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.