Politics & Government

Democratic National Convention: Cleveland Heights Vice Mayor Attends DNC As Delegate

Dennis Wilcox said this is his first time serving as a delegate at the DNC.

Cleveland Heights Vice Mayor Dennis Wilcox is a first-time member of the Ohio Delegation at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

Wilcox said his schedule is packed, and he's looking forward to meeting Democrats from other areas of the country.

He's also interested in hearing about the issues that matter to people in Cleveland Heights.

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"The big issues in Cleveland Heights are education, health care, the economy and protecting the middle class. As you know, Cleveland Heights is very much a middle class community," Wilcox said.

"What I’m looking for from the speakers at the convention ... are clear and detailed statements of what we’ve accomplished in the last four years. To take credit for a stimulus that saved the economy from a depression, saving the auto industry, providing affordable health care and expanding health care to millions."

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Wilcox applied to be a delegate and was appointed by the Ohio Democratic Party. He listed reasons he is proud of the Democrats.

"It’s a party that stands for equal opportunities and equal rights and respect for the rights of diverse individuals, and I believe standing up for the middle class and small businesses and understanding that the economy needs to grow from the bottom up and not the top down," Wilcox said. "(Democrats) stand for middle class values — education, economy, the environment — that effect everyday working people."

He said the key to winning the election in November is voter turnout.

"If all of the registered voters in the country would vote and heard the message the Democrats have, there would be no question in my mind that we would win," Wilcox said. "The Republican leadership has said on the record that they're trying to restrict people from voting ... To me that is our biggest (challenge) to overcome."


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