Mike Hihn

I began a family later than most, at age 35. When our son was 9, I became the primary parent as they say.

I was a self-employed entrepreneur coach, and arranged my time around his needs. He became the only 11-year-old with a Plain Dealer "car route" (I drove) There was also 8 years as a youth baseball coach (I declined to be my son's coach) and league president -- which is also how I repaid a life's debt to the lessons taught by my own coach, Ted Theodore.

My two passions are politics and business management, where success in both seems to share a common theme - empowerment.

Management and politics are both about people, so I've found that the same principle applies to both: empower them, "train" them, then get the hell out of their way!

Politically, that makes me libertarian. In management, that means entrepreneurial (NOT bureaucratic) management: a bottom-up style, with negotiated commitments and pay-for-performance (often profit-sharing).

Workaholics never fully retire, so I run a part-time web-design and hosting business on the management side. On the political side, I've had political op-eds published across the country for nearly 30 years.

I did enjoy my brief time in a major corporation, for what I learned from great mentors, and for all the great places I lived. Hartford, and the Canadian cities of Winnipeg and Toronto.

Back in the US, it was North Ridgeville, then to Seattle in the glorious Northwest. I'm now in Boise to be with my son's family. But I love the city itself. I've always wanted to live downtown, but for a Clevelander that means feeling safe! Boise is one of those cities where strangers say "good morning" to each other on downtown sidewalks.

I'm not sure which side of me you saw in school. But I'm pleased to report that I'm still a smart-ass, still quite independent, and still a guy that gals seem to feel comfortable talking with (which I HATED until recently)

In other words, I'm the same person inside ... after all these years ... just like you are!

I STILL tell this one!

It was the class picnic and we doubled with Al Tadych and Mary. We were the first car in line, with a long line of classmates' cars behind us.

The gatekeeper looked down the line and told us that "Negroes" were not allowed at the swim lake. Without skipping a beat, Al turned to me, winked, and began discussing how the two of us would get all the cars turned around to leave.

The gatekeeper instantly relented! And that's how the 60s really began -- sticking up for our friends.

I still wonder how many times that gatekeeper got away with it. Until he collided with Al Tadych and the BHS Class of 60! I'll always be proud to have been there.

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Mike@Hihn.net