Candidate Bee watches bakers make cookies for American GIs

The air in the Continental School’s lunch room Monday afternoon was redolent with the sweet smell of baking chocolate chip cookies, and congressional candidate Tim Bee stopped by to watch and meet the bakers and packagers,

America Heartline volunteers were baking hundreds of cookies to send to U.S. GIs overseas.

“It’s wonderful, what they’re doing,” said Bee.

Republican Bee has just finished his term as president of the state Senate and is running for the 8th Congressional District seat for Arizona.

But he issued no stem-winding campaign oratory during his visit, preferring to talk quietly to the two dozen or so people mixing, baking and then packaging the cookies.

He shook hands with Continental School Superintendent Jim Nelson and three or four others, but then followed American Heartline volunteers into the kitchen were bakers were mixing the dough, putting the unbaked cookies on baking tins, and then to the ovens to see them being baked and finally, to a table of volunteers who were packaging them.

It smelled wonderful.

Evelyn Olson and Carol Carrey are co-chairs of American Heartline. Monday they were wearing T-shirts that looked almost like an American flag, with the field of stars and red and white stripes on the front.

Bee had a busy day, as he usually does while campaigning, attending an early morning event in Green Valley, then a fast drive to Tucson to meet with Gov. Janet Napolitano, and then back to Green Valley for the cookie baking.

The only time he talked politics was when he was asked his assessment of the country’s financial bailout.

He agreed with the congressional action, but then criticized his Democrat opponent, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

He said she voted “no” when the House first rejected the $700 billion bailout, but after the Senate increased it with another $150 billion mostly in earmarks, she voted “yes.”

Bee said that was because one of earmarks was a multimillion project to fund solar energy research in Arizona.

Attempts to reach Giffords’ staff were unsuccessful Monday.

American Heartline uses the kitchen at Continental School twice a month to make about 100 pounds of cookies. The group gets names to receive the cookies from friends and families of GIs and ohers.

Eight cookies go into a small plastic bag that’s decorated with a patriotic sticker and tied shut with red, white and blue ribbons.

Much of the ingredients and packaging are donated or provided at dealers costs.

Olson said a note sent with a bag of cookies suggests the recipient share them.

Earlier Olson had told the Green Valley News that sometimes the packages are accompanied by letters from Continental School pupils.

jlamb@gvnews.com | 547-9749