Special guests aid campaign

Monday, August 28, 2006 A football hall of famer will be a special guest at the concert. YOUNGSTOWN — Ted Strickland is bringing some big-name entertainment to the Mahoning Valley to boost his quest for the governor's office. Boyz II Men, the Philadelphia quartet who had several hits in the 1990s, will perform at 4 p.m. Friday at Anthony's on the River on Oak Hill Avenue. Other special guests will be professional football hall of famer Jim Brown and civil rights activist U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia. The event is free. Strickland, a Democrat, is squaring off with Republican challenger J. Kenneth Blackwell for the governor's seat in November. Both candidates will be back in Youngstown to debate Sept. 5. This is the first of four debates, and it is being presented by The Vindicator and Vindy.com, the newspaper's Web site. A Democratic Party rally is planned at the WFMJ studio on East Federal Street at 10:30 a.m. Other debates will follow in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus in September and October. Strickland is a six-term U.S. congressman whose district includes Columbiana County and part of Mahoning County. Blackwell is Ohio's Secretary of State and lives in Cincinnati. The Democratic Party is seeking volunteers for both Strickland events. A volunteer planning meeting is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the ITAM Hall on Meridian Road.