THUMBS UP. .. From left to right, in the back are Bryan Mayor Carrie Schlade, Williams County Health Commissioner Jim Watkins and Williams County Commissioner Lew Hilkert, while in the front are Montpelier Mayor Steve Yagelski, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, Shirley Fry and WC Commissioner Brian Davis. The occasion was the Governor’s Press Conference in which Husted, Yagelski and Fry were brought into the conference from Superior School in Montpelier, Ohio, while they received their COVID vaccinations
By: Rebecca Miller
Thursday, March 11, 2021 was a memorable day for Montpelier Schools and for area residents who chose to get their vaccinations on that specific day at the old Superior School on St. Rt. 576.
As soon as Husted arrived at the school, he was greeted by four elementary students who gave him High Five to Thrive papers that were colored by Montpelier sixth graders.
Along with the students were the Elementary principal, Lance Thorp, Assistant Principal Mike Bumb and third grade teacher Megan Lamberson.
Ms. Lamberson presented Husted with a large wall decor “M” and a Montpelier School tee shirt. Pictures and fanfare, visiting and fist bumps accompanied by lots of smiles behind masks marked the moment for those in attendance and those who got to participate.
As the elementary students and staff said goodbye and left, Mr. Husted was introduced to two Montpelier High School students who were there to make a documentary for the Multi Media class.
Mrs. Lu Cooke, the Northwest Region Liaison for the Lt. Governor’s office, introduced Husted to Tylor Yahraus from the Multi Media class and Ethan Marihugh who was chosen to ask questions during a planned webinar with the Lt. Governor.
The four of them, along with Husted’s Press Secretary, Haley Carducci, disappeared into a classroom that was set up and ready for the boys to conduct a webinar.
The webinar will be edited by Yahraus and then shown on the school’s website. The boys also documented the rest of the day, which began with Husted was being given a tour of the Vaccination Clinic which was set up in the gym and was bustling with well organized comings and goings of people who were ready to get vaccinated.
Williams County Health Commissioner Jim Watkins led Husted along with local elected officials Montpelier Mayor Steve Yagelski, Bryan Mayor Carrie Schlade and WC Commissioner Lew Hilkert, and a gaggle of press into the gym.
Press was there to catch the event, from Channel 24, WTOL11, The Blade, The Bryan Times and The Village Reporter.
Cameras clicked and people waiting to be released following their vaccinations turned to see what was happening. Watkins stood near the stage and filled the Lt. Governor in on how the clinic is organized, answering questions about the county and how the Health Department has dealt with COVID.
The group left the gym en mass, trouped down the halls and entered a room which had been set up for the Lt. Governor to be a part of Governor Mike DeWine’s Press Conference that day.
The reason for his trip back to his hometown, was so that he could get his covid vaccination there. Those who set up the event had invited Mayor Yagelski and Mrs. Shirley Fry to get theirs along with Husted and they were ready.
Mrs. Fry babysat for Jon and his brother when they were little, still lives in the home where she used to babysit them, and was happy to see him again. Husted was pleased that Mrs. Fry and Mr. Yagelski were joining him for the press conference, and for the vaccinations.
While waiting for the signal that it was their turn to join the Governor’s Press Conference, the three reminisced and answered questions from the press.
Yagelski and Frey were in the same graduating class from Montpelier and all three of them attended the same church with their families when they were growing up.
Jim Lee, who coached Husted in high school track and football was very involved in the technological side of the press conference, setting up the room and the technology needed to pull of the event. Commissioners Brian Davis and Terry Rummel were able to attend for portions of the day. Director of Health Education, Victoria Smith, fielded questions from Husted and the press.
When the Governor said, “Now we are going to Montpelier where the Lt. Governor is getting vaccinated today in his hometown,” Husted greeted him and introduced him to the Mayor and his former babysitter.
While those in the room could see the governor on a screen on the wall, chatting with those who were live with them, silence reigned except for those who were speaking as part of the Press Conference.
Husted introduced Tammy Riegsecker, the nurse from the Health Department who was giving them the vaccinations and chatted while Yagelski and Fry got theirs administered. He then sat down, rolled up his sleeve and Riegsecker gave him his Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted have been visiting Vaccination Sites all over the state and Mr. and Mrs. DeWine had been in Zanesville that morning while Husted was traveling up to Montpelier. 840 people got doses of Pfizer at the Montpelier site on March 11th.
Husted praised the efficiency of the Montpelier site, saying that Williams County’s set up is very efficient. He thanked Mr. Lee for setting it all up for them to do the press conference.
He mentioned the two seniors there for the documentary, who were wearing masks and were happy to hear that the Governor announced new quarantine rules for athletics.
THE BIG MOMENT … Lt. Governor Jon Husted rolled up his sleeve and took it well when Williams County Health Department Nurse, Tammy Riegsecker, gave him his Phizer vaccination at the Pop Up vaccination site in his hometown of Montpelier, Ohio. Afterwards he told Governor DeWine as a part of the day’s Press Conference that he preferred the shot to getting the swab up his nose.
He spoke about the Pandemic Unemployment System, an assistance program, which is different from the normal system, saying it has been a rough experience but every state has been developing their own technology to deal with the problems of fraud attempts.
DeWine and Husted have sent a letter to President Biden asking him to create a National Coordinated Response to the ongoing attempt to defraud the American people through this PUS.
Husted basically said, “We recognize that the PUS was created before he became President, but we are asking him to make this a national best practices effort.”
“We feel if we get it right in one state it can flow to the other states. We are doing a good job, but want the whole country to get a national solution and are asking him to lead that. We are helping to form the conversation on best practices.”
Everyone who got to be a part of this historic day in Montpelier, from the elementary students to the mayor, enjoyed getting to meet Lt. Governor Jon Husted and to welcome him home for the day.
Rebecca can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com