Levies on the riverfront
Written by Tom Pounds | President / Publisher | tpounds@toledofreepress.comAmong the 41 issues facing voters on the November ballot are two levies for organizations that live on Toledo’s riverfront.
Issue 37, the operating request for COSI, and Issue 41, the funding request for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, are burdened with tumultuous recent history and intense media criticism.
There is no argument that both organizations have garnered undesired attention and must share some of the blame for their plight, but it is important that voters remember the larger missions of these organizations. Controversies and personnel issues come and go, but the bottom line is that the port authority is one of our region’s most critical economic development agencies. The staff working at the port authority needs and merits support, even if there are questions about the politics surrounding the board’s future.
COSI has twice failed to secure voter support, and while I can understand why it is a tougher sell, the fact is that the community as a whole and Downtown in particular is better off with COSI and its educational opportunities than they are without it. I often hear the gripe COSI is not an institution on par with the Toledo Museum of Art or The Toledo Zoo, but those cultural monuments have set the bar so high and have been working for so long, it’s not a fair comparison. Given the opportunity (and yes, I know, a generous opportunity has already slipped away), COSI could be to this region what similar educational facilities are in Columbus and Ann Arbor.
Voting for COSI and the port authority ensures two riverfront mainstays can continue, or in COSI’s case resume, to provide opportunities for advancement. The payoff may be years away, but both investments are worth making.
Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.
