"We're here to have Spaghetti and support a good cause."

Africk- Spaghetti ...

Going into today, I was really nervous about my stories. I knew that I was going to the Spaghetti Supper, but I was scared that I didn't know enough to interview a politician. The whole idea for my story started on the drive up to the church. While trying to find aparking spot, people in my car spotted some kids and an adult on the corner of the street, yelling to vote for Bob Antonacci. At first that was a backup story, but it quickly became the basis for my story. One of the first people to greet everyone walking in (after William Fitzpatrick) was Bob Antonacci himself. I decided to talk to him because I already knew that I could break the ice pretty easily. It turned out that the kids rallying on the street corner were actually his children, as Noel told me later. But Antonacci himself was very friendly. What didn't make it into my wrap was the fact that he has an even more personal connection to the church. Not only did he go to school there, worships there now, but his mom actually ran the Spaghetti Supper in the '70s. He was the guy who actually said the quote that's in my title. It was also interesting that there's seldom been a CPA as County Comptroller. You'd think that someone handling the money of the county should have a background in accounting.

Aside from my talk with Antonacci, I had a great time speaking with a bunch of politicians. Mark me down for speaking with Bill Magnarelli, Bill Ryan and Nick Pirro. Between the last two, they've attended over 50 Spaghetti Suppers. Ryan said he came to 48 consecutive suppers, and Pirro said he attended each time he was elected. The whole dynamic of the event was fascinating.
Something about politics triggers some form of excitement in my mind. While I may not know the most about any one race, it was still fun to learn about the different races from the actual candidates running in them. Overall this was the most fun day of reporting yet because I learned so much and still got a great story out of it. (Pictures from http://www.ongov.net/Executive/ and http://arborheights.wikispaces.com/space/showimage/spaghetti.jpg)