks for tuning in to another episode of the United Cheese Fans podcast. We're here today talking to Danielle Fisoni. I almost asked See, I already messed up, already messed up, we needed a boy for her first. We did. I'm just going to take that this is also what we do. We in like our document. We just type it how it sounds. So I used to not pronounce women correctly and so I would. I would spell it W-E-M-E-N on our like document. So, anyways, I'm just going to start all the way over. I'm sorry, kevin, kevin's our editor, if you mess up feel free to talk to him.
Speaker 4:
He'll laugh and stir.
Speaker 3:
He's just so. Shenanigans, all right.