At the “Art of Politics” debate held on Oct. 26 it was stated that Lucas County residents pay some of the highest property taxes in the State and our high utility rates were referenced. Is that factual?

Republican Lucas County Auditor candidate Gina Marie Kaczala said, “Today the State of Ohio issued a report that shows as of today, Lucas County property owners are paying some of the highest property taxes in the State of Ohio.”

In searching for the report there was nothing issued on Oct. 26 from the Ohio Department of Taxation or anything released in the month of October that indicates this.

John Kohlstrand is a media relations representative for the Ohio Department of Taxation. When contacted and asked about the statement that Kaczala made, Kohlstrand said, “that claim is not familiar to me.”

Kohlstrand said there was a report released in September “The Impact of the Great Recession on the Ohio Residential Housing Market” but it focused on property values.

Kohlstrand suggested looking at a report released on Jan. 6 that they call a “PR6″ would be the best data set to use for comparison. Kohlstrand said, “The net rate would be the most effective one to look at for your purposes.”

The Jan. 6 report stated as part of it’s introduction, “Cuyahoga County had the highest property tax rates throughout the state. Lawrence County had the lowest gross real property tax rates and the lowest tangible personal property tax rate while Wyandot County had the lowest net real property tax rates in the state.”

Using the net rate figure, Lucas County was below Summit, Greene, Franklin, Montgomery and Cuyahoga Counties.

Tom Morgan of the Kaczala campaign told the Toledo Free Press they were citing numbers from the September “The Impact of the Great Recession.” In using “Median to Market Price ratio (MMPR),” he stated in an email, “No other county had over 100 for more than 1 year.”

Lucas County had the highest MMPR for sales made in the first and second half of 2008, but did not for the first or second half residential sales for 2009. Cuyahoga County also had an MMPR of over 100% for more than a year.

Kohlstrand said that the MMPR was not designed to measure property taxes; it is a measurement of the accuracy of the tax values.

We’ve heard for years that Northwestern Ohio has the highest utility rates in the State. Toledo City Councilman and Lucas County Commissioner candidate George Sarantou said during the debate, “I am the one that stood up to Toledo Edison, I am the one who stood up to Columbia Gas and said our high utility rates must stop. I am the one that went to Columbus to testify before the House of Representatives Energy Committee to talk about why Northwest Ohio has some of the highest utility rates.”

Sarantou was accurate as far as his focus on high utility rates. However, the Public Utility Commission puts out a monthly report that compares the residential rates for Ohio’s 16 major cities. If we use the month of October as an example, from 2005 to 2010, Toledo has never had the highest electric rates for the State of Ohio.

In 2005, the average monthly electrical bill reported for October for Toledo was $83.42. Akron, Youngstown, Lorain, Marion, Mansfield were higher with an average of $85.78.

For the most recent report for October 2010, the average residential electrical bill in Toledo was $90.89. Ashtabula and Cleveland reported an average of $94.85; Columbus, Marietta, Chillicothe were $96.52 and Cincinnati was $105.28.

When it comes to gas bills, the average residential gas bill for Toledo in October 2005 was $163.02. Zanesville, Columbus, Chillicothe, Lorain, Marion and Mansfield had the same monthly average bill. From 2006 to 2008 the amount the of the average October residential bill for Toledo was the same as those cities.

In 2009 the average October residential gas bill in Toledo was $82.91. Canton, Lima, Youngstown, Ashtabula and Cleveland’s average was $90.67; Dayton $92.75, with Cincinnati at $95.46.

October 2010′s average residential gas bill for Toledo was $90.95. Canton, Akron, Youngstown, Lima, Ashtabula and Marietta’s average were $96.82 and Cincinnati was $106.75.

In looking at the average residential utility bills from 2005 to 2008 for September, August and July, while the dollar amounts fluctuated, there was not a time when the Toledo area had the highest average residential electric bill, nor was there a time when Northwestern Ohio held the solo ranking for the highest average gas bill.

While the myth of our area having the highest utility rates may be hard to eliminate, information on the property tax rates and the utility rates in Ohio are out there. It’s up to us as citizens of this area to take the time to be informed and not believe everything we are told. No matter how many times it’s repeated.

The Toledo Free Press “Art of Politics” debate at the Toledo Museum of Art’s Great Gallery on Oct. 26 helped clarify the difference between candidates in three key categories — Anita Lopez and Gina Marie Kaczala for Lucas County Auditor; Carol Contrada and George Sarantou for Lucas County Commissioner; and Edna Brown and Tom Waniewski for Ohio State Senate District 11. We profusely thank the museum’s management and staff for providing the immaculate and inspiring venue, and we thank the Toledo Chapter of the League of Women Voters for providing oversight and counsel.

• State Senate District 11: Toledo Free Press endorses Tom Waniewski. With due recognition to Edna Brown for her public service, Waniewski offers an approach of fiscal responsibility and limited government involvement that we respect. Brown undoubtedly has relationships in Columbus, but as Waniewski said at our debate, there needs to be a greater emphasis on relationships here in Northwest Ohio, and he represents that potential.
• Lucas County Commissioner: Toledo Free Press endorses George Sarantou. Carol Contrada was impressive during the debate, and she will be a continuing factor in county politics. Sarantou represents an opportunity to add a conservative and moderate voice to a commission that tends to demonstrate neither of those traits. His understanding of government finances and his experience with being in the political minority are also pluses. We do have concerns about Sarantou’s continuing bashing of local utility companies; his rhetoric on this issue is out of touch with economic reality and the efforts these important neighbors are making in serving the community.
• Lucas County Auditor: Toledo Free Press endorses Anita Lopez. Lopez has earned a second term for her efforts to improve accountability and transparency. She needs to work to remove any concerns about specific employees who have been dragged into the public discourse, but there should be no question she is the best choice for the job.

• District 9 House of Representatives: Here, we hit a wall. We are a small business, and we face pressures that prevent us from endorsing the policies of Marcy Kaptur, because she represents so much uncertainty in terms of tax rates, health care changes and the potential costs of “cap and trade.”

For years, we have been looking for a conservative businessperson to step up and challenge the status quo. Rich Iott seemed to answer that call, but there are some nagging concerns. The first is his tendency to strongly support some of the most left-leaning Ohio Democrats —Ted Strickland, Teresa Fedor, Peter Ujvagi — with thousands of dollars, while offering relatively little to Republicans or conservatives. He has a right to give his money to anyone he chooses, but that pattern does not bear witness to a strong conservative philosophy.

The other issue is that Iott has severed communications with Toledo Free Press, according to campaign spokesman Matt Parker, due to one unfavorable opinion column. How do we endorse a candidate who allows one opinion piece to so dramatically close the door? That Iott found it that difficult to work around 900 words demonstrates a haste to act and a lack of long-term vision. Iott has an absolute right to communicate (or not to) with anyone he chooses, but if he is that thin-skinned and quick to cut ties, how is he going to act in D.C.? And if he can’t wisely spend his millions of dollars in his choice of managers and staff, how can he be trusted to wisely spend ours?

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

The documentary film “Waiting for ‘Superman’” has inspired a great deal of local conversation regarding the state of Toledo Public Schools (TPS). At the beginning of the film, education reformer Geoffrey Canada talks about his heartbreak at discovering that Superman wasn’t real. Canada earnestly explains to the camera that as a child he grieved because if there was no Superman, there was no one coming to rescue him from the poverty-stricken, fatherless life he lived in the South Bronx.
At this point, TPS has long given up on Superman; the beleaguered system would probably be happy with even the lowliest backbencher hero — Aquaman, maybe. The Wonder Twins. Harvey Birdman. Hell, if someone put a cape around a mop and paraded it down Manhattan Boulevard it would be a cause for celebration.
On May 4, voters rejected Issue 3, a proposed 0.75 percent tax to help TPS. Since then, TPS closed Libbey High School, cut athletics and drastically modified bus service.
On July 13, the TPS board named Jerome Pecko as the system’s new superintendent. (The competition, Tom Watkins, removed himself from consideration, offering the blunt and insightful explanation that he could not work with the TPS Board of Education, which he described as “not united,” the most generous understatement since someone described the Detroit Lions as “not competitive.”)
In that same session, TPS announced it would seek a 7.8-mill levy on the November ballot. In a depressed market suffering from increasingly crushing financial pressures, a 7.8-mill levy request was the Hail Mary equivalent of closing one’s eyes while driving against traffic on the Anthony Wayne Trail; it seemed doomed from inception.
But here we are, hours from the Nov. 2 election, and the Toledo community is being asked to approve Issue 5, a permanent levy that will annually collect $22 million of local homeowners’ earnings. If it fails, Pecko said up to 400 TPS jobs could be in jeopardy, and there could be more school closings.
It has been interesting to watch the community’s reaction to Issue 5. The 7.8-mill levy inspired some wishy-washy prose from The Blade, offered an Oct. 18 unsigned editorial endorsing the levy, which it summarized with a hold-your-nose-and-vote “gulp.”
The Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce did not endorse TPS Issue 3 in May, stating it “will not address the systemic financial issues that are currently plaguing the district and which will continue to affect the district’s budgets in the future.” The chamber said the levy “will harm the job climate by increasing the overall tax burden” and that while “the chamber is concerned for the difficulties that face the district, it believes the necessary decisions need to be made by TPS to address the growing deficits projected over the next four to five years. The chamber believes further cuts in state funding face TPS and the district should face the reality of their budgetary concerns.”
On Oct. 26, the chamber did an about-face and endorsed Issue 5, stating, “The Chamber Board(1) is committed to pursuing appropriate actions to improve TPS by mobilizing the business community to facilitate change, realizing that the most important reason to support the levy is that the district must provide a quality education for the students.”
Mayor Mike Bell(2) endorsed the levy with his characteristic clarity: “If our schools are failing, our city’s going to fail,” he  said.
Another strong endorsement came from United Way of Greater Toledo, which announced its choice after an Oct. 24 community screening of “Waiting for ‘Superman’.”
Bill Kitson(3), United Way of Greater Toledo president and CEO, said, “The bottom line is this is about kids. Period. Our children are too important for us to stand on the sidelines.”
If you believe the narrative of “Waiting for ‘Superman’,” one of the primary factors that is strangling education is the system of union contracts and tenure that protects lousy teachers and lets great ones go unrewarded.
At a forum following the Oct. 24 screening, when Toledo Federation of Teachers President Francine Lawrence was asked what the union would do if Issue 5 fails, she replied, “Ask for teacher raises,” which tells you all you need to know about her sense of humor, her deficit of self-awareness when it comes to her role in the ongoing TPS drama and who the joke is really on.
Will voters agree with these community leaders and vote for Issue 5? I do not have faith that Toledo voters truly want TPS to ask itself the hard questions. If they did, they would have re-elected Darlene Fisher.
Should voters agree with these community leaders and vote for Issue 5? Should they make another sacrifice, trust a system that mocks that trust and commit more money to what has basically been a roaring furnace that incinerates funds with a never-ceasing hunger?
Yes. Because despite all the arguments against it, to do otherwise is to not just give up on Superman; to do otherwise is to sink Toledo in a molten pit of permanent Kryptonite.

Michael S. Miller(4) is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Call him at (419) 241-1700 or e-mail him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.

1. Toledo Free Press Publisher Tom Pounds is a member of the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
2. Mike Bell does not have any children attending TPS, although he does live in Toledo and will be subject to the tax.
3. Bill Kitson does not have any children attending TPS, nor does he live in Toledo, so he will not be subject to the tax.
4. I do not have any children attending TPS, nor do I live in Toledo, so I will not be subject to the tax.

Life has a way of presenting us with decisions where there are no good choices. More and more frequently we see these situations facing us at every election. This year isn’t any different.
On the ballot is an expensive property tax that, once levied, will be permanent — as in forever. Therefore, we cannot hold Toledo Public Schools (TPS) accountable for how they use the levy proceeds. We are faced with making a decision to force reform and create acute short-term pain or acquiesce to coercion and hope we can still enact reform while slowly drawing out the inevitable pain. Both choices leave a bitter taste.
TPS has three new R’s these days: Reform, Rebuild, Revitalize. It is its bold slogan to promote Issue 5. But is it merely public relations or is it genuine commitment?
TPS Board President Bob Vasquez has set about establishing a “kitchen” cabinet of local individuals with backgrounds in politics, education, business and labor. Since a plan has not been developed, the promise of this committee and TPS Board support of its creation are the only basis upon which we can evaluate reform efforts.
In September, the TPS Board passed a resolution seeking to reinstate transportation and security officers if the levy passes. The language adopted does not commit the board to any action except to think about it. With TPS forecasting a substantial deficit next school year, adding back transportation only increases an already large deficit. Which programs and services must be cut to restore these items?
In their campaign literature and advertisements, TPS has made several claims to encourage levy passage including promoting job growth and protecting home values, as well as pronouncing the district’s academics to be in strong shape. All of these claims lack specific details.
Levy passage would preserve jobs at TPS, but claims that it would promote job growth beyond preserving TPS jobs seems far-fetched. Scores of TPS employees face layoff with or without passage of the levy — more if the levy fails. New tax dollars would leave Toledo through wages for employees living in the suburbs and payments for retirement benefits to Columbus. The resulting exodus of buying dollars from our community is likely to result in job losses — not gains — in Toledo while raising costs for local businesses.
Home values are already badly depressed with most of the buying attention focused on foreclosures. Raising property taxes won’t help in attract more buyers for Toledo homes. Good schools are important in the home- buying decision, but simply passing a levy, unless it results in substantial academic improvement, will not stabilize or increase the value of our homes.
TPS claims that academics are strong. Yet over the last several years, the best TPS could score on state report cards was a C- with incremental year-to-year increases, while a third or more of TPS schools continue to fail.
Levy passage will generate just shy of $22 million annually. TPS says the deficit is $44 million without levy passage and only $11 million if it passes. So where is the other $11 million? Because tax collections start six months earlier than the budget year, TPS will collect 1.5 years’ worth of taxes that can be applied against next year’s deficit. But in the following year the extra 6 months revenue is gone. Regardless of the outcome, TPS will need to cut at least $22 million over a two year period to balance its budget.
This levy appears at best a “stop gap” measure that will require new levies in the near future, significant employee wage and benefit concessions or both.
TPS has offered little substance to support its claims so it comes down to whether you trust and believe the promises TPS officials are making. What makes it more difficult is that past news accounts have documented a miserable track record by the board in keeping its promises and managing tax dollars.
Besides evaluating the believability of TPS claims, TPS is asking us to trust them with our money to solve a problem where they have not proposed any solutions except a new levy.
We all must vote our conscience and this is a painfully difficult decision that every conscientious citizen has to make.
Educate yourself and vote Nov. 2.

Steven Flagg is an education advocate and has been involved with education reform in Toledo for more than 15 years.

Other voices:

“If our schools are failing, our city’s going to fail. So it’s very crucial that people step up. Don’t be hiding in corners and things like that. Step up and support Issue 5 because our destiny as a city, our destiny as a county, our destiny as Northwest Ohio is actually tied up in this levy here.”
— Toledo Mayor Mike Bell

“I’m not confident in the quality of leadership on the elected school board to turn the public education system in Toledo around. Frankly, I don’t know how Issue 5, if passed, is going to do anything more than throw money at the problem. That said, we have schools in District 2 that are high-performing schools. I am personally in favor of Issue 5, because I feel Toledo Public Schools in District 2 excel beyond all of the other districts across the board.”
— Toledo City Councilman D. Michael Collins

“As a mom, a homeowner and a board member, I say that the passage of this levy is all our students’ future, it’s our city’s future and it’s just too important to fail. With the rapid change that education undergoes, we have to keep the continuous momentum. We have a ways to go but with the support of the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Greater Toledo, local ministers, parent organizations — they get it — they know we have to work together, we can’t continue to work solo. The betterment of our future depends upon Issue 5 passing.”
— TPS Board VP Lisa Sobecki

“Communities live or die on their school system. Not supporting this school levy would be a fatal blow to our community; without a viable and effective school system we can’t survive. School closures would decimate District 3. I think the board is really trying to hold the administration more to task. All of my children graduated from Toledo Public Schools, so I am more than vested in our public education.”
— Toledo City Councilman Mike Craig

Earlier this week, United Way of Greater Toledo announced its endorsement of Issue 5 — the proposed Toledo Public Schools (TPS) levy. Because United Way rarely takes a stance on political matters and because of the controversial nature of this particular issue, this came as a surprise to some, so I would like to share our reasons.
We have chosen to endorse the levy because we can’t afford not to. Through our collaborations with TPS, we are making strides both in the district’s schools and with TPS students. Additionally, we have invested approximately $1.9 million in education-related programs, many of which directly affect TPS students. We are seeing a new openness from TPS for partnerships and this is giving us an unprecedented opportunity to sit down with TPS leadership to identify new ways United Way and others can leverage resources to help. These are not advances we can allow to disappear.
Last year, TPS had to make $39 million in cuts and lost 1,400 students. Faced with a similar deficit next year, losing — at minimum — another 1,400 kids is a very real danger. The reality is many of those kids are not finding alternative education options; they are simply dropping out, only to end up on the streets or in the prison system. This is not sustainable for a community like Toledo, where a stable school system is absolutely critical to economic development.
United Way strongly believes choosing to endorse this levy now will far outweigh what we will have to pay later when we are trying to help an even further devastated school system and local economy recover. TPS leadership is showing incredible progress in reaching out to the community for help in creating an authentic reform plan, and we look forward to continuing to work alongside them in these efforts.
We urge you to join us in supporting the levy. I realize the type of emotions and opinions this topic can stir up, so I would be happy to further discuss our reasons for endorsement with anyone. Please feel free to reach out to me at any time at (419) 248-2424.

Bill Kitson is president and CEO of United Way of Greater Toledo.

Related story: Yes on 5: Waiting with Kryptonite

Related story: United Way endorses Issue 5

Related story: Bell: City will fail without Issue 5

Related story: Issue 5 does not solve the problem

To learn is to live. To live life fully, we must commit ourselves to a quest for knowledge. And, that quest must be lifelong. Education is the cornerstone of America’s greatness. It is accessible. It is comprehensive. But it is not free.
When you think about it, Toledo Public Schools is one of the few institutions that make a significant impact on our entire community. Quality schools are necessary to attract businesses and provide them with a well-prepared workforce. The success of our schools also has a bearing on property values, resale value and quality of life for virtually all our citizens. Supporting education takes commitment, community leadership and financial stability.
Unfortunately, Toledo Public Schools (TPS) is facing a significant budget deficit due to a number of factors that are beyond our control. The state has cut funds earmarked for education, property valuations are down, and despite aggressive efforts to reduce our expenses, the district still faces a $40 million shortfall.
This is why the passage of Issue 5, on Nov. 2, is crucial to the district’s future. The last time Toledoans voted for an increase in taxes for TPS was 10 years ago. After our request for an income tax levy was voted down in May, the district was forced to make deep budget cuts that have impacted every aspect of our operations. We were forced to reduce our transportation services, eliminate middle school and freshmen sports, along with a laundry list of other services. These changes have significantly impacted the infrastructure of TPS.
If Issue 5 fails, the ramifications would include closing schools and eliminating 300 to 400 positions, on top of the cuts that were implemented for this school year.
We have heard the community say they are looking for transformational change from TPS, change that will show the district is serious about adopting a new way of doing business and ensuring that students are receiving a quality education. The Board of Education, along with the administration, has embraced this concept of change and transparency. Passage of Issue 5 means that TPS will have the means to aggressively pursue its plan to rebuild, reform and revitalize our school district.
The Board of Education has committed to reinstate transportation for K-8 students and restore security officers in high schools if Issue 5 is successful.  Passage will also protect the academic progress that is already being made in TPS. Failure of the levy will not only deepen the district’s financial crisis, it will hurt property values and resale opportunities for homeowners and further slow economic growth.
Toledo Public Schools remains committed to offering a comprehensive academic program that promotes student growth, with a concerted focus on our lower-performing schools. The desired outcome is for all students to experience academic excellence and for TPS to become the school district of choice in our region.
As you consider our request for a “yes” vote on Nov. 2, remember that the Board of Education has chosen not to renew the current permanent improvement levy, which is a savings to taxpayers. Thus, Issue 5 will cost the owner of a $65,000 home less than $3 per week.
At Toledo Public Schools, we remain committed to providing an academic experience for all students that exceeds the community’s expectations. We remain committed to reforming, rebuilding and revitalizing TPS and as a result expect that the district will continue to experience success in its efforts to become a high-performing school district.  As superintendent, I am pleased with the support we have received for Issue 5 from Mayor Mike Bell, United Way of Greater Toledo and the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce.
In closing, I realize we are all making sacrifices during these challenging economic times. However, we must continue to provide our children with the same opportunities that were given to us as students by saying yes to a quality education and a bright future. Please support Toledo Public Schools by voting “yes” for Issue 5 on Nov. 2.

Dr. Jerome Pecko is superintendent of Toledo Public Schools.

Gentle and not-so-gentle barbs were traded Oct. 26 at “Art of Politics,” where three sets of candidates debated at the Toledo Museum of Art.
More than 150 people attended the debate, hosted by Toledo Free Press and the Toledo chapter of the League of Women Voters. The program, moderated by FOX Toledo news anchor Laura Emerson, consisted of exchanges between candidates in the Lucas County Auditor race, the District 11 Ohio Senate race and the Lucas County Commissioner race.
The candidates answered questions from panelists Brandi Barhite, Toledo Free Press associate editor, and Cumulus Radio News Director London Mitchell.
Kaczala/Lopez
First up were Democrat Anita Lopez, incumbent Lucas County auditor, and her challenger, Republican Gina Marie Kaczala.
Kaczala said the auditor’s office requires experience and her 21 years working in the auditor’s office gives her knowledge that Lopez lacks.
“Lucas County property owners are paying some of the highest property taxes in the state of Ohio — why? Because my opponent does not possess the experience this job requires,” said Kaczala, who said Lopez could have started the process to lower property values when she took office in 2007, but didn’t until 2009 because “she simply didn’t know how to lower the values.”
Lopez said those property values were locked in after being submitted in 2006, but Kaczala said end-of-year tax bills could have been lowered as a refund of sorts.
Another ongoing argument revolved around the qualifications of Lopez’s staff, while Lopez accused Kaczala of not maintaining consistent attendence during her tenure in the auditor’s office. Both candidates accused the other of nepotism.
Kaczala said Lopez lives in the past, “blaming the previous administration,” but Lopez said that administration, run by Kaczala’s late husband, Larry Kaczala, did make a number of errors.
“Whatever qualifications they may have had, they still didn’t deliver the right results for Lucas County citizens and that’s why I was elected,” Lopez said. “I stand 100 percent behind my staff and the quality work we deliver.”
Lopez said that, since taking office in 2007, she has focused on decreasing spending and increasing transparency.
Both candidates said they would consider combining the offices of auditor, recorder and/or treasurer into one position. Kaczala said the position could be appointed, while Lopez said more study and public input is needed and that the position should be elected.
Brown/Waniewski
Next, Democrat Edna Brown, an Ohio House Representative for District 48, and Republican Tom Waniewski, a Toledo City Councilman, squared off in the District 11 Ohio Senate debate.
Waniewski called Brown, who is term-limiting out of the House of Representatives after nine years, a “career politician,” but she objected to the title.
She said she is a “public servant” and the relationships she has built in Columbus and her knowledge of how the legislature works are invaluable to Northwest Ohio.
Referencing Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati as the “3 C’s,” Brown said Toledo is often shortchanged in the legislature because those cities are larger, with more representation and a stronger voice.
“But the one thing I have learned … seniority goes a long ways,” Brown said. “Seniority means a lot … having seniority enables one to sit at the table and have a strong voice when it comes to who gets what.”
But Waniewski said “relationships are not made in Columbus, but made in the community you serve. If you can’t do your job in eight years, something is wrong.”
Waniewski, whose background is in journalism, where he said he was aggravated by never getting straight answers from politicians, said he never considered a career in politics.
“I went into politics because I thought the public wasn’t getting their money’s worth from elected officials,” Waniewski said. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think ‘Am I giving the public their money’s worth?’”
But Brown questioned Waniewski wanting to leave the Toledo City Council before finishing his term.
“I kind of wonder, with all he has to say about the state of Ohio, Toledo has a budget deficit and Mr. Waniewski has served less than three years of his initial term on City Council, so I kind of wonder … why not try to solve problems first in the city of Toledo rather than think you can solve the state of Ohio’s problems singlehandedly?” Brown said.
Waniewski said he’s not abandoning his constituents — rather he wants to represent more of them. He said he hopes his “fiscal sense” will be more influential when working as an Ohio senator as opposed to one of 12 Council members, in which he was sometimes overruled as the lone dissenter.
Contrada/Sarantou
The last set of debaters was Democrat Carol Contrada, a Sylvania Township trustee, and Republican George Sarantou, a Toledo city councilman, who are facing off for a Lucas County Commissioner seat.
Both candidates stressed the need to reach out more to suburban Lucas County communities to combat the historically Toledo-centric focus of the county commissioners.
Sarantou pledged to attend meetings in each jurisdiction — 11 townships and six villages — once per quarter in order to learn what is important to each.
“I know I’ve committed myself to a lot of meetings, but … I will do everything I can do to bring us to this next level of success,” Sarantou said. “I will roll up my sleeves and put my ego in my back pocket and go to work for the citizens of Lucas County.”
Contrada said Sarantou is promising to visit the townships, but she already knows how they work.
“Each one is unique, but I could bring that representation from day one,” Contrada said.
Although he lives in Toledo, Sarantou said his record proves he has a history of addressing county and regional issues as well as Toledo issues. He said it’s not the address you live at, but the leadership you exhibit for the region that should qualify you to serve on county commission.
Sarantou, a businessman for 28 years, said he would bring maturity as well as business sense to the office. He said retaining and creating jobs would be his No. 1 priority.
“I think my business skills are vastly needed at the commission office,” Sarantou said. “If we do not retain the jobs we have and create more jobs we will not win in this economic war of survival. Other areas of Ohio will benefit.”

When Paul O’Neill pitched Trans-Siberian Orchestra to Atlantic Records, he envisioned a prog-rock band that would create six rock operas and record a couple regular discs. And, oh yeah, he mentioned a Christmas trilogy.
“I’m very influenced by Charles Dickens, who wrote about subjects that were larger than life but in a way that everybody could identify with them,” the composer and producer said. “He wrote five books about Christmas. And when a British reporter asked him why five books about Christmas, he said Christmas is too large a subject to take on in one book.”
Growing up in New York City, O’Neill became fascinated by the holiday.
“There’s something about this day that not only fixes how people treat each other on the most intimate and individual levels, but the way nations treat each other,” he said. “So I decided to do three rock operas, the first about how the holiday has the same effect on people all around the world, the second about how it’s been doing this for centuries and the third is how it allows you to undo mistakes that you never thought you could undo.”

Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s debut, “Christmas Eve and Other Stories,” came out in 1996. Once “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” hit the airwaves, the orchestra became a holiday favorite.
“The Christmas Attic” followed in 1998 and “The Lost Christmas Eve” in 2004. The three discs have been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and the group has sold more than 7 million records.
“A friend said to me, ‘Paul, you’ve lucked into a Tchaikovsky.’ I knew what he meant by that. Tchaikovsky always thought ‘The Nutcracker’ was another ballet like ‘Swan Lake’ or ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ but ‘The Nutcracker’ became so interwoven with the holiday,” O’Neill said during a call from his home in the Big Apple.
“When you’re writing something for Christmas, you’re competing with the best of the last 2,000 years and you’re literally competing with Tchaikovsky, Dickens, Frank Capra,” he said. “Also, you’re competing with music that has to get past the ultimate critic, the only critic you can’t fool, which is time. Because each generation will only pass on the very best. … [The Christmas trilogy] ended up just taking on a life of its own.”
That life includes jaw-dropping shows with lasers and pyrotechnics that have become a seasonal tradition. Two Trans-Siberian Orchestra groups tour to meet demand; more than 200 band and crew members make the magic happen at each stop.
“It’s our job to make the albums great, make the shows great and make the shows affordable,” O’Neill said.
Prepare to be dazzled.
“I’m just finishing one song and it’s got like 3,200 lighting cues in 60 seconds,” he said.
“Every year we want to give people the comfort of the familiar with the excitement of something new. Just when you think you have us figured out, we’ll do a 90-degree turn at 150 miles per hour,” O’Neill said.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra will play two shows at Huntington Center at 4 and 8 p.m. Nov. 11. While the $27 tickets are sold out for both shows, there are $38, $48 and $58 tickets for the first show and $48 and $58 seats for the evening concert.
In addition to the holiday fare, fans can expect to hear music from the group’s 2009 CD, “Night Castle,” and the forthcoming “Romanov — When Kings Must Whisper.”

Named as one of the top 20 guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone, Richard Thompson has flown under the radar since his 1967 school band beginnings in London and U.S. debut in the early 1970s. After a brief recording career with his former wife Linda, Thompson went solo. His technical skills with acoustic and electric guitars have fueled his extensive songwriting. Many artists, including Bonnie Raitt, David Byrne and Elvis Costello, have recorded his work. Thompson’s newest album, “Dream Attic,” is a compilation of songs he wrote in a three-month period and recorded from his live shows.
He will play at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor on Nov. 2.
During an interview with Toledo Free Press, Thompson reflected on his career, his new album and the changing music scene.
TFP: If music is a sign of the times, how has your music changed? What preoccupies your writing now?
Thompson: I think you get a more mature viewpoint as you get older. I look back at stuff I wrote when I was a teenager and I think it was naïve. I think there’s a certain imagery when you’re younger, that youthful output, a kind of charm or a quality that doesn’t come back. I think you have to try to find that place within yourself over and over again: That innocence, wonder of the world and the ability to see things in a new way. I wouldn’t say I’ve succeeded in that but it’s a challenge. As you get older your viewpoint changes, but in terms of subject matter, I think you’re writing about the same stuff.
TFP: How would you categorize the inspiration for your new album, “Dream Attic?”

Thompson

Thompson: I wrote those songs in a fairly short space of time. I seemed to be on a roll, but they’re all over the place. If you write something within a certain period because your mind’s in a certain place, there are certain threads that run together. I think it hangs very well together as a record.
TFP: If you could pick, would you rather have a small, intimate venue or a big concert?
Thompson: It’s nice to have a variety. It’s nice to play a little club sometimes, or a festival with 2,000 people or a concert with 100,000 people. Variety is the spice of life as they say.
TFP: Has playing with a band pushed your music forward?
Thompson: Some of the guys are new this year. It’s nice to have a kind of mix, I think. It’s inspirational and challenging to work with new people.
TFP: Why did you choose to go with independent, small labels in 2001 after you split from Capitol Records?
Thompson: I think at that point the role of the record company had changed. Record companies weren’t fulfilling their traditional role of promoting a range of music. They supported pop music, folk, jazz — all these different genres. The whole scene shifted. By the year 2000, it was hard to say what the role of the record company was or what the traditional role of radio was. I’m happy with the model I have now. I produce the records and license them to smaller labels. I really do have control over my own output. Before the year 2000, I owned zero of my own work.
TFP: Are you happy with your career as it is now?
Thompson: I’m not ever happy. I’m nearly happy … I think because you have tools like the Internet, it is possible to have a career. We’re using these different means of [getting] music to people. There are other possibilities for people to hear your music, reach your audience. If you’re an accomplished artist — I’m flattering myself to put me in that category — it’s good … If you’re a young artist, it’s tougher to break into the music business.
TFP: Would you say you’re a session artist at heart or would you rather play shows?
Thompson: Live shows. I think that’s always been the focus of what I do, recording has always been secondary. Everyone’s having to move to that style of career. Playing live has to be the focus now. It’s all about the live show and the T-shirt, really.
TFP: What’s the most rewarding part to you?
Thompson: Playing live and writing as well. I’ve had a lot of time.
TFP: What does your future hold?
Thompson: As long as I’m physically able to tour, it’s my favorite thing to do, as long as I can. Absolutely. It’s not a job you retire from, really, but you have to.
TFP: What’s your favorite album or part of your career?
Thompson: Probably the one after this. In my dreams it’s the best one.

The Richard Thompson Band will play 7:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, presented by The Ark. Thompson is touring with Pete Zorn, Michael Jerome, Taras Prodaniuk and Joel Zifkin. Tickets are available at the Michigan Union Ticket Office and at all TicketMaster outlets.