Hello, I'm Zeke and welcome to The Zekely Podcast. Let's talk Pennsylvania. The guest I have today went from picking beans as a child in rural Illinois to working at the US Army Corps of Engineers and writing financial stories for the New York Stock Exchange. She's a mother, business owner and currently running for Erie County Executive. Thank you so much for being here, Christina Vogel.

For years, I’ve knocked thousands of doors all over Pennsylvania and poured my heart and soul into supporting candidates and causes that make a difference—from local school board races to national elections. The personal is political, and I take every election in Pennsylvania personally.

Where the mainstream media has failed you, I will give you truth and independence. You’ll hear from Democratic leaders, candidates, and change-makers who are working to improve the health of the Commonwealth, and it won’t be boring as hell.

No matter where you are, I’ll meet you with hope and a plan to make your community better one day at a time. Welcome to the Zekely Podcast. Let’s talk Pennsylvania.

Thank you for having me.

Absolutely. Is this your first time on a podcast?

I think so. Yeah.

I'm really happy this is your first one. We're gonna learn all about you play some games. So let's get right into it. Okay

Well, why have you decided as your first time running for office, public office, that is to run for Erie County Executive?

That's a great question. Really, I never in my life thought I would run for politics or for office of any kind. It was not something that had ever interested me, to be honest with you, or that I really paid much attention to. But when we left Central Illinois, we moved to Erie 12 years ago. My daughter actually was starting kindergarten. She's getting ready to start her senior year tomorrow. Yes. But we did so without

my gosh.

having a single family member in Erie, no friends, we didn't know a single person. And really, when I look back on how I got from where I was to where I am, it was a combination of hard work, a commitment to education, and a supportive community that stepped in throughout my life to kind of fill in where I didn't have kind of

people in place to do that. My mom left when I was six weeks old. And so when I came here, it was very important to me

Mm-hmm.

to create that community for my kids. And I was very purposeful and intentional about doing that. And so I started out with being on the PTO. I was a Girl Scout troop leader. And then I started my own business, again, trying to build that community connection.

So when I watched everything happening with the current county executive and how he is really

Mm-hmm.

really just taking apart the fabric of the community in Erie and knowing that I have the skill set to really make a difference and try to improve the lives of the people in Erie County, then that's why I decided I would run. so my kids have an opportunity to be here and have, the ability to stay and have jobs here.

Mm-hmm.

So you're doing a lot for your family, but also to give back to the community that has done so much for you. That makes a lot of sense. And we'll talk a little bit more later about what the current county executive is doing and how you would like to make those things better.

Correct. Yes.

Well, we're gonna play a game called Mistake by the Lake. Okay, and I only know that term because I actually went to the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine back in the day, so I went to medical school there.

Okay.

Yes.

So we'll play a little game, all right? It's a little bit of a trivia game. So first of all, I don't know if you know this, where does the nickname Mistake by the Lake originally come

I don't know.

Yeah.

the guy from Train, but I can't think of his name. Yes, Pat Monahan.

That is correct. Yep. Pat Monahan.

Pat Monahan. actually, at Lecom, I don't know if it's still there, but right outside the cafeteria, there's a picture, there was a picture of train that was signed by the group. So that's where I learned about Pat Monahan coming from Erie, Pennsylvania.

that's nice.

right, here's the last one. True or false? Lake Erie is the deepest of the Great Lakes.

false, it's the shallowest.

That, correct, very good. So on average, the depth is about 62 feet, maximum 210 feet. So you are correct, very good. Thank you for playing Mistake by the Lake with me.

Christina, you've been a grinder from the moment that you could walk basically. know, from working on the farm in Illinois, taking odd jobs in your teenage years. When it comes to your work ethic, where do you pull from?

I think my grandparents, I mean, that's what I watched. I my dad too, my grandparents and my father. I my dad, I would watch him get up, whether it was, you know, 20 below or a hundred degrees and he went to work and he worked on Saturdays and he only had Sunday off. And I watched that my entire life.

Yeah, so it was just embedded in you. You saw it in your own family and just carry that tradition on. Do you have any siblings?

Yeah.

I have one brother and then I have a half sister as well.

Mm-hmm.

my gosh, do they grind as hard as you grind or are you the chief grinder?

my brother does. Yeah, he does. And we grew up together.

Yeah,

not that there are competitions in families or anything, right? mean, you don't sit around at holidays and say, yeah, well, I did this kind of thing, because when I saw dad do this, I was going do it harder. That doesn't happen,

Yeah.

Yeah.

No.

Certainly not. Okay, well, I'm sure your community is grateful for the way you grind because it is very impressive.

Thank you.

You were the mascot for your high school sports team, correct?

That

is true. I'm so impressed that you know that. ⁓ We were the corn jerkers, the Hoopston corn jerkers. The corn jerkers.

So, well, what was the mascot? I have to know.

The cornjerkers!

Can you draw a picture for me of what a cornjerkers mascot looks like?

Yeah, well, it is an ear of corn. ⁓ I was Jerky the corn. That was the mascot's name. That's still the mascot's name. We still have it. ⁓ Yeah, I was. I'm impressed that you know that. Yeah.

Okay.

Okay

my gosh, Jerky the Corn. And

good memories from being inside that mascot for all those years.

Yeah, you know what? That year that I was the mascot, was my junior year in high school and the football team made it to, I don't know, playoffs. I don't know how, remember how far they went. But I got to play with the kids on the sidelines and I would just spin them around. It was fun. It was a great year to be the mascot. And I got to kind of be on the news doing that. And yeah, it was fun. It was a lot of fun.

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

That's awesome.

Uh-huh. Jerky the corn.

I have a couple questions about this, okay? What was your signature dance move?

Um, I mean, we just had like dances, you know, that we did. I don't know that jerky had her

No, I don't think she had her own dance move. I know, I know.

Okay, I did, I really, I just, the visuals I get of

an ear of corn, it's hilarious. All right, what did it smell like inside that mascot?

I don't remember it being... I don't remember. No, nothing memorable. ⁓

Wasn't too bad? Okay. That's good. What generation

were you of jerky? Like, do you know?

That's

a great question. I mean, I had a hood and so and I don't think they do anymore. Like I think you can see the face. But I was at least the third iteration of the costume. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Okay.

Okay, all right, I'm glad it didn't smell. They took good care of it, that's fine.

Did you have a rivalry with any other school mascots?

Well, whenever they would talk about us, because it was so unique, they would throw in the Appleknockers, ⁓ they would throw in the Pretzels.

but you never threw down with another mascot at a game. You kept your distance, you kept it respectful.

No, but I will tell you a funny story. So my husband is from another small town in Illinois. We met in college and he was a year older than me. And

Okay.

he remembers making fun of the mascot at the football games, which I am now his wife. He did. That's right.

Uh-huh. There you go. He married Jerky the Corn. He married

Jerky the Corn. Can't live that one down.

No.

while I was doing research on what a county executive does in Erie, I was super impressed. I mean, it's a huge position. I mean, you're gonna be overseeing, I'm just gonna name a few, but the Departments of Correction, Health and Human Services, Public Safety, Veterans Affairs.

It is.

Sure.

the public defender's office, the library and the county's finance.

are so many changes that you could make to Erie County by how much power and oversight that you would have. So how has the current executive been managing all these responsibilities?

Not very well.

the current county executive, think has, he's trying to make the position something that it's not. So the home rule charter is very clear that this is an administrative function of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. And for whatever reason, the current county executive has decided that he was going to create his own economic development department.

which he is spending about a million dollars a year. The county council has sued him three times to try to stop him from doing this, but he's continuing as it winds through the courts, he's continuing to do this. So those are a million dollars of resources that could go to all of those other areas that you just outlined. And one of the areas that really needs it, I mean, all of them do, but one of them that really needs it

children and youth services. So the schools are really dealing

with a lot of issues still hold over from COVID of just mental health challenges and ⁓ just behavioral challenges. And they could really use more resources there, but he's diverted funds to go to this economic development area that is not a function. There's no funding that comes into the county for this. And so he's just taking resources from other areas. And it's really awful. It's really an unfortunate situation.

Yeah, it's terrible. I mean, and it's unfortunate that while it's working its way through the court systems that the money is just getting spent. You can't get the money back, right? Like once it's spent, it's spent.

correct.

So I'm really impressed at how much oversight and influence you will have in Erie, Pennsylvania. And I'm sure a lot of people looking forward to you having that type of control.

Yeah, I think so. I know so.

Yeah.

Christina, why are you a Democrat, and why do you choose to represent the Democratic Party?

believe that the Democratic Party is for working people. And I don't know how it got kind of co-opted to where somehow there is this

that now the Republicans are for the working class people. That's never been the case. And that is when you get down to the policies that Democrats and Republicans

that is also not the case.

Because the foundation of the country

class people who are just trying to live a dignified life and have stability in what they do and where they work and be able to live and support their families. And that is what the Democratic Party, in my opinion, is and has always been and continues to try to do.

And I agree with you. mean, I believe that the Democratic Party believes that government can help people and you're running for public office. And obviously, if you didn't believe that government worked, you wouldn't be running for a position where you would be in charge of different mechanisms of government. So I completely agree with you. I'm happy that you're endorsed by the local Democratic Party and by our very own Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis. He's an amazing Lieutenant Governor.

Correct.

He is.

very

grateful that you represent the Democratic Party and its values.

Thank you.

What is your favorite activity to do with your family in Erie?

My favorite activity, so let's see, for all five of us together or individually with my kids?

Yeah, yeah, all top five together.

I would say all five together,

We go hiking a lot, the five of us. That's something that we've always done since they were really

Yeah.

Yeah, I think that's probably the thing that I like the most. We play a lot of games, so we play Scrabble, the five of us, which is fun, and card games. So those are the things probably I would say the five of us together, yeah.

Yeah.

it's a short window in Erie for the hiking, unless you like putting on snowshoes.

This is true.

And Scrabble, yeah, my wife crushes me in Scrabble every time. So

Ha!

How does social media play into your campaign?

So I am...

I'm trying to be very purposeful in how I use social media to be able to reach as many people targeted as possible. I have a campaign right now that I'm running for registering new voters that

I have boosted on Instagram for 18 to 34 year

But, you social media is one of those things where obviously like anything there's pluses and negatives and it gives everybody a voice and it gives everybody a voice, right? And so you got to be able

Yeah.

That's true.

with

people that you don't like and they don't like what they're saying and they still have the right to say it.

Yeah, I mean, I think it's important for people like you that have such positive democratic messaging to,

flood the zone. I think it's really important. There's so much negative energy on social media in the news right now. You know, people like you give me hope. You really do. You know, you're running for an important position in your county, trying to make change for your community. That's the kind of stuff that government should do. Those are the kinds of things should inspire people to get involved in civics. And so I think

Just putting that message out there and letting people see what you're doing, whether it's on Instagram or TikTok or Facebook, I think that is very inspirational. So thank you for doing that and I hope you continue to do it. And then once you're elected, I hope you're on Instagram and TikTok all the time saying, hey, guess what, Erie County, guess what I did today, delivering for you because Democrats deliver. And so keep it up, don't stop, okay?

Thank you. Thank you.

Yes. Okay, thank you.

Well, Christina, you are the owner of two.

Donato's Pizza Locations in Erie County and you were the first independent female franchisee in company history. Did you know at the time that you were going to be the first when you first went into this? You didn't know. You just got a message one day from the company saying, you're the first?

No, I did not.

learned after I'd already was there. I just didn't know it was was yeah it was groundbreaking.

It's incredible.

What made you choose Donatos?

So I worked at a regional pizza place when I was in high school, undergrad and grad school. And it was about a third of the size of Donato's. So was very, very familiar to me. But I always wanted to have my own business. It could have been

And so I took the 100 Best Pizza franchises and just went one by one and looked at geography and corporate culture and finance and marketing and Donato's , just came out on top. I never heard of them or had their pizza. So we took our kids to the Cleveland Zoo. They have 12 stores in Cleveland. And then we went to a store. Basically, we got a buffet of food, liked it, and I reached out to them. And that's how it happened.

That's incredible. You did your research. Not only did you look them up, you went there. You literally drove there, tested the supply, and then you went for it. That's incredible. mean, again, it just lines up with the grind mentality that you have. You do your due diligence. mean, Erie County would be lucky to have someone like you as their county executive. It's just amazing what you've done just for your small business.

Yes. Yes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So we're going to play a little game, a pizza

Peace out.

I'm 48. I ⁓ went through a bucket. Yeah.

I know.

I love

getting my personal pan pizza for reading the books. It was a great initiative.

Yeah, I agree.

Domino's Pizza originally promised pizza delivery in how many minutes or less, or it was free.

30.

I have no idea.

Pizza Hut. Yeah,

Pizza Hut was the first pizza chain to do it in space. There you go. All right, have two more for you. In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, which pizza chain delivers pizza to the turtles in the sewer?

I would, yeah.

Teenage Mutant Ninja

Turtles, but I don't know, and I obviously know they love pizza. I'm just gonna guess. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. What year was it? Do you know the movie?

pizza.

Oh

gosh, I don't know. It has been the 90s.

I mean, I'm going to say Domino's.

You're right, it was Domino's. Very good, Christina.

right, here's the last one. This is a Pennsylvania-based one, right? Which PA-based pizza chain is for square cut pizzas and has a cult following in the Pittsburgh area?

Is it

Vicelli pizza? Vicelli originally pizza outlet. He did a pretty good job though. Yeah, you know your

No, Vicelli, yes.

Thank you.

Well, Christina, how's the door knocking going?

I just went started back up on Saturday. Good. Yeah.

Yeah, that's good.

I I came to Erie last year and I knocked doors with Jim Wertz when he was running for state Senate. I had a great time. It was hot as hell. It gets sticky and hot in Erie, Pennsylvania. So I respect all that door knocking that you do. And I hope that the doors are positive. I really do. I hope that you're connecting with people.

Did you?

you

I don't think people realize how difficult it is sometimes to just walk up. mean, know Erie is your town, right? That's where you live. But still, you don't know everyone in Erie. And walking up cold to a door where you don't really know how they're going to react to you, be hostile, or just give you a hard time, it really does take a lot to get the confidence to go out there every day or whenever you can to knock doors. So I'm grateful that you do it and that you connect with the electorate

Right.

Yeah.

Thanks. I I knocked a lot of doors in the primary. I'm going to knock a lot of doors now going forward. I actually really like it. I I do think that it is a very intimate way to connect with someone.

Good.

I explain why I'm there, but also I'm not pushy, right? And so I really try to find the connection and why I'm there. if you don't want to be there, I'm not going to like force myself to talk to you if you don't want to talk to me.

Yeah.

Right. No, I think it means a lot more when the candidate knocks on your door too. I really do. You know, I think that having a surrogate, I'm sure, look, you can't possibly knock every door in Erie County, so you need to have helpers go out and knock doors and represent your campaign. But to have the person running for office knock on your door, who's going to represent you for the term that you would get elected, that means a lot. And I hope that people...

understand that when any candidate knocks on your door anywhere in Pennsylvania that they're doing it to connect with the electorate and show that they care about serving because it is a public service. Even if you get paid for your office, it is still a public service and they will be represented by you no matter what you do. So I'm really grateful that you're doing that.

Thank you.

you are a member of the Erie County Community Colleges Board of Trustees.

and you literally helped to get a college off the ground and running. I mean, what made you decide to get involved in that endeavor?

there's really two reasons. When I was started at Illinois Westland, I was working at Monocles Pizza. One of the people that was working with me that I became friends with, she was going to Heartland Community College and it just started

I went with her to pick up something from Heartland Community College and it was in the basement.

of a retail building, like it looked like a daycare. And I literally was like, are you getting scammed right now? Like, what is this? this real college? What is happening?

But over the 20 years that I lived in Bloomington Normal, I watched Harlan Community College become this amazing institution in Bloomington Normal. And they do all these great things and they have this great campus. so that happened before I got to Erie. The second thing is my brother went to community college and his degree is actually from Eastern Illinois University. He's a vice principal.

in Danville, Illinois, but he took every single class but two at

if you were interested in applying to be on the Board of Trustees, you could apply in the paper. So I did.

had that kind of surge of COVID where that, that one strain was kind of taking everything down. And I thought there was no, there was no way that we were going to be able to have this college up and running in August, which was, you know, seven and a half months later. And we did it. And I just actually, I was talking to the president of the community college today. They have over 700 students that are enrolled.

Yeah.

Yeah.

feel comfortable, confident that they'll have over 800 by the time the

starts, which is what the goal is to have over 800 for the fall semester. And yeah, it's going great. mean, the first year we graduated 27 people.

And Governor Shapiro came and gave the commencement address. The second year we had over 85 people and Jill Biden came and gave the address. Yes, and last year, this past year in June, we had over 120 graduates. yeah, it just keeps growing. It's fantastic. I've had employees that have gone through the program that have gotten degrees. ⁓ And I, you know, I'm the only one on the board that has school-aged children and I'm trying to get my son to go to the college. So.

It's been great. It's been really necessary and needed. you know, the allocation of taxes throughout the Commonwealth was being divvied up a portion for community college and that money was not coming back into Erie. And now it is. And those are the types of things where we need those resources, our shared resources to come back into Erie County and contribute to make Erie County thrive. And without the community college, those dollars would be going elsewhere.

What if?

What a gift, what a gift that you gave back to Erie

It's really an incredible story. mean, education helps lift people out of so many things, out of poverty,

It sets their trajectory in life to achieve things that they might not have been able to achieve. And you knew that. That's clearly why you wanted to get involved in bringing

100%. I knew it. Yes.

a community college to Erie, Pennsylvania, and not only are you driving money to the region, but you're helping the future leaders of this country by getting an education. It's just great.

What would you tell someone who doesn't normally pay attention to politics about the importance of not just your race, but all of the positions on the ballot this November 4th?

I would say that you can only affect change if you're involved in the process. And if you can only be involved in the process if you understand what's

And I think that we are all guilty of kind of living for what's in front of us, you know, and our lives are so busy and we're pulled in so many directions. So I understand how that happens, very much so. But I think that we have kind of abdicated our responsibility, our civic responsibility.

in our nation locally, in the state and in the national politics when we just aren't involved and we don't know what's happening.

Yeah,

100%. I mean, people get excited about a lot of things. know not many people get excited about politics. I get excited about politics because I know how much power and influence politicians can have over people's lives. And I'm a doctor. You their decisions in Harrisburg affect the care that my patients get. And so that's exciting to me if I can influence someone getting elected who will help the lives of my patients. And it excites me that you could help the lives of people who live in Erie, Pennsylvania. So.

Yeah.

I agree, you can't complain about something if you're not involved. And if you're not happy, you just have to keep trying to get the right people elected. Democracy is a marathon. You can't get upset if you get false promises or if something just doesn't work out. You gotta keep moving the ball forward.

Correct.

Well, I feel silly asking this, Christina, because you do so much. But do you have any hobbies?

This is the truth. My biggest hobby is reading business and financial articles. And I say that to people and I've said that for years and they think I'm kidding and I'm not, but I am first and foremost a business and financial nerd. I read the business section every single day and I enjoy

business.

Okay.

So give me a snippet

of the most exciting thing that you read today about business.

⁓ Let's see, that's a great question. I would say

give you a kind of a highlight reel. So Lowe's is having difficulty with trying to pass on the tariff increases to customers and they're not able to absorb

Okay.

⁓ 150,000 and up households are showing strain with being able to pay their debts. So their increase in 30 day payments are that has increased substantially. And then on kind of the food side of things, Starbucks has been down. So it's had six consecutive quarters of reduction in transactions. So they're know, their quarter over quarter transactions is going down. And so is their sales, obviously.

So those are the three that I remember from this morning.

Christina, first of all, that's riveting. I just

want you to know, it's riveting information. But I'm actually, no, I mean, it's great. I love it. I mean, I find it very interesting.

Well, I can't say that I dive into that space, but I respect it. I certainly respect it a lot That's great.

Thank you.

Well Christina, I want to swing back to Donato's okay your pizza business because I read

that the average tenure of your employees is over 40 months, which is unheard of in the food service industry. So what do you do to value your employees that other companies are clearly not doing?

Well, it's a combination of things. mean, one is that I pay them very well. And so we start at $11 an hour for someone who's never, ever worked a job before. The minimum wage is $7.25. If you're 15, I have a 15 year old working right now. He starts at $11 an hour.

I pay. So that doesn't include any tips that they get, just in wages. you know, I give obviously merit increases if you're going to take on more responsibility. So I pay people well.

I've continued to give raises and try to keep up with kind of the cost of living.

reimburse my managers for 100 % of their health insurance. I don't offer health insurance, but.

If they go and get it, then I reimburse them for it.

person.

then I have other benefits that I provide for them. So I give them kind of options and they get to decide whether they want

disability insurance or I have some one person has a term policy of one person has a whole life policy that I pay 100 % of that for. I have paid time off. I have employees that are in between one and three weeks of paid vacation or pay time off that they can use. And because it's a restaurant, we have flexible scheduling. So that's actually weeks at a time that they take. But they can take off any other day. So having a flexible environment where people will come in and work their shift.

or me, I will come in and work people's shifts so that they can have off. And I have a retirement plan where I have a

So all of those things, but then I'll tell you some other things. So I provide cars. I'm the only Donatos that has vehicles. So I provide cars for my drivers.

Mm-hmm.

where I pay for all of the, I pay for the cars, I pay for the gas, I pay for the maintenance and the insurance. So all you have to have to be a delivery driver for me is a valid license. And you don't have to have that kind of wear and tear on your own car. So that's another thing that I

don't ever take tips ever, not one time when I work at the store. So if you work with me and it's just me and you, you get all of the

So I mean, because I just believe that

The core foundation of a business is its people. And businesses say that all the time and they don't actually walk the walk. And I try very much to walk the walk. And when I'm there, there's nothing that I won't do in the store to be part of the group. So I mean, I fold boxes, I clean the bathrooms, I wash dishes, you know, whatever I'm there. If I'm there to help, I am there to help and be part of the team. And I think that they genuinely believe that, you know, I see that and that's why they stay. They like it. That's the short answer.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's amazing.

No, it's amazing, Christina.

I think not enough people hear stories like this where businesses can thrive and treat their employees with respect and dignity

And how many years now have you been going running this franchise with the two businesses? Nine years, you're not belly up.

Right?

Nine years in October, nine years.

it's inspiring and it's obviously clear that you're doing right by your employees. And I hope that more people take that example.

Thank you.

And I think people who focus a lot on what's happening in DC with all the negative rhetoric, I think it's important that at the local levels we have leaders who treat people with respect and dignity. And I think that you will bring that to the county executive office.

I agree.

I completely agree.

Yeah.

you created a pizza with a purpose fundraising program where you've given back over $96,000 to local organizations, including travel basketball teams, church daycares, robotics clubs, and dozens of others. What brings you the most joy in giving back to your community?

I think it is just building the connections, And it is knowing that we can help, make a difference and bring people together. mean, I started it because when I was a member of the PTO, I was the treasurer for the PTO. I mean, the same people show up to do.

events for the PTO. You don't need any more stuff in your house and everybody has to eat dinner. And this is a way that is simple, that is effective, and that really gives 500, 600, dollars to organizations that are really impactful, where they can buy uniforms, where they can defray the cost

Yeah.

where they

provide

things for the group, you and do experiences. And it's been really great. I have some organizations that have been working with me for years and years and years. have actually the basketball team that I worked with in Fairview. They just graduated. Some of them, the first, the oldest group graduated last year. They were in like fourth grade when I started doing stuff with them. And I have been inner city school. Then I do a boys basketball team. We've been doing that for, gosh, I don't even know, five or six years. He just reached

to me today also that we kind of sponsored different events for them for many years and they go to tournaments and they use the money to go and do team building events you know they go to like putt-putt and they or they go to little you know different things like that and and it's really impactful for them.

I'm really happy that you use your success and your franchise to give back to your community in yet another way, in terms of donating all that time and money. So really great. And when you get elected to Erie County Executive, are you going to be able to still be involved in that, working with your franchise and giving money back to the community? There's no conflict of interest here or anything? OK, good.

No, uh-uh, it should be fine. ⁓

Yeah. And most people,

they have my phone number, so they will find me.

Yeah, I certainly hope so.

Christina, what does your family think of your run for county executive?

That's a great

My daughter loves it. She was very encouraging for me to, you know, she was one of the ones saying, you should do it, you should do it, you should do it. My, my 13 year old is almost 14. I think he's in that age where he's kind of like, you know, he doesn't want to be noticed so much. And so he's kind of got that going on. But he's gone to events with me. And then my oldest son, he asked me about it a lot. He's my son that's on the autism spectrum. So he's kind of, he's curious, but he's doesn't really say much. And my husband, I think he's just ready.

Yeah.

for November 4th. Because I've gone a lot.

Yeah,

I'm sure he is, I'm sure he is. It is a big sacrifice for family when anyone runs for office, not just the time commitments, but also just facing public scrutiny. It's not always roses when you're running for public office, so it can be difficult for the family, but I'm grateful to your husband and your kids for allowing you to run for this position.

Yes.

Thank you. I appreciate that.

What gives you hope?

The young people always, feel like young people by and large get a bad rap, ⁓ but I am always impressed time and time again with the young people in just a variety of ways. Yeah.

Well, I'm sure the young people you interact with give you a lot more hope because you treat them so well. Yeah, I'm sure that plays into

I hope so, yeah.

What plans do you have to get yourself through these next few years?

well, I, my friends in Illinois and my close friends in Illinois are having a friends giving on November 22nd. And I'm going to go to that. And I, that is what I'm like, I keep that in my head of like, okay, you know, I got to get through these next 10 weeks and then I get to see them. So, and then,

Yeah.

we are going to Hawaii, for my husband's 50th birthday in December. So I'm trying to like,

Yeah. Mm-hmm. Right. Get through November 4th and then there's a lot of celebrations to come. That's great.

think, okay, I got to get through this stuff. And then I have these couple things that I know that are happening.

Yeah.

Well Christina Vogel, running for Erie County Executive, will be on the ballot this November 4th, I can't vote for you. I'm excited for your campaign. I really want you to win. What can people do to support you?

I know. Thank you.

Okay, so the three things they can give money. Campaigns are expensive. If they have the financial resources and are willing to do that, they can give money.

have people from across the United States that has made calls. You can make calls for us. If you are anywhere near Erie and you want to knock doors, you can do that.

And you can just tell people if you're in Erie County, tell other people why I am the best person to vote. And if you're in Erie County, you can vote on November 4th. I need your vote.

100%. And what's your website?

⁓ christinavogel.com yes okay christinavogel.com

Yeah, I'll promote that. I'll be sure to promote that for you.

christinavogel.com got it. Again I'm super excited you're running for this important position in Erie Pennsylvania and I wish you the best of luck and I don't think this is going to be the last time we're going to cross paths.

Awesome, that would be great. Thank you so much for doing this. I appreciate it.

Absolutely.

Thank you so much for joining me here on The Zekely Podcast. Stay hopeful and get involved and until next time, let's keep building a stronger Pennsylvania together.