LORAIN — U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton will visit Lorain Admiral King High School today for a town hall meeting with up to 1,500 students and members of the community attending.

Clinton, D-N.Y., will be making good on the promise she gave Mayor Tony Krasienko, as she follows fellow presidential hopeful Barack Obama, D-Ill., who spoke with workers at the National Gypsum Co. on Sunday.

Krasienko — who officially gave Clinton his endorsement for president Monday — said having both candidates in town will be a win-win for the city.

“It’s important for our residents to hear from all the candidates so they can make the best decision,” he said. “It’s good for Lorain to say we had a presidential candidate stop in our city on the way to the White House.”

Clinton will speak to the public around noon in Admiral King High School’s gymnasium about “Solutions for the American Economy.”

Lorain Schools Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson said about 500 seats have been reserved for seniors from Admiral King and Southview high schools. Other students are encouraged to attend with a guardian. The event is open to public on a first-come basis.

“The seniors are most closely tied to the election because of their age,” Atkinson said. “We wanted them to have the opportunity to participate and see a presidential candidate up close. This may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all our students.”

The high school gymnasium can hold about 1,500, Atkinson said, and a shuttle service will be available from George Daniel Field to allow for extra parking.

Luis Vizcaino, a campaign spokesman for Clinton, said the senator realizes how important Ohio is to the upcoming election, and sh’ll focus her discussion on creating local jobs, and how she plans to keep them within the state.

“This is an opportunity for voters who are undecided to hear directly from the senator,” Vizcaino said. “She’s going into the community and wants to hear the issues that matter to them.”

Following the meeting, Clinton will head to Cleveland where she’ll face off at 9 p.m. against Obama in a Democratic presidential debate at Cleveland State University.

Krasienko said he endorsed Clinton with the hope that she could help relieve the foreclosure, education and job issues that are ongoing in Lorain and the rest of the country.

“What attracted me the most to Hillary’s campaign is her knowledge and her attitude and her plan for America’s working families on returning jobs to cities like Lorain,” he said. “It’s going to be a great event.”

Contact Stephen Szucs at 329-7129 or sszucs@chroniclet.com.

Chronicle photographer Bruce Bishop contributed to this story.

 

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