Former major league baseball pitcher, author and motivational speaker Dave Dravecky will speak at the Feb. 24, 2010 Make-A-Wish Foundation Sports Auction at Seagate Centre in Toledo.
The auction will feature bidding on sports memorabilia as well as meet and greets with former Browns football players Mike Pruitt, Greg Pruitt, Reggie Langhorne and Kevin Mack, according to an e-mail from Sports Auction Chairman, Dave Mallory.
Dravecky pitched for the San Francisco Giants until he was diagnosed with cancer in his pitching arm. Dravecky did eventually come back to pitch, but his cancer came back and he was unable to continue. Since, he has written a book, began a non-profit organization and spoken at several events, according to DaveDravecky.com.
“(Dravecky’s speech) is going to a message in line that you hear with the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s mission,” Mallory said.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a national organization that grants wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, according to its Web site.
Tickets to the Sports Auction $150 per person, according to the e-mail.
Those interested can call Make-A-Wish at (419) 244-9474.

Players can explore their creative side while applying real world activities in this intriguing game set for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii game consoles.

My Virtual Tutor

The “My Virtual Tutor” series teaches reading to pre kindergarten to second grade kids in a special sideways, touch screen format. In the reading version (kindergarten to first grade), players read book in the library mode and interact with phonics games and quizzes. Instructional content stresses rhymes, beginning letters and sounding out words while featuring increasing difficulty levels as players progress. The tutor provides all ages instruction with a clear, appealing voice. Players can also record their own voice, so any one can hear a special, personalized play back at any time. Pre-kindergarten to kindergarten and first to second grade versions also available (***, Nintendo DS, rated E).

Style Lab: Jewelry Designer (UbiSoft)

This Nintendo DS exclusive game lets players design jewelry using beads, charms and pendants then order a design for real and get it sent right to their door. Players work to impress characters in the story mode as a recent design school graduate. This mode also unlocks new designs and materials for the free play design mode. The jewelry design involves choosing the jewelry length, then assembling materials using a template and finishing with a connecting clasp. Developers utilize the Nintendo DS capabilities well including easy drag-and-drop movements using the stylus pen with Wi-Fi sharing, uploading and browsing options plus fun actions like swiping the touch screen to keep dust off shop displays. They also incorporate a Nintendo DSi camera feature to take a picture then line up the jewelry to see how it looks (***1/2, Makeover also available in the Style Lab series, rated E).

Style Savvy (Nintendo)

Players become full fledge stylists with interactive shops and thousands of fashion choices. Item creations and boutique customizations combine with social elements and boutique store management for an extremely detailed and satisfying experience. Players create outfits for themselves and their customers using imaginary brands, which
Budgets while the fashion elements expand into the cosmetics department and hair salons. Variety and trend tips help players build their boutiques quickly and the common sense touch controls make actions very quick and accurate. Browse other boutiques or visit trade shows for even more inventory options. Two to four players can join in with others (each must have the game) online via Wi-Fi to access and create online “Style Cities”. Business savvy players would have loved more than one save file to make learning transitions better while saving important progress. Special customer fashion makeovers add to an already high replay value (****, Nintendo DS, rated E).

Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked (NAMCO Bandai)

Cook or be cooked

This mess free food environment has great real world applications, including 30 real recipes and various tips/recommendations. The Next Food Network Star judge Susie Fogelson and Food Network Kitchens chef Mory Thomas guide players through the experience. Players can use remote and nunchuk when cooking co-operatively (up to four) or competitively (up to two players on a split screen). Achievements like high scores and medals are tracked through up to 12 special slots or “tokens”, so players can multitask easily while experiencing great variety (***, Nintendo Wii, rated E for alcohol reference).

The Chenille Sisters are known for their harmonies and wit.
In “Pizza Deliverance,” they sing about finding the face of the Virgin Mary on a pie: “My prayers have been answered all for $8.99.” In “Help! I’m Turning Into My Parents,” the trio quips: “My happy hour is a nap.”
“When you look at entertainment and art, the funny stuff doesn’t usually get the awards,” said singer Grace Morand. “The funny movies don’t win the Oscars, but I think they have a really important place in our culture. I think [comedy is] valuable and underrated.”
Morand, singer-guitarist Connie Huber and singer Cheryl Dawdy have showcased silliness since they formed in Ann Arbor in 1985. Morand and Huber were in a band and decided to cover “Respect.”

Chenille Sisters

“I was like the Aretha, and Connie said, ‘You know, I can’t do the ‘sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me’ by myself,” Morand recalled. “So we recruited [our friend] Cheryl, and she was the other sock-it-to-me girl, and we made some silly choreography, and it was really fun.”
The three knew it was something special.
“It seemed like our voices just blended very naturally, just the timbre of voices went together very well and we said, ‘We sound like we’re family; we sound like we’re sisters,’ ” Morand said.
The singing siblings just needed a name.
“It’s kind of nostalgic, like you know chenille fabric that bathrobes and bedspreads used to be made out of. It’s kind of like that; some of our music is nostalgic. We’re very drawn to early jazz and the trios like The Andrews Sisters and The Boswell Sisters,” Morand explained. “There were girl groups named after very elegant fabrics like The Chiffons and The Ravonettes. This is sort of a spoof on that because nowadays people weave beautiful, elegant things with chenille, but back then it was just sort of more comfy, cozy, cottagey kind of feel to it.
“But we liked that; we thought that sort of reflected us.”
The three folksy singer-songwriters have appeared on NPR’s “A Prairie Home Companion” and won two Emmy Awards for the holiday special, “The Secret of the Box.”
The Chenille Sisters will perform at 10 p.m. Dec. 31 at the Ark in Ann Arbor. Doors open at 9 p.m. Tickets are $35.
“It’s pretty low-key but it’s a lot of fun, and it’s just from 10 until midnight so at midnight we all go, ‘Woo-hoo-hoo,’ toast and Happy New Year and it’s done,” Morand said. “It’s not a late evening and it’s not an intense boogie evening; it’s just a mellow, fun, enjoyable evening.”

On the Web: thechenillesisters.com

Former Legislative Consortium Lobbyist, Kathy Teigland wrote a letter to the Mayor Finkbeiner concerning statements he made concerning her professional and private reputation.

In a letter to Finkbeiner dated Dec. 18, Teigland defends her work with the Consortium.

According to the letter Finkbeiner alleged that Teigland’s extramarital relationship with James Hartung, former president of the port authority, is the reason the city was lobbied to contribute to the Legislative Consortium. Hartung was fired from the port authority for pursuing an “inappropriate” relationship with Teigland.

The entire text of the letter is below:

Dear Mayor Finkbeiner:

Last year you made allegations directed to my personal life and to my professional reputation. Knowing this to be untrue, you alleged that an extramarital relationship in which I was engaged was the reason that the city had been lobbied to contribute to the Legislative Consortium membership. On October 16, 2007, in a memo to your senior staff, you stated: “Last year we paid 0. This year we have a $10 million budget deficit, Kathy delivered nothing.” In your memo to the Port Authority Board Members on July 11, 2008 you stated: “Since returning as Mayor, my staff and I have been lobbied to contribute to the Consortium, which is solely Kathy Teigland.” Your slanderous remarks and misstatements sought to misdirect the sequence of actual events leading to my being hired during your 1998 and current term. I will leave the speculation about what motivated these irresponsible actions to others. Before you leave office on January 4, I choose instead to set the record straight as it relates to my lobbying activities for the Legislative Consortium.

You suggested that contracts were steered to me to work on behalf of the Consortium due to an “alleged extramarital relationship.” In fact, it was you who were relentless in your requests that I spearhead the campaign to gain voter approval of a waiver of provisions of the City’s charter known as “Section 79” as I was departing the office of Senator Mike DeWine. I refused your requests countless times because I had never led a campaign and did not believe that I was best able to serve the City’s interest. When you refused to take no for an answer, you enlisted the help of the President of City Council, the President of the Port Authority and others to contact me in order that I might reconsider. Day after day, generally late in the evening, you continued to call. Finally, I relented and accepted the City’s charge. After a short and successful six-week campaign, the public and private praise you heaped on my successes was humbling.

During the Section 79 campaign, as you well know, you and other leaders of the community came together to form a Consortium. The object was to develop a focus-strategy to obtain funding and other considerations from various Federal agencies, commissions and congressional representatives. Don Jakeway at the Regional Growth Partnership spearheaded that process. Indeed, you Mr. Mayor were part of this process and you too were made aware of my intent to team with a Washington firm submitting a proposal to advance the Consortium’s agenda. In keeping with the regional strategy embraced by the Regional Growth Partnership and approved by you, I made the initial application more robust by persuading the then President of the Lucas County Commissioners, Sandy Isenberg, University of Toledo Government Relations Executive Director Sally Perz, Mark V’Soske, President of the Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce, and all the members intending to be part of the new Legislative Consortium to use a single lobbying firm with whom I had partnered. And you also know it was my hope to continue to enhance this community’s competitiveness in the area of economic development by creating one voice for the region. In so doing, I teamed with colleagues from Senator Mike DeWine’s office who submitted a proposal, as did nine other firms.

Seven members of the Consortium voted and selected the firm with whom I partnered, Wise and Associates. You will no doubt recall that this meeting occurred just before our wrap up session for the Section 79 Campaign. How could you forget? You understood the selection process. You congratulated me and most importantly you were happy for me. And why not? I had won a competition. Specifically, four out of seven members of the Consortium had selected Wise. Therefore the choice of lobbyist was neither the Port nor the City’s sole prerogative but was a majority vote of the membership. In fact, if any mistakes had been made it was the City’s. Your point person voted for a different lobbying firm, a firm represented by an individual with whom he had a long-standing friendship and personal relationship. If there was a conflict, Mr. Mayor, indeed it was yours.

In 2005 Wise and Associates had only one remaining principal and it was decided by the Consortium members to dissolve the contract. Requests for proposals were made and interviews were held with firms in DC. After the one-year rule prohibiting me from lobbying Senator DeWine had expired, I had obtained other accounts and lobbied Washington for other community minded organizations and submitted my bid for the Legislative Consortium contract. It was ultimately decided by all the members of the Consortium to retain my services for the balance of 2005 until the process was completed for selecting a permanent Washington firm for 2006.

Wise and Associates charged $240,000 per year for their lobbying activities. As a result of their premature departure in February 2005, $240,000 of the Consortium’s money remained. I received $80,000 to continue lobbying activities for the remainder of that year leaving $120,000 to be carried over into 2006 to pay my contract of $108,000. This was agreed to by each of the Consortium’s members. As a consequence, no additional funding was required from ANY member other than what was originally budgeted in 2005. To suggest that members of the Consortium, including the City, had been “lobbied to contribute” to the membership until 2007 is both untrue and specious.

By any reasonable standard the Consortium’s investment in me has proven to be more than good. In 2005 I helped to return $7,660,000 in federal appropriations. Then in 2006, I helped to return nearly $5 million during a year Congress pledged to cut earmark spending by 50%. My fee in 2005 was $80,0000 and increased to $108,000 in 2006. This is significantly less than what Wise and Associates had been paid earlier. Not only was I effective in pursuing the Consortium’s interest but also I did so at a cost significantly lower than DC standards. Let me refresh your memory as to the details, Mr. Mayor. It was by no means certain that I was to be retained after 2005. In fact bids were solicited from well known lobbying firms in Washington, DC for the 2006 contract. It remains my understanding your same representative again interviewed a DC firm for the 2006 contract. And it was this very competitor that suggested to your representative that the City should retain my services due to my successes and modest fee structure. As a Consortium member, you know that the DC lobbying fees quoted by my competition were upwards of $300,000 per year. Not one member of the Consortium was prepared to allow this high expense. Because of the obvious cost/benefit the Consortium elected to retain my services for the 2006 contract year.

The city remained an active participant in the Consortium and was represented at meetings by Senior Staff. In this connection, Dave Moebius, your Assistant Chief Operating Officer, remained part of the decision making process, bringing what appeared on the surface insurmountable projects to the table, more projects and larger funding requests than any other Consortium member and outside the purview of the economic development focus and intent of the Consortium. Consequently Mr. Mayor, you gave me ALL of the City’s federal funding requests; work on behalf of the City that was outside the intent of my contract. Mr. Moebius also traveled to Washington with me and the other members to lobby the entirety of the Ohio Delegation. As you well know, the business of the Consortium was always corporate and no one member ever received preferential treatment by me at the expense of any other.

Our productive relationship continued into 2007. You called me to discuss ways of obtaining already appropriated grant funding. I was surprised to learn that your Administration did not submit grant applications, as had the previous Ford Administration. I had to correct your staff on the specifics of the City’s projects submitted in 2007. You in turn complimented me and I was gratified that I continued to enjoy your confidence.

Apparently, I also enjoyed the confidence of the other four members of the Consortium as my contract was extended in 2007. Hence, your assertion “since returning as Mayor, my staff and I have been lobbied to contribute to the Consortium” remains a mystery to me. Perhaps you confused Mr. Hartung’s repeated attempts as the new Administrator of the Consortium to collect the City’s lobbying fees that were in arrearage for the year. It is hard for me however to understand how the timely payment of bills can be confused with a “lobbying” request. In total I am particularly disturbed by your assertion that I “delivered nothing” on the City’s or Legislative Consortium’s behalf. This is simply untrue and does violence to my reputation. My lobbying efforts, both as a subcontractor to Wise & Associates and as an independent consultant, brought back to this community in excess of $30 million. I am proud of the work I did and if you were a reasonable man you would be too. I hesitate to ask if the City during your most recent tenure, managed to submit and receive grant funding for competitive grant proposal opportunities that present themselves every day in the Federal Register or through close contact with federal agencies. It must be asked: what resources has the City proactively received without the efforts of the Consortium or what was advanced by the city in a timely fashion for the Fiscal Year 2009 and 2010 appropriations process?

While I watched as the City and Port volleyed, my career has been damaged and my reputation is in shreds. My contracts with the Legislative Consortium were all awarded by a vote of the majority. It is beyond belief that seven months after I voluntarily surrendered the contract, you began these allegations. You have gifted me with a terrible grief, Mr. Mayor. I brought the Consortium in excess of $30 million and charged $450,000 over a 7-year period. In case you’re wondering, the Consortium was able to keep 98.5 cents for every 1.5 cents my firm was compensated.

In conclusion, your motives for the trashing of my career are your own. And I am at a loss to understand. All decisions taken by the Legislative Consortium were by vote, no one member counted more than another as each paid the same fee. At anytime my services could have been terminated and no reason given. I was after all an at-will employee. My contract was not terminated but was extended, this by vote. Moreover, the Consortium valued my work accordingly to allow my contract to increase annually. At no time did any member ever express dissatisfaction with my work. And then you took it upon yourself to substitute performance for rumor, rumor that had no basis in fact. You must explain yourself not only to me but as a man and as the mayor of this city. And the clock is ticking. I have long awaited your public apology for your reckless allegations for some time. Especially since you were no doubt made aware, from at least several of the Port Authority Board Members you appoint, that the Hartung investigation leading to his dismissal deemed all of your allegations to be unfounded.

The Legislative Consortium was a group of well meaning people that you decided to game. Please give to all community conscious members respect, dignity and an honest rendition of the facts for these final days of your tenure. It is difficult to justify any of your whispering allegations based on the efforts of many of the good professionals who were part of the Legislative Consortium and who simply wanted to see Toledo a viable, livable and successful community.

Sincerely,

Kathy Teigland

The Ohio Republican Party released a statement in regards to the coup at the Dec. 21 Lucas County Republican Party central committee meeting.

“I look forward to working with the duly elected leaders of the Lucas County Republican Party. Leadership decisions are made at the local level by the county party’s central committee and certified by the board of elections,” said Kevin DeWine, Ohio Republican Party chairman. “If there’s a disagreement over who represents the official county Republican Party organization, the Republican state committee is required by law to meet within 30 days of board certification to resolve the conflict. Our party is energized and united by a team of statewide candidates committed to leading Ohio to a better future, and I’m asking Lucas County Republicans to come together and join us in that effort.”

Following last night’s meeting there are two individuals claiming to be Lucas County Republican Party Chair. Jon Stainbrook maintains he still is the chair of the party, while others claim Stainbrook was replaced by Jeff Simpson.

The two sides are disputing whether the actions to remove Stainbrook are legal under Robert’s Rules, the bylaws for the Republican party.

“You have to understand what the meaning of a central committee meeting is,” Stainbrook said. “It’s to have a meeting about something that’s on the card that is mailed out by the law. That’s what we did. This was done by the bylaws and it was done properly. The after the fact, they thought it would be fun to have shenanigans and release a press release.”

Simpson said he was officially elected to the Lucas County Republican Party, despite claims from Stainbrook that he was not.

“A motion was placed before the body. The body voted on that motion and that is that. The central committee is the governing body of the republican party and I am the chairman,” Simpson said.

Mayor-elect Mike Bell announced his appointments for police chief, fire chief and director of public services on Dec. 22.

Bell said he will keep Michael Navarre as chief of police, and Mike Wolever as chief of Toledo Fire Rescue.

After working with the two men for a number of years and “trusting them with my life,” Bell said he trusts the men will get their jobs done.

“I have full confidence that these two gentlemen will do what they need to do,” Bell said.

David Welch was appointed to Director of Public Service. Currently, Welch works in the Department of Public Utilities.

Bell has made a total of nine appointments. Previously named were Dean Monske, deputy mayor for external affairs, Stephan Herwat, deputy mayor for operations, Shirley Green, safety director, Jennifer Sorgenfrei, public information officer, Adam Loukx, law director, and Peg Wallace, director of human resources.

It was more than two decades in the making.

Voters hit hard in 2009 by the state’s highest unemployment rate in more than 25 years authorized casinos in Ohio’s four largest cities, with the promise of new jobs and money flowing into state and local revenue pots. Issue 3 passed with 53 percent of the vote in the November election, despite voters saying no to gambling proposals four times over the previous 20 years.

The vote, which amended the state Constitution to legalize casinos in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo, was chosen as Ohio’s top story of the year by Associated Press member newspaper editors and broadcasters. A close second was the state unemployment rate hitting 11.2 percent in July, its highest rate since 1983. Cuts made by struggling communities to services and staff, including police and firefighters, came in third.

The passage of Issue 3 made Ohio the 39th state to legalize casinos and was a victory for Penn National Gaming Inc. and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who spent nearly $47 million promoting the proposal as a way to add jobs and revenue to the struggling state economy.

“The reason we did this whole campaign is they told us they wanted casinos in urban cores, wanted jobs, wanted new construction, wanted taxes to stay local, and wanted to make sure it happens here,” Gilbert said as the votes rolled in.

The casinos plan is expected to raise an estimated $650 million in tax revenue, with about 90 percent going to local governments and school districts. The casinos also would each pay a $50 million license fee to the state.

Planners expect they will be built by the end of 2012 or later. Supporters said they would create 34,000 temporary and permanent jobs.

Gov. Ted Strickland was disappointed the issue passed.

“I think if the economy was not facing these recessionary pressures that it would probably not have passed,” Strickland said. “But people are hungry for jobs, and the promise of jobs was what caused them to support this.”

Voters’ nod to gambling came on the heels of seven consecutive months of increases to state unemployment that saw the rate reach double digits before topping out at 11.2 percent in July. Few industries were immune from job losses, with service, administrative and manufacturing areas losing the most as the rate climbed.

But Cleveland economist George Zeller said in March that some parts of the state, including Columbus and Cleveland, lost more jobs in finance and insurance than in manufacturing.

“What this means is that we have two major problems in the economy here in Ohio, and this has never happened before, at least since the ’30s,”he said. “There are the two main bases of the Ohio economy, and we are losing jobs in large numbers in both.”

The job losses hurt local communities that rely on income, sales and property taxes to balance their budgets. Local government boards slashed services and cut jobs, including police and firefighters.

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory proposed laying off 135 police officers to help close the city’s $28 million gap, a plan averted in exchange for furloughs but not without Mallory losing the support of the police union in his successful bid for re-election.

Columbus closed or reduced hours at many of its recreation centers, froze salaries of elected officials and nonunion employees and ordered five unpaid days off for all city workers except police and firefighters.

The same story line played out at large and small communities across the state, with a growing number of cash-strapped counties, townships and cities ordering salary freezes and furloughs or combining police forces to shave costs.

The state’s other top stories in 2008:

4. The decomposing remains of 11 women were found in the home of a registered sex offender in Cleveland in October and November. Authorities say Anthony Sowell, 50, lured women addicted to drugs or alcohol into his home and attacked them. Some of the victims had been missing for more than a year. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges of murder, rape, assault and corpse abuse and could get the death penalty if convicted of any of the killings.

5. Ohio adopted a new lethal injection protocol in November and was the first state to use one drug for an intravenous lethal injection execution in the U.S. when Kenneth Biros was executed in December. The new protocol also includes a backup method, a two-drug injection into muscle, which has not yet been used.

6. The recession played havoc with state government finances, with lawmakers voting in December to plug an $850 million budget hole by delaying the last in a series of tax cuts that started four years ago. The budget gap was created when the Ohio Supreme Court said voters are entitled to weigh in on an earlier budget-balancing plan to legalize lottery-run video slot machines at horse racing tracks. Seeking to avoid a tax increase or cuts to services, Strickland had proposed the slots plan in June in a reversal to his antigambling stance.

7. Auto plants laid off thousands of workers, closed plants and ordered temporary plant shutdowns as carmakers reorganized. The cuts devastated an Ohio industry that had lost nearly 90,000 auto jobs over the past decade. Ohio is second only to Michigan in the number of jobs tied to the auto industry.

8. As part of the state budget passed in July, Ohio lawmakers included an overhaul of the school-funding system that had been found unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court four times. The new system gives aid to school districts based on the cost of funding a high quality education and reduces the amount of funding that comes from local property taxes. Overall, school districts are to see a 5.5 percent increase in funds over two years, due to an infusion of federal money; however, state aid to schools was cut by a quarter of a percent.

9. Gov. Ted Strickland stopped the lethal intravenous injection of Romell Broom in September after executioners tried for two hours to find a usable vein, hitting bone and muscle in as many as 18 needle sticks. It was an unprecedented act by a governor since capital punishment was ruled constitutional in 1976, and came two months before Ohio changed its execution protocol to also allow lethal muscle injections.

10. Package delivery company DHL Express shut down an air shipping operation in southwest Ohio, putting thousands out of work. Most of the 8,000 workers at the Wilmington Air Park lost their jobs when DHL moved the facility to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, more than 50 miles away. The move left a 15 percent local unemployment rate in its wake.

“I’m still the chairman of the Lucas County Republican Party,” Jon Stainbrook said Dec. 21, the night a group of challengers claim to have overthrown the controversial chairman.

Stainbrook said by the rules that govern the Republican Party, no meeting ever took place to nominate a new party chair.

“This party has always been run by the bylaws, and Robert’s Rules, that’s why we have a parliamentarian. There was never a meeting that took place to vote for me not to be the chairman. Everything else was hoopla, and just trying to disrupt.”

Jon Stainbrook

A man introduced by Stainbrook as Ben Roberts, parliamentarian for the central committee and executive committee member, said anything before and after the meeting was just “noise and static.”

“I do not recognize anything they did tonight,” said Roberts.”We have the final say. We held a meeting. The meeting had an agenda sent out to all of our central committee members. The central committee members signed and went upstairs to vote, we had one topic to vote on and we did that.”

The parliamentarian is in place to advise on Robert’s Rules, the bylaws of the Republican party.

A Dec. 21 news release claimed, “By a majority vote of the duly elected/appointed member of the Lucas County Republican Central Committee have elected Paul Hoag to serve as chairman of the central committee. Immediately there after members elected Jeff Simpson as Chairman of the Executive Committee.

“I’m honored and humbled, I look forward to working with all members of the central committee, all republican volunteers, for the furthering of the Lucas county republican party for the furthering  of republicans in this area. time now for unity and time now to work hard together for the candidates, for issues for the party,” said Jeff Simpson.

Simpson said he was officially elected to the Lucas County Republican Party, despite claims from Stainbrook that he was not.

“A motion was placed before the body. The body voted on that motion and that is that. The central committee is the governing body of the republican party and I am the chairman,” Simpson said.

Currently Simpson has been denied the ability to enter the Republican Party building and is weighing his options as to the next step forward, he said.

A source inside the party said the state central committee may be asked to review the vote, which reportedly ousted former chairman Jon Stainbrook.

The Lucas County and Cuyahoga County Prosecutors offices are investigating an alleged signature fraud case involving campaign finance forms filed during Stainbrook’s chairmanship.

More on this story as it develops.

The Owens Community College Board of Trustees named Larry G. McDougle as interim president of the school.

“I am honored to accept this position as Interim President of Owens Community College and look forward to working with the faculty, staff and students as well as the community partners and helping our students reach their highest educational goals and career ambitions,” said McDougle in a statement.

McDougle

McDougle will formally assume the role on Jan. 4.

“He is the ideal person to lead Owens Community College and build on this academic institution’s mission and vision of providing a superior educational experience through excellence, innovation and collaboration,” said John C. Moore, board of trustees chair.

McDougle has more than 40 years of experience in higher education as a faculty member and administrator. He served as president of Northwest State Community College for 12 years and since his retirement he has been a part-time faculty member of UT’s higher education program.

A national search is being conducted to select the new president following Christa Adams, who will retire Jan.1.

Mayor-elect Mike Bell announced that one of his new director appointments has withdrawn.

Paul Hubbard was appointed as director of neighborhoods and has subsequently withdrawn his appointment through a mutual decision with the mayor-elect.

Hubbard and a business partner have a $50,000 outstanding business loan with the City of Toledo that has yet to be resolved.

“My administration is going to be transparent. If I don’t get it right I’ll let you know and we’ll come back and try to fix it. This is one of those instances,” Bell said.

Bell said he was not made aware of the outstanding business loan before he offered Hubbard the position and is “disappointed” the information wasn’t disclosed to him by Hubbard.

“Trust is of the utmost importance in moving this new administration forward. This is an in issue in which the standard needs to be set higher,” Bell said.

Bell acknowledged that no background check had been run because he felt Hubbard was qualified. Bell said he had known Hubbard for years and that since Hubbard had held the position in the past, he felt that he could serve as director of neighborhoods.

“We made a mistake. In order to solve this in the future will be performing background checks,” Bell said.

Kattie Bond, current director of the department of neighborhoods, has indicated she will fill the role as long as the city needs her, Bell said.

Bell made three other new appointments to his cabinet on Dec. 15, including two posts retained from Mayor Finkbeiner’s administration.

Tom Crothers, head of Downtown Toledo Improvement District, was appointed director of public utilities.

“I am delighted to have been tapped by Mike Bell to be on his team. The Department of Public Utilities will play a large role in the revitalization of our entire region as we fairly and equitably use the resources which belong to us all,” Crothers said. “Under the leadership of Mike and myself we view a sense of urgency in the design and construction of underground utilities and in the services we deliver on a regular basis to our 100,000 customers in Toledo and Northwest Ohio. I look forward to this challenge.”

Adam Loukx and Peg Wallace will retain their positions from the current administration. Loukx is the law director for Toledo and Wallace is the acting director of human resources.

The new appointments bring Bell’s cabinet to seven appointees. Previously named were Dean Monske, deputy mayor for external affairs, Stephan Herwat, deputy mayor for operations, Shirley Green, safety director, and Jennifer Sorgenfrei, public information officer.