Document text
Business worries Thornton Photo by Jim Craven Larry Thornton, co-owner of the Old Corner Cafe in Central Point, has spearheaded the effort to recall Mayor Bill Walton and City Council members Dave Gilmour and Donna Higginbotham. Vietnam vet disavows political ambition Larry Thornton says he's just a cook, with no political ambitions. When he bought the downtown Old Center Cafe four years ago, Thornton "wanted to leave it like it was, the old home-cooking." It's the kind of place where folks gather around the horseshoe counter each morning to chat over a 75-cent cup of coffee, maybe smoke a cigarette or two. When he's not behind the counter cooking breakfast or lunch, Thornton lights up a long Marlboro Light and hangs out with the crowd. The Vietnam vet moved to the Rogue Valley in 1965 and worked at the Boise Cascade plywood mill until he bought the restaurant. He and his wife of two years, Glenna, live in the two-bedroom apartment out back. "I thought I was going to run this place until I retire. I'm trying to sell it now," says Thornton, who also plans on quitting smoking but worries business will drop off if the city's smoke-free ordinance goes into effect. A crusader for his mostly senior customers, Thornton is heading a campaign to recall three city officials and gathered signatures to stop the ordinance until a September vote. "I didn't start this for any notoriety. I did it because it was the right thing to do," he says. "I feel real obligated to these people." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA