More "sparring" in Toledo/Lucas County Campaigns

First up, Tom Troy covers Joe McNamara's press conference on the $90,000 question of are the lights decorative or for safety? Tom's article is entitled, "Council hopeful slams city over bridge expense".

Lourdes Santiago is quoted in the Blade as:

Ms. Santiago said Mr. McNamara has "no clue" about the need for the lights.

"The Anthony Wayne Bridge has to be maintained for safety and maintenance. It has nothing to do with decorative lighting," Ms. Santiago said. "McNamara proves again he has no idea what city government is about or his responsibilities to the citizens of Toledo."

Yet, the same Blade article also states:

The administration has said it wants the bridge to be well-lighted in anticipation of visitors coming to Toledo next year for the opening of the I-280 Veterans' Glass City Skyway and Martin Luther King, Jr. bridges.

While the main selling point for the repairs has been beautification, the administration and supportive council members have said the lights have a safety purpose as well.

However, David Welch, the city's commissioner of streets, bridges, and harbor, acknowledged yesterday that the lights being replaced are on the outside of the deck facing away from the bridge. The bridge deck is lighted by streetlights.


So, they are more decorative than safety oriented from the way this is being presented. This expenditure was in the City budget though, and apparently was done when Jack Ford was Mayor. That is reassuring that this expenditure was not a last minute emergency proposal as some of the other "decorative" items have been. That said, the question of is this a valid expenditure right now is valid one. It should also be pointed out that Councilmen Frank Szollosi, Ellen Grachek, and Michael Ashford voted no on the funding for this lighting.

Now on to the Lucas County Commissioner race where the Toledo Blade's Joshua Boak, has "Konop, Sarantou spar over lending, economy":

On one - preditory lending. It is something that to be successfully addressed should be done on a federal or a state basis. It is very true that George Sarantou voted in support of legislation in Toledo designed to stop preditory lending, it was approved by Toledo City Council Nov. 5, 2002, 11-1. However, it was stayed pending the outcome of a lawsuit which was filed by the State Attorney General's office and a National Trade group and this legislation was banned by Judge Robert Christiansen in 2004. It's obvious this is something that should be addressed in our area, anyone who has looked at the number of places that offer pay day loans with the extremely high interest they charge realizes there is a number of area residents who get caught in this endless cycle.

Since I am a mother of five and I do have two in college right now as fulltime college students and one who is attending college as part of the Post Secondary Op program thru her high school, I have to say both candidates are right on the topic of high schoolers. We need to do more to encourage them to considering going to school here (especially if anyone has looked at the cost of their child going to college where room and board are required) and to create an environment where they want to come back if they do attend college away from home. I'm glad Ben is talking to them, some of them could share some important insight and while I agree with George that leaving home is a dream many of them have, the response that Ben reported with cheering at the idea of leaving does suggest that this is a problem. I know mine considered leaving Toledo to go to college but when faced with the huge amount of additional school loans they would have had to face after graduation, they decided that it was smarter to remain here.

There is of course more information on both linked articles....