16 People Who Will Decide the Presidency (5 of 16)

Name: Gary Frink*
Occupation: Police Officer
Hometown: Kenosha, Wisc.
Salary: $35,000**
Political Leanings: Republican
Voting for: John McCain***

*-Pseudonym. The real Gary Frink is a friend of mine who lives near Harrisonburg, Va. He ran for Congress in his native Michigan as a Democrat and as a Republican. He lost both times. I wanted to use a photo of a real police officer, but when I realized that some of them had died in the line of duty, I opted to go with Andy Taylor from "The Andy Griffith Show." The actor Andy Griffith is a Democrat, but most police officers, especially in rural areas, tend to vote Republican.

**- Can not verify that salary.
***- Not Who I am actually voting for


The city of Kenosha is near the border with Illinois. Their chief of police is John W. Morrissey.
Wisconsin is very much like my home state of Virginia in terms of geopolitical distinctions. The rural parts of The Badger State tend to go Republican, but the urban areas and college towns are firmly Democratic. Madison, Wisc., is one of the most liberal state capitals in the country along with (ironically) Austin, Tex. And, like most liberal college towns, it reportedly has a great music scene!
TV shows set in Wisconsin include "Happy Days," "Laverne and Shirley" and "Picket Fences."
Experts are saying the race in Wisconsin is tight. John Kerry narrowly won the state in 2004, and projections are that Barack Obama will carry Wisconsin against this time around.
Our regular Saturday feature Images of Virginia series will return after this  series  of entries has concluded.
I am off to volunteer for Obama, which makes me feel guilty about the fact that I just turned away some Jehovah's Witnesses!

Useful Links:

http://www.kenoshapolice.com
http://www.theblueline.com

Tags: Andy Griffith, Presidential Election, Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officers