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79 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, August 14, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 10, 2004 Kerry’s local plans hit roadblock Parking concerns force the rally to be held in the Expo Park’s Isola Arena instead of outside By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Sen. John Kerry’s plans for a Southern Oregon rally hit a temporary snag Monday when city officials nixed holding it at a southwest Medford park. Kerry’s campaign team scrapped plans for the public rally at Fichtner-Mainwaring Park after the city objected to traffic congestion and potential damage to a soccer field. Kerry instead will speak at 3 p.m. at the Isola Arena at the Jackson County Expo Center. More than 1,000 tickets to the event at the original location were handed out before the switch was made. "We had the park, and the local police department said ‘no,’ " said Paige Richardson, state director for the Kerry campaign. "But we’re determined to give everybody an opportunity to see Kerry." Richardson said the new location, which can hold up to 7,500 people, will work out better because it’s indoors and temperatures are expected to top 100 degrees Thursday. "People don’t have to stand out in the sun," she said. Advertisement Kerry’s rally comes two weeks after Vice President Dick Cheney’s rally at the fairgrounds before 3,000 Republicans. Richardson said an attempt will be made to contact people with tickets to let them know about the new venue. Kerry will wrap up his two-week "Believe in America" tour of 20 states when he starts his campaign in Oregon by flying into the Medford airport. Kerry’s wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, also will be at the Expo, as will Oregon veterans Gen. Tony McPeak and Jim Rassmann, who credits Kerry with saving his life in Vietnam. Kerry’s running mate, Sen. John Edwards, isn’t scheduled to come to the event. Kerry also plans a rally at 10 a.m. Friday in Portland. Jeff Faw, deputy Medford manager, said the city hadn’t signed off on a permit when the Kerry campaign made the announcement it would hold the rally at Fichtner-Mainwaring Park. "From our perspective, that was premature," he said. Faw said Medford police raised objections about rush-hour traffic, and parks officials had concerns about heavy trucks that would transport a podium for the Kerry rally and could leave deep ridges in the field. "Why put our kids at risk with ridged fields?" Faw said. "We would expose the kids to the possibility of injury." While the Kerry campaign offered to pay the standard $52 permit to use the park and for any associated field damage, Faw said there was concern the repairs wouldn’t be done time in time for the soccer season. After the city raised objections, Kerry’s advance team looked at other sites, searching for a setting that best showed the hills and vistas of Southern Oregon. Bill Layton, chairman of the Jackson County Democratic Central Committee, said he was disappointed that Kerry wouldn’t be able to use the park. "We need to communicate with as many people as possible about the new venue," he said. While the Kerry camp tried to figure out a location for the event, local supporters conducted a small rally outside Democratic Party headquarters in Medford Monday to drum up support from those driving by. A truck’s passenger bluntly yelled out, "F*** Kerry," and another said, "Kerry sucks." One unidentified woman at the party headquarters, however, said, "We have so much crap in the White House that we need two johns." Medford resident Jeffrey Foust, a Kerry volunteer working in the office Monday, said tickets have been passed out to people who live as far away as Brookings. "We’re going to have people from the whole state of Jefferson," he said. Foust, who is gay, said gay men and lesbians have a lot at stake in this election, citing the expense of obtaining drugs for those with HIV. President Bush, said Central Point resident Bill Langworthy, has given in to too many special interest groups, particularly the wealthy. Kerry, Langworthy said, "seems to be a person of the people, not a person who will give in to special interests." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Free rally tickets are available Free tickets for the Sen. John Kerry rally, which is open to the public, will be available at the following locations through Thursday morning: Medford — Jackson County Democratic Headquarters, 130 East Main St., 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., 858-1050. Ashland — Bloomsbury Books, 290 E. Main St., 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., 488-0029. Grants Pass — Josephine County Democratic Headquarters, 517 N.E. Seventh St., 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., 541-476-7683. Tickets are available online at www.johnkerry.com/medford . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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