As with many things we do here at The Regular Joe, our “Joe of the Year” promotion started out as an offhand comment. We were sitting around the conference room brainstorming ideas for the New Year. Somebody said, “We could have a Joe of the Year contest, but someone would probably nominate the shopping cart guy with the feathers in his hat.”  The conversation took a decidedly downward path, as we tried to top each other with a succession of worse and worse candidates.  

Once we beat that idea thoroughly into the ground, we realized that letting the readers vote for J.O.T.Y. would be a great way to engage our audience. We’ve been thrilled with the reception the paper has received in its short lifespan. We keep close track of our distribution numbers and they keep rising each issue as more and more of you find us. The next step in our evolution is to increase our contributions from the public and get more feedback on our website, urjoe.com. This seemed like a great way to do both. 

In the last issue, we put out the call for nominations. We didn’t set any strict parameters, but instead suggested various categories that candidates might come from. We didn’t have any real pre-conceived expectations of what would come in, and were both pleasantly surprised and horribly repulsed by some of the responses.  

We got emails, letters and phone calls. We got one line notes and three page novels. Some were signed by friends or co-workers; others were anonymous or asked that their names not be printed. We received a Polaroid picture of what appears to be the back side of a horse, with a caption labeling it as a controversial local public official.

We got an inspired comment spray painted on the side of one of our downtown advertisers. (Note to graffiti artist: we spell Regular with the conventional A-R, not E-R, but thanks for writing!)   

Some candidates received but a single nomination, others had several. What we decided to do in the end was pick six for the final vote and their nominations are below. Three are verbatim, just as we received them. Two are combined from multiple submissions. One is edited, mainly for length. Here are your nominated candidates for “Joe of the Year” in alphabetic order.

Mike Bracciano, KQ2Hey Joe.
I’ve ot a person for this Joe of the year thing: Channel 2’s Mike Bracciano.
He just celebrated 20 years at KQ2 this year.
I think it is rare to have somebody at a small town TV station for so long. I think it is rare to work in any place for 20 years in a row. He should be honored as being a Regular Joe who does remarkable things and makes us laugh when things aren’t so serious.
When bad weather comes, he is the first person I turn on. I don’t even think about it. He has helped me through tornados, snow and ice and he is always there.
I think I am like a lot of people who take him for granted. Joe of the Year would be a great way to honor a regular guy who does so much in our lives.
Jorge Kaplin 

Ruth Costello, Grace House Dear Joe,I loved your CLAMS piece on Grace House and the wonderful woman who runs it. I am a single mother with three kids, alone since my husband died in 2005. I don’t make much money at my job, but am too stubborn to take public assistance. Grace House is a place where they treat you with respect, and I can pick up some nice clothing items for my kids. Every child wants the things their friends have, and I appreciate being able to send them to school warm and looking good.  

Ruth Costello is an angel doing God’s work here on earth. If anybody deserves your “Joe of the Year” honor, she does and I would like to nominate her.Thank You,

Name omitted by request.

Dr. Joe Friedman, actor

Dear Joe,

I would like to nominate Dr. Joe Friedman as the “Joe of the Year”. I had the privilege of hearing Dr. Friedman speak to our Lion’s Club at our annual Christmas Dinner. He also sang at our dinner and spoke about his life in the movies. He has a great singing voice and a wonderful knowledge of

Sincerely,

Ben Burtnett 

David A. Miller, (posthumously)NOMINATION FOR JOE OF THE YEAR 

My best friend died suddenly last August. David Miller was a life-long resident of

 Dave was both ordinary and – at the very same time - extraordinary. Both attributes make him an ideal candidate for the 1^st Annual “Joe of the Year.” 

He was unpretentious and friendly. He never met a stranger and he was the kind of guy that could take hours to zigzag across the 100-yard girth of the Trails West! Festival, every step encountered a friend and every friend deserved a smile and a conversation. In our college days, Dave struggled with a sales job for precisely this reason; he’d have so much fun on his early calls that he’d never reach the later ones! 

Everybody loved him. Literally, he had more friends than anyone I know. He’d have been appalled by all the fuss, but his visitation and memorial service brought people from our past that I’d not even thought about for decades. Dave still had regular contact with many of them. He was my best friend for forty years; when and where did he see these folks? 

Here’s the thing. Dave Miller was a Regular Joe, but he was special, too. He was tuned to help people in a very special way. He was a long time volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, and continued his family legacy as a frequent blood donor. He was ordinary, but also extraordinary. I was just one of many lucky people who called Dave my friend. 

God bless David Miller. He deserves to be called your Regular Joe for 2007. 

Sincerely,Dan Danford 

Cecil Myers, Local Car DealerYo Joe, 
I want to formally nominate Cecil Myers for “Joe of the Year!”
 
I’ve known Cecil for a couple years now, but I have known of him for quite some time… the dealer with a heart. Well I’m here to tell you it’s true. In the last two years I’ve seen Cecil do things for employees, customers, friends, family, community organizations and several charities that you wouldn’t believe. Cecil helps people right here in town. He’s donated cars to the local Boy Scouts and also a New Mitsubishi Lancer to the Safe Driver Program. He’s active with the Young Mens Christian Association (YMCA) and his church. But the most important consideration here isn’t who donates the most; it’s who exemplifies

the best. Cecil could leave St. Joe and live anywhere. He stays here. Cecil could sell the business and go fishing. He stays here. Cecil could spend his time on the golf course. Yet he’s here everyday for his customers and all the people that have come to count on him.
 
So here it is “JOE.”  I’m a life long JOE kid, and someday I will own a business here. Probably in the 238. I’ve worked for people who don’t care about us JOE’s, and I know Cecil does. You can see it in his actions. Because of him, I am a better person and have a better sense of community. That’s the slam dunk here. It’s not whose name is on the plaque or on the building; it’s whose influence will shape the future of “JOE.”  
 
P.S. If you don’t believe me, stop by and see him. His doors always open. Mike Chappell Bob Orf, Eagle Radio

Dear Regular Joe,

I saw your story about picking your “Joe of the Year”, and it got me thinking, “Who in our town would you choose, to represent who we really are? It brought to mind the recent ice storm. Having the power out wasn’t fun for anybody except the generator sellers, but I sure was glad to hear Bob Orf on the radio. I don’t know if the tone of his voice or just his easy going style, but whatever the reason, you just felt like we were all in this together and we’d be ok.

I have to admit that I’m not an everyday listener. We don’t have the chance to listen to the radio at work when he’s normally on, but I have heard a lot of his sports broadcasts. I like that he’s not too over the top or too vanilla either, just kind of the right amount of excited to keep you listening. I also know he’s a good family guy which is something that matters to me.

I’m sure you will get a lot of nominations for other very deserving candidates. I just hope you will consider Bob Orf. I can’t think of anybody else that would be a better face for our community, even though he may, as the old joke says, have a better face for radio.

Unsigned.

Well there you have it; our list of finalists for our first annual “Joe of the Year”. Now it’s up to you. Call, write, or email us at the numbers and addresses on the cover. We’ll count all votes we receive by 11:59 pm on Sunday January 20^th. We’ll announce the winner on the cover of the next issue, which will hit our racks on Thursday  January 24^th.

Someone asked what the winner gets. Gosh, is not a whimsically altered photo on the cover of The Regular Joe prize enough? We’re talking the first ever, here. The inaugural. Who knows, maybe we can get a local engraver or trophy place to donate a metal coffee cup or something that says “Joe of the Year”, in exchange for a little publicity. (See me workin’ here?). Either way, the real prize will be knowing that all the everyday Regular Joes have spoken, and chosen one of their own to honor. I ask you who could ask for more than that?