Odds and ends from the world of politics in Trumbull and Mahoning counties, and from the Tampa Bay Times Forum:
Former Trumbull County Republican Party chairman Craig Bonar and others from Ohio at the Republican National Convention in Tampa have a prime spot on the convention floor, right down in front.
Bonar - you may have seen him on television, others have, including his son - sat in the fifth row from the stage, fifth seat from the aisle. Asked how he received such a choice seat, he said, that's just where a staffer put a piece of paper with his name on it.
Ohio shares the row with Michigan, Romney's native state.
''I had my Ohio State shirt on last night (Tuesday night),'' said Bonar, a Romney delegate.
Also while at the convention, Bonar said he spoke with Bill Batchelder, speaker of the Ohio House, and the two, Bonar said, talked about the 64th House District race between Democrat Tom Letson and Republican challenger Randy Law.
''They have their eyes on it, which is encouraging,'' Bonar said.
Mark Munroe, Mahoning County GOP chairman, said he arrived at the convention Sunday ahead of the storm.
''It was just a little bit weird going to an airport, getting on an airplane and flying toward a hurricane,'' Munroe said. ''It seemed a little bit strange, but fortunately we arrived just a little bit ahead of the heavy weather.''
Because of the storm causing the convention to be canceled Monday, Munroe said Tuesday's session was extended to catch up on stuff that had been missed. Rather than starting at 7 p.m., the convention began at 2 p.m., he said.
''It turned out to be a rather long day,'' Munroe said.
A couple weeks back, Mahoning County commissioners agreed to allow the Board of Elections to hold early in-person voting on three Saturdays in October should the elections board decide to do so.
But why would the elections board do so?
It would be in direct defiance of Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted's directive on early voting. Husted's directive creates uniform early voting hours for all 88 elections boards in Ohio. Not included are hours for weekend voting.
Husted, a Republican, dismissed the two Democrats on the Montgomery County Board of Elections last week, because he said they violated his order when they pushed to extend times into the weekends.
The Golden Dawn Diner on Youngstown's North Side is a popular stop for political campaigns.
Democrats, including former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, last week campaigned in the parking lot there for President Barack Obama. It was the first stop on a three-day bus tour in Ohio.
In October 2010, vice president Joe Biden, on a campaign trip for Strickland, ate there with seven local residents before heading to a rally in Struthers.