US Election 2012: meet the people of Dunkirk Pastor King, like so many in Dunkirk, is a former Rockwell man. After retiring, he became pastor at Bridgeport Church just south of town, and has since tried to become more involved in the Dunkirk community, helping to organize charity efforts and a vacation bible school for local kids. "There is a sense that nothing will ever get better," King says of the town, "but I don't believe that. Even if everything can't turn around... we can make Dunkirk a better place. Politically, King is a single-issue voter. He is staunchly pro-life, and votes Republican on that basis. The Barber - Kevin Ridgeway Age: 49 Politics: Didn't support Obama in 2008, but unsure for 2012 Kevin owns and operates the "Razor's Edge" barber shop on Main Street, where many of the men of Dunkirk gather on weekend mornings to get a trim and talk over the events of the week. Like many in the barbershop, Kevin has a 20-something son who is struggling to start a career in a tough economy. During the discussion of politics that followed our arrival in the shop, Kevin was mostly quiet, but did chime in that "you can't blame Obama for everything, things had taken a nosedive before he came in." The high school football coach - Pete Brunow Age: 54 Politics: Democrat Often teased by the rest of the barbershop crew as the most politically-minded - and most liberal - member of the group, Pete Brunow is a Social Studies teacher at Hardin Northern School on the western edge of town. Brunow also coached Hardin Northern's football team, the Polar Bears, to a state championship in 2004. In the barbershop, Pete is outnumbered by more conservative patrons, but never shy about speaking up. When others raised complaints about welfare dependency in the community, Pete was quick to observe that new jobs in Dunkirk don't pay what they used to, and offer few benefits, if any. "The problem," Pete says, "is that there are too many $10-an-hour jobs. There are always going to be people on welfare... the jobs we do have are too poor-paying. The Gun Owner - Dan Marshman Age: 66 Politics: Republican Dan Marshman (second from left) at a town hall meeting Dan Marshman, who goes primarily by his last name, is a Republican with a lifetime membership with the National Rifle Association - America's largest gun lobby. Marshman, like most of the pensioners in town, pins the blame for Dunkirk's economic woes - and those of Ohio in general - on the disappearance of factories like Rockwell International. Marshman recalled how easy it would have been to get a well-paid factory job straight out of high school back in 1964. Now, he says, young people don't stay in Dunkirk "because there's no jobs here. We lose them, their talents and their incomes. The Pensioner - Neil Hipsher Age: 63 Politics: Democrat Neil Hipsher (centre) listens to Kevin Ridgeway Neil worked nearly his whole life at the now-shuttered Rockwell plant, making trailer axles. In the early 1970s, when he began his career, Rockwell paid its workers upwards of $16 an hour, with additional benefits including health insurance. Neil credits trade unions with maintaining the economic security of the county during those boom years. A lifelong Democrat, Neil says of the GOP presidential nominee, "I don't think Romney's going to change anything in this town, or even in the country." The Café Owners Jill Jump Age: 45 Politics: Voted for Obama in 2008 Vickie Frysinger Age: 57 Politics: Didn't vote 2008 Jill Jump and Vickie Frysinger Jill and Vickie worked together for years at Bullwinkle's, a bar-and-grill in a town nearby, but they'd always talked about starting their own restaurant. "Oh My Grill," located on the former site of the Daily Grind Café, is the product of that idea. Jill's husband, who owns a local farm, provided the initial investment for the property and renovation. The pair have remodeled the building themselves and redecorated the walls with old farming nick-nacks. Despite general pessimism about the economy, they're confident they can make Oh My Grill a success. "We know the farmers will all come in for breakfast, but with the economy this bad, we know we have to keep the prices affordable," said Jill. The Grandfather - Charlie Green Age: 73 Politics: Republican Charlie Green with grand daughter Catie, 13 Charlie, who is Jill's father, worked for 30 years at the Rockwell plant - an auto parts factory that employed many locals but closed in 2008. He "won't be voting Obama, that's for sure, it all went downhill after he got in, but this other guy [Romney] isn't a whole lot better, I hear." When Charlie was a boy, Dunkirk was much more lively, with three grocery stores and even a movie theatre. While some of that is gone forever, Charlie still believes that enterprises like his daughter's restaurant can revive the town. The Small Business Owner - Richard Walden Age: 56 Politics: Independent, but not an Obama voter Owner of one of the smallest gas companies in Ohio, Richard is the type of small business owner upon which Mitt Romney has built his campaign rhetoric. Sheldon Oil & Gas, as the company is called, provides around 1,500 customers in the county with gas for their homes. Richard believes that government support for the unemployed is too generous; he's had trouble hiring because his company's wages are sometimes lower than welfare benefits. "Now that ain't right," he says. Used Car Salesman - Bob Powell Age: 51 Politics: Voted Obama 2008, looking at Romney this time, but still undecided. Owner of "Bob's Used Autos," which contains a wide selection of cars, most for under $5,000 dollars and almost all with 100,000 miles on the clock. Bob - who provides his own finances to his customers recalls the glory days of 2006-2007 before the financial crisis. Then he had $500,000 of loans on his books, compared with barely $100,000 today. He's angry about the state of the economy and the back-and-forth of the election campaign. Crap flows downhill, as they say. I'm just a guy trying to make an honest living and this economy turns me from that into the bad guy when I come to take the car back," he says, "This is the real America, right here and it's dying." The Rush Family Darrell Rush, 48, wife Jeanne, 44, son Colby, 21, daughter Lydia, 13 With an ideal location on Main Street, the Dairy Dream offers the best ice-creams in the county. A family of four can have lunch or dinner for around $20. Darrel, the patriarch, is a Republican, but says he's not very familiar with Romney."Trouble is you have to give them four years to find out," he says. Colby Rush, a 21-year-old student at Ohio State University, says of Dunkirk: "To be honest, I don't plan on staying around here. I want to go and live somewhere a little bigger, like Columbus or Cleveland. The Delong Family - Craig and Wendy Delong Age: 40 and 42 Politics: Didn't vote in 2008, but sympathetic to Obama Craig is a self-employed plumber who also does some truck driving. The couple were owners of the local coffee shop, The Daily Grind, but had to close it in May. Wendy, who managed the café, said that the menu was too limited, only serving coffee and subs: "We didn't have the money to invest in it at all." Craig expressed frustration with Dunkirk's dual problems of drug abuse and welfare dependency, saying "unless you've got blood and bones sticking out, you gotta work. Last year from July 5th to Thanksgiving I didn't take a single day off. The Industrialist - Ken Wessler Age: 63 Politics: Registered Republican, voted Obama in 2008, undecided for 2012 Ken runs Diamond Plastics, a rotational moulding plant, with his two Scottish friends and business partners. Business is back up to 2005/06 levels, with 50 employees and $4-6 million in annual sales, up from a low point of $2.5 million a year during the recession. Ken says one of his biggest problems is "a lack of people who can do the work... There aren't enough machinists, for example, and we don't know why." Moreover, too many applicants can't pass a drug test. He isn't enthusiastic about Romney, saying the Republican "doesn't represent change. The fear is that Romney is part of the system that caused the 2008 crisis. The Kelly Family - Brent and Ashley Kelly, newborn twins Bayne and Aspen Ages: 27 / 26 / three few months Politics: Republican, supported McCain in 2008 and Romney 2012 Brent works at Great Lakes Assemblies, which provides parts for the nearby Honda plant. Ashley works part-time as a pharmacy technician, but doesn't gain any salary boost from her two-year Associates" degree. The twins were born en weeks premature, and the bills for their long hospital stay would have been massive without health benefits from Brent's job. Ashley says her biggest concern for the future is "paying for college for Bayne and Aspen. You're going to have to have a degree to get a job. Ashley's family is still paying off her older sister's student loans, ten years after she graduated. The Bar Manager - Christopher "CJ" Cira Age: 34 Politics: Republican CJ's father owns the "Moe's Dugout" chain, based in nearby city of Lima, and CJ runs the Dunkirk branch. Business is poor, but CJ plans to wait out the summer slow season and decide in the winter if it's worth keeping the Dunkirk branch open. Reflecting on the campaign, CJ says "Romney's got my vote, but I don't think we've put the most charismatic guy up there. I don't think we want it that bad... this [downturn] is gonna be lasting a long time.