George Sarantou, Toledo city councilman and candidate for Lucas County Commissioner, filed a Contest of Election Dec. 13 in regard to the outcome of the November commissioner’s race. Sarantou, who was originally declared Lucas County commissioner by 1,376 votes, lost the election to Carol Contrada by 191 votes after provisional ballots were counted.
Based on an initial review of documents from the Lucas County Board of Elections (BOE) by Sarantou, his lawyers and political consultant, Sarantou decided to file a Contest of Election surrounding issues with the provisional ballots.
“Over the past month, I have stressed that I only wanted an honest and open review of the facts surrounding the provisional ballots issue,” Sarantou said.

Sarantou

“A review of the limited information provided shows concerns and inconsistencies regarding how provisional ballots were handled by the Lucas County Board of Elections. Those provisional ballots changed the outcome of the commissioner’s race in the November election,” he said.
Sarantou said he has been encouraged by Democrats and Republicans to question the handling of provisional ballots. Some issues of concern include ballots cast in at a precinct where an individual doesn’t live and incidents where individuals may have voted more than once, said Terry Casey, election consultant for Sarantou.
Additionally, Sarantou takes legal issue with the changing number of provisional ballots as well as the access to public records the BOE has given Sarantou and his campaign.
Casey said the lack of cooperation from the BOE in regards to records does not allow them to have a complete idea of how many questionable provisional ballots there may be.
“We want to make sure this board of elections does it right, does it honest and does it complete.  So far we have not been satisfied,” said Casey, who has assisted with recounts in more than 40 Ohio counties and served on the board of elections in Franklin County for 14 years.
Sarantou said he knows when to give up but deserves his day in court.
“When you are in politics, like I’ve been since 1997 when I ran for City Council and lost, you accept the fact you can either win or lose. Having been on the losing end, that’s part of life,” he said. “This is about making sure the provisional ballots were validated in a legal and proper manner.”
The BOE released a statement in response to Sarantou’s filing stating it stands by its “results, process and procedures.”
“During the entire election process, the Board has been nothing but open and accommodating to all the candidates and political parties. There is no evidence that warrants the election results or the recount results to be changed. We have released all information allowed by Ohio law, federal law and directives issued by the Ohio Secretary of State’s office,” the BOE said.
Contrada responded to the filing by releasing a statement that said she is “confident in the election process, including the recount, and believes that all legal votes were properly validated and correctly counted by the Board of Elections.”
Contrada said based on her knowledge of the election process she believes the filing is a waste of taxpayer money as well as prosecutorial and judicial time. She said she is confident the law has been followed and the election results will be verified in court.
“Mr. Sarantou was also satisfied with the election process until he found out he was the loser. He had the opportunity to question the validity of provisional ballots for 10 days following the election while they were being processed, and he chose not to. Instead, he now wants to throw out an entire election because it didn’t go his way,” she said.  “That is an insult to every legitimate voter in this county.”
According to Ohio Revised Code, contest of election hearings must proceed quickly, with a hearing scheduled within 30 days and only one additional 30-day extension.

Along with the holiday madness, or perhaps due to the holiday madness, this is the time of year I start to accidentally write next year’s events on this year’s calendar. For lack of attention and lack of a new calendar, January 2011’s dentist appointment ends up unwittingly snuggled up next to January 2010’s basketball practice. At some point I realize the error and buy next year’s calendar to make some oh-so-important transfers.
I have tried switching to a computer calendar a few times, but found that my year’s worth of data entry is all for naught a few weeks later when I either forget to make timely follow-up entries or completely forget I ever switched to an electronic platform. I have always been enamored with electronic planners and amazed by those individuals able to keep up with them. However, a big paper grid on my refrigerator seems to be the only thing I consistently pay attention to, and even then I tend to follow the calendar in my head more than anything else.
I always think this is the year, though. This is the year I am going to have every birthday, anniversary, holiday and school event neatly laid out prior to New Year’s Day and follow it to a tee for the next 364. I color code each type of activity and use my elementary-school penmanship skills to make it look nice and orderly. A precisely planned out year is a thing of beauty.
But beauty fades, and in the case of my calendar, it fades fast. I usually don’t make it to the February flip before scratch-outs, re-writes and scribbled new entries begin to overshadow my attempt at orderliness. My glorious color coding is quickly lost in a sea of black ballpoint chicken scratch.
As the year progresses, each frequently revamped calendar page becomes a metaphor for the daily uncertainty that is family life. One day you think you’re going to be headed for an out-of-town wedding and the next you’re sitting at home with a sick kid instead. Another day you think you’re going to start watching a season’s worth of kindergarten basketball and two days later you’re nursing a kindergartener’s broken arm. In short, it’s always something.
On the other hand, some of life’s best moments are spontaneous occurrences that never claim a slot on our premeditated agenda. Sometimes we try to synchronize our calendars for months only to haphazardly discover one another’s perfect company on a random Friday night. Sometimes a willingness to stray from that which we thought was going to happen puts us on a path to the most magnificent, most unforgettable moments of all. Sometimes the ugliest last-minute chicken scratches are the events that leave us with the fondest of memories.
The only thing I can be certain of as I sit down to bridge from one calendar to the next is that next year will no doubt seem to go by even faster than this one. As I reflect on the past twelve months, it amazes me how some events feel as if they happened years ago while others feel like just yesterday. Looking at two past events sitting next to one another on a calendar is often like watching a “Seinfeld” episode; you remember both storylines, but it seems almost impossible that they were somehow intertwined.
These misperceptions somehow hinge on the same trick time plays on us more and more the longer we live. The time-warp feelings of adulthood are even more confusing when having to simultaneously deal with our children’s perception of time, the perception we remember so well but can no longer quite identify with. The anticipation of school events, birthday parties and holidays lingers seemingly forever in a child’s mind while we race to get everything done before our preparation clock runs out. Oh, to be able to just sit excitedly with the knowledge that something big is coming.
We can never know for sure what is to become of each day as it passes. We can only hope the ups and downs the year is sure to bring add up to something better than we even imagined. The only way to prepare for such an expectation of the unexpected is to keep an open mind and a flexible calendar.

Shannon and her husband Michael are raising three children in Sylvania. E-mail her at letters@toledofreepress.com.

Governor Strickland said for the first time in eight years Ohio’s unemployment rate is not higher than the national one. Ohio and Illinois are the only two states in the nation that have had declining unemployment rates for eight consecutive months, based on preliminary data for November.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said Dec. 17 the state’s jobless rate slipped from 9.9 percent in October to 9.8 percent last month. The national unemployment rate for November also was 9.8 percent.

Officials note Ohio unemployment has now fallen for eight months in a row since hitting a 26-year high of 11 percent in March.

The number of unemployed workers in Ohio dropped to 579,000 last month, from 588,000 in October. Officials say the number has gone down by 58,000 in the past 12 months.

The state’s nonfarm payroll employment also fell in November, by 7,800.

In a prepared statement on Dec. 17, Governor Ted Strickland said, “For the first time since December 2002, Ohio’s unemployment rate is not higher than the national unemployment rate. And Ohio is one of only two states that have seen our unemployment rate move in the right direction for eight straight months. We weathered the global economic recession by living within our means and through investments and policies to create jobs and support our great middle class. Ohio’s economy is positioned for growth because we’ve built a strong foundation for our future.”

The Rockets football team hopes to serve its opponent with a loss in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl later this month – but first, several players gathered in Downtown Toledo to serve pizza to the homeless.

The Little Caesars Love Kitchen, an 18-wheeled big-rig with a kitchen inside, rolled up to the Cherry Street Mission on Dec. 17 and volunteers from the University of Toledo, including Coach Tim Beckman and five members of the UT football team, served freshly made pizza to about 250 people.

Rockets players volunteering at Cherry Street Mission

The Love Kitchen travels across the U.S. and Canada delivering complimentary pizza to those in need, including the hungry, the homeless and disaster victims. It has fed more than two million people in 48 states and four Canadian provinces since 1985, and has served pizza at disaster sites such as Hurricane Katrina, the World Trade Center on 9/11, and the floods in North Dakota and Iowa.

All dough and toppings are donated by local Little Ceasars franchises and are prepared and cooked inside the truck by local Little Caesars employees before being served by local volunteers.

“Little Caesars has a big history of giving back to the community,” said local franchisee Mike Wrobel. “When you can give back, it’s great to be able to do so and the Love Kitchen is a great way to do that.”

Also serving at the Toledo event were Beckman’s wife, Kim, and son, Tyler; UT football players Jared Strait, Diauntae Morrow, Isaiah Ballard, Adonis Thomas and Colin McHugh; UT Athletic Director Mike O’Brien; and several other UT administration officials.

The Toledo stop came in recognition of UT’s appearance in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl as well as to help raise awareness of the importance of giving back to the Toledo community. The nationally televised matchup against Florida International University (FIU) is set for 8:30 p.m. Dec. 26 at Ford Field in Detroit. The game will broadcast live on ESPN.

Dave Fox, who drove the Love Kitchen to Toledo from a similar event near FIU just days earlier, said the temperatures in Miami were in the 30s, same as Toledo, and “people were freaking out a little.”

“It’s important for us to support and give back to the communities where we do business,” said Little Caesars President and CEO David Scrivano in a news release. “We are proud to be working with our franchisees to provide a hot pizza meal to those in need in Toledo.”

One person served by Coach Beckman was Clyne Wyley of Toledo, who said he was a fan of the Rockets.

“They’re my team,” Wyley said.

Darrick Carr of Toledo said he was thankful for the meal.

“I saw a big pizza truck out there and I came right over,” Carr said. “Pizza and free – that’s a good combination.”

Beckman said his players are required to do five hours of community service during the off-season and two hours during football season.

“These guys have all reached that; they’re just doing a little extra today,” Beckman said. “I think it’s just part of building a student-athlete.”

Strait said he enjoyed serving pizza: “It lets you know how truly blessed we are.”

Despite the “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore” reaction to the proposed utility rate increases by some Toledo residents, the window is about to be shut for several years.
Tom Crothers, the director of the Department of Public Utilities (DPU), and his staff did an excellent job in selling the reasons for the increase to our local media. They reported the city’s reasons why the utility rate increase for water, sanitary sewer and storm water by Toledo was felt to be needed.
Only a few dozen residents showed up at the hearings to protest the rate increases; more commented on news websites, Facebook and local blogs. While it’s clear members of the Bell administration follow what’s being discussed on the Internet, all that was offered was a reduction in the amount of the increase sought by .9 percent per year for water and sewer costs.
Citizens have demonstrated that for the most part, they will rant and complain but the manner in which they do so doesn’t often net results. This also creates a scenario where our elected members of Council give acquiescent acceptance rather than risk the possibility of standing alone.
Is this a situation where those who are elected are making an unpopular decision because they know it’s in our best interest? Utility rates are usually sought every four years. Few could disagree with the need for an increase — it is the amount of the increase that gives some pause.
Councilman D. Michael Collins’ phrase, “is it a want or a need?” has been repeated by other members of Council, with most appearing to agree this is a “need.” The deeper question of “where will it go?” remains publicly unanswered.
Left unanswered is the financial management of the DPU funds, especially when it comes to non-DPU positions being funded from DPU revenue. Left unanswered is the planned purchases of equipment that the city has a long history of leasing or using contractors for.
Also left unanswered is what impact did the differences in water rates charged to other areas contribute to the lack of revenue for Toledo. We are told the blame for creating the need for such a high rate increase lies with the previous administration, even though a number of staff worked for both recent mayors and selected discounted water rates have happened under this administration.
At the Dec. 14 Toledo City Council agenda review meeting, Mayor Mike Bell requested that Council remove the utility rate increase legislation from committee.
“One of the reasons that I think it is important to do, sooner than later, is that it does not get any cheaper and I know that everybody’s looking for a cheaper way to do this, but there is not a cheaper way to do this,” he said. “I’ve listened, and I’ve listened pretty intently for the last 30 days or so of people talking about this and not wanting it. I think that it’s pretty succinct that it takes four things to actually live; one of them is air, you stop that, you stop breathing in five minutes, water most likely about a week, food about two weeks and shelter you need that, so we’re talking about a key component of what we  need to be able to survive, just to live here in this city and I don’t think we want to jeopardize that portion of it so, we need you to move forward with this.”
There was no discussion beyond a point of order raised by Councilman Mike Craig.  This means the utility rate increase will be marked “Item likely to be relieved from committee” on the agenda for the Dec. 21 Toledo City Council meeting.
If you don’t support the utility rate increase being sought or if you still have questions, your time to act may be ending soon. If relieved from committee, this could be voted on and approved as early as Dec. 21.
Just talking about how mad we are or waiting for someone else to do something is not going to give us a better government.

Toledo Free Press contributor Lisa Renee Ward operates the political blog GlassCityJungle.com.

Editor’s note: Toledo Free Press will follow the Blank family of Millbury for the next year as they rebuild their lives after a June 5 tornado destroyed their Main Street home.

The Blanks are planning to spend Christmas at son Eddie’s house.
It is the first time the kids won’t come to their home for the holidays, but it made sense because Ed, Julie and Casey Blank are moving into their new house Dec. 17.
“We are doing Christmas at our house on Christmas morning. We used to do it at the old house, but this year with all the chaos, we are doing it at our house,” Eddie said.
Later that day, the Blanks will celebrate Christmas at Julie’s sister’s house, because it is her turn. The families switch every other year.
Julie said she’s not sure if she will decorate the new house for Christmas because nobody will be visiting. She usually likes to decorate the week before Thanksgiving and take everything down shortly after Christmas.
“It will depend if we get in there by the weekend and have everything put away and if I feel like it,” Julie said.
Eddie said it will be nice to get everyone together for Christmas and have space to move. Ever since the June 5 tornado destroyed his dad and stepmom’s house, they have lived in an Oregon condo.
“Words cannot describe how beautiful the [new] house is,” Eddie said. “Rigg Builders deserves tons of credit. It is amazing how quickly they put the house together.”
Family patriarch Ed said it won’t be long before family and friends are invited to the new house.
“We will have our kids over for Sunday dinner and we will invite our friends over.”
Ed said even though the house is on the same property, it “definitely feels brand-new.”
The inside of their house has taken on a new look. It is a lot more colorful. The solid oak has been replaced with colonial white. Many of the ideas were inspired by their friends’ houses.
“When you build a house, three and five years after you build, you think, ‘What a clever idea. I wish we would have done that,’” Ed said. “It is a tough way to make the changes.”

“I hope we shall … crush in its birth the aristocracy of moneyed corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country.”
— Thomas Jefferson, 1816

Just a comment from one of our Founding Fathers. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same, huh?  The difference now, however, is those “moneyed corporations” own the government, lock, stock and barrel.
If you’re not in the top 2 percent or so, they own you, too. The past election showed us that the Democratic Party is just way too disillusioned to bother to go vote, I guess. Now they are about to find out just what havoc their malaise has wreaked on them and our country. This, of course, also includes the regular dupes that buy into the lies and deception foisted by the Republican Party, which fools them into thinking that they are looking out for their best interests.
Meanwhile, the real millionaires and billionaires continue to reap their unjust rewards unabated. Trust me when I tell you that when the top 1 percent of the population makes more than the bottom 90 percent of the country and controls 24 percent of our nation’s wealth, that this is not healthy. The last time things were this out of whack, the outcome was the Great Depression.
Meanwhile, back in Bizarro World, the GOP is holding the entire government hostage until we give the rich even more relief! The hell with the 15 million or so unemployed, of whom 2 million will run out of benefits by the New Year. Never in the history of the country since the Great Depression has Congress failed to pass relief for the unemployed in times of massive unemployment.
The GOP deficit sob-sisters cry that we can’t afford the $58 billion that it would cost to extend benefits for another year, but are willing to hold all the country’s business hostage, while fighting to add nearly $700 billion to the deficit to give the wealthy tax breaks worth more than probably 90 percent of the people reading this make in years. This will do nothing to create enough jobs to even begin to alleviate the unemployment and will put paying for it on the backs of our children, grandchildren and maybe even our great grandchildren. Don’t worry though; we’ll make it up by gutting every program that benefits the rest of us. Just for good measure, we’ll change the estate tax so that the heirs of obscene wealth will get theirs, too. We’ll put out some drivel about protecting small businesses and poor farmers, even though less than 3 percent of them would qualify. None of this would contribute a cent to improving our crumbling infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the American businesses in this country continue to sit on $2 trillion in assets that could be used to create jobs. The top 25 hedge fund managers will earn, on average, $1 billion this year, and thanks to their buddies in Congress, will pay taxes at a reduced 15 percent rate thanks to a loophole that taxes it at the capital gains rate.
My question is: When is it our turn for relief? The taxpayers are the first to be tapped to bail them out when these companies screw up and the last to be considered in times of need. That’s messed up. Is this the new “American Way?”
And finally, we’ll check in on the Lehman Loony who we just elected governor. As previously stated, I’m going to be continually asking “Where’s the jobs?” This week, John Kasich turned down $400 million to build a high-speed rail system in Ohio, by using outdated figures to ridicule it as a 39 mph boondoggle. This cost Ohio between 6,000 and 10,000 new jobs. He did, however recommit himself to a race to the bottom in Ohio by promising to basically cut the wages of anyone in the state who makes a decent hourly wage. So far, we’re at a net loss of 6,000 to 1,0000 thousand jobs, and he hasn’t even been sworn in yet. He appears to be content to turn Ohio into a backwater state in order to help his friends. “It’s going to be fantastic!”

E-mail columnist Don Burnard at letters@toledofreepress.com.

Four on the floor has a new meaning in basketball. Well, at least for the Harlem Globetrotters and the Washington Generals.
Each team will be able to launch four-point shots this season.
“Some people say all the Globetrotters can do is dunk,” Tay “Firefly” Fisher said. “We have a lot of great shooters; we have a lot of great ball players. And we feel like this would be a great time for us to show our ability to not only continue to do what we’ve been doing for the last 85 consecutive years, but to also show off our shooting ability.

'Firefly' Fisher

“There’s no better way to show it but to add this four-point shot and show the difficulties of it and show how often we can make them. Right now, we’re all practicing, just getting ready, so we can come out there on December 28.”
The Globetrotters will play a double-header against the Generals at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 28 at the Huntington Center. Prices range from $16 to $125.
“[The four-point shot areas are] going to be two 4-foot circles on each side of the court. They’ll be in between the three-point line and the half-court line, 35 feet from the basket,” Fisher explained. “The NBA three-point line is about 24 feet, so this is a significant difference from the NBA three-point line; it’s a very difficult shot.
“It’s only going to be activated at the three-minute mark of every quarter,” the 5-foot-9-inch guard said. “If we hit a lot of these shots, it’ll open the floor for us and they’re going to have to respect them; therefore, I’ll be able to showcase my dribble a little bit more.”
Fisher brings firepower to the court. The Globetrotters noticed his sharp-shooting skills during his senior year at Siena College when he led the Saints to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season and post-season titles and an upset over Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Fisher shot 44.4 percent from three-point range as a senior.
“I had a really good year with Siena in 2008 when we went to the NCAA Tournament and I was on CBS and I did really well. [The Globetrotters] just followed me from there,” he said. “They just happened to call me and told me they were interested, asked me how I felt about it, and they then invited me to a tryout where they could meet me personally. I didn’t look back from there.
“Everything just worked the way it was supposed to, which leads me to right now being with the team for a second year.”
The team had no trouble coming up with his nickname.
“I’m one of the shortest players on the team. They say I’m quick and I light it up as soon as I get on the court,” said Fisher, who also is known for his bright smile.
What’s the best part of being a Globetrotter?
“Besides traveling the world, seeing different cultures, meeting new people, I have to say it’s just seeing the smiles on people’s faces after the game,” Fisher said.
“I can’t think of a better situation to be in at the age of 24 than doing what I’m doing so far; it’s great, I love it.”

The Cherry Street Legacy Plan, a community partnership designed to create a stronger and safer neighborhood, has been added to The Plan Commission’s Toledo 20/20 Comprehensive Plan.

The project is a public and private partnership led by Mercy St. Vincent’s with collaboration from the community and City of Toledo.

“I think we have 155 years investment in this community and the way we see it is this is a mission imperative—our mission is to advance the health of our community,” said John T. Schaeufele, president and CEO of Mercy Children’s Hospital. “Plus a positive interaction between us and our neighborhoods clearly improves the environment for everyone involved.”

The partnership is a positive example of what can be done when the public and private sectors find ways to collaborate, said Mayor Mike Bell.

The Cherry Street Legacy Plan has already been working within the community for a couple of months. As part of the plan Mercy has worked with the city to pass legislation to provide more lighting in the neighborhood as well as resurface Bancroft Street, Schaeufele said.

The Legacy Plan has also worked with the Department of Neighborhoods to focus on the demolition of vacant homes around Scott High School, said Karen Rogalski, Cherry Street Legacy coordinator.

“It’s helped clean out and stabilize the neighborhood as well as support the investment that is already going in,” Rogalski said.

The plan has already helped the city identify and demolish 30 vacant homes in the area surrounding St. Vincent.

In addition to working with the government the Cherry Street Legacy Plan has worked directly with citizens providing space for block watch meetings at Mercy as well as providing off duty policing.

“Knowing that we have a permanent space and are not turning around having to move, everyone feels great because they know where they need to be every meeting,” said Carole Martin, co-leader the area block watch.

St. Vincent has also assisted the block watch print informational fliers and help the neighborhood identify hot spots of criminal activity.

The plan is something that will help change the perception of the neighborhood and change it back to a place that is “safe, livable and marketable,” said Gregory Kane, co-leader of the block watch who also sits on the Cherry Street Legacy board.

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How do you know when you are in love? Is it love at first sight or is it a gradual falling head over heels?

“How Do You Know,” out now in theaters nationwide, attempts to highlight the search for love.

The latest rom-com by James L. Brooks, the Academy Award-winning director of “Terms of Endearment,” perfectly portrays the serendipity of love and entropy of life.

The film opens by following athlete Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) from a childhood love of softball to a career made out of it. At 31, Lisa begins the next phase of her life. Here enters George (Paul Rudd), who finds himself in financial crisis and under investigation by the federal government. Both protagonists soon find themselves in a love triangle with Lisa’s current rich athlete beau Matty (Owen Wilson).

In the dénouement, Lisa must decide between sweet and quirky George and self-centered ladies man Matty. The end decision may be important for some audience members, but the journey to that moment is the best part.

There are quiet moments throughout the movie where Rudd and Witherspoon shine. Whether they’re looking into each other’s eyes or talking on the phone, the chemistry is nearly tangible. Rudd’s character quirks are also endearing.

Jack Nicholson’s role as George’s father is a well-written complex relationship between father and son. Tony Shalhoub’s quick cameo as a psychiatrist is well-played and enjoyable.

The film is beautifully shot and edited. “How Do You Know” is great for a date or a matinee.

***/5

“How Do You Know” is rated PG-13 for sexual content and some strong language.