On the Sept. 15 ballot, voters will choose six of 23 candidates for Toledo City Council. The top 12 vote getters will move on to November’s ballot. If Issue 2 passes, that number will be reduced to six moving on to November’s ballot.

Some candidates declare a party; some do not. Toledo’s municipal elections are non-partisan; on the ballot, there will be no party affiliation noted.

John Adams Jr. said he joined the race for Toledo City Council to “uphold the Constitution and common sense.” “It’s not good common sense to raise taxes when that is chasing people out” of the city, he said.

Adams’ first goal for city council would be to shift funding focus to the “essentials” — police on the streets, fire protection, trash pickup and street maintenance — and then look into fun things like flowers if there is money left over, he said. Long-term goals include examining laws and determining what is still valid and what can be removed.

Adams is part of the group calling itself “Teamwork Toledo.”

Terry Biel has spent his entire life in Toledo and watched the city deteriorate, he said.

The Democrat candidate said he plans to “cultivate an environment of entrepreneurship.”

“It’s not a thing we think just anyone can do,” he said. “But it is if you’ve got a good idea and you’re willing to work hard for it and the city provides the right

environment for it.”

Biel said he will use his background in software development and technology to streamline government processes and build capacity.

Joseph Carter said he will work hard at rejuvenating Toledo should the city’s residents elect him to council.

“As a councilman, I want to look to the public,” he said. “I want to serve the citizens of Toledo and make the city a better place to live.”

Toledo possesses untapped potential for success, the Democrat said.

“The surrounding communities are full of Toledo residents who found something lacking in the city,” Carter said. “It is time to bring morals, ethics and values back.”

Mark Clark, a commercial real estate consultant, said he sees his clients literally being chased out of Toledo by the current, business unfriendly administration.

If elected to council, Clark said he will use common sense and accountability to reduce taxes, permit fees and red tape.

“The current group of councilmen have had an opportunity to turn this sea around. They haven’t, and I think they should be relieved of their jobs and we should start over,” the Republican said.

Phillip Copeland is seeking a second term on city council.

“I enjoy what I’m doing, but I still know that I’m there to bring people together and get work done for the City of Toledo,” the Democrat said. “I was sent there to get a job done.”

Copeland said he is eager to get constituent concerns remedied and stop sending things to committees.

“There are people out there waiting on that stuff and, once it goes to committee, you don’t know when it’s going to come through,” he said. “I’d like to see that change. Let’s make a decision and do it, get something done.”

Copeland said he is also focused on making Toledo more business friendly to create and maintain jobs. Businesses make things simple, he said. “If they can step over there and get things done without bureaucracy, they will.”

Jeff Cromwell said he knows he can’t change anything if he’s not getting involved.

The issue closest to his heart is the financial situation in the city. “There’s only so much money and we need to figure out what we can do,” he said.

If elected, the Republican said he will help ensure council and the mayor work together by analyzing situations from all aspects.

“They’re elected to work together to solve problems. You need a balance and compromise on both sides of the fence,” he said.

Ty Daniels said he is tired of sitting by the sidelines and yelling at people: “I thought I’d do something about it and man up.”

He said his first priority is to get the budget under control and then follow the city charter as it is written, putting safety first, he said.

After that, start cutting things. “The government doesn’t need to provide everything for us. We’re wasting a lot of money while taxing,” Daniels said. “No new taxes. We’re already being taxed to death.”

The city needs to take a common sense approach and get back to the basics, the Teamwork Toledo candidate said.

Rob Ludeman served on Toledo City Council from 1994 through 2008, when he reached his term limit for the District 2 seat.

He said when he was on council, there were no layoffs, a balanced budget and a surplus in a rainy day fund, but now funds are depleted, employees have been laid off and the budget is not balanced.

Safety is an issue that affects everyone, no matter where they live, and needs to be a priority of the city, the Republican said, and the mayor and city council also need to concentrate on how to make the community business friendly and look to the entire region as an economic vehicle.

“We can’t separate ourselves from Sylvania and Maumee,” he said. “We have to work tirelessly with all our neighbors.”

Tricia Lyons entered the race “on the foundations of personal responsibility and being a good member of the community.”

With unemployment so high, those who are still working are funding everything, she said. The city needs to get rid of the Erie Street Market and turn some city-owned enterprises over to the private sector.

Lyons will use her skills and knowledge as a single mother, small business owner and homeowner to balance the budget, she said.

She also wants to see city council members held accountable: “They should be answering to us, but they’re not,” she said.

People vote for the same people over and over and sit back and complain, said Lyons, a Teamwork Toledo candidate. “Go out and make a change.”

Adam J. Martinez said he has been involved in community issues his entire life. After working in the nonprofit sector eight years, he has done as much as he can from a grassroots level.

“I need to be a part of the governmental and city council to have input and have the maximum say,” he said.

Martinez said his first goal is to work to establish a revolving loan pool to help new graduates, small businesses and minority-owned businesses.

The Democrat said he has run a development corporation, utilizing and managing government funding and also owned a small business.

“I have a unique perspective of where the bottleneck is,” he said.

Born and raised in Toledo, Martinez “is a son of Toledo who is, in turn, making it a better place for family and community,” he said.

Joe McNamara, city council president, said he will continue to promote job growth, protect public safety and make government more efficient and accountable for Toledoans if reelected.

McNamara said he is working to bring green jobs to Toledo and make the city a leader in the new green economy. He also wants to see more market participation in solar technology.

On council, McNamara co-wrote the balanced budget amendment to the charter, which will hold the mayor more accountable for his budget. He also wrote the Issue 1 “safety first plan” to allow council to pass more resources to promote police salary, he said.

The Democrat said he will continue demonstrating responsible leadership that builds consensus and puts public safety first.

Kevin Milliken will take an “effective, efficient, open and honest approach” if elected to council.

“For too long, there’s been an approach where government seems to know better than the citizens they are supposed to serve. Let’s engage the citizenry,” the Teamwork Toledo candidate said.

As a journalist, Milliken has spent more than 20 years covering city government as a watchdog.

“Somewhere along the line, of the people, by the people and for the people got lost in the shuffle,” he said.

City government needs to restructure to eliminate duplication of services: “Change is painful, but change is necessary right now,” he said. “We don’t need studies and committees; we need to look at what’s working in other cities.”

George Sarantou said he has been primarily involved in cutting and balancing the budget and also worked hard on constituent relations during his time on council.

“I go out of my way to rectify [constituent] concerns and to continue to provide effective quality services,” the Republican said.

Sarantou said he wants to see the intermodal project in South Toledo successfully implemented and a new computer system for the city, which is extremely important: “If you don’t have up-to-date information, it’s impossible to make decisions.”

As a husband and father of three, Sarantou said he is dedicated to strengthening neighborhoods and making sure Toledo is a family-friendly city. He also said he will continue working to lower utility costs for residential and commercial customers.

Hans G. Schnapp is currently secretary of the Lucas County Republican Party and chairman of We Demand a Vote. He entered the city council race to actively make a change in the way the city is operating, he said.

“I feel that I am the man for the job and the voice of the public,” Schnapp said. “I will make sure the general citizens of Toledo get their voices heard within the government.”

As councilman, Schnapp said he will push for “a less intrusive, more fiscally responsible” government. He said he will encourage the government to work more closely with micro and small businesses, assisting with business and startup loans.

Terry Shankland said that as a businessman in Toledo, he understands the difficulty of staying in Toledo in this business climate. Toledo is not business friendly, he said. If a businessman cannot afford to make money in the city, he’s not going to stay here.

With less people living in Toledo, the city needs to reduce spending. “We’re spending more than we’re making,” the Democrat said. “When you wake up and find out you lose your job, you don’t go on a cruise. You cut back.”

Shankland said he wants to see businesses moving back to Toledo, increase safety and refuse cleanup and reduce the confusion in One Government Center.

“Toledo has everything we need: water, zoo, a world-class museum of art, something to do every weekend,” he said. There’s a lot to do for single people and a lot for older people.”

Constantine P. Stamos said Toledo needs to change its leadership to something completely new.

“The same thing has been happening for so long now, we’re in a continual decline,” he said.

City council needs to work with the mayor to make it as easy as possible for people to conduct business, he said. Elimination of bureaucracy and red tape will attract new businesses which bring new jobs. New jobs lead to a better tax base to keep police and firefighters and reduce crime.

The Republican said he is not afraid to be outspoken with fellow council members.

“The city should be for the people, not the other way around. I’m not afraid to question the status quo,” he said.

Steven Steel was appointed to council July 7 after serving as president of the Toledo Public Schools board of education.

The transition was a natural one, he said, as many issues important to him on the board of education — neighborhood development, parks and recreation and families — mirror those of city council.

Steel said he has made great strides in a very short time with his work in domestic violence, small businesses and balancing the budget. He will continue to support the economy and the end of the budget crisis.

The Democrat also has experience working with a budget from his time as president of the board of education. “Over the past three years, I was the president of the board of an $800 million corporation,” he said. “Those skills transfer naturally.”

Steven Sulewski said he has been attending council meetings for two years.

He started attending meetings after noticing fewer police on his blockwatch. He wanted to find out where the money was going that used to fund police.

“A lot of money is being wasted on stupid stuff,” he said.

Sulewski will put that money toward safety. Businesses and people will be attracted to a safe city, the Independent said.

Sulewski said he also wants to give a tax credit to every business that hires more than five people, not just big businesses.

Sulewski will be a full-time councilman: “I’ll be there at all the meetings, studying everything that comes across, figuring out the good and bad and pushing it through quicker,” he said.

Polly Taylor-Gerken said she joined the race because “Toledo City Council needs a qualified woman.”

Taylor-Gerken has skills and experience working with large organizations, she said. She is a former board member of Ohio Citizen Action, a large nonprofit, and sits on the board of a small nonprofit serving blacks. She is also a 30-year employee of Toledo Public Schools.

The Democrat, wife of Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken, said she seeks more regional cooperation between regional jurisdiction and people who are already in public service.

“As we face decline in revenue, working within the budget is going to be a big challenge,” she said.

Taylor-Gerken is dedicated to improving Toledo and has family in every corner of the city with the same struggles many community members are facing, she said.

Jeremiah Van Buren said he is dedicated to being a public servant and to understanding issues affecting the people.

As an independent journalist, he traveled to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions and has seen government infringement on citizens’ lives and rights.

“We need to cut back on government that is unnecessary,” the Republican said. “The budget needs to cut back to the conservative principles of this basic small government.”

Stephen Ward said he entered the city council race to give common people a voice, including the homeless, poor and disenfranchised.

“Government should be for the people,” he said, adding that he will host public discussions before making decisions.

The Democrat running as an Independent has a no-monetary donation campaign. Instead, he suggests donating to 1Matters, a non-profit serving the homeless. He has also pledged to donate 20 percent of his city council salary to the charity.

“Leaders need to lead by example,” he said. “I’m sincere. I want to help and to give people a voice again.”

He will “reclaim Toledo for all people,” Ward said.

David Washington said “Less is more” is his campaign mantra.

“Cut out being an ambulance service, cut out the Erie Street Market, cut out double dippers,” he said. “Every little bit is killing us.”

Washington said he would like to establish a tax tier program in Toledo to give breaks to small businesses creating jobs.

City council needs people with character, honor and integrity to make the city better, not more politicians. Washington is a public servant, not a politician, the independent said.

“We have a shot at changing the way things are done here in Toledo. We need to take that shot and run with it,” he said.

Michael R. Watson is sick of seeing the same old people running for office and getting elected: “We need some fresh ideas,” he said.

Watson’s ideas include a repeal of the trash fee, balancing the budget and getting rid of the Erie Street Market: “Sell it to an entrepreneur, even if it’s for $1,” he said.

Watson said he wants more financial accountability. The city has spent $5 million on renting telephones and a substantial amount of money on membership fees for employees, he said. “No one asked any questions.”

“I don’t feel that the common man has a voice,” the Teamwork Toledo candidate said. “Somebody usually gets to somebody.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 10th, 2009 at 8:45 pm and is filed under Community, Featured, Politics.
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