Why theater?, I asked Perrysburg native Lindsay Roginski.
“It’s always been my dream since I was a little girl,” she answered. “I grew up, at five years old, dancing and singing…so my mom decided to put me in classes. I went to New York and saw my first Broadway show, and knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
It has been a long road from those first classes for Roginski, and now the long road leads her home. The Perrysburg native will return to the Toledo area on Nov. 17 and 19, performing at the Stranahan Theater as cell block girl Liz in the national tour of the smash Broadway show “Chicago.”

Roginski

The tour is just the latest step for Roginski, whose credits include starring in productions of “Damn Yankees,” “My One and Only” and “42nd Street.” But “Chicago” has always been her favorite.
What’s your dream role, I asked. If I could snap my fingers and give you any part in the world, what would it be? Roginski didn’t even give it a second’s thought.
“To play Roxie on Broadway,” she said. Her love for “Chicago” was apparent with every word she uttered about it, and it was a genuine pleasure to talk to someone who so clearly loves what they are doing with their life.
Although her training began at a young age, Roginski did not begin appearing in musical theater until she was 15 — her first appearances in shows were with the Toledo Repertory Theater.
“I did a couple shows with them, and then I ended up doing my senior high school musical, which was ‘Grease,’” she said. “And then I moved to New York to go to school.”
Ironically, while training at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, her first job in the city was selling souvenir programs for “Chicago.” But the spicy and seductive tale of murderous showgirls already had a strong hold on her imagination.
“It was always my dream to be in this show,” Roginski said. “When I actually got the chance to audition for it — and got it! — it was a dream come true for me.”
The production she is appearing in is actually her second tour of “Chicago” — in her first, a non-union show, she played the lead role of Roxie Hart, the killer who becomes a media sensation. Her current tour may see her in a smaller role (she remains the understudy for Roxie), but she said she’s having a lot more fun.
“On the non-union, it was a lot of one-and-two nighters, so it was a lot of travel, all the time,” she said. “One this one, it’s a lot nicer. We get to stay in one place for a while.”
Roginski said that despite the difficult times for the economy, the tour has been extremely successful. “It’s been surprisingly great, as far as ticket sales. I think things like this…people are looking for some way to get away from their troubles of the day,” she said. “So, we haven’t been really affected by that. Thank god!”
The process of touring in a show can be grueling on all involved, even if it is your favorite show ever. But even as she outlined a schedule where performers do a show eight times a week — off for travel on Monday, but twice on Saturday and Sunday — Roginski’s enthusiasm never wavered.
“It’s real fun! You get to travel and see everything. Like, this is an extreme situation, but we just got back from Tokyo. We played there for a month, which is very unusual. We do a show every night, so we have the days to explore the city.”
Tokyo may be a far cry from Toledo, but Roginski’s excitement on returning to the area, doing what she loves to do, is overwhelming.
“I can’t even tell you! On the non-union tour, the closest we got was, like, Akron,” she said. “It’s going to be so great to have so many of my family and friends— my whole family still lives in Ohio — be able to see what I’ve been doing for so long … it’s going to be so fun! And the fact that I can actually stay at my house, it’ll be great!”
Roginski’s goals are wide-reaching, including eventually getting into commercial and film work — “I kind of want it all,” she laughed — but the ultimate goal is still to be Roxie on the Great White Way.
“It would be like coming full circle,” she said. “To grow up wanting something so bad, and to actually get it, I can’t even imagine what that would be like.”

E-mail columnist Jeff McGinnis at PopGoesJeff@gmail.com.

More than 24 million children and adults in the United States live with diabetes, and 57 million Americans are at risk for Type 2 diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.
ProMedica Health System and Mercy Medical Center offer diabetes education classes to assist individuals who are diagnosed with diabetes.
Both programs received recognition from the American Diabetes Association that they meet the standards of diabetes education.
“Diabetes has a lot of heavy-duty, long-term problems, such as heart disease, stroke and loss of limbs. Issues that often come down the road,” said Jan Hollenbeck, ProMedica’s regional supervisor for the diabetes education and nutrition center. “When you’re feeling well, that’s the time to learn about your diabetes, understand how to make better decisions with food and exercise to avoid complications later.”
ProMedica program
ProMedica’s program, Diabetes Education, is available to patients through a doctor’s referral.
Patients are brought in for an initial assessment to figure out what they know and don’t know about diabetes to see what classes they should attend, Hollenbeck said. Patients will also meet with a dietitian for a base meal-plan instruction session.
“Portion is a big issue,” Hollenbeck said. “People tend to eat pretty healthy, just too much.”
After initial assessments, the program has five classes patients may attend. Classes are available one-on-one or in a group setting.
The first class is an overview explaining what diabetes is, what labs mean, understanding monitoring guides and treatments regimens.
The organization also has a problem prevention class covering what sugar damages, foot care, vision loss, heart disease and stroke. Another class examines exercising and the benefits of exercise and how to exercise safely.
Additionally, there is a stress management class that explains how stress affects blood sugar and management techniques.
The final class is a follow-up to see how the patient is doing. The class is a confirmation that the patient is on the right track doing the right things, Hollenbeck said.
“We’re not looking for perfection, no one is perfect. Often patients fall off the wagon and we want them to know they can get back on the wagon,” Hollenbeck said.
Medicare will cover 80 percent of the costs, up to 13 hours total, three hours with a dietitian and 10 hours in education classes, Hollenbeck said.
ProMedica’s Diabetes Education is located at 3909 Woodley Rd. suite 200. Branches are also located at Bay Park Community Hospital, Fostoria Community Hospital and Herrick Medical Center. The Diabetes Education in Pregnancy is located at the Toledo Hospital.
Mercy program
Mercy Diabetes Education Center services are also provided to patients by a doctor’s referral.
“Patients need to be empowered to manage their own diabetes and keep themselves living a healthy lifestyle,” said Laurie Lyell, Mercy Diabetes Education Center’s clinical coordinator.
Patients begin with a session with a registered nurse and then with a dietitian.
The sessions assess what patients know, help build on strengths and understand what needs to be improved on, Lyell said.
After initial assessments with a registered nurse and dietitian, the Diabetes Education Center offers a series of four classes held every Wednesday in a group setting.
“As they are learning to control their own diabetes, patients can learn and problem solve from each other as a group,” Lyell said.
The first class is an overview. The second class is nutrition management, followed by a class on blood glucose monitoring. The final class covers medication, physical activities and complications.
After patients have finished the four weeks of classes they have graduated and are seen yearly for follow-ups, Lyell said.
Classes are located at Mercy St. Vincent hospital and are offered twice a year at Mercy St. Anne  Hospital and Mercy St. Charles Hospital.
As part of American Diabetes Month ProMedica will host “Step into Good Health” Nov. 20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Westfield Franklin Park Mall.
“We hope the event makes a difference making people aware or more aware about diabetes,” Hollenbeck said.
Screenings of blood sugar, blood pressure and body mass index will be available in the food court from 10 a.m. to noon and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.  The event will feature exercise demonstrations and physicians, pharmacists, nurses and dietitians will be on hand to answer questions.
November is American Diabetes month. As part of American Diabetes month the American Diabetes Association is asking people to join “Stop Diabetes,” a program aimed at confronting, fighting and stopping diabetes.
For more information about Stop Diabetes, visit the Web site www.stopdiabetes.com.

It has been an unlikely journey for Dane Sanzenbacher. It was just a few years ago that playing at Ohio State seemed more of a fantasy than a reality.
Back then, Sanzenbacher was catching passes on Friday nights for the Central Catholic Fighting Irish. He had received only a few college football offers, until Sanzenbacher signed up for a bus trip.
The trip was organized by Cleveland Glenville High School coach Ted Ginn Sr. and he had invited Sanzenbacher and other players to come along and showcase their athletic talents at many different colleges across the Midwest. Once the Central Catholic standout showed the Buckeyes what he could do on the field, Ohio State offered Sanzenbacher a scholarship on the spot.
Today, he is catching passes on Saturdays in Columbus as a member of the Buckeyes. In a short amount of time, the junior wide receiver has gone from relative unknown to a star with instant recognition among college football fans.
On Nov. 21, Sanzenbacher will have an opportunity to once again impact the Ohio State – Michigan rivalry, something the Toledo native grew up revering.
“It is just so unbelievable to me,” Sanzenbacher said. “It is surreal to me that I still get to play in the Ohio State-Michigan game.”
Since he first set foot in Columbus, the Glass City’s native son has been making plays. Sanzenbacher caught a touchdown pass in his very first game against Youngstown State in 2007, and he has not stopped turning heads since.
Last season, Sanzenbacher played an even larger role in the Ohio State offense, becoming one of the teams’ top three receivers. He made 21 catches for 272 yards and one touchdown for the 2008 season.
With Ohio State losing it its top two receivers heading into this season, Sanzenbacher would be counted on to lead a young receiver corps.
“It was a position I was not expecting at first,” he said. “I just try and lead by example more than anything. I do not have to be a vocal guy, and I just am where I am supposed to be and do what I am supposed to do.”
At times, it has been trying times for Sanzenbacher and the Buckeyes throughout this season. With a close loss against USC in the season’s second week and an upset loss at Purdue a few weeks ago, many criticized the team, especially the offense. Sanzenbacher feels the adversity has made him and the Buckeyes a stronger team.
“Overcoming adversity has been the biggest thing for us this year,” Sanzenbacher said. “We have had a couple of tough losses and it has brought us closer together as a team. Obviously, no one likes to lose games, but in the same sense, we have been able to pull together and believe in each other more.”
The Buckeyes will face another test in Ann Arbor on Nov. 21 when the Buckeyes take on the Michigan Wolverines in the 110th meeting between the two schools, and Sanzenbacher knows how important this game is to the Buckeyes.
“It is just so unbelievable with the atmosphere leading up to it,” he said. “It is hard not to get caught up in the all the festivities and hype that surrounds the game. We try and stay focused on the game, but it is just such an exciting time around here.”
The wide receiver knows from experience that the rivalry game has a unique importance to his hometown.
“Growing up in Toledo and being so close to the border, the Ohio State- Michigan game takes on a life of its own,” he said. “It is almost like its own little holiday with people throwing parties, and it is just so big. I do not think people realize how big the game is to people in Northwest Ohio.”
For his part, Sanzenbacher still finds it hard to believe, that after three years into his playing career, that he still gets to play in the greatest rivalry in college football.
“It is just such a big game and I do not ever take it for granted,” Sanzenbacher said.  “I still remember planning with friends on whose house we were going to watch the game at. Now that I get to actually play in the game is still so unbelievable to me.”
As of press time the Buckeyes game versus Iowa had yet to be decided, but by the Michigan game, Ohio State may have already clinched the Big Ten championship, as well as a spot in the Rose Bowl. Sanzenbacher said the possibility would be a dream come true for him and the rest of the Buckeyes.
“That has been our goal since the beginning of the year,” Sanzenbacher said. “We want to go to the Rose Bowl, and it is one of those premiere bowl games that you set as a goal for yourself at the beginning of the season. It would be great to accomplish that achievement.”
Whatever transpires against Iowa, Sanzenbacher and his teammates will be ready to play in Ann Arbor come time for kickoff.

“I remember my freshman year and by playing I was able to understand what the game is all about,” Sanzenbacher said. “There is so much at stake, and I am sure it will be the exact same way this year.”

Red-shirt freshman Elliott Mealer rolls out of bed Sunday morning.  His body is beat up from a week’s worth of practices, the previous day’s war in the trenches and the mental anguish of a loss or the euphoria of a big win at the Big House.
He makes the extra effort to attend services at Keystone Community Church every Sunday.
After all, Elliott’s faith is what led him to the Michigan Wolverines.
“I put it toward God and he was leading me to come up north.”
His faith is also what helped him cope with a tragic, life-changing event two years ago.
“If it was my choice, I wouldn’t have any story to share.”
In October, ESPN shared Elliott’s story, a story many of you know well, on its investigative series “E:60.”
“I’d rather not be on ESPN for that,” Elliott said. “But at the same time, I do have a story. God has presented me with plenty of opportunities to make the tragedy we went through into a positive.”
Christmas Eve will mark the second anniversary of the tragedy.
On Dec. 24, 2007, Elliott, his mom, dad, brother Brock and girlfriend Hollis were in their SUV when another car broadsided them on Route 2 in Fulton County.
Elliott’s dad and Hollis were killed in the accident. His brother Brock was left paralyzed from the waist down.  I stress was because Elliott tells me the rehab work Brock dedicates himself to since the accident could have him back on his feet soon.
“He’s really making strides,” Elliott said. “I fully expect him to be walking within the next year or so.”
Elliott walked away from the accident, but tore his rotator cuff trying to free Hollis. This selfless act forced him to miss his true freshman season with the Wolverines.
But this behemoth of a man, standing 6 feet and 5 inches tall, tipping the scales at 300 pounds with long brown hair touching the back of his neck, has worked his butt off to return to the team. This imposing menace backs up Steve Schilling on the offensive line, but takes the field to block on every field goal.
“It’s a different feeling running out of the tunnel and going up and touching the banner knowing that they might be able to use me in a game.”
Elliott taking the field at the Big House was part of Lloyd Carr’s big picture when the former coach recruited him in 2007.
“I knew the day I committed, Michigan was the place for me,” Elliott said.
This is ironic, considering Elliott has pictures growing up surrounded by OSU paraphernalia and a bedroom filled with scarlet and gray accents.
“Everything I loved about Ohio State before as a fan just changed when I was being recruited by Michigan,” Elliott said.
Fast-forward to this season, and Elliott and his teammates have been through the spin cycle of media coverage. From the four straight wins at the start of the season, to the five out of six losses that followed, critics of the Big 10 and Michigan football have been hovering over Ann Arbor like vultures.
“I don’t really pay any attention to it,” Elliott said.  “It’s not anything the coaches have done; it’s us.”
For Elliott, his story comes full circle as the team he grew up watching and rooting for will be public enemy No. 1 come Nov. 21.
“It’s going to be a crazy feeling,” Elliott said of facing the Buckeyes. “It’s going to be a special game for me and I can’t wait to get after them.”
Elliott will have three more seasons of eligibility to amend his story up in Ann Arbor.  If it works out the way he envisions, he welcomes ESPN back for another visit.
“Hopefully, I’m on there again, but it’s for holding up a Big 10 trophy.”

Ryan Fowler is the weekend sports anchor at NBC24 Sports.

Andrew Screptock will be on the field when Ohio State squares off against Michigan on Nov. 21.
But the Toledo area native isn’t on the football team. He’s finishing his final season playing baritone for OSU’s marching band.
Screptock, a Springfield High School graduate, is a fifth-year student at Ohio State and a squad leader in the band.
Performing at the OSU-Michigan game is not only fun, he said, but it’s also “a big honor, because not everyone in our band marches.”

Screptock

There are 225 members in the marching band, Screptock noted, but only 192 of them actually march in a game.
“We have challenges for every game and that challenge for OSU-Michigan is usually the biggest for the season because it determines who marches in the game,” he said.
“When we play at the U of M stadium, it’s nothing but booing, so you want to do your best in front of their crowd. It’s more of a pride thing than anything,” he said.
One of Screptock’s “best and most exciting games” was the 2006 Ohio State-Michigan game.
“That was the year [Ohio State quarterback] Troy Smith won the Heisman Trophy,” he said. “Ohio State was ranked No. 1; Michigan was No. 2.
“The next best game was when we went to Texas in 2006 and beat them at home. The primetime games are fun because of all the excitement.”
Screptock didn’t always play the baritone. He started playing the trombone in fifth grade, then switched to the trumpet mid-year. He played that until his junior year in high school, then took up the baritone, which has been his instrument of choice ever since. He performed in the Springfield High School marching band and wanted to continue the experience in college.
“I knew I wanted to do marching band at the college level, and part of the reason I went to Ohio State is because I knew they had a good band,” he said. “I knew their reputation was good.”
During the summer, Screptock had an opportunity to teach sessions on the fundamentals of marching for incoming freshmen and high school students.
“I was in charge of the marching half and there were three students under me to teach everyone our marching fundamentals. Our movements focus on precision and snap and there’s a lot of attention to detail in our movements. We’re pretty in sync with each other and we pride ourselves on being a precise band because our roots are from the military. We’re evolved from an ROTC band; that’s how we started at the university.”
Screptock said he anticipates mixed emotions when he finishes his last season with the band, but knows the time has come to move on.
“I’m sure I’ll be sad once it’s all said and done,” he said. “But being a fifth-year member, my body is feeling older than it used to feel, and it’s a little more easily ached and pained. I’m ready for this to be my last season.”

The NCAA, in its boundless judiciousness to separate good from evil, right from wrong and evenhandedness from underhandedness, has decided to pursue its investigation into reports that Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez and his staff forced players to train beyond NCAA imposed time limits on and off the field.
Rich Rod running a sweatshop?
It would seem that UM has an air-tight defense if for no other reason than its defense is anything but air tight. If the Wolverines sneak in more practice hours than the 20 per week allowed by the NCAA, why is their defense so supple that it’s no better than seventh in the Big Ten in any defensive category?
And if they are working overtime, why have they gotten more defenseless as recent games have progressed?
Michigan has been outscored by a combined 75-12 in the second half of its past three games heading into its contest at Wisconsin on Nov. 14. That stretch includes totally blowing chances for a sixth win against Illinois and Purdue.
Why has OSU coach Jim Tressel more or less supported Rodriguez by stating that it’s almost impossible to keep athletes out of the workout areas when they want to toil a little extra to enhance their performance?
Could it be because just about every college football program bends the same rules? Or could it be that Tressel doesn’t want to create a ruckus as the Buckeyes prepare to deep six Michigan for the sixth consecutive time on Nov. 21, the carnage starting at noon in Ann Arbor.
Poor Wolverines. If they are practicing after hours, it seems practice makes imperfect in their case.
If the NCAA had any compassion at all, it would sympathetically realize that if any young major college football team in America needs extra practice, it’s Michigan with almost 70 percent of its ranks comprised of underclassmen.
UM, by not being able to win a sixth game and become bowl eligible with its accompanying extended season, has to get some extra work in somehow.
College football, in general, and the Big Ten, in particular, has to protect the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry that was declared the No. 1 North American rivalry in all of sports by ESPN in 2000.
The Game has deteriorated in prominence in more recent years because of OSU’s dominance.
Last season, Michigan presented the worst team in school history record-wise, finishing 3-9 with the Buckeyes winning for the seventh time in the past eight games between the two rivals for the first time since the rivalry started in 1897.
Coaches have been hired in the past to win The Game and fired when they didn’t. If Rodriguez is fired, it will be because he can’t win just about any big game. Forget his 0-1 record against OSU, while Tressel is 7-1 versus Michigan. Talk about job security.
Tressel now has a higher calling, according to the Buckeye Nation. He is expected to contend for national championships on a yearly basis.
Michigan has become the regular-season final fodder as OSU packs for a prominent bowl game. Meanwhile, the Wolverines are attempting to just vacate the second echelon of the Big Ten.
The late Michigan coach Bo Schembechler said, when he got the head coaching position at UM in 1969, “Men, we were hired here for one reason and one reason only, to beat Ohio State.”
But Michigan was upset by Michigan State that same season. That prompted Schembechler to confront his troops the following spring and state, “Well, actually men, we’re here to beat two teams.”
That was when it was the “Big Ten And Little Eight.”
When both teams dedicated a portion of their daily practice sessions to preparing for each other starting in the spring. That practice has run its course. The national focus on The Game has produced has lost some of its flavor.
Gone, at least for now, are the colorful days when, for instance:
The late Woody Hayes after beating Michigan 50-14 in 1968 was asked why he went for the two-point conversion following OSU’s final touchdown.
“Because I couldn’t go for three,” he heatedly stated.
It has been the biggest margin of victory by either team, although the Buckeyes came close to surpassing that spread last season in their 42-7 triumph over UM.
Schembechler, in referring to The Game, said, “Can you imagine waiting a whole year for one football game? To have your mood for the next 365 days depend on how you did that one cold Saturday afternoon in November?”
Or former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce once emphatically describing The Game by stating, “If you win, it lets you walk the main streets of Columbus, Ohio. If you lose, you go to the alleys, buddy.”
Former Ohio State coach John Cooper going 2-10-1 against, “That team up North,” costing him his job, even with OSU president E. Gordon Gee describing the tie as one of Ohio State’s, “Greatest victories.”
And former Buckeye quarterback Troy Smith being such a huge factor in OSU’s current winning streak against UM and capturing the Heisman Trophy his senior year, thanks in very large part to The Game.
In three appearances against the Wolverines, Smith totaled 1,051 yards and nine touchdowns. Amazingly, the Wolverines’ total net yardage in those same three games was also 1,051 yards.
If The Game is to continue being The Game maybe Michigan should be allowed a little more practice time.
You have to empathize with Rich Rod. The poor guy was originally chastised for leaving West Virginia and now some Wolverine fans are chastising him for coming to Michigan.
Talk about a sweatshop.

Just two weeks ago, Toledo elected a new mayor and six members of city council. I was on the ballot as an at-large candidate for council; I finished eighth, two spots shy of the six who won a seat. Not bad for a first-time candidate, let alone a no-name broke kid from the South End.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the more than 18,000 voters who cast a ballot for me. I am absolutely honored to have had such a warm reception on my first run for office.
Running for office was a fantastic experience. Though I had worked on campaigns for school board, city council, county commissioner and United States Congress before deciding to put forth my own candidacy, nothing could truly prepare me for it. As a candidate, you feel the impact of every turn of luck, good or bad, and you’re never more painfully aware of your own limitations.
I imagine it’s a bit like being a parent: you have the highest hopes and greatest fears simultaneously for what you’ve brought into being. You experience every stumble and achievement as if it were happening to your person, despite your physical separation from it, like watching a child scrape a knee or successfully ride a bike without training wheels.
I don’t have much to complain about. The voters I met along the campaign trail were almost unanimously supportive. Toledoans know our city is in a tough spot and people tended to remark that they were glad to see young people fighting for their city. Of all the things Toledoans might cautiously expect when an 18-35 year old in a suit knocks on their door, a conversation about his or her campaign for public office is not at the top of the list. For decades, the story for our community has been “brain drain,” with a steady exodus of our best and brightest.
However, Nov. 3 marked a turning point in that sad tale. The top vote-getter in Toledo was 32 year-old Joe McNamara, a New   York University School of Law grad who chose to return to serve his hometown rather than rake in the big bucks at some cold Wall Street law firm. And while incumbency and prior service helped with name recognition for most of the other top-six finishers in the citywide council race, 31-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran Adam Martinez managed to squeeze into the top six in an upset victory over seventh-place finisher Polly Taylor-Gerken.
That Tuesday was a testament to the influence young people can and do have on events in the Glass City. If there is any single lesson that stands out above the rest from my participation in this election, it is that our generation can and must get more involved if we’re going to turn Toledo — and America — around. A new chapter is being written in Toledo, Ohio and young people must decide what new story that chapter will tell.
What do we have to lose? These days, there really aren’t many greener pastures to turn to. For the first time in a century, an entire generation has stepped into the professional world with much, much less opportunity than the generation before us. Job security is a farce when any major company can be torpedoed by a panicked stock market or overly risky lender. Personal financial stability exists only in the mind, and even then only up until the point that a pink slip appears on your desk due to outsourcing, off-shoring or downsizing.
We can no longer depend on the success and momentum of the past to carry us forward. Our generation must create its own opportunities instead of living out our lives as victims of circumstance. Now is the time for young people in Toledo to step up and make bold moves, whether in politics, entrepreneurship, community service or any other daring and worthwhile endeavor.
So how about it, 18-35 year-olds? Maybe we’re on a sinking ship. If we’re going down, let’s not go down without a fight. And if we’re going to make it through, I can guarantee the fight is still a prerequisite. Nov. 3 was just the start of what our generation can accomplish if we’re willing to take on the obstacles facing our community.
Your city needs you. It’s time to make a stand — or better yet, take a step forward.

E-mail Terry Biel at letters@toledofreepress.com.

The election of Mike Bell as mayor was perhaps the one leap of faith by voters in the Nov. 3 election. Bell, a longtime public employee without any real private sector experience, won over Keith Wilkowski, who ran as an agent of change. One might think that the election of Bell is a step into the future. However, the “A” and “B” teams of the Democratic Party were deeply involved with “B” teamers in the Bell camp and the “A” teamers worked hard for Wilkowski. Who will be in a Bell administration? That curtain will open soon.
There is no question that Bell has his work cut out for him. Eye-popping future deficits, public sector unions that have used political leverage to gain economically unsustainable contracts, high chronic unemployment, a declining tax base as residents flee the city, large numbers of foreclosed properties, a crumbling infrastructure and residents who have become disillusioned and apathetic.
Taxes and fees will be discussed ad infinitum in 2010. There will be some calling for an increased income tax, reduction or elimination of the income tax credit for Toledoans working outside Toledo, fees of every kind aimed at businesses and residents and a few other “creative” ideas to get more dollars out of a drained citizenry.
Regardless of the circumstances, Bell should not let the campaign rhetoric of “Tax Hike Mike” come true. In the short run, increased taxes will bring increased revenue. But every action has unintended consequences and those capable of moving will eventually move to greener pastures exacerbating an already difficult problem.
You don’t retain and attract residents by raising taxes. Long term growth is the only sustainable solution. Election grade: C; could move up.
City council
As for city council, Rob Ludeman, George Sarantou, Phil Copeland and Joe McNamara are aligned with the same political philosophies and leadership styles that have led us to this economic precipice. The addition of Steve Steel and Adam Martinez could be viewed as adding new energy and ideas to council, but that may not be true.
Steel seems to have memory problems, in my opinion consistently takes credit for others’ work, turns a deaf ear to community members and has a history of finding the “convenient truth.” Martinez is inexperienced but does add an Hispanic voice to council. He has not been on the political stage for long and it is difficult to gauge what can be expected.
With Ludeman and Martinez replacing Betty Shultz and Frank Szollosi, party affiliation on council remains the same as before the election with eight Democrats, three Republicans and an independent.
Don’t expect “hungry for change” to be the city council mantra over the next two years.
Election grade: D; we have to hope for the best.
TPS Board of Education
Expect the new Toledo Board of Education to keep absolutely everything from the voting public until after decisions are made.
One fact is certain. Francine Lawrence of the Toledo Federation of Teachers (TFT) will be well represented. She backed Brenda Hill and Bob Vasquez and along with holdovers Lisa Sobecki and Jack Ford will assure a voting bloc that will not challenge the hegemony of the TFT, nor will they address the many anti-student provisions found in Toledo Public Schools’ (TPS) collective bargaining agreements.
I believe Vasquez did add stable, productive labor management relations to his platform which appears to be code for giving Lawrence what she wants. Vasquez never gave the board a second thought until after his failed council races of 2005 and 2007.
Expect Vasquez to attempt to pack up his cardboard cutout and move to city council in 2011.
Hill, a 35-year TPS teacher and union representative, was backed heavily by Lawrence. Expect Hill to be at the end of the strings pulled by Lawrence. Nary will a question be asked about any collective bargaining agreements from Hill.
The current TPS board election identifies the deficiencies of “pay to play” laws in Ohio as I believe Lawrence again spent large sums to produce and air commercials for Vasquez and Hill. Lawrence did the same in the 2007 election, as well as funneling contributions through other campaigns.
This board is easily the best that TFT money and influence can buy.
Then there is Larry Sykes, rising like a phoenix and winning a new term by promising to be a community champion.
This is the same Sykes who, along with a black superintendent, promised minority participation in the TPS building program.
The results have been extremely dismal. It is remarkable how the past can be so unknown to, or cavalierly disregarded by, Toledo voters.
Expect this board to put a new levy between 5.5 and 11 mills on the ballot in 2010. They will ask for new money, even though they still have not matched their physical infrastructure and staffing to current student enrollment.
You can’t help but wonder when fiscal responsibility will be a priority for the Toledo Board of Education.
Election grade: F; is there hope?

Steven Flagg has been an education activist for 15 years and serves as the communications chair for the Urban Coalition. He was a campaign volunteer on Darlene Fisher’s campaign. More information can be found at tpsinfo.com.

It all began quite innocently enough. I was in the lobby of the Bowling Green Post Office, stamping my wife’s newsletters. A man, crusty in both appearance and spirit, leaned next to me to complain about the postal service. From there he moved onto other topics, weaving them together in such a way as to suggest the imminent demise of our great nation. I kept quiet, stamping the newsletters.
He suggested that justice demanded hanging and shooting terrorists on sight, shipping undocumented aliens back to Mexico in cattle cars and ridding America of all undesirable elements. When I suggested that we are a nation of laws and that justice requires due process, he pounced.
“You sound like a liberal!” As a woman walks by, he says to her, “Look, we have a liberal here.”  She turns to me and tells me that people like me are ruining her business because we elected “that man” president. With that she left.  The crusty old guy went on sharing a list of individuals and causes that he hates. I suggested that there seems to be a place for hatred in his vision of justice. He told me that he really didn’t hate people, that it was just a figure of speech. When I suggested that words matter, he told me that people like me were ruining his country.
When I told him it was my country too, he left, telling me as he walked away, “no it isn’t, you do not belong here.”
I walked into Panera Bread for my daily dose of caffeine. An aspiring writer and I began to talk. The discussion went all over the place, from drug addiction to tattooing to existentialism to writing.  Though she made some observations that were a bit unsettling to a person in my line of work, I was struck by her enthusiasm and intellect; it was my second adventure in 30 minutes.
About an half an hour later a man stopped by my office. He called himself “the Peacewalker.”  He has walked 5,000 miles in non-violent  protest to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. We sat in my office and talked. He shared some stories and then he wished me God’s  blessing as he left; it was adventure No. 3.
I can’t say every Tuesday morning is like this. The muses were obviously working overtime. What a range of opinion, expression and daring. I wonder how do we do it? How do we keep this diverse and pluralistic nation of ours from coming apart at the seams? I once heard a historian suggest that America was a nation born with two distinct visions.  The Hamiltonian vision (Alexander Hamilton) was focused on the  market place, the individual, and an established leadership class.  The other, the Jeffersonian vision (Thomas Jefferson), was centered on the community and an informed and educated citizenry that becomes the seedbed for leadership. Over time the Hamiltonians morphed into the libertarians and the GOP, the Jeffersonians into the progressives and the DEMS.
Perhaps it is the ongoing negotiating and living in the tension between these two visions is how we as a nation have been able to keep it together. This negotiation has allowed us to become secure enough with ourselves as a people we can find a place for an aspiring young writer to write about uncomfortable things, a gentle protester to take his cause to the streets, and to even elect “that man” our president.
Then, there is that crusty soul who wants to invalidate my citizenship because I am “a liberal” whatever that means. Even though his opinions were so extreme they were easily dismissible, I must confess it was unsettling to hear that I did not belong in the land of my birth. For the first time I had a taste, just a small one, of what those who have been and are marginalized in our society must know on a daily basis.
What do we do with those who seem incapable of holding these two foundational visions in a creative and healthy tension with each other? What do we do with the intolerant?
I guess as long as they don’t hurt anyone, nothing. The beauty of living in a country that is secure in its own identity is there is a place for that crusty soul too.
And so it goes,…

Eric McGlade is a United Methodist Minister living in Bowling Green.

While perhaps not being an expert in trash collection and the trash tax situation that others are, I couldn’t help notice a recurring theme with regards to the current solid waste program of the City of Toledo. This department continues to find a need to spend more.
Not that it’s unusual for a government project to require more spending. I would be hard pressed, in fact, to find any government project that required less spending. The trash situation in Toledo is quickly developing a stench that can only come from … well, trash.
We begin, of course, with the fact that citizens in Toledo pay an extra tax for trash collection and the privilege of recycling some of the waste produced. This additional fee goes to pay for the costs of not just that particular program, but any additional costs for solid waste management. (Note here I use the terms tax and fee, for like the city I choose to use the terms that suit my mood of the moment.) In fact, this tax/fee is being adjudicated by the courts to determine whether it’s even legal for the city to be collecting it. Seldom deterred by legality, the city chooses not only to continue collection of these monies, but to increase the amount collected to make up for a growing shortfall in the budget.
Add to this that those employed in the collection of waste in Toledo appear to have a rather unique contract. Not only are the jobs these workers hold apparently guaranteed; but rather than working on a strict hourly basis, these employees work on a daily route basis and are able to go home with a full day’s pay regardless of the hours worked, as long at the day’s route has been completed.
Not content with the madness already created, the city is in the process of saving even more money in trash pick up by attempting to go to a more automated system. Once again, using the concept of spending money to save it, the city has already invested considerably in a pilot program for automation that included both equipment and trash cans.
Having convinced itself of the money to be saved, the city decided to move forward with the spending required for completion of the automated pick up process.
Already in debt in many other areas, the city decided once again to save money by spending more money, this time to repair the pilot program trash cans that it recently purchased (which shouldn’t have required repair quite so soon). The city is also trying to save money through spending on the new trash truck technology required to use the automated cans that it has already purchased. Now, it appears that additional money will be saved by spending $200,000 with a firm in Ann Arbor to redesign the routes traveled to use these new trucks and cans efficiently.
Far be it from me to point out the obvious, but perhaps all of this saved money might have been better spent putting the entire process out for bid to a private firm. Privatizing trash collection, unfortunately, would not have permitted the city to save money through spending.
Privatizing would instead have turned over the costs of trucks, trash cans and route efficiencies to the company contracted to do the work. Privatizing would likewise have turned the scheduling issues of trash pickup, the compliance issues for elderly and handicapped citizens and the trash can size and number issues over to said company, with any related costs as their problem. (Rumor has it, such service could even have been provided less expensively in this way rather than by the city.) Dare I even say that the potential efficiencies of privatizing trash collection might even have allowed the city to do without the legally questionable tax/fee system used before the courts have to rule on the subject?
I fear that the city is too far into its pickup route to turn back now. Regardless of the ludicrous contract with its employees, the questionable performance of the trash cans already chosen and the regular discovery of additional spending required to move this project forward (money that the city is in rather short supply of these days and which might be better spent locally than with out-of-state firms), Toledo will continue forward with its odorous plan to save money on trash by spending.

Tim Higgins blogs at http://justblowingsmoke.blogspot.com/.