Published: October 11, 2008 11:58 pm         

Surveys reflect close presidential race

CUMBERLAND — A lunch-hour survey by the Times-News during the Farmers Market on Town Centre found voters who are undecided about which presidential candidate they favor, voters who are certain, voters who are leaning and one voter who doesn’t like either.

Frostburg resident Melinda Thoele will be checking the box beside Barack Obama’s name on Nov. 4. Thoele, who moved to Allegany County a year ago from St. Louis, is impressed with the Democrat’s commitment to community and with his personal background.

“He overcame his own circumstances as a young person and, although he didn’t have to because of his degree, became a community organizer,” Thoele said. “I respect him for that.”

Thoele said she also believes Obama would more likely provide the health care her two young children will need throughout their lives.

Clarissa Wilhelm has made up her mind to stay away from the ballot booth.

“I don’t like Obama because he would be for abortions, and I don’t like McCain because he is all for the upper-class people. He’s not for the single working mom,” she said.

Wilhelm, a Cumberland resident, said she thinks McCain would “be just another Bush when it comes to economics.”

Brent Rhodes isn’t sure, though he is leaning toward a McCain vote. The Cumberland resident, who moved here from Lancaster, Pa., recently and is a registered Republican, is concerned about the war in Iraq, but very concerned about the lack of jobs.

“I’m without a job myself, right now,” Rhodes said. “I’ll follow the campaign the best I can during the next few weeks. We’ll just have to see what happens.”

Alan Freeman, Hagerstown, wants most a president who has integrity and who will connect with the American people.

Although he did not like the George W. Bush administration, he is not sure that Obama would be the right man and is leaning a bit toward the Republican candidate.

“The Patriot Act allowed the government to suspend (due legal process) and to detain people at will. I’m very concerned about the loss of our individual rights,” Freeman said.

“We need someone to lead us through a lot of tough issues, such as the economy, and foreign relations such as Iraq and Russia.”

Mike Llewellyn, Midland, will vote for Obama and considers the need for energy independence to be the dominating issue.

Llewellyn, an instructor of political science at Allegany College of Maryland and also an associate attorney, believes that solving the energy problems will free money to deal with other issues such as Social Security and health care.

“Every other problem is connected to energy,” Llewellyn said. “It’s time to end the carbon age. America will be No. 1 again once we revolutionize the energy picture and end our dependence upon other countries.”

Llewellyn, however, disagrees with Obama’s stance about taxing windfall profits. “I don’t think we should penalize companies for being successful,” he said.

Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.