ROBIN CARNAHAN getting to know Katie Payne, essay contest winner.

ESSAY CONTEST WINNER, Katie Payne, pictured with Lisa Barnitz, wife of Missouri State Senator Frank Barnitz on her right, with a photo of Harry S. Truman.

PICTURED WITH ROBIN CARNAHAN (far left) are Mrs. Florence Mullen (seated center) recognized as one of the oldest voting Democrats in Missouri at age 99, with her daughter (on her left) and grandaughter.

The Crawford County Democratic Club was pleased to host their 2010 Truman Day Dinner held on May 14 at Golden Echoes Club in Steelville.
After a delicious dinner provided by the ladies at Golden Echoes, club president Barb Condren introduced Katie Payne, the winner of the club’s first annual Truman Day Essay Contest.  Katie is an 18-year-old senior at Cuba High School. She read her winning essay, Harry S. Truman, “A True American Hero.”
A copy of Katie’s essay will be available on the club’s website, www.crawfordcountydemocrats.com. A donation to help defray tuition or books will be made to her college of choice, Missouri University of Science & Technology in Rolla, MO, where Katie will be enrolled in the fall semester in the Pre-Med program.
Katie introduced her parents, LeRoy and Pam Payne, and then introduced the evening’s guest speaker, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan. Carnahan expects to be elected to replace Christopher “Kit” Bond in the 2010 U.S. Congressional race.
One of her many talents is to reach her audience through her genuine interest in the people of Missouri and her dedication and commitment to make a difference in Washington. She invited all of the guests to become one of her “bull detectors,” referring to all of the “bull”  being touted by her opponents.
She is currently on her “Stop the Bull” tour of Missouri laying out her plan to crackdown on wasteful spending. She continues to challenge Congressman Blunt, in particular, to promise no more support for bailouts, like the 12.5 billion dollar bailout for big oil and to stop supporting earmarks.
Read more about her issues at www.robincarnahan.com. You can also follow her campaign on Facebook.com.
Among the almost 100 guests were other state and local candidates, Tod DeVeydt, candidate for Missouri District 111 Representative, and candidates for Crawford County positions, Glenn Kage, Jr. for County Clerk, Teresa Booker for County Circuit Clerk, Jim Huddleston for County Treasurer, Scott Bernstein for Associate Circuit Judge and Nathan Otterman, for County Presiding Commissioner.
State candidates, Susan Montee and Frank Barnitz, could not be in attendance because of other commitments. Frank Barnitz was needed to help conclude Senate business in Jefferson City. County Prosecutor Sid Pearson was in attendance, but is unopposed in his re-election.
County Collector Linda Branson is seeking reelection, but could not attend because of a graduation commitment. Each candidate was introduced and given a few minutes to speak.
Recognized at the dinner were club members Dorothy Otterman and Dee Tarnowski (not present) for their charter membership in the organization and many years of service to Democrats in Crawford County.
The club also introduced and recognized Florence Mullen as one of the oldest voting Democrats in Crawford County. At 99, she was spotted at her voting site as recently as April of this year. Mrs. Mullen was in attendance with her daughter, Mabel, and photographed with Robin Carnahan. Mrs. Mullen has always been a fan of Harry Truman, using the name “Truman” as a middle name for one of her sons, who was killed in the Vietnam War.
President Condren reminded the crowd that the club is open for membership and meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at the Cuba Truck Stop, formerly known as Voss, at 7 p.m.