Take Back Toledo, the group aiming to recall Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner for being what they describe as an anti-business “dictator,” has about 12 percent of the required signatures to get their issue in front of voters, organizers said.

But they have an explanation for the seemingly short list.

“Mother Nature’s been supporting him. I mean, in the cold weather people aren’t going door to door yet,” said Ed Nagle, a member of the group.

Clipboards and petitions at the ready, Nagle and a cluster of other Take Back Toledo representatives waited outside the Jan. 30 Toughman Contest — indoors.

Their plan is to turn in about 30,000 signatures on April 1; they are required to have 19,937 validated signatures. That provides a little less than two months to get the issue on September’s ballot, alongside the mayoral primary.

So far, Nagle said volunteers have collected about 2,400 unvalidated signatures and about $30,000.

“We’d like to see it closer to $80,000,” he said. That, though, is not directly subject to the weather.

“There are some people who just want to confirm that this has legs, that this movement is strong, before they contribute a substantial amount of money,” he said.

Others will not make their support public because “they’re doing business with the city, or they’re in ongoing negotiations with the city,” he said.

While the petitions focus on Finkbeiner’s ousting, Take Back Toledo’s campaign is about more than that, Nagle said, to make sure the mayor does not run for re-election, to look at the mayor’s role in the city charter in hopes to avoid future chances of “letting a dictator out of control,” and opening up the political scene in Toledo.

“Right now, if you’re a Republican, you don’t have a chance. If you’re a Democrat and you’re not in the know, you don’t have a chance,” Nagle said.

Part of its plan includes backing a business-friendly candidate in the mayoral campaign. Even though there are more than a handful of names already in the mix, Nagle said picking one now is not the priority.

“We have not had even the first ounce of discussion,” he explained. “We have been approached, but we have told them this is not the time yet.”

He said the group is not affiliated with any political party.

Meanwhile, the mayor — who has not publicly said whether he intends to run for another term — has not changed his thoughts on the group.

“We have real problems to worry about, and they’re not one of them,” city spokesman Jason Webber said, citing the recently-announced $8 million budget deficit that still lingers from 2008.

Nagle said he does not expect the mayor’s attention, but urges that the group is not a personal attack on him.

“I like Carty personally, but Carty has been very ineffective in his role as a leader.”

This entry was posted on Friday, February 6th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under 2009 Race for Mayor, Community.
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