Why information is so important...

Mayor Carty Finkbeiner had his first Town Hall meeting last night at Ottawa River Elementary School, as I read the above linked Toledo Blade article this got my attention:

When a woman tried to ask whether Point Place would get a high school or junior high school as part of the $821 million school construction project, the mayor firmly stopped her, saying he and his staff had nothing to do with those decisions.

"That's what most of us are here to talk about," said Jill Brewer, the parent of a 3-year-old, after she was ushered away from the microphone. "If they call a town hall meeting, they should address the issues of the majority of the people."

Everyone should know it's not the Mayor's job to make those decisions, that is the local Board of Education. Part of this problem is Mayor's talk about schools, especially during campaigns and speeches, and at times don't make those lines clear of what they can actually do. Part of it is people not stopping to realize that if they have concerns about when or where a new school will be built they should be showing up at the Board of Education meetings.

If it's true that the majority of those last night wanted to talk about Schools, then perhaps the Board of Education needs to do a better job in providing information and a chance for those who are concerned to speak. I for one am glad Carty didn't get involved in that topic. He can "recommend", he can "urge", but other than that? He really has no input on where or when a new school will be built.

I wondered when I heard his State of the City address how successful he was going to be at getting these Town Hall meetings to focus on the positive, the "vision quest" that he wanted them to be rather than more about airing complaints. I doubt he'll give up easy though, and that's a good thing.

Cool County Initiative coming....

This Wednesday at the UT Student Union, 6:30pm, room 3018; Ben Konop will be telling you what his outline is. This is another Lucas County Young Democrats Town Hall Meeting, where not only Ben but others will share their ideas on economic issues and important topics like how to keep some of our young creative talent here in the Toledo area. The Nookular Option as linked above has more information on this meeting.

Don't forget to tune into Nookular Option's webcast tomorrow from 2 to 4 p.m. on WXUT.

:-)

Blogging Toledo

I'm very excited to announce that in the February 8th edition of the Toledo Free Press there will be a new feature on the Toledo Free Press website by "Toledo's most prolific blogger", yes...me. (credit of course goes to Bob Frantz for giving me that title - lol)

I'm going to be highlighting a few of some of the best blog articles of the week from Toledo area bloggers. This won't be just politics as Glass City Jungle is becoming known for. Humor blogs, personal blogs, sports blogs, political blogs, Toledo has so many wonderful bloggers out there and the Toledo Free Press has given me this opportunity to be able to share some of these blogs on a weekly basis.

If you come across a blog post written by someone in our area that made you laugh, made you cry or that you feel was especially thought provoking? I'd love to hear about it. Email me at glasscityjungle@gmail.com and I'll be happy to stop by and visit those blogs. Live Journalists? You too are welcome to be a part of this as I'll be including Toledo Live Journal writers in my search for Toledo's best blog moments....

Alternative Media Weekly Round up

In addition to some of the articles I've written about this week, I wanted to point out a few more. La Prensa has a very informative article written about Marisol Ibarra who is not only the new Manager of Economic Development for Toledo, but was appointed to LCIC as well. She talks about her job, Carty and a shared vision for Toledo that I think is a must read.

When reading Toledo Parent Magazine this afternoon, I came across this really interesting concept in an article titled Food Fight, while the business Dream Dinners is in Lambertville, Michigan? It's close enough to be of interest, and especially for working parents or even those who are tired of making the same dinners week after week might find extremely useful. I'm the master chef mom and I'm tempted, especially after checking out the menus on the website.

Columbia Gas may not have wanted to participate in WSPD's forum, but The Toledo Free press has an exclusive interview with Jack Partridge, President of Columbia Gas that is another Lisa recommended read.

Also? Don't forget another great aspect of our local alternative media is radio, especially "The Nookular Option" which is webcast Tuesdays, 2-4PM (EST) on WXUT.

Over-shooting their Authority....

Until recently, 125 cities and 13 villages had the right to determine that residents that worked for them had to meet certain residency requirements. Thanks to some of our local Ohio Representatives and Governor Taft, that is about to change. I believe a city or a village should be able to set residency requirements for those that they hire.

If you want to read the text of the bill it can be found Here:

In the Ohio House of Representatives this bill was voted on January 18th of this year.

The yeas and nays were taken and resulted - yeas 68, nays 28 (Area representatives are in italics).

Those voting for:

Aslanides, Barrett, Blasdel, Blessing, Boccieri, Book, Brinkman, Brown, Calvert, Carano, Cassell, Chandler, Coley, Collier, Core, DeGeeter, DeWine, Distel, Dolan, Domenick, Driehaus, Evans D., Faber, Fende, Flowers, Garrison, Gibbs, Gilb, Hagan, Hartnett, Harwood, Healy, Hood, Hughes, Kilbane, Law, McGregor J., McGregor R., Miller, Mitchell, Oelslager, Patton T., Perry, Peterson, Raga, Redfern, Reidelbach, Reinhard, Sayre, Schaffer, Schlichter, Schneider, Seitz, Smith G., Stewart D. ,Stewart J. ,Taylor, Trakas, Uecker ,Wagoner, Walcher, Webster, Widener, Williams ,Wolpert, Woodard, Yuko, Husted-68

Those voting against:

Allen, Beatty, Buehrer, Carmichael, Daniels, DeBose, Evans C., Fessler, Hoops, Key, Koziura, Latta, Martin, Mason, Otterman, Patton S., Raussen, Setzer, Skindell, Smith S., Strahorn, Sykes, Ujvagi ,Wagner, White, Widowfield, Willamowski, Yates-28.

In the Ohio Senate, this bill was voted on June 21, 2005. The yeas and nays were taken and resulted - yeas 19, nays 13, as follows:

Those for:

Austria, Brady, Carey, Cates, Coughlin, Dann, Fedor, Grendell, Hottinger, Jacobson, Jordan, Mumper, Niehaus, Padgett, Prentiss, Schuring, Wachtmann, Wilson, Harris-19.

Those against:

Amstutz, Armbruster, Clancy, Fingerhut, Gardner, Goodman, Hagan, Mallory, Miller, Roberts, Schuler, Spada, Zurz-13

The Toledo Blade article that is linked in the title line gives you some additional information. Both Mayor Finkbeiner and Frank Szollosi are among those who do not support this, yet it appears it is too late. Governor Taft signed the bill yesterday and barring a sucessful legal challenge it will go into affect in 90 days.

I can't help wondering why this wasn't made an issue and fought harder before the bill passed the House. Given it was passed by the Senate back in June, there was ample time to make this a public issue and try to prevent it then. This is also a good time to once again note that the Ohio Congress makes it very difficult to get voting roll information on bills, and why HB 323 is so important. Take this bill, 82, as an example. It was buried within a 440 page Ohio Senate Journal for that day.

When it comes to those with higher political aims? I'd point out that the sponsor of this bill, Republican Sen. Tim Grendell, is running for Attorney General and Senator Marc Dann who also has eyes on the AG spot voted yes on this bill. Eric Fingerhut, a Democratic candidate for Govenor, voted against this bill. Ohio Rep. Chris Redfern, the new head of the Ohio Democratic Party voted for this bill. Positions worth remembering when they come to tell you how important our area is to them.

Toledo City Paper's Best of 2005

Rather than wait till this weekend for my weekly alternative media round up, I wanted to point out that this edition is one of my favorites that the City Paper puts out each year. I always vote and this year over 2000 of us did.

Check out the winners in each category from food to talk show hosts, you might find a new spot or two you want to check out.

Just a sample?

Under local color:

Most trustworthy politician: He’s baaaack … Carty, that is. Mayor Finkbeiner might raise some eyebrows with his actions and words, but he earned our trust enough to garner the most mayoral and "best of" votes. We’re guessing deaf residents were not the majority of voters. Readers place last year’s winner, Marcy Kaptur, at second place on the trust-o-meter.

Toledoan most likely to throw rocks at a riot: No shocker here: Confrontational Carty takes the top prize, while Jack Ford may have snuck in a throw from the middle of the riot-minded crowd he found himself in.


:-)

The Steam Plant and Federal tax credits

As I read the above linked article from the Toledo Blade, this portion of the article caught my attention:

Mr. Jackson and Mr. Ball hired Cleveland architect Jonathan Sandvick to design the building and have applied for federal historic tax credits to reduce the cost of financing 20 percent. The project has to comply with National Park Service standards for rehabilitating historic structures to get the tax credits.

Mr. Ball said they are “very close” to approval of the tax credits.

But Franco Ruffini, deputy state historic preservation officer, said the developers haven’t submitted the application yet.

Mr. Ball said the architects are working directly through the park service in Washington to ensure the design meets the standards for the tax credits.

“We have gone as far as we can with site work without jeopardizing the tax credits,” Mr. Ball said.

This left me wondering, did they apply for the federal historic tax credits thru Washington and not thru Columbus? How does this process work? I have been doing research on this project and will continue to do so, but felt this information was important enough to provide clarification now.

Mr. Franco Ruffini, as stated above in the Blade excerpt, is the deputy state historic preservation officer, he was kind enough to take some time with me this morning to answer my questions.

As I understand it after talking to Mr. Ruffini, it is true that the formal part two application has not been filed yet. That document will be filed with his department in Columbus, which will then make a recommendation and forward the completed application to the National Park Services. Mr. Ruffini also told me that he was aware that Water Street Development Co, was working closely with John Sandor of the National Park Service on what he referred to as "single issue questions" as an example he used "are these windows correct". All of these single issue questions are a part of the larger full application process and according to Mr. Ruffini, by insuring all of these single issues are being handled properly thru the National Park Service, it will actually benefit the whole process once the final full application is received.

So, with a big thank you to Mr. Franco Ruffini, we all know more about this system works. While of course there are still concerns with this project especially given the rest of the news of the switch in contractors, it appears the application process for the federal historic tax credits is....steaming along....

On a more positive note....

I'd recommend another article in this week's edition of the Toledo Free Press, an interview with Mark Sobczak. This point especially I think is important:

"We've made progress already," he said. "We have to take small steps to take bigger steps."

Sobczak called the process of becoming a more coherent group "Playing Well With Others 101."

"When you disagree, you disagree privately," Sobczak said. "And people can read between the lines, but hopefully the 12 of us can learn to work as a group to work those issues out."

While it would give some of us alot less to write about if this did come about and no one should just go along if they really have serious concerns, I found this was a positive statement. While free speech is important as well as individual opinions, unity is also important. There's a fine line to balance between expressing your own ideas and being part of a team. If they can continue to focus on common goals? The benefits will be felt by all of us.

WSPD's Brian Wilson slams Toledo Talk and blogs

Last week I was tempted to write about Brian, when I heard him state that he had given up on getting a certain Democratic Candidate for Governor on the air and that candidate had been offered enough opportunities to talk to Brian that he was no longer going to offer and that the candidate could "get screwed". I was going to point out that type of attitude was probably why most Democrats wouldn't go on his show. Yet, that was the day of the Young Democrats of Lucas County Unity Town Hall and Paul Hackett's visit so in the scope of important things to write about I didn't bother.

Then when I read this as part of the Toledo Free Press interview, it was too tempting to not write about Brian:

TFP: Did you follow the local Web blog comments about WSPD after Frantz was removed, on such sites as ToledoTalk.com?

Wilson: I haven't seen it, but every town has a blog, and they are generally populated by Kool-Aid drinkers, mouth-breathers, has-beens, never-will-be people and so on. It's a game that means nothing. It's generally a hobby for someone to masturbate their ego anonymously. I've been in this business 40 years. They're listeners. They have no clue how this business works.

I will agree with you on one thing Brian, I don't know how the radio business works, I do however know that it seems your MO is to generate controversy thru insults rather than substance. Hope it works for you but then again if it doesn't? No big deal if you get replaced, to quote you "... it's just like taking a boat out of the water. There is no hole."

The note of irony to me is that WSPD promotes Bob Frantz's blog, which is frequented by some of the very same Toledo Talk bunch. The Toledo Free Press promotes a monthly community forum with Toledo Talk members as well. All I could think of when I read that was? Ouch....

:-)

State of the City address

WSPD, WTVG and Fox 36 is carrying this live....

George Sarantou spoke to Bob Frantz, George said this area has alot of talent and resources, we still are a huge manufacturing center, we still have alot of other manufacturing jobs. GM is a part of that. He also feels Mayor Finkbeiner will touch on the importance of a clean and safe City. Bob Frantz asked if promoting the Technology corridor would come at the cost of promoting manufacturing jobs. George Sarantou felt that the Mayor and Council will work to continue to retain the retain the manufacturing and expand those but that technology jobs are out there we have to be on the cutting edge. He felt it was imperative to get colleges to work together. Bob Frantz then asked how much financial wiggle room as in how can all of these projects be funded. Sarantou replied if more people working and paying payroll taxes, Jeep project as a great example; who would have dreamed in 1997 this would have come true; that as payroll taxes increased and people moved back into the City it would be possible to do more without financial sacrifices by the City. He ended with Toledo has a bright future in his book.

Then Bob Reinbolt stopped to talk to Bob Frantz, he stated Carty wrote his own speech did not use a speech writer. Speech is more "visionary" as to what Toledo is about and where we want to go in the future. He stated there will be a series of town hall meetings, to discuss future ideas not complaint type issues as well as the Meet the Mayor. There will also be a new effort to go out into the neighborhoods by the Mayor.

Update with summary:

Carty started out with the general thank you's which included thanking Red Cross members who went to Louisiana. He then recognized Tony Combs who was involved in the documentary Twist of Faith. The initial theme appears to be "Courage". Now on to celebrating "Leadership", he stated he will continue to meet with UT students monthly. He stated, we as a city need to nurture these 19,000 students as well as other colleges, they are our single greatest resource. Technology corridor development discussed, as well as cooperation with businesses, city and college. Raising the expectations of children and their schools. He stated Toledo Public Schools was ranked number one (that I wasn't aware of as far as his reference). He stressed the importance of parents attending school conferences. City Hall mentoring program will be developed and a privately funded summer youth program. Will work with the Chamber of Commerce to develop a high school job bank program. Toledo cannot afford to lose COSI, he wants to try to keep COSI alive in Toledo but did not committ City funds.

Quality of life issues was next, the future Marina District, create a synergy (George Sarantou used that word earlier as well), Maumee Crossing River Bridge, Sports Arena, will work with Lucas County Commissioners on that and other important Northwest Ohio projects. Westgate and Southwyck are cornerstones of their neighborhoods. Not just separate neighborhoods but rich and diverse urban villages with their own ethnic history are important to Toledo. We need quality development that goes above just the standards, Levis Commons is an example. He continued that Liz Holland lives in Chicago where quality standards have been successful and urged her to help make that same type of quality standards here that her hometown follows for Westgate.

Citywide Gateway, capital improvement funds to enhance area around new schools, increase police and "Clean and Green". He unveiled a new "Walk the neighborhood program", religious leaders, youth leaders, council members and the Mayor, they will walk a different neighborhood each week. This will begin in the Spring.

Then on to health, he supports Get Fit Toledo Program, which will focus on diet, exercise programs, restore Minority health commission. He supports a Walking path from Toledo to downtown, for jogging, walking, biking.

Jobs, requested money from the State for GM, Jeep supplier plant is increasing. Mayor Finkbeiner and Council will work to continue automotive heritage and work to diversify economy. Pro-jobs, pro-growth pro-business needs four things:
1) Leadership business and civic leadership is needed, 35 to 40 business civic leaders will advise what major projects should be focused on, they will meet quarterly. 2) Small Businesses, important resource of Toledo so to help navigate thru government processes a 25 person advisory council for administration and council will be formed. 3) Utility rate committee 6 person panel to find out why we pay more than anywhere in our region, it's a major obstacle to growth. 4) Regional cooperation - share resources, reduce cost and improve economic conditions to the benefit of all.

Mayor Carty Finkbeiner ended on the theme of:

Leadership, teamwork and vision....Together we can....

Carty's appointments and how quickly we forget

Not to mention how hard the City and the Toledo Blade make it to remember....

The race card once again enters Toledo Politics, this time like most times it shouldn't be an issue. Today's Toledo Blade states:

With Carty Finkbeiner's election as mayor, 29 people who were hired or promoted during the single term of Mayor Jack Ford have resigned, retired, or been fired.

Slightly more than half were African-American.

The number of terminations, after the bitter campaign between fellow Democrats Finkbeiner and Ford, has raised eyebrows - even as people recognize the mayor's right to install his own team.

When Jack Ford took office he appointed his own staff, and made a great deal of changes, that of course is not mentioned. Granted, the Toledo Blade makes it impossible to find this information unless you want to pay $2.95 per article and while all the appointments require confirmation by city council, the City Journal for City Council is not available online for previous years, only the past two years. Nor is it designed to be easily searchable. If you are a card holder for the Toledo Lucas County Library, some not all articles from the Toledo Blade are available online, at no cost.

Today's Blade article goes on:

"Maybe Carty couldn't get past loyalty," said Mr. Gilchrist. "There were plenty of Carty people in economic development. Jack knew, and he didn't get rid of them."

Let's flash back...

To January 9, 2002:

The city's chief prosecutor, a supporter of failed mayoral candidate Ray Kest, has been dismissed from his job four days into the new Ford administration.

Meanwhile, the administration asked city council to act yesterday on an ordinance to allow the mayor to hire a national search firm to recruit for the jobs of chief financial officer and economic development director.

Mr. Ford had declined to reappoint, in acting capacities, several of Mr. Finkbeiner's top staffers, who left office when Mr. Finkbeiner's term ended. Mr. Tomczak is believed to be the first to be dismissed.

Then let's move ahead to January 31, 2002:

Mayor Jack Ford has an evangelist for an executive assistant, who plans to take seriously the mayor's plans to involve churches more extensively in community service.

Marjorie Holt, 51, is one of four people introduced by Mr. Ford yesterday as part of his top office team.

Also joining the Ford administration are Jay Black, Jr., a vice president of National City Bank, as chief operating officer; John Loftus, seaport director for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, as assistant chief operating officer, and Anita Lopez, attorney for the Toledo Fair Housing Center, as affirmative action director.

Then, on December 2, 2002; Tom Troy, the very same reporter that wrote today's article had an article titled "Complexion of City Staff Changing - Ford Says He wants to Give Minorities More Chances" in which this is noted:

Since then, the Ford administration has changed the city payroll's complexion, with whites comprising 72 percent of the city's work force. The percentage of African-Americans rose from 20.4 percent to 22 percent, and the Hispanic percentage rose from 4 to 5 percent.

A Blade review of City Hall staffing showed that:

* The mayor created, resurrected, or upgraded nine commissioner and manager positions, appointing blacks to six of them and a Hispanic to one.

* Of 15 administrative positions, the number of minorities rose from six under former mayor Carty Finkbeiner to nine under Mr. Ford.

* The mayor's appointments have occurred as overall city employment has dropped. Since January, the Ford administration has hired 79 people, one-half of whom are black and 6 percent are Hispanic. Overall, however, city employment in the general fund operations has declined by 31 people - from 2,013 employees when Mr. Ford imposed a hiring freeze in February, to 1,982 employees as of Nov. 7.

So after taking a brief visit back into history, what can we surmise? If it is okay for Mayor Jack Ford to make changes to staff and hire who he wants to hire, then it should be the same for Mayor Carty Finkbeiner. Mayor Finkbeiner is not terminating or selecting staff that serves at the pleasure of the mayor because of race. Just as in that same December 2, 2002 article in which Mayor Ford clarifies his position at that time:

"I'm just looking at who I think can do the job on the terms I want them to," Mr. Ford said. "So it doesn't make a difference what the person's color is, although diversity is a goal."

Round up of weekly alternative media

The Sojourner's Truth has a very excellent article by John Henry Livingston entitled "Are you prepared for change in 2006?". He's also offering a free seminar on Personal Time Management, more information can be found at his site, Whirlwindu.com. There is also a feature article about Sidney Ribeau that is very well written. The Sojourner's Truth does not have an online version but it's available in numerous locations in Toledo. Their contact number if you are having problems locating a place to pick it up is 419-243-0007.

On to the Toledo City Paper...This edition is the Wellness Guide for 2006 which contains alot of very useful information. As well, another appearance by the "mystery" writer we only know as Johnny Hildo to give us his view of City Politics last week.

La Prensa has an interesting article on the topic of undocumented immigrants in Spanish, so if you are rusty on your Spanish or are not lucky enough to live with someone who can translate for you? Babblefish does an okay job of translating this to give you the main jist of the article. Using the enter the URL of the webpage function is the easiest way to translate a large article.

Toledo Journal has an article on a speech by Marcy Kaptur where she shares her thoughts on the recent Toledo City Council Presidency election, scrapping her prepared speech which according to the article suprised many of the local politicians present.

The Toledo Free Press has several good articles, one in particular I found interesting was A Special Report on the smoking ban.

Thanks to my attending the Young Democrats of Lucas County meeting last week I found out about a radio program called "The Nookular Option" on WXUT, the University of Toledo's radio station, every Tuesday from 2-4PM, you can listen to the webcast at this linkat that time.

Ben Konop TV ad to hit the airwaves...

The television ad starts tomorrow but here it is as an advance preview....

As part of the press release Ben states:

Thanks to your generous support, our campaign has a TV ad on the air! We are the first campaign in Lucas County and one of the first in Ohio to have a TV presence. The positive ad, titled "Vision for Lucas County," can be viewed here

If you don't want to view this as a wmv file, I uploaded it to my you tube account so that you can view it without downloading it here

If you want more information about Ben's campaign for Lucas County Commissioner, or are interested in volunteering/contributing please visit his website as linked above.

I am not affiliated with his campaign, but part of the goal of Glass City Jungle is to keep you up to date on the political happenings of our area.

Personally? It's a good first introduction ad and I like the fact that he is using a positive message, I look forward to hearing more about Ben's vision for Lucas County.....

Why all of us should support HB 323

When visiting Reclaim Ohio I discovered that Pho's Akron Pages had an article about House Bill 323 introduced by Representative Jennifer Garrison .

This bill would require that:

Sec. 101.60. The general assembly shall establish and maintain on its internet web site the following information regarding the votes of members on the final passage of bills or resolutions brought up for third consideration in both houses, as reported in the journals of the senate and house of representatives.

(A) The title of each bill or resolution brought up for third consideration and voted upon;

(B) A brief description of the content of that bill or resolution;

(C) The name of each member and an indication of that member's vote, or that the member failed to vote, on the final passage of the bill or resolution

You can find that information now if you go thru the daily journals for both the House and the Senate. As an example of what is currently available Senate Journal and House Journal. Compare that to what is available on a Federal level.

If we want people to be more involved/interested in what our State Government is doing, the easiest way to make that happen is to make important information easily avaialable. In my way of thinking it's a great step for the Ohio House to demonstrate they are willing to be accountable to us.

I called all of the House Representatives in Lucas County, thanking the two who are co-sponsors of this bill, Jeanine Perry and Peter Ujvagi and urging Representative Edna Brown to support this.

You are now entering the drama free zone....

It seems there is another drama unfolding in the blogosphere over Paul Hackett's appearance last night in Toledo.... David Sirota is keying in on the immigration statement quoted in part by the Blade and Left in the West focuses on the "canary in the cage" moment...

This quote from the Blade is causing David to have some concern:

The Bush administration, Mr.Hackett said, 'is willing to let illegals come in and take the jobs of Americans.' The answer made several of the young Democrats squirm in their seats. One pushed Mr. Hackett to clarify. 'Deport them?' Mr. Hackett was asked. 'If we can afford to,' Mr. Hackett said, 'yeah.'"

He was pushed to answer, it was a discussion that really had no bearing on Ohio in the context it started. One of the guests present started the topic in discussing her views of what was happening in Arizona with illegal immigration. However it wasn't quite as cut and dried, there were alot of comments back and forth with the basic belief being people should come here legally, that a good majority of those present had family members who were immigrants and came here legally and that since this is the law it should be enforced. Alot of people were "squirming" but more because the discussion had gone out of the context of Ohio and a Senate run. Those who disagreed, like Ben Kompack stated how they felt and the discussion moved on.

So, since I think this addresses this, something Paul stated earlier that before people start focusing on one small part of a larger discussion or a moment where he was joking with a Brown Staffer should reflect on:

"Think about your relationships in life, okay? You know we all know people that we don't agree with on every issue in life, but they're still our friends, we still socialize, we go out to dinner, we do whatever it is that we do, we go to football games, we don't have to agree. Guess what? That's how it is in all aspects of life and to a certain degree even in politics. People elect representatives that they may not agree with on every issue but that they at least know where that person is and they believe that person will at least be consistent and represent something certain to them in their life. So, I'm not asking you to agree with everything that I say, it's not going to happen, it's not realistic and I'm not going to pander to you".

When and if I get the chance to hear Sherrod speak? I'll try just as hard to accurately present what he stated, and if I read something that isn't accurate or goes against my impressions and I believe he is being misrepresented? I'd do the same thing as I'm doing now.

This demonstrates to me why bloggers covering these events is important. If I hadn't attended, I would have taken the Blade article at face value. I would not have had the context of both the "canary" and the "immigration" portions that the Blade reporter chose to focus on. Not to mention my difference in how the "easy" statement came out or the basic facts behind the whole two sections of the event.

I don't agree with everything Paul Hackett says. I'm sure he doesn't agree with me on everything, I have never met a politician that I have agreed with everything he or she said. I am honest in saying I do prefer Paul Hackett, I believe that there is a greater chance of him being supported by both Independents, Libertarians and even some Republicans than would support Sherrod Brown; but that doesn't mean I'm going to use this blog to create drama where there doesn't need to be any. Ohioans are going to have to make a choice between these two men and I personally feel we owe it to ourselves and our state to be as honest as possible and be as accurate as we can. So feel free to disagree with me, I'll be the first one to admit I am not perfect nor do I have all of the answers. When I am wrong? I'll admit it, and when I'm right? I promise not to gloat...well maybe a little depending on who it is.

The Toledo Blade is continuing to focus on the issue of immigration and Paul Hackett. Having read Jim Tankersley's December article on Sherrod Brown? You can make your own conclusions.

:-)

Democratic Unity Town Hall Meeting

The intial meeeting....

I wasn't sure what tonight was going to be like. I've never been involved in the political party aspect of politics with the exception of helping my uncle run for City Council quite a few years ago. I've supported candidates but as individuals. Given that one of the main requirements for the Lucas County Party Young Democrats is to not only be a democrat but be 35 or younger of which I am neither I wasn't sure what type of a reception this middle aged blogger was going to receive. I apologize in advance if any names are misspelled....

Having had the opportunity earlier in the day to meet with Ben Konop to discuss local blogging and the internet thanks to JR, the owner of Toledo Talk, I had a slight idea of some of what Ben is going to focus on in running for Lucas County Commissioner. This meeting tonight was not focused on Ben though, we plan to do a more indepth interview of just him alone in the very near future.

I first met Kevin Cooper and Jason Hill who were just elected into office of the Lucas County Party Young Democrat organization the night before. We briefly discussed their goal to have a website for their organization and the possibility of a blog. As soon as either is up and running I will let you know as well as add the site to the side bar for your future reference. It's clear they want this organization to not just appear around election time, they have some clear goals as far as building a core of those who want to be involved as well as foster more of a mentoring attitude towards high school students and college students. Ben Krompack of the UT Democrats was the moderator of the Town Hall Meeting. David Mann, representing Pete Gerkin and Frank Szollosi were among those present. Also in attendence were several members of the Sherrod Brown campaign; Tara Brown, who is Sherrod's niece; Rev. Chris Jackson Director of Faith and Community Outreach; Chris Stelmarski (a fellow blogger) and one other member of Sherrod's staff who's name I didn't get. Steve Chaffin Ohio Democratic Party Field Coordinator for Northwestern Ohio was there as well as several UT students and other members of Lucas County Young Democrats. There were about 30 people in total, including a reporter from the Toledo Blade and a brief appearance by Fox News.

Ben Krompack described what he felt were the two ideals all Democrats share, making tomorrow better than today and everyone has a personal responsibility to help make that happen.

Ben Konop then spoke, talking about a book written about Jane Adams that he felt was memorable, describing how she had developed a friendship with the University of Chicago Professor John Dewey, A few of the statements Ben made:

"Conflict was a fact of social life, even a sign of progress and it's not some deviation from an idealistic journey towards harmony. The fact is as we gather here today I think it's important to remember that men are free to choose their own way of thinking and to create whatever reality they wish to embrace, but it's also important to remember that a man's mind is conditioned by the thinking of other people as well."

"As a group we have to find what works for us and we have to be truthful with each other and just because we disagree on things should not hold us back. That's natural and that is actually a part of social progress."

General introductions happened next, with giving your name and if you were President of the United States what would your theme song be. The 80's ruled with this group, Jason Hill started with suggesting "The Stand", if there would have been a vote on that it appears that would have been the winner. I'm not going to list all of the names and songs chosen but will share with you some of the answers; I'm not a fan of these types of icebreaker introduction however, this one did seem to be enjoyed by all present. Frank Szollosi gave a brief description of his political background and family history, he then joined in the "corniness" of the song question and if he were President? Bruce Springsteen, Land of Hope and Dreams, he stated this song spoke to him because of his family's immigrant background; "I see my family's experience alot like other folks from different parts of the world that come here and try to build a better life for themselves.... We just have to fix our ideals and hold ourselves to them which is why I picked Land of Hopes and Dreams." David Mann was the first to avoid the song selection, "I'm not running for President, I'm running for Governor and that means I just dodged the question". (Yes he got alot of laughter and some points for being creative from me.) Miguel who went with me, (in his status of HOTB...yes that would be husband of the blogger...thank you :-) admitted he was a Conservative and was not tossed out, injured or even booed, yet he did dodge the song selection. Tara Brown said her song would be "Shake Rattle and Roll" by Elvis Presley, because "I think there is no song that inspires energy and enthusiasm as that one and in a time when we are all frustrated with politicians and corrupt government and greedy corporations and feel like there is nothing left that we can do it's good to have a song that makes us happy and gives us hope and inspires energy." No official confirmation on what Sherrod's theme song would be, I'll keep you posted on that one. Ben Konop is considering something from White Stripes, a future update will follow on that one.

The whole point to sharing that was to demonstrate the main purpose behind this first meeting was to connect, which they did. Sharing personal information as well as humor is a good way to create a basis of a foundation for trust and sharing. Some serious discussion followed as to their goal of not only developing both the UT democrats but the Lucas County Young Democrats and encouraging involvement such as Letters to the Editor and other ways to keep information out there. I'd have to say the impression I got from this gathering is that there is hope for the future. It will be interesting to follow their progress. I'd recommend that anyone who is interested in either organization attend the next meeting. They do share the belief that I do that one person can make a difference. I will provide information as to the next meeting times/contact information as it becomes available.

Tara Brown discussed her uncle's Senate run, stressing that his campaign had the grassroots motivation of not only for his campaign but to help other Democrats to succeed. His key issues of importance are Social and Economic Justice, Healthcare and Trade. Something I was not aware of, but Sherrod has refused to accept the healthcare insurance from the House until every American has health care insurance available to him or her.

Enter Paul Hackett

When I saw Paul Hackett had arrived I went out and introduced myself before he made a brief statement to Fox News. I am a fan of his, though I do not dislike Sherrod Brown and have a high degree of respect for some of Sherrod's campaign staff. I was however trying to be as impartial as possible which at some moments during the time Paul spoke was hard to do.

The members of Sherrod's campaign staff stayed, which surprised me but it didn't appear to be an issue for either side. Paul joked around with the "Brownies", suggesting that if Rev. Chris Jackson took his Sherrod pin off he'd feel "refreshed and invigorated".

He first did an informal polling to find out if anyone in the room was not a Democrat, I consider myself an Independent, and Miguel, as some of you know is a conservative, and Beth Schneider who attended high school with Paul is a republican. The reason why he asked this became clear, "I asked the question because I feel it is important for those who are American first and maybe a Democrat second, if we want to fix what's going wrong in this country..as a Democrat in the State of Ohio if we want to help not only our State and our Nation get back on track, and I'll define that here momentarily, we have to talk to Independents, Republicans, Democrats and Libertarians and open our door and invite them over and invite them to help us set our country back on track. Now to my Republican friends, I say stop and think about what's happened to the Grand Old Party in the United States today, it's not the party we grew up with in Indian Hill!....The Republican Party that some of our mothers and fathers may have belonged to has vanished. As I unashamedly say, it has been hijacked by religious fanatics. Now with that said, I happen to be a religious guy, it's really nobody's business but I throw it out there for those who want to say 'Oh, he's against Christians or he's against Jews or he's against Muslims'. Now I think in this room we are all moderate and we have an obligation as moderate Americans, moderate Christians, moderate Jews, moderate muslims to face the reality here, particularly our friends in the Republican Party, that party has been unfortunately hijacked. Barry Goldwater is spinning in his grave...Barry Goldwater was pro-choice and pro-gay rights. Why? He was sorta like me, I mean I'm a guy right? I'm married and I have three kids and I don't have a dog in either one of those fights to be perfectly honest, but the reality is we care because number one, when you walk into the courthouse you don't have to check a box that says 'I'm gay', okay you're gay so you go over to that courtroom and you get a different set of rights or you're straight so you go over here. It's equal rights, that is fundamental to America....Here's why this is an issue because how it's painted us as Americans, what it has forced us to do is to vote against something as opposed to vote for something."

Paul then went on to talk about how the fiscal irresponsibilty has impacted our children's futures and will continue to do so if something is not done about it. He also stated that this generation is not going to leave America better off as past generations have and that it goes against "every generation has an obligation to leave this country better off to the next generation". He expanded on this stating that our children would not have the same opportunities that were available to us if we keep on the same path we are today. Paul covered his family history, his father was the first to graduate from college. He was the first in his family to go to graduate school and law school. Paul then said this could be done as Democrats, "Tough message here for my primary opponents support crew here, but I'm going to tell you a little bit about something......Let me remind you what Ohio was like for Democrats 15 years ago." He then went thru who was the Governor of Ohio, Dick Celeste, Metzenbaum and Glen were the Senators, and Sherrod Brown was the Secretary of State. "Those were the glory days of the Democratic Party". He then asked Tara who beat her uncle, which was Bob Taft. He then asked, "Do you think it's easier for a Democrat to get elected today in 2006 in the State of Ohio?" The majority felt it was not. Next he stated what the message should be for the Democratic Party, "We're the party of fiscal responsibility, we're the party of limited government, we're the party of fair trade and we are the party of a strong national defense". To those that might feel that sounded like a republican he asked when was the last time we had a balanced budget, limited government which he defined as not sending someone to Washington who would dictate how he "worship's my god, how I educate my children or dictate to my wife decisions she makes with her doctor. Anymore than I would like someone sent to Washington DC to knock on my door and say Hackett, open up the gun safe how many do you got and where do they come from. Privacy is privacy is privacy."

Paul basically made the point that he feels he is the candidate for this Senate office because he will stand up for what he believes is right and what could Sherrod Brown accomplish in the Senate that he has been unable to accomplish in the House given his seniority there. The goal is not to just win a primary but to win the seat, that after 15 years it was clear the way to win in Ohio was going to take someone who can win in other parts of Ohio that don't automatically lean towards the Democratic Party. He is proud of the fact that he is not a career politician, and that if those who have been trying to do this for the last 15 years are partly responsible for some of the problems we have in Ohio. His proven record in getting support in Adams county he points to as why he believes he can beat Mike DeWine. Paul also made it very clear that he is not going to "pander" to anyone that he doesn't expect everyone to agree with all of his positions. I agree with him that it's none of us or very few of us agree with every position an elected official will take or does take. Personally, I don't share his belief on Alito, I don't believe a filibuster would solve anything.

He very strongly feels that Democrats have to stand up for what they do believe in, giving the recent example of the GOP demand he apologize for his statement about the hijacking of the Republican Party by religious extremists.

Tara Brown asked him since he had stated that he felt nothing else could be accomplished in Iraq at this point that the troops should come home why this was different from what he had stated during the State Representative Campaign. His answer was he still thought at that time that there was a possibility the US could finish helping to train Iraqi troops but that after almost three years, it was obvious this was not going to be accomplished.

There was some discussion of his stance on illegal immigration, he feels that the law is the law and those that come here illegally are breaking the law. If the government comes up with some sort of amnesty or guest worker program that's fine however he feels those who come here should do so legally and there is a valid security concern.

Paul Hackett has set a fundraising goal of 15 million dollars, his campaign's grassroot manner in trying to accomplish that goal is to get one million people to donate $15.00 each.

That is what I feel were the most important points he shared, I left as I started, feeling the same way about him as a candidate, with a more intense feeling of inspiration from his honesty, his ideas and his ability to call things as he sees them in a "damn the torpedos" style.

The Blade also wrote about Paul Hackett's appearance, Jim Tankersley's article

Nookular Option also has a post on last nights Town Hall...

Dave Schulz writes a guest column for the Toledo Free Press

Dave comments on some of his thoughts about the September election and his continuing commitment to Toledo. The C.O.B.R.A. link in the Political/Action category, is to Citizens Organized to Bring Reform and Accountability. This is something Dave has worked on for quite some time and from what I have learned about him? He'll continue to work on regardless of what his future political plans might be.

Also worth pointing out is the Blade has published a Letter to the Editors that Frank Szollosi wrote in response to a reader's comments.

Frank has been working on developing ethics reform for City Council, it's something Dave has been promoting as well. This to me demonstrates while of course there will always be differences between the two parties, there are also those who share the same common ground that has nothing to do with party designation.

Taylor Balderas appointed to Toledo City Council

Last night Toledo City Council voted to select Taylor Balderas to fill the District 3 seat formerly held by Bob McCloskey.

Councilmen voting for Ms. Balderas were Democrats Wilma Brown, Phil Copeland, Ellen Grachek, Mark Sobczak, and Mr. Szollosi, and Republicans Rob Ludeman, George Sarantou, and Betty Shultz. Michael Ashford was absent for the vote, Mr. McCloskey and Republican Joe Birmingham voted for Joann Vanderpool, who was Bob McCloskey's former campaign treasurer.

I agree with Frank Szollosi that Taylor is qualified for this appointment and I feel she will bring diversity and a unique perspective to Toledo City Council.

:-)

Interesting views on a racial divide in Toledo

I missed this, but there's still time to point it out. What I found so interesting is the huge differences in the answers given. Here are two that refer directly to the racial divide and the recent Mayoral election:

Michael Ashford
Toledo City Council District 4
Dr. King was one of the greatest people of the 20th Century, and he shaped everybody’s perceptions of race relationships. His legacy is part of why we as public servants do what we do. But 2005 was one of the most challenging I’ve seen in this city as far as race relations. In February we had one minority group marching on another minority group in debates in City Council. Then the new mayor [Carty Finkbeiner] used hints of racism in his campaign, referring to Mayor Ford as "mayor for the African Americans." He played the race card, and I’ve never seen it so overt, like, it’s out in public and we don’t care. And the vote broke down along racial lines. I think leaders set the tone, and it’s important that we embrace diversity in everything we do.

Tom Whatmore
Truck driver
There is a racial divide, but it partly already been taken care of by the voters, electing Carty Finkbeiner. When Jack Ford was elected, it divided us more. He specifically dwelled on blacks. Before it was blacks and whites knew where they stood. All of a sudden we have a black mayor and people see black and white. Before it was just people. I’ve never seen Toledo have problems like that [neo-Nazi incident] until we had a black mayor. He made the problems worse, all of a sudden everything needs done for the blacks. He was trying to help only one group, and that puts others on the outside. Jack Ford brought out the racial problem, saying, "Hey, you should be getting this and you should be getting that. You need this and you need to have that." When it’s not just a black thing. There’s just as many poor white people who need houses.

Programs need to be poverty-based or education-based, not black or white. When you say you’re going to take office, "I’m going to be the mayor of Toledo," I didn’t know it was, "I’m going to be the ‘black people’s’ mayor of Toledo." You know, help everybody. For Toledo there definitely needs to be a no tolerance policy for racial violence, which Toledo now has a problem with. You need education… and religious beliefs. All that plays a key factor in racial problems. It goes back to how you were raised. I wasn’t raised in racism, but I have friends who were raised to hate black people. I have black friends that hate white people. It needs to be understood that racism is a sickness, it needs to be treated like an illness.

Definitely a gap has been bridged from before Dr. King and after him. Civil rights are so improved. At least now it’s written that everyone has the same rights as everyone else. Racism is one of those things that will probably take forever to fix. People that get caught up in it, they always look to make something race-based. That’s an illness. But I know people on both sides of the fence who will just never see the light.

Why you should read La Prensa

While I can't say I always agree with the articles, they are definitely gutsy in stating their views. The article "Outraged Sandy Isenberg speaks out on new Republican majority in Toledo city council" is an example:

Remember when Isenberg was coaxed back into the political hot seat to serve as party chair with the mandate of reuniting the A and B team Democrats? Her peacemaking efforts were undercut after four months by the same people who brought you last week’s council election shocker. A United Nations negotiator trying to bring Hamas and the Israelis to the same peace table would have stood a better chance of success.

Isenberg was appalled that Dennis Duffey, head of the Lucas County Central Committee “who took an oath to elect and support Democrats, was twisting arms to elect Republicans.”

“This is self-destructive. This is not doing anything to help bring A and B together,” she adds.

So what’s the reward for the turncoats? Will freshman councilman and party disloyalist Mark Sobczak become president pro tem of council, or at least wind up with a juicy committee chairmanship? Watch this space. [We’ll leave Bob McCloskey alone for now. He has enough problems with Julia Bates and Pilkington North America.]

There's more of course at the link.... In addition the news that Taylor Balderas was elected as the recording secretary for the Lucas County Democratic Hispanic/Latino Caucus; something you won't read in the "big" news sources.

:-)

More on Contract With Ohio

An added feature to checking out the Contract with Ohio website is information like this, Paul Ackerman and Ryan Fissel did a great job in presenting information. I always found it interesting how so many counties are split when it comes to Congressional Districting. The site also has the same type of map for both the State House and the State Senate.

Infact because of the extremely useful information this site contains for everyone? Think it deserves a spot in the Survival Basics section.

:-)

Why create this blog?

Yes, I already have a blog Liberal Common Sense and I'm not going to stop posting articles there. However, Liberal Common Sense intially started out more as a National Blog but has gradually started to focus more on Local Politics. I wanted to branch out more on topics related to our part of Ohio and start doing more indepth interviews/research yet still maintain topics of interest for those who are national visitors. Hence the decision to branch out and make a companion blog to LCS that would have a Northwestern Ohio focus.

I also wanted to provide an easy to use listing of online resources, which you can see I have started to develop on the sidebar. While this is of course a personal blog I would like to focus more on overall politics for our area rather than focusing on promoting my political beliefs.

If you have any ideas or suggestions or a link you'd like me to add please feel free to comment or email me at glasscityjungle at gmail.com.