Sorry Fred, but I can't "grow some"

According to what I read over on Toledo Talk, this morning WSPD radio host Fred LeFebvre urged local residents to "grow some" and demand the resignation of Mayor Carty Finkbeiner.

While my email spam box is full of offers claiming that they will enhance and lengthen a male penis and perhaps testicles as well, I'm sorry but I think you would have to have something there to grow first before most of us could "grow some". Nor is some surgical sex change on my list of things to do.

While I'm not trying to trivialize the extreme dislike some of you in this area have for the current Mayor, I also can't help think about a past Mayor, who was not liked by WSPD at times either, and was quite frequently discussed in uncomplimentary terms. He was also targeted by a recall campaign that didn't get enough signatures...That Mayor of course was former Mayor Jack Ford. WSPD is doing what WSPD does best, creating controversy. Controversy creates listeners and callers. Blogging at times is the same concept. You can see it worked, because I'm writing about it. :-)

Any person who is Mayor of T-Town is going to get discussed, disagreed with and at times be very disliked. Anyone who has followed the whole A Team B Team disaster knows that here in Toledo some Democrats do a better job of dissing other Democrats than the local Republicans do. Yes, some of you never believed the whole "kinder, gentler nice Carty" would exist long. Waiting for him to become...Carty.

Yet, I can't help wondering, has Carty broken the law? Has he recently even been charged or convicted of a misdemeanor? Has he been the subject of a federal or a local probe related to wrong doing or a scandal? Ironically several local and state officials have but I don't see any major effort happening to recall any of them. Amazing how selective we are in our demands of who should resign and who should be recalled isn't it?

I don't agree with the way the Mayor handles everything, and I really disagree with some of his decisions especially when it comes to local politics; but I also realize that in the Mayoral primary you all had a choice. I was not a Toledo resident at that time and not that my one vote would have changed anything but I would not have voted for Carty or Jack in the primary.

However, if you are going to hold him to this standard and demand he resign, where's the demand for all of the TPS Board members to resign? Where's the demand for a recall of them? Look how many top administrators resigned last night. What about Toledo City Council? Depending on the whole legalities of this demand for resignation/recall, the person that would take over as Mayor could be the very same person that was selected because:

"What we discussed was who would be in the best position to support the new administration," said Mr. Sobczak, who was sworn onto the council yesterday in a ceremony attended by Mr. McCloskey and the four GOP councilmen but no other Democrats. "We had to look to the greater good."

Sure, it may be quieter if Rob Ludeman were to take over as Mayor, but you guys had that under Jack Ford and obviously not enough of you chose to re-elect him. You also had to the chance to pick Rob during the Mayoral Primary. If you really disagree with the direction the City of Toledo is heading in, how is that going to change when those who supported Rob being Toledo City Council president did so because they felt he would support the Finkbeiner administration best?

To be cynical, I predict if a recall movement happens it will not get much farther than what happened when it was done under Mayor Ford. If it were to come to an election? Imagine the confusion as to who would then take over as Mayor since Rob's term is done in 2007; imagine the game playing that would probably happen to try to overthrow Rob from Toledo City Council President; imagine if Carty survived the recall attempt...The only people that are going to benefit from that type of drama are going to be those who thrive on controversy...like WSPD, other local media, local blogs and even me.

:-)

UPDATE: According to History Mike Fred also compared Carty to Hitler several times this morning in addition the call to "grow some".

Almost all TPS top administrators resign and...

How is our media covering it? The Blade has a short piece, WTOL has a the video from last night, WTVG lists nothing (evidently what happens to Harry Potter is more of a pressing issue to be one of the top four stories).

According to the Blade, Barnett doesn't waste an opportunity to try to blame it on the new School Board members:

Board Vice President Deborah Barnett said “a change in philosophy on the board” could be one reason for the retirements and resignations.

NBC24 gives more of a hint than the Blade article as to Sanders being the reason:

Daniel Burns said, "I'm sad to leave after 30 years here. I have several options, and yes, I've talked with Dr. Sanders, but I'm not announcing my decision yet."

One of the employees told NBC24 that an official announcment will be made in the upcoming weeks about who will be joining Dr. Sanders in Cleveland.

Fox 36 also mentions the Sanders angle:

But why are ten people all stepping down around the same time? Well, Dr. Sanders just left to take his new position as superintendent in the Cleveland Public School System and many think Sanders recruited his former staff in Toledo.

A few of those leaving say they have had conversations with Dr. Sanders but will not say if they are leaving TPS for Cleveland.

I wonder if the top administrators in Cleveland Schools realize their days are numbered? It appears a Toledo invasion is headed your way....

Once the announcement is made, it will be interesting to see how much additional money was offered and to see Cleveland's response to this.

Blog it! Toledo goes a bit political and more...

This week's Blog it, Toledo covers what I feel is a fantastic Disaster information source and then heads off into covering some local political blogs that if you haven't visited, I recommend. While I don't think Michael Miller could top his article written last week, this week had me laughing rather than crying.

Tom Richard's piece in the Business Link section is another good read and has a great statement that I hope proves true...Find what you love, and the money will find you.

There is of course much more in this week's edition both online and in the print version.


:-)

Toledo Police Chief steps down due to verbal abuse

Well, things are not looking good for Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner at the moment.

WTOL is reporting:

Smith says he had a meeting on Wednesday (I'm assuming that's a typeo) morning with Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner to discuss the gang problem in the city. In that meeting, Smith says Finkbeiner verbally abused him, and didn't show him the respect he thought he deserved. After that meeting, Smith says he decided to quit.

The Toledo Blade states:

“This was very close to being physical,” Chief Smith said. Another staffer stepped in, averting contact.

WTVG is having a live interview in a few moments...

This is not what our area needs as far as publicity, I'm sure more details will follow and even those who are not critics of the Mayor could have a hard time trying to justify this one.

UPDATED: According to the Mayor, this was not close to a physical altercation, Mayor Finkbeiner stated that Chief Smith stood up from his chair first then the Mayor stood up. Words were exchanged but the Mayor appeared to have no bad feelings towards Chief Smith. Former Chief Mike Navarre has been or will be reinstated to his former position according to WTOL

Eminent Domain in Toledo and the frustration in information seeking

The House above and the land it is on is evidently involved in an eminent domain situation here in Toledo. I read about it on the upcoming City Council agenda for July 11, 2006

Proceed with eminent domain vs. Robert M. West at 250 Dulton for Holland-Sylvania widening

I started trying to look to find more information, as to how much land is going to be taken, etc, the current lot size is 100 feet frontage and 160 feet in depth. Then I discovered an Agenda Summary update from May 9th

Res. - Declaring eminent domain for purchase and easement at 250 Dulton for Holland-Sylvania Improvements

It then states: Adopted

Adopted by who? It lists on the Index

Dulton, 250, eminent domain R-295, 552

However, I could not find the City Journal information on this. Lourdes Santiago is listed as the person on the July 11th agenda, I'm assuming because she is the Chair of the Environment, Utilities & Public Service Committee but she doesn't have a city email address on her webpage. So, I contacted Betty Shultz since she is the Vice Chair.

I wanted more details such as how much land is being taken as well as what type of financial consideration is being given to Mr. West. I'd also like to know Mr. West's position on this. I was unable to contact him but will continue to try to reach him to see if he wants to go on record as to this situation.

This one incident demonstrates how difficult it is to get information on what City Council has adopted or is considering. It shouldn't be this hard to find out something that City Council is going to act on or has acted on. Personally I believe much of the concern and at times controversy that surrounds possible City Council actions would be extremely diminished if people could easily access more information about these agenda items.

Thurber, Shultz, Owens and Perz face possible charges related to Noe

From this morning's Toledo Blade as linked in the title:

Four Toledo women - including two elected officials - are expected to be charged tomorrow with violating state ethics law for their roles in Tom Noe's scheme to avoid campaign finance limits.

Lucas County Commissioner Maggie Thurber, Toledo City Councilman Betty Shultz, former Toledo mayor Donna Owens, and former state representative Sally Perz are expected to be charged with first-degree misdemeanors for failing to disclose gifts from Noe.

If charged and convicted, they face up to six months in jail and up to a $1,000 fine.

From my understanding a misdemeanor conviction on a charge such as this would not require any of those still in office to step down, nor would it place any type of a time period on any of those considering running for office.

UT-MUO merger concerns

Yesterday as I was reading this Toledo Blade article, I couldn't help but wonder why the question of who will provide the at least 30 million dollars needed was not a part of the earlier merger discussion. You'd think that would be something that would be important to address. Yet when you read that article:

“In the private world, the shareholders pay the price,” said Richard Stansley, the lone nominee to be chairman of the merged institution’s board of trustees. “In the public world, since you don’t have shareholders, I believe it should be the taxpayers.”

“I don’t think there’s any expectation that the state of Ohio would provide 100 percent of the funding for the $30 million cost,” said state Sen. Randy Gardner (R., Bowling Green).

Considering the merger is happening Saturday, you would think that logic would dictate where the money was coming from would have been one of the first key issues to resolve. More concerns come in when it comes to staff/administration issues. Yesterday it was stated:

“There’s one less president’s salary, that’s got to be savings, doesn’t it?” said state Rep. Shawn Webster (R., Hamilton), chairman of the Ohio House higher education subcommittee.

Ummm no, not quite, as the Blade article informs us:

MUO President Lloyd Jacobs will run the merged institution at a salary of $385,000. UT President Dan Johnson will work with the Toledo Science and Technology Corridor as a university professor of public policy and economic development but retain his president’s salary of $254,616.

Then, when you read today's article from the Toledo Blade, it appears that not only are there not being many changes made to administration but they are infact getting raises, some of them rather large raises:

Dan Morissette, who previously controlled MUO’s finances, will be given a 10 percent raise to $239,929 per year as the senior vice president for finance and strategy. His counterpart at UT, Dawn Rhodes, will remain at the school as vice president for finance and planning with her salary remaining at $175,000 annually.

William McMillen, the vice president of government relations, will get a boost from $98,226 to $105,226. As the vice president of administration, which puts him in charge of human resources for the entire university, William Logie will make $160,000 annually — almost a 21 percent increase.

These raises are being stated as a result of increased responsibility, however given the letter that was sent to one of the unions that represent nonacademic UT employees stated:

... the cuts are “the result of reorganization” and for “reasons of economy.”

I can't help wondering if the 11 positions identified to be cut even equal the amount of increases that we are aware of that have been handed out thus far to top administrators.

While I still support the idea of the merger, especially moving the UT college of pharmacy to what will be the new Health Science Campus, I think some of these issues should have been addressed quite some time ago. I also hope that very few area residents end up losing their employment as a result of this, especially if they can somehow find in their budget enough money to give generous raises to administrators.

More fun with Learn and Earn....

There have been quite a few posts on other blogs in Ohio about the Learn and Earn campaign the past few days. In reading some of these, other situations as Toledoan's have experienced as far as the lack of disclosure when asking people to sign petitions has come out as well as some issues we've discussed both here and on Liberal Common Sense.

Most recently George over at Brewed Fresh Daily had a post about Cinci's gambling petition. Back on May 2nd, of 2005 the Cleveland Plain Dealer had an article about Penn National (who owns Toledo's Raceway Park) had joined in as a part of Learn and Earn. It was stated:

Learn and Earn appeased Penn National by dropping Cincinnati as a gambling site. Penn National operates the Argosy riverboat casino in Indiana, a short drive from Cincinnati.

That's not quite the way Todd Hoffman of Learn and Earn sees the Cinci deal, as stated in the comments at Brewed Fresh Daily:

Slot machine parlors, in downtown Cincinnati, were originally a part of the Learn and Earn proposal, however political and business leaders in Cincinnati showed no interest until after the amendment had been filed. And at that point, it was too late. When the Cinci group started, Ohio L&E was already gathering signatures. There was no way to add them then or now. Rewriting the amendment would mean starting from scratch: getting certified again, which takes 10 business days, and then getting 500,000 signatures by August 9. It is simply unrealistic.

However, under this plan, Cincinnati will still have slot machines at two nearby racetracks, River Downs and Lebanon Raceway. And they can return to the voters next year to extend slot parlors to downtown Cinci.

As for those of you who have been approached to sign a petition and were not given full information, as reported here, here, here, here, and here...Todd Hoffman stated in the comments at Clark Street Blog:

The petitioners are instructed to provide information to where the funding is coming from. It is in their training. If they are not, they are doing so in violation of our policy and this will be dealt with. I have spoke with our field staff managers and they are addressing the issue by reinforcing the policy of openness and retraining the petitioners.

Todd asks if you hear of more accounts similar to these cases, email him at todd.hoffman@ohiolearnandearn.com.

Given these types of experiences have been happening as recent as June 20th and there is only a little over five weeks left for petitions to be collected I guess that is better late than never news. All we can hope for at this point is that if they collect the necessary number of signatures (as can be seen on their "educational themed" progress chart) that when it comes time to actually vote on this constitutional amendment that voters will be more informed as to what the full details are than many of them were at the time they were asked to sign petitions. To be fair, I can't totally blame Learn and Earn even though I have major issues with the way this campaign is being done; it should also be the responsibility of registered voters to actually read and ask for details before they sign petitions, especially petitions on proposed changes to the Ohio Constitution.

As far as Toledo goes, I'm wondering if this ends up on the ballot, what position those running for office here are going to take on slot gambling at Toledo Raceway Park. So far no one to my knowledge has made a public statement on this, if they have? Let me know.

It's also worth pointing out that bloggers that are not viewed as even remotely liberal have focused on credibility concerns, and other concerns.

In closing, I found the claim that "Where it's Worked" on the Learn and Earn website to be another misleading disappointment. Especially listing the Kalamazoo Promise, which has nothing to do with even lottery money, it is funded by anonymous donors and is specified only for children who are Kalamazoo Public School students. The HOPE program in Georgia does get part of it's funding from lottery dollars but it is also not like Learn and Earn. Both of these programs do however, demonstrate that it is possible to fund higher education without a constitutional amendment to allow slot machine gambling.

:-)

Great Lakes Consortium for Training and Development.

I'll be honest, until I read this Toledo Blade article, I didn't know this organization existed. Yet when I read:

"We get funding from the U.S. State Department to do various projects such as economic development, government leadership, and youth entrepreneurship," said Karl Gingrich, the Tanzania projects adviser for Great Lakes Consortium.

Entrepreneurship is especially important in Tanzania, he added. As one of the world's poorest countries, there are few jobs available for those who finish school. Fostering entrepreneurship will help improve the situation, Mr. Gingrich said.

I became curious, so I searched on line and found their website. While it could use some updates since we are a bit past April, there is quite a bit of information as to what this organization does or has done in the past.

So, if you were like me and you did not know that much about this organization or their mission? Another reason to be proud of our NWO region.

:-)

Toledo Ports continue to score big

In the title linked Toledo Blade article, good news:

General cargo loaded and unloaded at the Port of Toledo has increased three-fold through May compared to the same period last year.

The increase is due in part to a deal in Brazil to accept bulk sugar and one struck in Quebec for the Port of Toledo to become a distribution center for aluminum used in automobiles.

I'm not sure I agree with Jim Hartung on how great the economy is, especially in this area but it does show that other areas are growing and that Toledo is reaping some of the benefits of that thru two new deals and increased shipping.

The growth has been going on for some time now, in May the Toledo Blade reported:

A rebound in steel shipments, plus early lumber and aluminum shipments, are the main reason general cargo at the Port of Toledo increased to 22,194 tons for the season through April 30 from 6,984 during the same period last year.

While it’s too soon to know if 200-plus percent growth will be sustained all season, it’s possible, Mr. McCrimmon ( Warren McCrimmon, seaport director for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority) said.

In January:

Cargo traffic at the Port of Toledo increased by 14.72 percent during 2005, highlighted by robust growth in general cargo and iron ore, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority announced yesterday.

The 164,588 tons of general cargo handled at the local docks in 2005 represented a 34.3 percent increase over 2004.

On November 26th 2005, from the Toledo Lucas County Library database of Toledo Blade articles:

Overall through October, total cargo through the Port of Toledo is up 18.3 percent this year by weight, including a 17.8 percent increase in general and miscellaneous cargo.

In fact, Toledo's aluminum and sugar cargoes have accounted for nearly half the "new" traffic traveling this year through the Welland Canal, the St. Lawrence Seaway system's link between lakes Ontario and Erie.

"Toledo is front and center" promoting increased trade through the Seaway system, said Dick Corfe, president of Canada's St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., which operates the Welland Canal and five Canadian locks in the St. Lawrence River.

The canal's new traffic - representing cargoes that have not used the seaway in recent years - so far this year totals about 160,000 tons. Of that, Toledo's sugar and aluminum account for 76,000 tons, Mr. Corfe said.

Also worth remembering is the plan to start designing and building a Marina District passenger terminal this summer to receive Great Lakes cruise ships and passengers.

So while there have been some trials and tribulations, as well as a change in Operators of the Shipyard, it appears the Port of Toledo is continuing to experience growth.

Jack Ford and Lourdes Santiago...

This week's "The View From BGSU's University Hall" is a very interesting one. Jack Ford suggests taking a close look at both Blackwell and Strickland's position on Capital Punishment.

As always I recommend reading the entire article but here is one particular part I found of interest:

In Ohio, we have the sixth most populated death row in the country with the 195 inmates on death row. There are 96 black males on death row.

Joe Clark may speak on the matter from the grave. Clark was the fellow who was recently executed but only after a botched first attempt. It was surprising that the execution screw-up did not result in a hue and cry over cruel and unusual punishment. How long does it take for a botched execution to rise to the level of being cruel and unusual?

Now, it has been pointed out that Clark took a life himself in a cruel way when he committed murder but that does not give the state license to do anything less than to dispatch him in a quick and effective manner.

Also worth checking out is this La Prensa interview with Lourdes Santiago.

Frustration in Toledo, too many feel no one cares...

I waited a few days to post about the news that the population of Toledo had dropped again, as written about in the title linked Toledo Blade article. Today's Toledo Blade carried a correction as to Toledo's ranking, it should be 14 not the 13th place as earlier reported.

I wanted to think about this, especially as I'm actually moving my family in to Toledo in the next week or so to come. I can't help but remember what Jim Nusbaum said to me about people want to feel as if their problems are important, important enough for people to listen. That comment has stuck with me since that day because he is right. It's real popular to focus on blaming Carty right now but these problems go deeper than just him yet he is a part of this. If you read what VB wrote on Toledo Talk you can't help but see the temporary hope that someone was going to help has just increased the frustration. One part of VB's statement:

Carty walked through my neighborhood during his campaign and actually promised to help. He personally gave me his number and told me that what was going on was not acceptable. He hugged me and told me not to give up. Here I sit today with all the issues that we talked about and they have actually compounded.

If it were just VB, it would be one thing, or if it were just related to Carty then that would be one thing, but it's not. Sometimes it's on us, we don't do enough to help others or demand accountability. We listen to the campaign promises and then we don't demand they be followed. Not just locally but on a State and a National level. Then we re-elect them, I guess trying to convince ourselves that "this time they mean it". Some have totally given up on government to the point where they don't even vote, they feel their vote doesn't matter.

Sometimes it's government, in doing this blog I have heard story after story of people who are feeling that no one actually cares or is listening to them. I've experienced that first hand as well, and I've seen friends and family go thru situations where government in this area treated them as if they didn't care. Not just from politicians but from those who work for our government.

What's the solution to this? Do a better job in looking out for each other is one thing, but if we want government to be more effective we have to make it happen. Campaign season is ramping up, we are going to be hit with a deluge of ads and promises. We need to individually take a good look at each candidate, especially those that have been elected officials in the past. While government whether local, state or national can't solve all of the problems that each of us face at times, we can do more to make sure that government does not make going thru these situations harder...

Joe McNamara ad premiers Sunday but you can see it now...

As per an email I just received from Joe, he is releasing it first to the blogosphere. Since I know some of you don't like to do the direct download thing, I've uploaded the commercial to You Tube so that you can view it below.





My opinion? Nicely done for a first ad as far as his intro message...Joe also states a website is on the way.

:-)

Ohio Democrats need to do more than complain...

While this is more of a state issue, I think it's an important one. In the Cleveland Plain Dealer today it points out this information:

Columbus -- Looking for an easy way to register to vote? Simply print the form on the Web site of Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, fill it out by hand, and mail it in.

Looking for an even easier way to register to vote? Simply fill in the online form on Blackwell's gubernatorial campaign Web site, print it out and mail it in.

Accused by Democrats and left-leaning voter-registration groups of trying to curtail the Democratic vote, Ohio's Republican chief elections official has given his critics another reason to question his motives.

While I'm not suggesting that the motives not be questioned...Take a look at Blackwell's site. Right there on the front it states "Register to Vote". Now, head on over and visit Ted Strickland's page even if you go to "Get Involved" there is no link on voter registration. Visit the Ohio Democratic Party on their page for voter registration and the link that is supposed to be to the form doesn't work. When I tried it, and I did it several times, all that is displayed is a blank page. The Ohio GOP also has a fill in form for voter registration on their site...

While I was happy to read that the Secretary of State's office was going to make the online form for voter registration similar to what is on Blackwell's site, while Democrats are complaining, they should also perhaps be updating their websites so that it does make it easier for those who have not registered to vote to do so. That should be the goal shouldn't it?

Don't look for this type of information from either one of our local political parties though...They both direct you to Lucas County BOE. ps....Lucas County Dems...Frank is still missing and so is Mark and Mike...while you took out the blank spaces you still forgot a few, you did take out Taylor and add Lourdes...I'm really starting to worry for Mark Sobczak especially since he's not one of those pesky "other guys" and yet he's never been listed.

:-)

As an FYI type update...I did a quick check of all of the top candidates for office both Republicans and Democrats, Blackwell is the only one who has a register to vote link on his front page. Libertarian Bill Peirce also has no voter registration information; Green Party Bob Fitrakis doesn't either.

And the sign said $75.00 fine...

I can understand the reason for changing sign violations from criminal to civil, I mean really how many Toledo police actually catch someone in the act of putting up a sign where they aren't supposed to. The title linked Blade article has some further details on proposed changes. Let's take a quick look at some of the relevant parts of the current code:

1393.03. Miscellaneous signs and posters.

The tacking, pasting or otherwise affixing of signs of a miscellaneous character, visible from a public way, located on the walls of buildings, barns, sheds, on trees, poles, posts, fences or other structures is prohibited unless otherwise permitted by this Code.

(1952 Code § 43-8-2)

This one I find rather ironic...
1393.05. Abandoned signs. - Abandoned signs are prohibited.

1393.07. Public areas.

No sign shall be permitted which is placed on any curb, sidewalk, post, pole, electrolier, hydrant, bridge, tree or other surface located on public property or over or across any street or public thoroughfare except as may otherwise expressly be authorized by this Code.

(1952 Code § 43-8-6)

As for signs that are exempt from the current ordinance? Two that might be of particular interest:

1391.02. Exempt signs

(n) Campaign and Political Signs. Campaign signs for or against candidates for public office or measures on election ballots; and Political signs.

(Ord. 871-01. Passed 10-30-01.)

(u) Temporary Signs. Temporary signs pertaining to drives or events of civic, philanthropic, educational or religious organizations, provided that such signs are posted no more than thirty days before such event and are removed no more than seven days after such event.

For me it's easy to see a solution, after all what could be more civic than a Garage Sale. It's a chance to meet and greet fellow citizens, discuss some local topics and help the economy of your household. Or merely claim on your sign a certain percentage of sales totals will be donated, that's philanthropic. Campaign season upon us? Vote for Fred and stop by my Porch Sale! Political, Support the Troops and hurry going out of business sale! Teaching the kids about money by letting them sell some of their stuff in a Yard Sale? Educational... Much more educational than Learn and Earn, I mean come on if adding slot machines can be passed off as some sort of Scholarship Amendment, we can easily figure out how to meet the allowed Temporary Signs/Campaign Signs standards.

:-)

Blog it Toledo and reaching for tissues....

This week's Blog it Toledo is up and has a musical focus. The reaching for the tissues moment came from Michael Miller's article. As a parent and as a daughter, the emotions came as I read each word.

There is of course much more, including the cover story on Rossford as well as exclusive online content by Traci Curth and Kevin Milliken (warning could also cause some tissue moments). Online and in print, Michael Brooks has an interesting piece in this weeks Business Link section of the Toledo Free Press.

So, don't forget to visit some of the MySpace band pages that are featured in Blog it Toledo, and if the sounds you hear really appeal to you, several of them have upcoming performances as well as cd's and the ability to download a few selections. Which you can listen to as you read this week's edition of the Toledo Free Press.

:-)

More on Joe McNamara Toledo City Council run...

Thanks to a wonderful reader, I was emailed the official press release that was made in advance of Joe's announcement to run for Toledo City Council. As with most press releases, not all of the information contained ends up being included in the media. So, some parts of the Press Release that you might find interesting that is not listed in the Toledo Blade article:

Toledo, OH – Democrat Joe McNamara will officially announce his candidacy for the open At-Large seat on Toledo City Council on Tuesday, June 13, at 11 a.m. from the Civic Plaza on the roof of the Main Branch Toledo Public Library.

The campaign’s honorary chairman, Keith Wilkowski, will introduce the candidate. Wilkowski is a former Lucas County Commissioner, Democratic Party Chairman, and City of Toledo Law Director. In 2005 he ran for Mayor of Toledo.

His announcement at the library is congruent with his message of public service.

“Serving my community is a lesson I learned from my parents," noted McNamara. Joe’s father Dan McNamara served on Toledo City Council and as Lucas County Auditor while his mother Jill Kelly is a former Assistant Lucas County Prosecutor.

As a trustee of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, McNamara will begin his campaign at Main Library, the crown jewel of the system.

McNamara says his campaign will emphasize job creation, reversing population losses and curbing the “brain drain.”

McNamara himself is an example of “reverse brain drain.” A graduate of the University of Michigan and New York University School of Law, McNamara returned after his education to practice law and serve his community.


Given Keith Wilkowski's support, and the number of Democrats who are running questions come to mind. Will this divide the Democratic vote? The Lucas County Democratic party already has Lourdes Santiago listed as their endorsed candidate. What does this mean for Bob Vasquez? Or Dave Schulz? That of course is too early to tell, these next few months are going to be worth watching closely. We still don't have much information on the other two candidates who have announced their intent to run, David Davison and Stephen Ward. If you guys are out there? Love to hear from you.

:-)

George Sarantou not feeling the power of the Schwartz

According to the above linked Toledo Blade article, George "blasts pay for Mayor's new spokesperson". As we discussed here earlier a $14,000 increase over Mr. Schwartz's previous salary is quite a bit of a raise.

According to the first Toledo Blade article:

The city code does not appear to address the topic of the mayor's decision to offer salaries beyond listed ranges.

While Section 53. Compensation of officers and employees - fees addresses part of the issue, I'd have to agree I couldn't find anything that pertained to going outside of a salary range.

The Council shall fix, by ordinance, the salary or compensation of all officers and employees of the City. The salary and compensation so fixed shall be uniform for like service in each grade of the service as the same shall be graded and classified by the Civil Service Commission, and all such salaries and rates of compensation shall be reported to the Civil Service Commission forthwith. The salary of any officer, employee or member of a board or commission shall not be diminished during the term for which he or she was elected or appointed, except in the case of demotion of an employee. Laborers shall be paid the highest reasonable wage paid at the time in the City for similar services. All fees pertaining to any office shall be paid into the City treasury.

Then of course we have Section 30. Council member shall not interfere with Administration.

Except insofar as is necessary in the performance of the duties of his or her office, no member of the Council shall interfere, directly or indirectly, with the conduct of the administration or directly or indirectly take any part in the appointment, promotion, or dismissal of any officer or employee in the service of the City other than the officers or employees of the Council and except insofar as Council confirmation is necessary to fill a position as required by this Charter. Except for the purpose of inquiry, the members of Council shall deal solely through the Mayor regarding the administration.

Under Chapter V - Executive Powers and Duties, it's pretty clear:

The Mayor shall have the power to appoint the Mayor's Executive Assistant, a secretary, and such additional assistants as are authorized by appropriate legislation, all without Council confirmation. (It's also clear that Mr. Schwartz should be a Toledo resident however that issue is probably moot considering the changes done on a State level.)

So, it appears once again we have a situation that the Charter and the Code doesn't clearly address. City Council is supposed to set salaries, the Mayor does not need confirmation for certain positions and who knows what the rules really are in this situation. How will the Toledo City Law director decide? That's going to be the interesting mystery in this situation and when the decision is made what it will be based on. I am however, getting to the point where I'm learning the City Charter. (Note to my father up in heaven...SEE! I told you I should have been a lawyer!) :-)

I can't help wondering why Rob Ludeman hasn't spoken on this issue, he is after all, City Council President and you'd think that any action taken by Council would have to include his involvement.

UPDATE 6/22: According to this Toledo Blade article:

The job title for Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner’s new press secretary, Brian Schwartz, was changed to executive assistant, allowing him to collect a salary 14 percent higher than the upper end of the spokesman scale.

Joe Birmingham and his brother take on Johnny Hildo

Last week Johnny Hildo wrote this as a part of his/her column for the Toledo City Paper:

Then there is the case of Councilman Joe Birmingham, bellicose first-term representative from Point Place and son of North End fixture John Birmingham. Joe allegedly tied one on and got physical with his pregnant wife, banging on the door after she locked his drunken arse out. She called 911. Police told him to go home, of all places, and he instead went to his daddy’s house to sleep it off. Joe’s sense of entitlement must have mushroomed, as police followed the stereotyped practice of downplaying domestic violence. The sad recent case in Fulton County is illustrative, and our hope is that it isn’t repeated. Time will tell whether we have heard the last from the frighteningly unrepentant Birmingham, whose story received none of the notoriety of McConnell-Hancock’s relatively harmless gaffe. But, local pols, like Icarus, could learn from these examples. Hubris kills.

For some reason the online version of the Toledo City Paper never changed this week except for the Cover Story. So, while I was at in my opinion one of the best Toledo Laundromat's yesterday I picked up this week's edition and saw letters from both Joe Birmingham and from his brother, Robert C.W. Birmingham that take Hildo to task, specifically on the issue of the claim that Joe Birmingham got physical with his pregnant wife and the overall tone of what was written.

The Editor of the Toledo City Paper included a Retraction which in part stated:

The report contains no allegations that he 'got physical' or 'banged on the door.' Also Hildo wrote "police followed the stereotyped practice of downplaying domestic violence." Again, there has been no allegation of physical violence - better wording would have been "The police followed the stereotyped practice of downplaying a domestic dispute."

I wrote about this situation with the main focus being on was Joe driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. It was not clear from the Toledo Blade report how he got from his home to his father's home, which we discovered he walked. While the question of how did Joe get from where he was drinking to his home was never answered, I think in all fairness since there were suggestions made in the comments of that discussion that some physical violence had occurred that it be pointed out that does not appear to be the case.

I'd suggest picking up a copy if you want to read the letters and retraction in full, or if there is something specific you want to know ask in the comments, as I have the print copy here.

Did Toledo help kill Rossford's arena dreams?

As I was reading the above linked Toledo Blade article about the upcoming auction by the Wood County Sheriff of the land that was meant to be the ampitheater/arena complex, I came across this comment by the former Mayor of Rossford:

Mr. Zuchowski still believes the project would have been successful if not for premature press leaks. He said the leaked agreement between Rossford and the Red Wings prompted critics - including Toledo officials looking to protect their own hockey interests - to work on scuttling the project.

"Negative forces were attacking that part of the project and stalled it out," Mr. Zuchowski said. "And interest rates went higher and supporters of the project ran for cover. They tended to stay away from the negative publicity. It wasn't that we didn't have a good idea."

On January 15, 2001; a Toledo Blade editorial had a different view:

The Rossford Arena Amphitheater Authority is piling mistake upon mistake. First, it had to abandon overly ambitious plans for a suburban hockey arena. Now, in desperation to open its amphitheater this summer, the agency has agreed to take shortcuts and go second-class in its choice of operators for the outdoor concert venue.

That can hardly be intended to inspire confidence.If the RAAA expects to have a first-rate facility, it should be listening to the experts it hires. But this band of amateurs seems to be paying strictly for what it wants to hear regarding this ill-conceived project, which is months from completion and still without financing.

Or does the truth lie somewhere in between? While I understand why Toledo would want it's own arena/ampitheater and I understand why Rossford wanted their own, I can't help but wonder what could have been if both had worked together. I have a pretty good guess that had both sides been willing to work together to create a project that would have benefited all of Northwestern Ohio, we'd probably have a new arena by now as well as an ampitheater that could at this very moment be featuring shows we have to drive up to DTE to see...

While I have never been a huge fan of creating a regional government, regional economic projects do work and they have been the reason why other parts of Ohio as well as neighboring states have had progress. In the end, isn't it better to have it in Northwestern Ohio rather than to not have it exist at all?

So much for dreams of using TARTA in Toledo often

One of the things I was looking forward to as a part of moving back into the City of Toledo was being able to use TARTA. When I lived in both Toledo and Maumee years ago, I used TARTA often. At one point I worked downtown and I rarely drove my car to work. I'd walk a very short distance to the end of my street, and had several options of which bus route I wanted to take to ride downtown to work. I had visions of all of the places I could go using TARTA now that I was back in the City of Toledo, including believing that my fourth youngest who is taking Post Secondary OP classes at UT would be able to easily get from where we lived now via TARTA to UT.

Until I looked in detail at the bus routes and the times...Granted, it is better than no bus at all but there is only one Bus route that comes down close to my part of Arlington and it runs one time an hour. You can transfer at Medical University to get to UT but at times it will be a very close call and if for some reason your bus is late or that one is a bit early? Depending on the time of day you could have to wait from 20 minutes to an hour for the next bus to get to UT. Now I know UT offers various shuttle buses so there may be an alternate situation for Erin but as far as my own personal use? Even if you take the bus to downtown, time will be a huge factor due to the one hour until the next bus.

It's pretty obvious to me that the way to make public transportation a viable option is make it so people can actually use it. So while once an hour is better than no bus at all, and I'll be sure to report on my experiences from days past to the present once I do have the option of just walking a short distance to the end of my street to pick up a TARTA bus...I guess this is lesson one as to how my former stomping ground has changed.

If you want to see what is available in your neighborhood...TARTA does have that information on line.

Former Mayor Jack Ford on Ethics....

This week's Sojourner's Truth is on line (linked above) and again features "The View from BGSU's University Hall" by Jack Ford.

The former Mayor first goes back 25 years to describe a meeting with he and several others that included the current Mayor Carty Finkbeiner.

I'd recommend reading the whole article as he touches on several aspects as well as giving what he feels is good advice that I also agree with.


I'm off to do more painting so I hope all of you enjoy your day as well.

:-)

Noe trial delayed is it political?

The Tom Noe case was originally to start on August 29th. Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Thomas Osowik agreed yesterday to delay Noe's trial, previously scheduled for Aug. 29, until Oct. 10; according to this Toledo Blade article.

"The judge clearly sees an opportunity here to exploit a high-profile case for his own personal and political exposure," Mr. Bennett said in a news release.

Brian Rothenberg, a spokesman for the Ohio Democratic Party, criticized Mr. Bennett's statement and said the case should be concluded before the election in order to know as much as possible about the Noe case, which has touched public officials and candidates across the state.

"It's important for the people of Ohio to know the facts by Election Day," Mr. Rothenberg said.

Call me skeptical, but I doubt if the trial has been moved to begin on October 10th that we are going to have the facts before Election Day. It's been stated the trial will last about four weeks. If this proves true? The case will not end until after the November election.

I've met Judge Osowick, while I haven't spent hours talking with him or can claim some personal relationship with him, what I do know about him is he does not come across as the type of Judge who would let politics get in the way of a trial. Realistically if he were that sort? He would have picked a sooner date rather than allowing one that in all reality could guarantee that come Election Day? The trial could still be going on.

Putting myself in the GOP's position for a moment...having an October 10th trial date really is not that bad for them. In August there would have been more focus on the trial. In October there will be lots of political coverage directly related to the election. Since there is a strong possibility that the trial will not be over prior to the election, even candidates who focus on Tom Noe as one of their campaign aspects would not have the full benefit that they could have if the trial had ended sooner.

So I don't see this as a "victory" for either side.

A tale of two Toledo newspapers...and TPS

Most of you have been following what Kate Boyd has been trying to do as far as creating a way to make available to the public audio and video of Toledo Public School Board meetings as well as other government functions.

Yesterday the Toledo Blade had a piece on this article. Here is the first paragraph of the Toledo Blade article:

Two people, including one who ran unsuccessfully last year for the Toledo Board of Education, have been asking the district for almost two weeks to broadcast its meetings live on the Internet.

Today in the Toledo Free Press, they have an article, the first paragraph of that one is:

A proposal to broadcast Toledo Public Schools Board of Education meetings live over the internet has board members at odds as to whether the idea is one of immediate importance.

I recommend that you read both, if anything this one situation points out why it is important that we have the different news sources in this area.

I also found this statement by Steven Steel, as quoted in the Toledo Blade interesting:

"I think it's fine. I am concerned about security issues," he said. "We have public meetings that are free and open, we have audiotapes available, and we have minutes to all the meetings, so it's not a priority to me."

That was news to me about the audiotapes. So I stopped over and visited the Board of Education webpage. Sure they do have the minutes, but the last minutes that are listed are from April 26th. This is June 14th...No mention anywhere of audiotapes or how one goes about getting audiotapes. When reading the minutes from the last full Board Meeting transcribed which is April 25th, comments are not listed. Citizens who comment are listed by name only, what they have to say is not written down, nor is discussion by Board Members.

So while I would love to know the mystery procedure in how one goes about getting these audiotapes since I can't find anything mentioned about them, I can't comment on how easy that would be for parents to be able to have access to. Do they mail them to you? Could they offer those online as a podcast? Are they complete recordings of these meetings in full? None of that is clear...

The serious and not so serious side of me on Nookular Option

Yesterday I spent some time on air with Don and Anthony on one of my favorite local radio shows, Nookular Option which is on WXUT, every Tuesday from 2 to 4 p.m. The title link is the direct page to be able to download the podcast of yesterday's show.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's recent death is the first segment then at about 25:18, it's the segment that I'm on. Blogging is the first topic, a little what's been going on here on Glass City Jungle then we move on to talking about anonymous commentors and some experiences here and on a few other local blogs. At about 35:18 the topic moves on to Learn and Earn and some creative ideas for other vices that could be used to raise funds. As always it was a great time being part of the show which if you listen? I think you'll hear that. :-)

Kind of in line with what we were talking about as far as blogging, with a curtsy to Jill over at Writes Like She Talks for this article with advice for reporters on net communication including blogging, yet could be useful for all of us.

Then the last segment, this article that Don mentioned for the part of the podcast on the article "Using Children as God's Army", which starts at about 56:29 timewise on the podcast for those interested in that section. While that's not a topic I get into here on this blog, the link might be of interest to those of you who take a listen.

If you don't live close enough to get the signal thru WXUT, you can listen thru streaming audio when the show is on or by podcast.

Blog it, Toledo hits the big 20 and more...

This week's Blog it Column is the 20th one I've done for the Toledo Free Press. It's been an amazing experience. One in which I've seen bloggers like Traci Curth participate in the Writer's Workshop and this week, earn a guest column in the Toledo Business Link section. (Congratulations again Traci!) Matt Sussman who's Futon Report I titled the "Go to blog for Toledo Sports" has another great article on the UT vs OSU match up.

You'll also notice some sections of the website for the Toledo Free Press looks a bit different, I like the new look, yet my favorite columns I rely on are still there, Michael Miller's as one example. He describes his recent Court Room experience and I wish I would have been there to have seen his 6-06-06 attire. Tom Richard is becoming another must read for me and has another column that I found could be relevant to even those of us not in sales.

There is of course much more to this week's edition online and in print from TPS to how Carty got banned from WSPD.

Sitting Down with James Nusbaum, Judicial Candidate

The initial impression I had when I met Jim Nusbaum was one that stayed with me through out the interview. He is friendly, has a great sense of humor but he takes this campaign and the idea of becoming a Judge on the Lucas County Common Pleas Court very seriously. The whole concept of how the terms are created for Judges isn’t something most of us realize. We see at the ballot the different dates that are assigned for a term, the one that Jim is running for is the term beginning 1/06/07 which is the term Judge Wittenberg is retiring from. These terms are set forth by the Constitution and stated in the Ohio Revised Code. As an example, Judge Linda Jennings who is Mr. Nusbaum’s opponent was just appointed this May to the term that would have a date of 1/02/07, the former seat of Judge Zouhary, yet that is not the term she is running for election in.

Jim is a reader of blogs, yet as a judicial candidate trying to have a blog could be a challenge, given how closely he follows Canon Seven. He is a supporter of increased technology and would like to see the Common Pleas Court become more user friendly.

Mr. Nusbaum made it very clear he is not interested in negative campaigning; he plans to run a traditional campaign; attending events/festivals and media with a focus on what he can bring from his experience to the Common Pleas Court. Judicial campaigns are different, personal beliefs should not be a campaign issue; a position as a judge is to fairly interpret the law.

There was one specific part of the interview that was most revealing about what type of Judge Jim Nusbaum would be; and what he felt was the difference between him and his opponent, the next paragraph is in Jim’s words:

"I've served in a leadership capacity in the Community that she has not, that experience has been a huge thing for me and I'll tell you why when I was President of the Board which was 05, we rotate every calendar year, it's a very different position than any other on the School Board... When you are a President of a School Board or a Judge, whatever capacity you hear this whole spectrum of problems and in your mind it is a spectrum of problems. It can be any where from my kid didn't make the basketball team, my kid can't read, whatever it is; what you have to remember is even though you have this whole sort of spectrum of problems where it fits on your little importance scale? It's really important to that person. I think that's a good lesson as a Judge because those people in front of you, maybe it's a misdemeanor, maybe it's a fifth degree felony so it’s not a first degree felony, or maybe it's a civil case worth $30,000.00 rather than 30 million dollars; it's really important to them."

From a political standpoint he is respected by local Republicans, Independents and Democrats A and B Team alike. In summary, Jim Nusbaum comes across as a person who not only has the legal ability required to be a Judge but the compassion balanced with the ability to not take lightly decisions that will have a serious affect on those who would come before him on the bench.

(This post will be included in the Wednesday Ohio Carnival of Politics, which is possible thanks to the hard work of Paul Miller of Northwest Ohio Net.)

BBQ and Looking for Fred LeFebvre

Sometimes I take a look at the search terms that bring people to my blog, today someone was looking for Fred LeFebvre's MySpace. Did I know even know that Fred had one? Nope, I don't listen that often but...had that person searching spelled his last name right he or she might have discovered:

The Best Day of My Life

Now I'm wondering if I should ask Fred if I can be one of his friends...and while I'm pondering that...don't forget about the fundraising event being held to help a friend of the Mom of one of my favorite Blog it Blogs, Iron Duke at CityQ BBQ tomorrow. You need a coupon to participate. If you don't feel like dining in? You can carry out, which we might do since we have many more walls to paint before we can start moving in...

I've spent some time looking at the menu, my only fear is after I get done eating I won't want to paint...I am however reminding myself that leftovers are always good...and I'm waiting to see how long it takes for Miguel to realize they have banana pudding...

:-)

Something nice about the Ohio Department of Education

I'm not a fan of proficiency testing, nor has that changed. However, today included with my youngest daughter's grade card was a professional looking color printed document that included specific information on her results from the 5th grade proficiency test she took for Reading and Math this past March. They tell you to visit the website in the title link but they don't have the sample questions for the 5th grade test up yet. Only the 3rd and 8th grade, it states on the website that will be added in July.

Yet, the information the way it was presented was helpful in seeing how Aubrey did on not only the main categories but subcategories of these tests. It has a separate area that states what your child's strengths and weaknesses are in both reading and math along with offering suggestions they list as "next steps" to further enhance your child's skill level even if they scored "above proficient". I knew Aubrey was having difficulty in fractions around the time this test was taken, as one example, so for me it was no surprise to see that was the only area in Math she scored below proficient, but I appreciated the way the material was presented and it makes it very easy to see over the summer which areas in Math and Reading we might want to focus on.

So thank you, Ohio Department of Education, for coming up with a format where I still won't be a fan of proficiency testing but does provide helpful information as far as looking at the overall and the individual aspects of my child's talents as far as how she did on this particular test.

There is also an online survey that might be of interest to some of you that is on the website top heading.

More on the Ohio Turnpike...

Kate asked a very good question in the earlier post about outsourcing the Turnpike. A few of us have wondered why and how the Turnpike can continue once the bonds were paid off, so I decided it was time to dust off the search engine and get to work.

I first found The Ohio Turnpike's webpage which gives us some history:

Ohio's leaders envisioned a nonstop span across the state superior to anything that had ever been built. In 1949, the legislature authorized creation of the Ohio Turnpike Commission. To fund the new superhighway, the Commission issued $326 million in revenue bonds. The Turnpike would be the biggest construction project in Ohio's history to that time.

Ground was broken on October 27, 1952. At peak construction, 10,000 workers were on the job and the landscape became dotted with more than 2,300 bulldozers, graders, loaders and other machines. Building the 241 mile highway took only 38 months.

On October 1, 1955, the massive project was completed. Hundreds of eager motorists were lined up to be among the first to drive nonstop all the way across Ohio. Opening Day traffic totaled 44,000 vehicles. The Turnpike was in business.

Then under the Rules portion I found the specific number of the Ohio Revised Code which refers to the Turnpike Commission. So I then went to the online version of the Ohio Revised Code; there I found why and when the Turnpike was allowed to exist even after bonds were paid:

§ 5537.21. Continuance as toll road after debts paid; fixing and use of tolls.

(A) When bond service charges on all outstanding bonds issued in connection with any turnpike project have been paid or provision for that payment has been made, as provided in the applicable bond proceedings, or in the case of a turnpike project in connection with which no bonds have been issued, the project shall continue to be or be operated, and improved and maintained, by the Ohio turnpike commission as a part of the Ohio turnpike system and as a toll road, and all revenues received by the commission relating to that project shall be applied as provided in division (B) of this section.

(B) Subject to the bond proceedings for bonds relating to any turnpike project, tolls relating to a turnpike project as referred to in division (A) of this section shall be so fixed and adjusted that the aggregate of revenues relating to that project and available for the purpose are in amounts to provide moneys sufficient, and those revenues shall be used, to pay the costs described in division (C)(1) of section 5537.13 of the Revised Code.

HISTORY: GC § 1219; 123 v 232 (244); Bureau of Code Revision, 10-1-53; 135 v H 200 (Eff 9-28-73); 143 v S 7 (Eff 4-12-91); 145 v H 154. Eff 6-30-93.

Unfortunately information from our Ohio House and Senate contained in the Journals that might shed more light on this are not available online - They begin in 1997, this took effect in 1993. I'm going to do more research but that is what I have been able to discover in the mean time.

I tried to check thru the Secretary of State's office to see if we as voters had decided this in the early 90's, while I don't remember that happening, it could have. However, it appears that part of the site is not available since I got this message:

Http/1.1 Service Unavailable

Bike Path Sign Bandits strike Toledo....

In the battle between residents of South Toledo who want the proposed bike path and those who do not, things are heating up. Now who is responsible for stealing the signs protesting the bike path and the red ribbons? City Workers, Lucas County Democrat officials, some of those pro-bike path people from Wildwood or some one who wanted to push some buttons...

In the above linked NBC 24 story:

"My wife actually heard them about 1:30 in the morning with a trunk and putting the sings in," says Bob Knapik, who opposes the project. "We never saw who it was or anything."

One wonders why the police weren't called then or why Mrs. Knapik didn't go to the window to see who was out there stealing signs and ribbons if she heard them. She might have been able to get a description of the get a way car.

UPDATE: An anonymous commenter who is not too fond of blogs, has been kind enough to provide more information than the text article from NBC 24 had last night. Mrs. Knapik is in a wheelchair which is why she could not see who it was. Anonymous also states the police were called.

Personally I doubt the Mayor or anyone from the local Democratic Party or City Workers would be involved in something this stupid. Not that some rather stupid things have not been done at times but logically it would only make those who didn't want the bike path more angry. Angry enough to take off work to attend the meeting scheduled in the morning that certain local people had some concerns would not get enough angry residents? That to me is the logical reason behind someone doing this, a purposeful attempt to enrage those who were against the bike path.

It seems if that was the goal? They got what they wanted.

Joe McNamara enters the Toledo City Council race

I heard this thru several people and mean to post about it sooner but thanks to the above linked Toledo Blade article, there's no time like the present!

Joe has decided to run for the seat that was Bob McCloskey's and that Lourdes Santiago was appointed to fill until November. On a personal note, I've had the opportunity to meet Joe and while I haven't talked to him in depth, I was impressed by some of his questions/statements at events we were both at prior to this announcement.

In looking at the quality of candidates known thus far to be running for this one seat, it says great things about our Toledo area. On the Republican side we have Dave Schulz who I also know personally to be a fantastic man who is respected by many of us, Republican, Democratic and Independent. On the Democratic side we have Lourdes Santiago and Bob Vasquez who was the next highest vote getter in the last Toledo City Council election and now of course, Joe McNamara. The Toledo Blade article also mentions David Davison and Stephen Ward. I believe David Davison is a retired policeman and a Republican, I'm not sure if Stephen Ward is the same one associated with the Northgate Community Church or if he and I are related, both being "Ward's" and knowing there are quite a few members of family from my father's side that I have not met. Nor is it clear if Stephen Ward is affiliated with a political party from the Toledo Blade article. More details will follow and perhaps some of our readers might have more information.

:-)

Ohio blogs and beyond...credibility does matter

While I agree with parts of the above linked Columbus Dispatch article by Ann Fisher, I am once again disappointed in the representation of blogging in Ohio. To me, credibility does matter, it is a critical element for quite a few of us especially locally when it comes to our blogging.

While I agree with Russell that it is obvious here in Ohio and the Nation that some of the "popular" blogs demonstrate they are not credible, there are those blogs who's traffic is driven thru negativity and those who's traffic is driven thru communication/information. The never ending do you blog to build up or tear down? Realizing at times even the blogs with a focus on building are going to be critical there is a difference and it is as Ann Fisher stated a "let the reader beware" situation.

Immediately several local blogs besides my own that have prided themselves on establishing credibility came to mind. Now is the Toledo area the only one who strives for this? I don't think so...Readership is what also determines a blog's baseline of credibility. Do people trust the information they read? Do they contribute? Is a blog merely a tunnel vision scenario of other bloggers commenting or do every day people who don't blog read and participate? If bloggers want to have impact they have to do more than to just have other bloggers blog about what they have blogged about. They have to have community participation. A by-product of creating this community participation is people who have decided they wanted to blog. I'm very proud of the small contribution I've made in encouraging/supporting other people to blog. Take Mark Dansack as our most recent example. He's reaching out to voters of of District 46 thru his blog. Whether you agree or not that Mark Dansack should replace Mark Wagoner, Dansack has given you the voters of this area a chance to learn more about him. To be an informed voter...

Look at someone like Kate Boyd, in part because of what she read on this blog; on Toledo Talk; and what Mark Bula is doing for the City of Sylvania; as well as her own history of involvement on many issues as a citzen of this area, people have reached out to join her. Her creation of Toledo Politicians is a huge contribution to this area. Being able to listen to the TPS Board meetings alone is a giant step in providing information to people of our area. Yet the site plans to provide even more. Chris Myers has done a fantastic job in providing notes/reports from previous TPS meetings on Toledo Talk, yet what he and Kate are doing in getting the audio/video of these meetings online? What an amazing accomplishment! It's also important to point out that Kate is not a blogger, at least not yet...:-)

I meet people and I get emails from people who have decided to act because of what they read on a blog, or learned something here thru my work and/or the contributions of those who make this blog what it is; if credibility didn't matter how could we have that as a result?

I also have to add one correction, Todd Hoffman of Learn and Earn is quoted as saying, "It’s almost free to start a blog and then 10 to 20 bucks a month for the Web site. That’s why there are so many." That's incorrect...There are various places including where I use which is Blogspot where it is free to blog, the only thing required is an internet connection. I know of quite a few who blog thru Blogspot or Myspace who use free internet provided thru UT's or our Toledo-Lucas County Library system and/or the many great free wireless hotspots in our area to blog.

Eugene Harkness featured in Toledo Journal

As I was reading the Toledo Journal tonight, I came across this story about Eugene Harkness who owns Gene’s Original Ribs Delight, and his way of remembering former neighbors of Spencer Township. I recommend stopping by and reading the title linked article, it's nice at times to stop and to reflect on people like Eugene and those like Mattie Taylor Brown as well as the many others that make the Community Center in Spencer Township available for senior citizens.

:-)

Former Mayor Ford and Mayor Finkbeiner in Sojourner's Truth

Former Mayor Jack Ford goes deeper into political issues surrounding the Governor's race. Two of his 11 that caught my eye immediately:

3. Regionalism. Everybody talks about it. Nobody does anything about it. Let’s have the next governor announce a set of incentives to foster regional cooperation around Ohio. More state dollars into the local government funds could be one such incentive. Grants for economic development enterprise could be another.

11. E-Government. Using e-mail and other technologies, we can expand the capacity of citizens to speak to government. We can use technology to make government more interactive and give citizens more voice. There are new tools such as governmental simulation games and website poll votes which will make the connection with citizens easier by the day.


Our current Mayor, sent in a letter to the editor.

They didn't mention Aldi's....

Considering this particular Wal-Mart will be closest one to where we are moving in South Toledo I wasn't really unhappy to learn they were going to add a grocery store to the present location but...no one mentioned Aldi's. Which is right in the very same plaza as the Wal-Mart. I realize people view Aldi's as more of a discount type grocery store but they do sell groceries, I shop at the Holland location on a regular basis and was glad to see there was one that close in South Toledo.

I don't know how much if any business a grocery store within Wal-Mart would take away from Aldi's, but I thought they at least deserved recognition of their existance.

:-)

Toledo/Lucas Blog notes of today and....

The Carnival of Ohio Politics is up for this week thanks to the wonderful work of Paul Miller at Northwest Ohio Net. This week's submission from me was the first from Glass City Jungle, I hope you head on over and read what some of Ohio's best bloggers are writing about.

Next, you may have noticed that Mark Dansack has entered the blogosphere with his new blog Dansack District 46 which is listed in the side bar under NW Ohio Campaign sites. Mark has a very interesting post on his views of the "Culture of Corruption", so I also hope you head on over to visit him, welcome him to the fantastic group of Toledo/Lucas County bloggers that we have and share your thoughts with him on his latest post.

The Toledo Public School Board meeting is tonight at 5:30 p.m. I hope many of you are able to attend, visit Toledo Politicians for more info. This website has also been added under "Survival Basics" for future reference.

:-)

Blog it Toledo, and more...

I already mentioned several of the Toledo Free Press articles that have indepth coverage of another side of Coingate below, so of course they are recommended. As is becoming a favorite in it's own right, Michael Miller has another excellent column.

This week I did something a bit different for my Blog it, Toledo column; I went back to re-write about some of the blogs that have become ones I try to visit as often as possible. These blogs I might not have discovered had it not been for writing this feature for the Toledo Free Press. One in particular that I would really love you to make sure you stop by is Iron Duke; a fundraiser is being held on behalf of a family friend who is going thru a rough time. There is a coupon that you can download and print out and on June 13th, which is next Tuesday, head on over to Sylvania City BBQ for some great food with a portion of the proceeds going directly to this fundraiser. I will definitely be stopping by not just because I think that is what makes our area so fantastic is the way we care about others, but I will confess I can't resist having a BBQ moment...

There are other favorite blogs listed and as always I thank all of you for your support and your kind words about Blog it Toledo. However, it is because of all of you, not only the fantastic bloggers, but the readers who comment and support our local blogs that make it all happen.

Don't forget to pick up your copy of the Toledo Free Press where there are even more great articles featured in this week's edition.

:-)

Jon and Joe to write book on Coingate?

Seems I missed alot of stuff going on today while I was watching my youngest graduate from 5th grade. (Yes for some reason they have a 5th grade graduation ceremony.)

So...if you missed it too?

Here is a good place to start at the Toledo Free Press and there are several other updates/articles as well that can be found thru the direct link:

Deconstructing Coingate

I've heard some of this information in reference to Jon Stainbrook, but it appears it is now out in the open.

I'll update when I learn more...Breaking news states the restraining order sought by Jon and Joe was denied.

Sitting down with Sylvania City Council's Mark Bula

The first thing you immediately notice when talking with Sylvania City Councilperson Mark Bula is his confidence. He is not a practiced politician who carefully selects his answers; his responses were animated and there was an obvious sparkle in his eyes during parts of the conversation.

That is not what makes Mark Bula unique to Lucas County, it is what he has done since he was elected that is creating attention. This in part started during his campaign, where he focused on the traditional door to door, personal contact. While he did have a campaign website and a blog, according to Mark it was the personal conversations he felt had the most impact; “What people heard me say is that it’s about us working together to help this community, it’s about us helping to inform each other, helping to understand the issues better, staying in touch.”

As a part of this goal he has recorded and made available thru his personal website podcasting of Sylvania City Council meetings and Committee Meetings so that anyone who has access to the internet can hear these sessions in their entirety. He also provides his council packet online so that Sylvania residents have as much information as possible available to them. While it is possible at some future point the City of Sylvania could provide this type of information thru the city’s website, Mark has taken personal responsibility in providing the content and the costs associated with this. However, he promotes this as something that the City of Sylvania offers to its residents that less than a dozen other local governments are providing.

When asked what the response has been from the citizens of Sylvania, Mark related a recent experience with a voter who was a former critic of his. “He said to me, ‘You know what? I want to tell you’ve done a great job of getting this as transparent and accessible for us as possible.’ It’s the first time somebody has used those words, which was my goal. So to get it from a critic, a known critic of mine? It made me feel good.”

Mark also stated that there have been a growing number of people who have made public comments such as “I’ve been listening to the Committee tapes, I’ve been listening to the Council tapes”. He continued, “I think I can sort of feel the darts in my back because people are starting to realize they are going to be held accountable. I think that’s good, I think that’s good that we, including me, are accountable for what we are doing and saying. I also think it makes us think harder.”

His answer to the question of why did he think more local elected officials did not share the same interest in supporting this kind of technology and increased access/information was surprisingly blunt. “They haven’t needed to. I mean, I don’t think in their minds they’ve needed to.”

Overall Mark feels that using technology to provide this information has been an extremely positive experience for not only himself but the City of Sylvania and has the potential of providing the same benefits to others. In his own words, “I’d encourage everybody to start doing this...”

This is something new I'm going to be doing here in my quest to provide more information to Toledo/Lucas County residents. I plan to interview and feature not only elected officials but candidates for local offices as well in the weeks to come. Next week Jim Nusbaum, who is running for Judge in Lucas County Common Pleas Court in November will be featured. This will also be included as a submission to the Ohio Carnival of Politics.

Outsourcing the Ohio Turnpike?

This would have an impact on many of us since we use the turnpike. It's worth pointing out that the Cleveland Plain Dealer article doesn't even mention us:

Columbus- Imagine Ohio reaping a $4 billion to $6 billion windfall that allows millions to be invested in Cleveland, Dayton and other struggling cities where Democrats dominate - without raising taxes.

Instead, it would be done by leasing the Ohio Turnpike.

New businesses eventually would sprout, downtown housing would follow, and city coffers would swell.

Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, the Republican nominee for governor, champions such a plan and hopes it will boost Ohio's economy, along with his prospects in this year's competitive race for governor.

The money would come from leasing the 241-mile toll road that offers truckers a direct route between Pittsburgh and Chicago and carries thousands of commuters daily across northern Ohio.

"There is an emerging market appetite for this type of investment," Blackwell said. "It's time for Ohio to get on board."

Yes once again like Learn and Earn, funding education is also mentioned:

Blackwell announced the idea several months ago, saying the proceeds could be used for scholarships, expanding broadband access and development of alternative energy sources. But in his new book, "Rebuilding America"(WND Books, 255 pp., $25), released this month, he fine-tunes the mechanics of the proposal and introduces a plan for targeted investment.

I'm not sure how I feel about this, realistically for our area if you want to head East there are few options if you don't want to use the turnpike. I was under the impression that the turnpike would eventually become a non-toll road and that voters approved the creation of the bonds with the understanding that it would eventually become a free road. What would something like this do to the already problem stricken Route 2? States that have sold their turnpikes have seen dramatic increases in tolls. Independent truck drivers are already facing increased costs due to fuel prices, what would creating a situation where tolls would increase do to them? Further the legal aspect, if the toll roads are supposed to be owned by the residents of Ohio and were supposed to eventually be free how could the State of Ohio even sell rights to them anyway?

curtsy to Buckeye Blue Blog for drawing my attention to this.

Toledo, I love you but you are fickle...

I love this area so much yet people seem to expect a fantasy world where Carty Finkbeiner would not be Carty Finkbeiner. Even a kinder, gentler Carty is still...Carty.

So now the talk of how he hasn't gotten the results people wanted starts. I heard the topic of a recall mentioned on WSPD's Eye on Toledo during the whole anti-bike path marathon that is going on over there. The Toledo Blade article linked in the title, goes into the examination of Carty's first few months in office. Despite the things that should have been expected like trying to stack Toledo City Council with B Teamers and the occasional "Cartyesque" moments:

A summary of economic development activity provided by Mr. Finkbeiner's staff for the first quarter shows 509 jobs created since he returned to office - of which 144 will be at Westgate Village. The city's statistics also show 1,287 jobs retained - including 893 at GM Powertrain - and $540 million in capital investment at Powertrain as part of a total $555.2 million citywide.

Let's flash back to December 30, 2002...The Mayor is Jack Ford...The Toledo Blade has an article written by Tom Troy on the first year. It states:

On the surface, Toledo looks much as it did the day Carty Finkbeiner left office.

The former Toledo Edison steam plant is still a cold brick box. The mud pit left by the old Federal Building is still empty. The Toledo Public School District is still in academic emergency. Southwyck Shopping Center still needs a multimillion-dollar overhaul.

Mr. Ford believes that appearances are deceiving.

"I thought it was a pretty good year. There were a lot of things I tried to do to set the table."

While I know this is not just something that happens in Toledo, it seems we have this ability to demand and want change yet keep electing the same people that didn't make us happy the first time. During the Mayoral Primary there were other people to select from besides Jack Ford and Carty Finkbeiner. One of them, Keith Wilkowski, wanted change as well as a chance for Toledo to have a new voice. Toledo voters decided it was going to be between Jack and Carty.

Remember that phrase, becareful what you wish for? Well Toledo? You are getting results. Just like many of you were not happy with Jack? It's Carty time and love him or hate him, he is being Carty...

Towards a more transparent Toledo....

Kate Boyd is doing something about the lack of transparency in our area. She has created:

www.toledopoliticians.com

I urge you to visit this site and I hope that our elected officials as well as all of you support her and those who have joined in to help her in this goal.

Kate could also use a show of support at this next Toledo Public School Board meeting which will be Wednesday, June 7th 5:30 p.m.at the Thurgood Marshall Bldg., 420 E. Manhattan Blvd.

This is not a partisan political group, so it doesn't matter if you are a Republican, a Democrat or an Independent, or none of the above, all that matters is that you want to have more information, transparency and the end result more accountability in our relationship between citizen and government.

(I corrected the date, it would help to look at a calendar...Thanks Kate!)

Toledo CASA program celebrates 25 years

The title linked article in La Prensa gives you information on the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Programs in Ohio and in Toledo.

The history of CASA dates back to 1977 when a Seattle judge called upon community volunteers to assist the court by researching and representing the best interests of child abuse victims after a small boy died when he was sent back to his abusive home.

The Toledo Program needs your help, they especially need spanish speaking volunteers. According to the La Prensa article:

CASA (in Columbus, Toledo, and nationwide) is seeking more volunteers. There is an increasing need for Latino volunteers to help the growing number of Latino children who fall into the system. There’s also a need for information specialists who are willing to learn the details of the program and can educate and/or train other Latinos in the community about CASA and its mission.

For more information on this program in Ohio, visit here..

Jack Ford's political column in The Sojourner's Truth

Former Toledo Mayor Jack Ford shares his viewpoint on those who blamed the Zoo levy loss on low turnout of Black voters and also his thoughts on the Governor's race. I recommend the whole article, yet here are a few parts:

The early take on Ken Blackwell’s chances in the governor’s race against Ted Strickland seems to hinge on five points. One, that Mr. Blackwell is too conservative, particularly in fiscal matters. Two, “Noe Gate” and other scandals will hurt the Republicans in 2006 as “The Crofters Scandal” did back in 1970. Three, white Appalachian residents will never vote for a black man. Four, Blackwell will not get the black vote because he is a Republican and too conservative. And finally, Ted Strickland has a huge money lead.

Well Ken Blackwell is an arch conservative, but Ohio is a fairly conservative state. This is not Massachusetts or California. This is Ohio – home of Frank Laushe, Woody Hayes, and Bob Evans. And Ken Blackwell has wisely begun to distance himself from the TEL amendment which is seen as too restrictive on our state spending and would have been an easy mark for campaign attacks of fiscal extremism against Blackwell. Even Republicans consume some of the state’s financial goodies.

In an earlier blog post I stated I did not think that Black voters would vote race first. The Former Mayor feels differently and issues a warning:

Warning to Ohio Democrats: blacks are the most conservative folks in the world. Poll after poll shows 62 percent or better are against abortions and are for the bans on gay marriage. Blacks tend to vote race first, then party. Blackwell will get his share of black votes. Will Strickland? And will Strickland unveil a truly transformative urban policy?


It appears that Jack Ford will be a regular contributor to Sojourner's Truth and while I always tried to pickup a copy, now that they are online it will be much easier to access.

Lucas County Public Schools Five Year Forecasts

The Toledo Blade has an article stating that most of the schools within Lucas County as well as Ohio will be in the red at the end of their five year forecasts.

If you would like to see these forecasts for yourself...Visit here

While math is not one of my strong points, I know many of you enjoy not only math but statistics so this information might be helpful.

:-)

Learn and Earn, the ad farce....

See it for yourself here not once in the whole commercial does it even mention gambling. Yet gambling is at the very heart of what Learn and Earn is.

This is really what Learn and Earn is about the main part:

The Amendment further provides that the scholarships and grants would be funded through the operation of slot machines at the seven commercial horse racing tracks and at two other locations in Cleveland and one other location in Cincinnati. The number of slot machines would be limited at each location. The amendment would prohibit the operation of other games unless approved by the voters of the county in which the slot machine facility is located, and such election could not occur sooner than the fourth general election after passage of the amendment.

Under the agreement, thirty percent of the proceeds of the authorized games shall be dedicated to the scholarship and grant programs. An additional eight percent of the proceeds of the authorized games shall be dedicated to county, township and municipal governments primarily for economic development or capital improvement projects as specified. Six percent of the proceeds of the authorized games shall be dedicated to the purse funds of Ohio's seven permitted horse racing tracks, and one percent of the proceeds of the authoized games shall be dedicated to gambling addiction services. The amendment would prohibit any other taxes or fees against the amounts wagered or proceeds of the authorized games.

I don't care if you decide you want slot gambling here at Toledo Raceway Park or if you think that gambling is a sin. Promoting this with this type of advertisement on TV and radio without one mention of what this is really about which is GAMBLING...Is not only wrong? But totally dishonest.

And there is not a whole lotta good coming from that.

UPDATE: I'm not even sure if that type of advertising is legal:

3517.22 Unfair activities in issue campaign

(A) No person during the course of any campaign in advocacy of or in opposition to the adoption of any proposition or issue submitted to the voters shall knowingly and with intent to affect the outcome of such campaign do any of the following:

(2) Post, publish, circulate, distribute, or otherwise disseminate, a false statement, either knowing the same to be false or acting with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not, that is designed to promote the adoption or defeat of any ballot proposition or issue.

More to follow...Looks like I'm going to discover what is entailed in filing a complaint.

Old South End will rise again!

Those of you who read my Blog it, Toledo column might have stopped by to visit Larry Farren's blog. This week's Toledo City Paper has an article about some of the problems that these South Toledo residents have been going thru and a few solutions.

Larry's blog is mentioned as a part of the article and Larry writes about meeting the reporter on his blog.

I am a former South Ender, about to be an again South Ender since that's where the house we are moving into is. Both my mother and my father were born and raised in the South end, my father lived on Ralph. My mother lived on Copeland.

It's a long article, but I recommend it and I'm proud of these South Enders for trying to take back their neighborhood.

:-)

Rest easy Toledo, the Schwartz is with you...

Yes that is cheesy yet I couldn't get the movie line "May the Schwartz be with you" from my head when I read the above linked Toledo Blade article.

While I'm not sure I agree with Liberal_Dem's Duct Tape idea, I do have to wonder about the salary difference from what Brian Schwartz earned working for the Port Authority versus what he will get paid to work for Mayor Carty Finkbeiner as Communication Director. While I can see why Brian would not want to take a pay reduction, an increase of $14,000 is a bit of a hefty raise in income, especially since $78,000 as a yearly salary is $9,500 above the top salary rate in the Toledo Municipal Code.

I'm also curious to see if the Communication Director actually reaches out to communicate with us. Does he use the internet for more than checking email? Is he reading this right now? If so....HI BRIAN! :-)

While I think we all agree communication is important and it's nice to have someone who is a big fan of yours working for you, I really have to question the salary. I'm also wondering if these could be useful...

:-)

Update on Sylvania Vision 2010

I promised I'd update with information, and for those of you who went back to the original post have probably seen Alex was kind enough to post a link to the pdf of notes from May 25th. Mark Bula also emailed me, so thank you to both of you.

I recommend downloading this pdf even if you are not a Sylvania, Ohio resident. Mark and Alex are both correct in stating that this type of vision quest for the future could be done other places locally. This was the meeting objective:

Provide a public forum for those interested in having early input on creating a vision for Sylvania’s future. Utilize visual metaphors and hands-on activities to collaboratively identify the strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats to our community.

As the saying goes, “be careful if you don’t know where you’re going ‘cause you might not get there.”

I wondered how this would be accomplished. As an example, taking a few results from the "Today We Look Like" segment where people were given a series of questions and the metaphor was the City of Sylvania as a Bus Trip:

Primary bus driver is Mayor with a King’s crown and assisted by City Council

People on the bus:
o Closest to front is “Shakers & Movers”
o School Board
o Flower Hospital
o Lourdes College
o Residents in the every back of the bus – not being informed by drivers to where and
what is going on. They are left to admiring the scenery and that’s it.

There were other visual metaphors as well as many more results listed, yet the meeting did not just revolve around visualizations. Those who attended were asked to list strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the City of Sylvania.

My immediate reaction was it appears there are many "Strengths" and that is something that Sylvania should be proud of, though I really must dispute the categorization of "Spiky haired councilman" being listed as a "Weakness", I would have thought he would have been a "Threat" (lol). The parts of the meeting related to the future of Sylvania also contained some great ideas. It's pretty obvious to me that Sylvania is heading in a very positive direction, and it's one I hope the rest of our area follows.

Great job Mark Bula and thank you for sharing this information with us and a great job is also extended to those who attended.

:-)