Due to a postal mix-up, I have been receiving letters originally directed to another overweight guy with a white beard. Unlike “Miracle of 34th Street,” these deliveries do not, however, constitute irrefutable proof that I’m the one, the only … well, you know. I did receive a pleasant note from the real big guy though, after forwarding these efforts on to him. (We often visit near year’s end to compare diet goals and white beard grooming tricks). He said that if any of them seemed amusing, I had permission to use them.

I have been looking at a stack of letters I purposely set aside — Santa letters sent by and on behalf of members of Toledo’s government.

A membership to Toastmasters was on a list for Councilman Phil Copeland. Evidently an improvement in public speaking skills is seen not only as a gift to Mr. Copeland’s future in politics as Lucas County Recorder, where he will have to speak for an entire agency, but also a gift in time and translation for the local media and his co-workers, no matter what capacity he serves in.

Speaking of enhancements, there were requests for Santa to bring Councilman Steve Steel a gift certificate for self-defense lessons. I guess many still feel that if he’s going to insist on fighting outside of his weight class, giving him the gift of some martial arts techniques (maybe even ninja skills) might come in handy. There was likewise no shock over requests for adding the book “Basic Debate, Student Edition” to his stocking.

Speaking of books and stockings, there were letters to put a special copy of the Toledo City Charter in Councilman Tyrone Riley’s fireplace-hung footwear. It would be special because Santa would ensure that areas regarding conflict of interest and abstaining in a vote of council were highlighted.

Tom Waniewski

There were a number of requests for a gift for Tom Waniewski as well. Santa has been asked to deliver a few more people with math skills and common sense to join him on Council. Apparently the hope in such a gift is to slow down the juggernaut of regulation, taxation and funding allocation that seems to be running rampant through Council these days. Mr. Waniewski is a Republican, however, and has therefore been on the Naughty List for some time. Despite putting a good word in for him in my North Pole missive, it’s likely he’ll see little beyond a lump of coal.

Many thought that D. Michael Collins had received his present from Santa early, when media nemesis Brian Wilson left the airwaves at 1370 WSPD. Apparently, this was not the only item on his list. My favorites were a Junior Detective Kit for his investigations and a spotlight that could be mounted in council chambers to shine on him whenever he speaks.

Speaking of multiple requests and multiple gifts, there is evidently a groundswell effort using missives to Santa to get Lindsay Webb a whole park. Evidently the thought is that if she had a park of her own, named after her, and with night basketball and swimming programs going on there year-round, she’d leave the rest of the city alone. The word I heard from the North Pole is that you have to be really nice to get such a special gift, and that Councilwoman Webb has been, at best, substantially compliant.

Young Councilman Adam Martinez is also someone who has multiple item requests to Santa. The first is for a really good day planner under his tree. Having missed several Council meetings in 2012 after missing 19 in 2011, I guess he or someone on his behalf figured a better way of tracking his schedule might be of benefit.

George Sarantou

Councilman George Sarantou is asking for one of those Charles Atlas kits that you used to see in the comic books. A longtime member of City Council who is about to be term-limited out, Mr. Sarantou has run for higher office more than once, and each time had a bit of sand kicked in his face. Considered a 97-pound weakling, mostly because of his affiliation with a county Republican Party that weighs even less, this latest soul-sucking loss to a far less qualified candidate in Councilman Phil Copeland for the County Recorder’s office was apparently the last straw in sending off the request. Expect Councilman Sarantou to do a lot of heavy lifting before announcing another effort for higher office.

The most interesting of the letters that I saw was from Councilwoman Paula Hicks-Hudson. It seems that she was sent Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak and has had a heck of a time getting anyone to notice her ever since. She was writing to the North Pole to ask why she had been sent the cloak in the first place, and if it might be possible for Santa to take it back without holding it against her. There are rumors (and I’m not saying about who) that certain members of Council sent letters to Santa on her behalf, as they were unwilling to share the limited limelight of Council meetings with her.

The letters for Councilman Rob Ludeman were rather unique. He has been on City Council for a long time and was even president for a while, but Mr. Ludeman has seemed inconsistent over the years, sometimes seeming like a Republican and sometimes like a Democrat. This voting record seems to have left the Councilman (much like the local Republican Party that endorses him) stuck on the political Island of Misfit Toys from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Unlike “Survivor,” this made-for-TV island is one he wouldn’t mind some help from Santa in being voted off.

Mike Craig

I looked for a letter to Santa mentioning Councilman Mike Craig, but couldn’t find one. Apparently when you are a former civil servant and now a public servant who has a strong family and union background, including service as a UAW union steward, there’s nothing that Santa can bring you that unions and the Lucas County Democratic Party can’t. There were rumors that Mr. Craig writes no letters because he found out that the elves refused to organize, but I haven’t been able to confirm that locally or at the North Pole.

Santa seems to have found only one request for City Council’s President Joe McNamara in the letters he’s received. While Mr. McNamara’s young political career seems as well-favored as anyone’s, he may be suffering from comparisons to another local Democratic politician of youthful appearance and legal training who once put his political stamp on Toledo.  By now most of you realize that Mr. McNamara might in fact be suffering from “Konop Regional Antipathy Problems.” As it did for the original victim and long-time carrier, this condition can doom even the best political efforts of a candidate, no matter how well-intentioned the ideas or well-connected the family. Santa tells me that regardless of being on the Nice list (after all, he’s not an evil Republican), there may be problems even Santa can’t fix with a box and a bow.

Last, but not least, Mayor Mike Bell didn’t have a lot on his list this year, but there have been a couple of requests on his behalf to get the Ghostbusters in town to service One Government Center. Like Ebenezer in “A Christmas Carol,” the mayor may have been recently haunted by the spirits of former mayors Jack Ford and Carty Finkbeiner (both now asking Santa to put Mr. Ford in Phil Copeland’s soon-to-be-vacant Council seat).

These efforts are not so much hauntings, as attempted demonic possessions. There’s now concern that the fiscally conservative practices from early in Mr. Bell’s term have been taken over by the spendthrift “three-card monte” spending that his predecessors were famous for. I’m told that such things may be beyond even the ability of Santa, but that he’s at least trying to arrange a visit by Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Harold Ramis for the pilot for their new reality show, “Celebrity Exorcism.”

Tim Higgins blogs at justblowingsmoke.blogspot.com.

Tags: Adam Martinez, Brian Wilson, Carty Finkbeiner, D. Michael Collins, George Sarantou, Jack Ford, Joe McNamara, Just Blowing Smoke, Lindsay Webb, Mike Bell, Paula Hicks-Hudson, Phil Copeland, Rob Ludeman, Steve Steel, Tim Higgins, Toledo City Council, Tom Waniewski, Tyrone Riley

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 20th, 2012 at 4:03 pm and is filed under Featured, Just Blowing Smoke, Opinion.
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Disclaimer: The Toledo Free Press takes no responsibility for the insanely mixed metaphors in the following piece.

Sporting events have always been a favorite in the Glass City, whether we’re talking about the college-level efforts at UT or the more professional ones of the Mud Hens and Walleye. This goes a long way to explain the considerable amounts expended to provide top-line venues at the Glass Bowl, Fifth-Third Field and the Huntington Center. In recent days however, a surprising one might have been added to that list, as One Government Center saw its debut with a political multisport event.

Play began innocently enough when Mayor Mike Bell sought to raise the ranges of pay (not the pay itself) for some of the city’s nonunion employees; pointing out that the last time that range had been increased was back in 1998. Now such an opening move would not normally be regarded as good first play call, coming at a time when the city has seen some preliminary bouts of budget balancing with labor unions that came out as little more than a draw. Since raises for politicians are never a popular opening gambit to those in the stands, few would have seen this as a time for a relative newcomer to turn it into a pugilistic opportunity.

Fate however, occasionally allows a hitter with an 0-2 count a big, fat hanging curve ball to take a swing at. Such was the delivery from City Councilman Steve Steel in his attempt to send Mayor Bell to the dugout, cap in hand. Not many realized this however, when he proposed an ethics pledge to the mayor not to accept campaign contributions from those same city employees whose salary range the mayor was asking to increase. Fellow Democratic Councilman and Council President Joe McNamara (Bell is an independent) even attempted to hold a block for Steel, saying to 13ABC of such contributions, “It’s not illegal, but it’s shabby to accept money from who he can hire and fire.”

Failing to recognize that this was not the mayor’s first rodeo, both could only watch open-jawed as the mayor returned this weak serve with a solid cross court volley. Instead of the expected prevent defense, Bell in fact blitzed his opponents, firing back to Steel that “his proposal was an excellent one, but I thought it went a little short.” Assuming a seasoned poker face, he saw their employee contributions and raised them “all in” with a city ordinance that would prohibit candidates from taking contributions from current city employees, their family members or the bargaining units that represent city employees.

Now Councilman Steel came from the more rarefied intellectual atmosphere of the Toledo Board of Education (wait, is that a contradiction in terms?); so he might be forgiven for attempting to move the play toward the more elitist sport of fox hunting by (as reported by WSPD) calling the mayor’s play a “red herring” (red herring were used to fool fox hunting dogs while training them to properly track scent). Calling it a “diversion” however, was in fact little more than a diversion itself or, maybe more accurately, fumbling the ball. Since it was Councilman Steel who brought the whole thing up in the first place, going further by calling it “an SB5 like attack” might even be considered a personal foul for piling on.

Being an appointed at-large Councilman, Steven Steel may now have a different sport to begin training for, that of political back-pedaling (amateur, of course, if he ever hopes to make the Olympic team) as he attempts fundraising and running for election. Even at this early stage of his athletic career though, he might take heed from Lance Armstrong and avoid potential contact with substances like steroids and testosterone that promise potential fame and glory, but can shorten even the most promising career.

As for the proposal and counterproposal on political contribution restrictions by the mayor and council, it’s possible that a lively debate might ensue, but it’s far more likely that it will end faster than a three up, three down inning. Anything passed probably would face a court challenge that was largely decided by “Citizens United.” Money was deemed free speech, and neither City Council nor the mayor can go toe-to-toe with the Supreme Court and expect to win.

As for Councilman Steel, he might also want to be more careful in picking his future bouts and opponents. He would probably fare better next time fighting in his weight class (no offense Mayor Bell, I’m talking experience, not mass). He might also want to seek some minor medical attention. I’m sure that I’m not the only one that noticed a little fluid leaking from his face recently. He did after all, get tagged.

Tags: Joe McNamara, Just Blowing Smoke, Mike Bell, Steve Steel, Tim Higgins, Toledo City Council

This entry was posted on Friday, August 31st, 2012 at 8:00 am and is filed under Just Blowing Smoke, Opinion.
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A few thoughts as summer winds down:

Navy Week: Major kudos should be offered to the success of Navy Week. Five ships and more than 500 service men and women docked in Toledo from Aug. 20-27, offering ship tours, musical performances by military bands and opportunities to interact with servicemembers, who could be seen in their dress whites walking through Downtown, cheering at Mud Hens games and soaking up the city’s appreciation for their sacrifices.

It was a tremendous sight, seeing people waiting in line to visit the USS De Wert and the Royal Canadian Navy’s HMCS Ville de Québec at Maritime Plaza while the USS Hurricane, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay and the historic U.S. Brig Niagara, a replica of the War of 1812 flagship, docked at International Park near the SS Col. James M. Schoonmaker.

Toledo reportedly drew bigger crowds for the event than even Chicago and Milwaukee. It would be a wonderful benefit to the region to host Navy Week again in 2013.

Glass City: Libbey Inc. signed a 15-year lease to keep its global headquarters at Edison Plaza in Downtown Toledo. The State of Ohio will give Libbey a $1 million grant for capital improvements and a $200,000 grant for workforce training.

Libbey has also extended its lease with Toledo for its Libbey Glass Factory Outlet store at the Erie Street Market and its lease for the Libbey Glass Showroom at 335 N. St. Clair St.

This is a strong commitment from the State of Ohio to Libbey, and from Libbey to the City of Toledo. Libbey is one of those companies closely linked to Toledo, so it is exciting to see that its relationship with the Glass City will continue.

Steel grandstands: Toledo City Councilman and critical thinker Steve Steel may have thought he was putting a box around Mayor Mike Bell when he arrogantly demanded the mayor sign an ethics pledge (in the wake of proposed staff wage raises) promising to not accept campaign donations from employees. He must have been surprised by the mayor’s response, which fired back the idea of not only banning donations from employees, but calling for all elected city officials to also decline donations from unions.

Steel had the legs cut out from under his grandstanding gesture by the Bell administration’s response, and it was not surprising to see his red-faced reaction at the Aug. 28 Counil meeting, nor was it surprising that Council chose to not act, but passed the issue to an unscheduled committee.

Why Steel chose to throw his stone at the glass house he also lives in is amusing and puzzling, but it earned a quick slap back from Bell and his team. Toledo City Council has no right to dictate to people who they choose to support with their cash; with so many bigger issues facing the city, Steel’s proposal was the true red herring of the week.

Leading Edge: If you’re looking for insightful commentary from local newsmakers, tune in to Jerry Anderson’s WTOL-11 television show “Leading Edge,” Sundays at 11 a.m.

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

Tags: Jerry Anderson, Libbey Inc. City of Toledo, Mike Bell, Navy Week, Publisher's Statement, Steve Steel, Tom Pounds

This entry was posted on Friday, August 31st, 2012 at 12:00 am and is filed under Opinion, Publisher's Statement.
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Toledo City Council reversed its decision to deny the Nexus Academy of Toledo a special use permit to locate Downtown.

Council voted 10-2 in favor of the school during a special meeting Aug. 7.

The college preparatory program, which will blend classroom and online work, will be on the fourth floor of One Lake Erie Center at 600 Jefferson St.

Last week, Council members Lindsay Webb, Phil Copeland, Steve Steel and Adam Martinez voted against issuing the permit, with Steel citing concerns about the proximity of the school to convenience stores.

But County Plan Commission Director Tom Lemon told Council members that typical spacing requirements regarding schools and convenience stores do not apply in the Downtown entertainment district, where Nexus Academy of Toledo seeks to locate.

Council reconsidered last week’s vote because Councilman Tyrone Riley abstained, which violated a Council rule that prohibits abstentions unless the Council member has a conflict of interest. Riley originally told Toledo Free Press  he thought he had a conflict of interest because he had prior business arrangements with a client in an adjacent building.

He later called back to say he had made a mistake and that he had not understood the Council rule. He said he thought at the time of the vote that both sides had compelling arguments.

After this realization, he wanted the chance to vote on the subject.

His vote in favor helped to turn the decision around, along with votes of approval from Paula Hicks-Hudson, Phil Copeland and Adam Martinez. Martinez said he approved the permit this time after meeting with school officials and learning that they decided to appoint supervisors in the student parking lot, as well as to and from the TARTA station. Originally, there was no supervision plan, Martinez said. Hicks-Hudson was not present during last week’s vote.

Steel again voted no and addressed comments that Councilman Tom Waniewski made last week about Council “vilifying” carryouts.

“This isn’t Steve Steel vilifying convenience stores and saying schools shouldn’t be by them,” Steel said. “This is municipal code saying that.”

Steel cited a portion of municipal code that states: “In reviewing and making decisions on proposed special uses, review and decision making bodies must consider at least the following factors:  whether the proposed use is compatible with adjacent uses in terms of scale, site design and operating characteristics (hours of operation, traffic generation, lighting, noise, odor, dust and other impacts associated with the uses operation).”

“In considering that, it isn’t Steve Steel that says that there’s an incompatibility between convenience stores and schools… it’s Toledo Municipal Code and the spacing requirements that Council put into code that would indicate that there is incompatibility,” Steel said.

Typical spacing requirements prohibit convenience stores from locating within 1,000 feet of “schools, parks, libraries, licensed day cares or children oriented uses.” In 2009, Council made an exception for community entertainment districts, which includes the area where Nexus Academy of Toledo plans to open.

Addressing the exemption, Steel said the rule was intended to concentrate some of the “adult-oriented venues.”

Steel, a former Toledo Public Schools Board of Education president, also dismissed any assumptions that his decision had anything to do with opinions about charter schools. Councilman Rob Ludeman told Toledo Free Press last week that, “Some Council members used their vote to express their disdain for charter schools in general and to me that’s just wrong.”

Steel has voted in favor of special use permits for other charter schools.

The school, which is slated to open in the fall, will take between 250 and 300 students and employ a school leader, four full-time teachers, three full-time “success coaches,” a part-time special education teacher, a guidance counselor, a secretary and a personal trainer.

Tags: Caitlin McGlade, Nexus Academy of Toledo, Rob Ludeman, Steve Steel, Toledo City Council, Tom Waniewski

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 7th, 2012 at 5:12 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.
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One week after a report described Toledo as one of “America’s Emptiest Cities,” Toledo City Council showed the world why there is more motivation to leave the city than there is to invest here. In a stunning and arrogant vote July 31, Council failed to approve the Nexus Academy of Toledo’s request to open a charter school Downtown.

Council voted 6-4 to deny permission to Nexus, owned by the national company Connections Education, to open a charter school on the fourth floor of One Lake Erie Center, 600 Jefferson Ave.

The decision bolsters every impression that Toledo is not business friendly and will undoubtedly discourage untold other enterprises from considering investing in Downtown.

Led by Toledo Public Schools loyalist Steve Steel, fellow shortsighted and insensate Council members Lindsay Webb, Phil Copeland and Adam Martinez voted against the special-use permit that would have allowed Nexus to open. Paula Hicks-Hudson was on vacation. Tyrone Riley chose to abstain, which sealed the charter school’s fate.

Council rules state that “A member abstaining at a regularly scheduled Council Meeting shall do so only in the event of a conflict of interest.” Riley gave no such reason, and in fact, on July 3, voted in favor of waiving the minimum 30-day period for the special-use permit Nexus was seeking. If Riley had a conflict, why did he vote for that ordinance on July 3?

Riley told Toledo Free Press on Aug. 1 he had a “prior business arrangement with a business adjacent to that property (the restaurant Our Brothers Place) and I wanted to avoid any type of impropriety or the appearance of impropriety. If I voted one way or the other, it may give someone the impression that I was trying to protect one of the local establishments.”

Riley said he voted for the 30-day waiver July 3 because, “I was still in this prior business arrangement with one of the adjacent properties at the time and I just didn’t realize that may be a conflict.”

But he later added, “I made a mistake in not completely understanding this rule of Council. My vote was inconsistent. I didn’t have a complete handle on the rule of Council. Both sides had compelling arguments and I was thinking, ‘OK,’ they’re both compelling,’ and I just abstained and that was a mistake on my part.”

Steel claimed the special-use permit should be denied because the Nexus Academy location would be within 1,000 feet of convenience stores. But before the vote, Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commission Director Tom Lemon told Council that because the building Nexus wanted to locate is within an entertainment district, the spacing requirements regarding convenience stores would not apply.

Ignoring that simple fact, Steel, Webb, Copeland, Martinez — and passively, Riley — voted against jobs, education and development.

“Some of [the charter schools] that are in that core Downtown area have been there since longer than I was voting, certainly. We should be very cautious about it whenever you have kids that are walking around a bunch of adult-oriented establishments,” Steel told Toledo Free Press on Aug. 1. “I have voted yes on special-use permits for charter schools. I would have the same objection if TPS wanted to go in. It has to do with children, a lot of kids going to and from school are unsupervised. That’s why we have coding in the law about adult-oriented establishments.”

“The spacing requirement for carryouts is bogus to begin with. We’ve vilified carryouts and now, by association, we’ve vilified schools that want to go near carryouts,” Councilman Tom Waniewski told Toledo Free Press on Aug. 1. “Here’s a charter school that wants to do business and we’re saying, ‘Mmm, you can’t because there are carryouts around.’ If you just came here from another planet and you didn’t know my colleagues on Council, you might be scratching your head saying, ‘What are you talking about?’

“We’ve got people on City Council who have no concept of business and are merely voting for stupid reasons. The other stupid reason is some of them on Council have a bias against charter schools so they are too intricately tied to TPS and are afraid of the competition.

“A recent study showed we are one of the poorest cities to do business with. This adds to that. Why are we telling businesses how to run their business? Selling [cigarettes and alcohol] to minors is illegal, so let’s enforce those laws that we have rather than create these artificial pieces of duct tape. We’re not the morals police.”

These four Council members also sent the message that they believe Downtown Toledo is not a safe place for students attending school. This despite the healthy attendance at Toledo School for the Arts and other Downtown charter schools, not to mention the thousands of students bused Downtown each season to Fifth Third Field and Imagination Station.

If they believe that, perhaps they should spend more time improving that situation than blocking viable business development.

“Some Council members used their vote to express their disdain for charter schools in general and to me that’s just wrong,” Councilman Rob Ludeman told Toledo Free Press on Aug. 1. “Charter schools are allowed by Ohio law and as long as they meet all the zoning requirements we should allow them to go in. It’s a huge component of the economic development of Downtown.

“It’s a slap in the face to them and the business community Downtown. They apparently just didn’t listen to the planning commissioner director. There are other charter schools in the Downtown entertainment district already; how do you pick and choose? That’s just not right.

“When it came time for the vote, Tyrone Riley abstained. We have a Council rule that you can’t abstain unless you have a direct association with that entity and he has no connection to this charter school so the least he should have done is voted. They all just looked at me with blank faces when I read the rule. I was on Council when we put that in place because it was getting ridiculous how many people didn’t want to make a decision on things. You are elected to make a decision,” Ludeman said.

It’s almost as if these myopic Council members want to see Downtown fail; certainly, nothing in this decision shows any understanding of the facts or ramifications surrounding this vote.

Voters are right to ask, “What are these people thinking?”

Rebecca Booth, a spokesperson for Nexus, which has advertised in these pages, was gracious after the vote.

“We believe that this is just one step in a series of steps toward opening a charter school. We believe in our blended learning environment and we still think that we’ve got a great location to help out our students, so we’re moving forward hoping that we can still open in the fall,” she told Toledo Free Press on Aug. 1. “Everything is all up in the air but we’re exploring all possibilities. We were surprised [by the vote]. We go back to this just being part of the process. Sometimes you’re going to hit a hurdle and sometimes you’re not.”

At the same session, Council approved special-use permits for three other schools outside Downtown — all of which are reportedly located near convenience stores or bars. Ironically, as construction on the school had already started, Steel, Webb, Copeland, Martinez — and passively, Riley — have, for now, put union construction workers out of a job.

They have also potentially opened Council and the city to legal action. Even if the case never sees a day in court, a different kind of jury is watching this dysfunction and will return its own verdict, one that will continue to stymie efforts of growth and development in our hurting, increasingly troubled city.

Riley said he will change his vote to “yes” if Council reconsiders the vote, which it will apparently do on Aug. 7. That can only be proposed by Steel, Webb, Copeland or Martinez. There is an opportunity for redemption in the midst of this mess. But if any these Council members choose to let the vote stand and deny Riley his opportunity to revote, they should be painted as the aspiring statists they are — and the business community should rally to make sure they are voted out of office at the earliest opportunity.

Tags: Adam Martinez, Lindsay Webb, Nexus Academy, Paula Hicks-Hudson, Phil Copeland, Publisher's Statement, Rob Ludeman, Steve Steel, Toledo City Council, Tom Lemon, Tom Pounds, Tom Waniewski, Tyrone Riley

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 2nd, 2012 at 6:35 pm and is filed under Featured, Opinion, Publisher's Statement.
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Don Zellers considers himself the typical Toledo taxpayer.

At 41, Zellers is married and, for the first time in his life, the owner of a house, which he and his wife purchased five years ago. In October, Zellers, who has lived in the Toledo area all his life, lost his job with Clear Channel Toledo after surviving a few rounds of cutbacks.

Zellers works part-time positions with Clear Channel and Great Lakes Trivia, and began freelance writing for local publications, including restaurant reviews for Star, after being out of work for a month and a half.

He said he feels frustrated and overwhelmed with the seven levies Lucas County voters will face Nov. 6: five county levies, the Toledo Public Schools (TPS) 6.9-mill continuing levy for those in the TPS district and the 1-mill Parks and Recreation levy for Toledo citizens.

“A lot of people, including myself, are not getting raises and are making less money than they did last year, but the city expects us to pay more,” Zellers said. “And if you’re already making less money, where is that money supposed to come from? … It’s not like I’m living in abject poverty, but I’m definitely not living on the high horse.”

As an on-air personality with Fred LeFebvre on the 1370 AM WSPD morning show, Zellers has become the face of a station campaign to address the “levy fatigue” and its effect on the wallets of county taxpayers.

“What about Don?” is the question LeFebvre asks his listeners to consider when they head to the polls this November.

“We want people to begin to think of Don and themselves when they go to vote,” LeFebvre said. “It’s an individual choice, not a group or city choice.

“Think — do you want to raise your taxes? Can you afford it?”

Toledo-Lucas County Public Library

The Toledo-Lucas County Public Library is placing a 2.9-mill levy on the ballot that if passed will replace and increase their 2-mill levy, which is due to expire at the end of this year. The current 2-mill levy has been in effect for four years. The proposed levy will not require renewal for five years.

The levy will cost the owner of a $100,000 home $88.80 per year for five years, according to a newsletter on the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce’s website, toledochamber.com. This is a $27.55 per-year increase from the $61.25 taxpayers owning $100,000 homes have paid each year since 2007.

Rhonda Sewell, library media relations coordinator, said this levy is expected to generate $21 million to $23 million per year, which she said accounts for about half of the library’s budget. The other half is provided by the State of Ohio Public Library Fund (PLF).

A library operating levy has not been defeated since 1977. Sewell said a capital levy failed in 1991 but when reintroduced in 1995, it passed with 74 percent of the vote.

Clyde Scoles, executive director of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, said the 1995 capital levy was one of the largest bond issues passed

in Lucas County at the time. It upgraded, expanded and modernized the library system, Scoles said.

In 2009, 17.8 percent of the library’s state aid was cut. Since then, about 27 percent of library hours have been cut. The Sanger branch on West Central Avenue is the only library left with Sunday hours. Sewell said the library is operating at 1996 levels of funding from the state.

While Sewell said the library cannot promise all previously cut hours will be restored, the levy is expected to return the hours, staff members and materials lost in the cuts. Scoles said 50 percent of the current hours may have to be cut if this levy does not pass.

Scoles said he is hoping the increased levy generates $5 million to $6 million more per year for the library system that recorded nearly 3 million visits in 2011. Scoles and Sewell cite the variety of services the branch provided by the 19 neighborhood branches, where attendance has remained high during tough economic times, as reasons voters should support the library levy.

Toledo native Don Zellers works two part-time jobs. He said he feels frustrated and overwhelmed with the levies on the November ballot.

“We’re not talking so much about helping the library system but saving the library system,” Scoles said. “… People come for a variety of reasons — job information, homework help. Businessmen come in and grow their businesses using our databases and the expertise of business librarians and information centers. All of that would be curtailed quite a bit if our budget was cut by 50 percent.

Metroparks of Toledo Area

Metroparks of Toledo Area plans to become the most recent addition to the ballot for Lucas County voters, as the board of directors decided July 25 to place a 0.9-mill levy before voters in November.

The 0.9-mill levy would replace the 0.3-mill levy that expires at the end of its ten-year term on Dec. 31. If passed, the 0.9-mill levy will require renewal in 10 years.

This levy provides the funds for the

Metropark system’s land acquisition, improvement projects and park operations, said Executive Director Steve Madewell.

The Metroparks’ 1.4-mill general operating levy, which is also a ten-year levy, is not set to expire for another five years.

According to the The Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $27.56 per year, an increase of $19.10 from the $8.46 citizens pay to the current levy.

The last time a Metroparks levy failed was in the early 1990s, said Scott Carpenter, director of public relations for Metroparks. It was presented to the county the following year and passed.

Because of the long-term nature of Metropark projects, this upcoming levy would help finish projects at various stages of planning including the Middlegrounds in Downtown, the Blue Creek Conservation Area in Whitehouse and the Fallen Timbers Battlefield in Maumee, Carpenter said.

It would also provide for purchasing new land and maintaining the current parks.

“In addition to the completion of those projects, it would go toward the replacement and maintenance of restrooms, picnic areas, shelters and things like that,” Madewell said. “What we’re really focused on is preserving natural areas of open space and keeping clean, safe, natural and free Metroparks across the county.”

Lucas County Children Services

Lucas County Children Services will be represented on November’s ballot with a 1.85-mill levy. This is a 0.85 increase from the current levy, which will expire its five-year term in December 2013.

If passed, collection on the 1.85-mill levy wouldn’t start until 2014 and would continue for five years. Julie Malkin, the agency’s public information officer, said the agency is placing the issue on the ballot this year to better plan their finances in the coming year.

The 1.85-mill levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $56.66 per year, an increase of $26.04 on the current $30.62 per year paid to the 1-mill levy, according to the Chamber of Commerce.

Last year, voters approved a 1.4-mill levy for Children Services that will require renewal at the end of its five-year term. Combined, the agency would receive 3.25-mills from the county’s citizens, a decrease from the 3.5-mills the agency collected in 2001.

“We decreased our levy millage because we felt like we didn’t need to collect that much from taxpayers. We want to have a sound financial standing so that we make sure the children in Lucas County are safe,” Malkin said.

Federal funding, which makes up the bulk of the remainder of the agency’s funding, has been cut over the years. Malkin said local levy dollars are matched by federal dollars, so if the levy does not pass, more federal funding will be cut.

“We’ve been able to maintain the staffing levels of people that actually go out and see kids,” Executive Director Dean Sparks said. “Internally we have done everything we can to become a leaner system.”

The agency will have to cut $800,000 out of its budget if the levy passes, Sparks said. If it doesn’t pass, $13 million to $14 million of the agency’s $43 million will have to be cut.

“If it doesn’t end up passing this time or next time, that’s going to affect direct services for kids, services we contract for,” Sparks said. “We spend $350,000 for substance abuse services. Child advocacy contracts would be in danger, mentoring and tutoring for children would be in danger, not to mention there would be a significant layoff of our staff.”

Imagination Station

Imagination Station will ask voters to renew its 0.17-mill levy, which is set to expire at the end of 2013. The new levy would not take effect until 2014 and would continue for five years.

Executive Director Lori Hauser said the levy would generate about $1.3 million of the organization’s $3.2 million revenue by costing owners of a $100,000 home $5.21 a year.

Lori Hauser

The other $1.9 million is earned money, which comes from gate admission, memberships, corporate sponsorships, development and donations.

Twenty-seven percent of the nonprofit science center’s public funds go to exhibit maintenance and rental, Hauser said.

The rest goes to general operations and science education.

“We aren’t here to replace schools, we are here to work with schools,” Hauser said. “We’re wanting to get [kids] excited about [science]. Those are the careers of the future and we want to educate our youth.”

Hauser said corporations have invested $1.5 million in exhibits since 2009, including “Eat it Up!” with ProMedica and “Grow U” with The Andersons.

Hauser said Imagination Station is going on the ballot this fall because in case the levy does fail, like it did in 2006 and 2007 when it was called COSI, the extra time before the levy expires will give the center the opportunity to talk to citizens of Lucas County and find out their concerns and suggestions.

Mental Health and Recovery Services

The Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Lucas County has placed a 10-year, 1-mill levy on the ballot. The board’s last levy renewal was passed in 2008, so this levy would generate new money for the agency.

Executive Director Scott Sylak said the agency has not asked taxpayers for new money in 24 years.

This levy would cost $30.62 per year for the owner of a $100,000 home, according to the Chamber of Commerce. This is in addition to the levy dollars already being collected by the agency’s 2008 levy.

“Basically, over the last six years, including this fiscal year, we’ve lost nearly $7 million. We’ve had to utilize $3 million of our reserves. We’ve cut our services by about $3.9 million and used $3 million of cash to supplement those losses to make up that gap. The issue now is we no longer have the reserve to supplement (our funds). We have no choice but to ask for new, additional dollars,” Sylak said.

Sylak said the agency has cut board and administrative services by more than 25 percent and has worked with its provider networks to improve the efficiency of the system and implement outcome measures to determine how effective the services are. Non-management staff has received one small pay increase in the past five years while executive and management staff haven’t received any increase.

“We don’t plan on increasing the amount of administration with these dollars at this time. We will critically evaluate the services that are most important to reinvest in, including treatment, medicine, housing, crisis support services and the expansion of kids services,” Sylak said.

Sylak said the levy will get the agency close to the dollar amount it has lost during the past six years.

Division of Recreation

Toledo City Council approved a new 1-mill levy for this November’s ballot, which would require renewal in 10 years.

Toledo City Councilman Steve Steel said the levy is expected to generate about $3 million per year for parks and recreation maintenance and programming.

Owners of a $100,000 home would pay $30.62 per year if the levy passed, according to the Chamber of Commerce.

Steel said Toledo has never had a recreation levy but almost every other community in the area has, including Maumee, Oregon and Sylvania.

Recreation funding comes from the city’s general fund, and when cuts must be made, parks and recreation funding is at the top of the list, Steel said. If this levy is passed, he said, the general fund might be loosened up for other city endeavors.

A task force of community members created a report that suggested multiple recommendations for raising funds for the recreation division. Steel said in addition to a levy, recommendations included charging for parking and admission into city swimming pools.

Steel said the city already charges admission into its pools and parking at Walbridge Park. Steel said other options they could have chosen were increasing summer baseball recreational league fees and charging for parking at all park locations.

City Council also chose to use funds from the Athletic Commission to fund a master plan. The master plan will determine what is needed from the city parks system and implement decisions made by citizens.

“We need to look at what is needed overall for recreation. Where are the gaps and what can the city do to fill those gaps?” Steel said.

Councilman Mike Craig has asked the city administration to hold off on demolishing the pools that have been identified for demolition. Steel plans to join Craig’s effort until taxpayers have the chance to create a dedicated funding stream for city recreation by passing this November’s levy.

Toledo Public Schools

Toledo Public Schools (TPS) is asking taxpayers to approve a new 6.9-mill continuing levy, which according to the Chamber of Commerce will cost the owner of a $100,000 home $211.28 per year.

The district is under investigation by the Ohio Department of Education for attempting to erase low attendance records by retroactively withdrawing and re-enrolling frequently absent students. Pecko went public with the district’s actions last week.

Jerome Pecko

The money from the levy would fund the district’s current transformation program and balance the budget beyond the 2012-13 school year. While the 2012-13 budget is currently balanced, a failed levy in November would mean drastic cuts the following year.

“Without additional funding at this time, the district will have to cut an excess of $15 million before the beginning of the 2013-14 school year,” TPS Superintendent Jerome Pecko said at a news conference in May.

“6.9-mill is not going to get us what we need but we think that the community can support it,” said Jim Gault, chief academic officer for TPS.

The school system has made staff cuts along with cutting middle school sports and ninth-grade sports, the gifted program in grades three through six, busing for high schools and altogether eliminating Libbey High School. TPS has since brought back some of the sports programs.

Pecko said that the proposed levy would allow the district to pursue a new district-wide discipline program, a unified student data program for parents and teachers, the gifted program for grades three through six and employee evaluations based on student performance.

School Board President Lisa Sobecki urged voters to consider what the levy provides.

“I’ve personally had to do this in my own life: looking at our home budget and putting values behind choices, and I would ask the citizens of Toledo to do that and put values behind those budgets and think of the students that we serve and look at what they’ll be doing some day. They might be your pharmacist, your lawyer … we need to have an opportunity for a solid foundation.”

In November 2010, TPS proposed Issue 5, a 7.8-mill levy which voters rejected. That levy, which would have generated roughly $21.6 million, was the second to fail in 2010 as TPS attempted to meet its $40 million deficit.

Issue 5 would have been the highest millage amount passed for TPS in the past four decades, and the first levy passed for TPS since 2001.

Umbrella levy

Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken has suggested discussing an “umbrella” levy, encompassing all health and human services issues. Gerken said a few members of the Chamber of Commerce and the Citizens’ Review Committee are interested in being the sounding board for such a discussion, which Gerken said will likely occur after the November election.

“I think everyone has some thoughts about the number of levies and the crossover of services like human resources, finances and ‘backroom operations’ the organizations all do separately,” Gerken said.

Gerken said Ohio’s Montgomery County does a health and human services umbrella levy, and Gerken wants to facilitate a discussion to see if that could possibly work in Lucas County. Gerken said he does not know about the success or failure Montgomery’s levy has had.

“Any discussion we have will be unique to Lucas County. Certainly the concept of doing things in a coordinated fashion makes sense to me,” Gerken said.

Gerken said he has no notion of how the funds from this levy would be distributed, but said collection by the auditor and distribution by the commissioners is one idea to discuss.

“We may find out it doesn’t work, but until we sit down and everyone puts down their pieces we won’t know,” Gerken said. “Eventually, there’s going to be winners and losers. With evaluations down 12 percent, there’s less resources and we owe it to everybody to start working together.”

Adding it up

If the seven levies are passed in November, the cost to taxpayers owning a $100,000 home would be $450.75, up $105.54 per year, according to the Chamber of Commerce.

Once property evaluations received feedback from the state at the end of October, citizens will be able to calculate the exact amount they will owe in property taxes on the Auditor’s Real Estate Information System, available online at co.lucas.oh.us.

“I know people need money and there’s some good causes out there,” Zellers said. “But I don’t know this time. I’m not sure. … I don’t know if I can vote for any of them. I’ll have to really look at them all and decide.”

Tags: Clyde Scoles, Dean Sparks, Decision 2012, Division of Recreation, Don Zellers, Fred LeFebvre, Imagination Station, Jerome Pecko, Julie Malkin, Lisa Sobecki, Lori Hauser, Lucas County, Lucas County Children Services, Metroparks of Toledo Area, Mike Craig, Pete Gerken, Rhonda Sewell, Scott Carpenter, Scott Sylak, Steve Madewell, Steve Steel, The Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Lucas County, Toledo Public Schools, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, WSPD

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 26th, 2012 at 6:10 pm and is filed under Community, Featured, Lucas County.
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The debate about naming a Downtown intersection after “gay icon” Joe Wicks was more than a conversation about how to honor Toledo’s citizens; it was a test of the Downtown business community’s ability to organize and exert influence on the political process.

It often seems as if local government follows the whims of its individual officials instead of the guidance of the people whose money and lives dictate the fortunes of the city.

In this case, Steve Steel’s seemingly innocuous proposal to name an intersection after the late owner of Caesars Show Bar caused Downtown business owners to respond with a flurry of emails, mostly protesting the manner in which they felt Wicks conducted business and the state in which he left his property. There was only one email in the first two dozen that used what I would describe as insensitive language, but the vast majority of comments were strictly business and community oriented. I do not have insight into the hearts and minds of every person who wrote an email, but I know many of them, and I believe their shared concerns transcended sexual identity politics.

It is appreciated that Steel recognized the Downtown business community’s concerns and responded by tabling the motion. With advocate Lair Scott involved, it is unlikely this discussion is closed, but there is no doubt Council will now implement a process for naming intersections that will help circumvent future controversies.

Another big decision was introduced this week with the announcement that Toledo Public Schools (TPS) is seeking a 6.9-mill levy on the November ballot. There is a lot of time to study, challenge and understand the proposal, but one issue will be difficult to overcome: The levy is “continuing,” which means permanent. No matter how much we support TPS and understand the critical needs of its mission, no matter how desperately we seek improvement in the components of education that make our community viable, we are uncomfortable endorsing any levy, for any institution, that is permanent. Is it our place to saddle the next several generations with a levy they have no say in and for which TPS has no ballot box accountability?

It’s too early to make the call on the TPS levy, but it will take a lot of work to convince enough voters that a permanent levy is the solution.

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

Tags: Joe Wicks, Lair Scott, Steve Steel, Toledo Public Schools, Tom Pounds

This entry was posted on Friday, May 18th, 2012 at 12:00 am and is filed under Opinion, Publisher's Statement.
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On May 15, Toledo City Councilman Steve Steel dropped pursuit of discussion or a vote on the ordinance to name a portion of Erie Street Downtown in honor of the late Joe Wicks. The move has drawn spirited testimonials from Wicks’ friends as intense as Downtown business owners’ complaints.

“Oh, no, no, no, no, no,” recalled Army veteran Alan Erwin. “Joe was not a bad guy. Joe would be the first one when you were in trouble to help you.

“I came to Toledo in 1986, when I was 20. I didn’t have a job. Joe Wicks was the first person to offer to help me get a job. It was at Frisch’s. He knew someone who was hiring, and he put a word in for me.

“And through the years, he would help me if I would need anything. He’d help me any way he could. He helped me move once. When I paid my rent one month, the guy who I gave the money to, to give to the landlord, used it to buy drugs. And Joe helped out. He paid the rent for me and helped me get out of that situation.”

Jon Lento, 35, agrees with Erwin. Lento, who met Wicks 17 years ago, said he treasures his working relationship and his personal friendship with Wicks.

Joe Wicks

“I pretty much grew up to be the man I am because of Joe,” Lento said. “I would have dinner with him and breakfast with Joe and his sister Peg all the time. I was with him at the hospice the day he died.

“I wasn’t pissed when I heard the news that Steel plans to withdraw his proposal. I was more disappointed. They’re looking at it as to the state of the building and not to Joe as a person. I knew Joe both as a bar owner and as a person outside his establishment. The thing that hurts me is that I don’t think they’re talking to people who really knew Joe.”

Lento acknowledged there is a kernel of truth behind Councilman Tom Waniewski’s concern that Downtown businesspeople complained Wicks was rude to people.

“Joe could be very abrasive,” Lento said. “That was the business side of him. He could get insulting, especially with other businessmen. But if you knew him, really knew him, after he got abrasive, two seconds later, he would turn around and kid you, slap you on the back, and tell you, ‘I’m just teasing. You know I really love you.’”

Lento said Wicks was unfairly criticized for not fixing the facade of Caesars Show Bar after a bus crashed into the building on Nov. 30, 2005.

“I don’t know the run-ins he had with people Downtown,” Lento said. “He didn’t always get along with them. And he took a lot of criticism he didn’t deserve after that bus crashed into his business. That accident did a lot of structural damage. He told me that he didn’t get the compensation he needed to repair the building the way he needed to.”

‘Smoke screen complaints’

Gay activist Lair Scott, who  introduced Steel to the idea of renaming the intersection at the May 8 Council meeting, said he was more distressed than surprised with Steel’s decision to table the legislation.

“It’s sad more people haven’t spoken up for Joe Wicks Way,” Scott said. “There were many people who loved him deeply. I blame the whole situation on Mayor Mike Bell and City Council. It just shows their ignorance of Toledo’s LGBT community.”

Scott contends the complaints about building maintenance are a smoke screen that a handful of influential Toledoans are hiding behind. Scott insists the real issue is the underlying prejudices those same people hold about the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender [LGBT] clients Wicks served.

“It’s all about homophobia,” Scott said. “That’s what I believe. Toledo’s LGBT community is not vocal enough. The solution is for them to be a lot more vocal.

“Who are the gay icons in Toledo? Or who were they? For people who have streets named after them, what are the skeletons in their closets? I’m sure I can dig those up.”

Scott said he retains hope that Toledoans will find a suitable way to honor Wicks’ work in the early 1990’s with AIDS awareness, AIDS prevention and AIDS treatment.

“[Steel] said we’ll honor Joe in another way. [District 4 Council member] Paula Hicks-Hudson actually said exactly what Steve [Steel] said, that maybe they can find an alternative way to honor Joe. I’m hoping it’s with a community center. I have hope.”

Scott said an LGBT community center named in Wicks’ honor would be the most appropriate way to acknowledge Wicks’ leadership because it would breathe life into discussions the two men had as far back as the mid-1990’s. Scott argues that May 2012 is the time for that community center to receive City Council’s attention and funding.

Appropriate honor

Lento, who worked as bartender for Wicks at Caesars Show Bar from 2008-10, said there may actually be a more appropriate intersection to name after Wicks.

“That spot [on Washington Street] was iconic to a lot of us,” Lento said. “Joe was, you could say, our ‘gay godfather.’ He made it his job to raise you and point you in the right direction.”

Ervin questions if Toledoans can ever honor Wicks in an appropriate manner.

“What should Toledo do to honor Joe?” Erwin asked. “I’m not sure on that. If they don’t want to do the Erie Street thing, why not do the intersection at the corner of Ontario and Jefferson?  That’s where Caesars moved to before Joe’s death.”

Like Lento, Erwin said he worked for Wicks “on and off.” And he says Wicks would find a job, maybe even create a job, to help out someone in need.

“When I needed to buy a car, my first car, and I didn’t have any money, Joe offered me a job to bartend so I could save up to buy a car,” Erwin said. “I don’t know too many business people who would help out and help someone buy a car.”

All three men — Erwin, Lento and Scott — testified to Wicks’ role as a community leader.

“Complaints about Joe Wicks’ ‘bat-wielding’ behavior have everything to do with his legacy as a community leader,” Scott said. “Yes, Joe ‘wielded a bat’ down the streets at times, but he did it to protect his customers. The Toledo Police Department has never kept the LGBT community safe. Joe is the one who kept it safe.”

Lento said that Wicks’ advocacy for his customers’ safety was evidence of his concern for everyone who lived in Greater Toledo.

“Yes, he chased people off the street, but it was the hustlers and prostitutes he got after,” Lento said. “He would take other people off the street. He opened his kitchen when he saw someone in need. As long as he was already there, he would throw you a bowl of soup or a sandwich so you didn’t go hungry.”

Wicks had a sensitive side that few were ever privileged to see, Erwin said.

“My mother passed away in 1986, the year I first moved to Toledo,” Erwin said. “When I was at the funeral home, and was looking at all the flowers she had received, who did I see? Out of all the people I knew, lo and behold, Joe had sent flowers to my mother’s funeral.”

Scott has been criticized for staging actions in Toledo though he lives in Chicago.

“I left Toledo because of the oppression of Toledo back then. Whether I live in Toledo or not doesn’t make any difference,” Scott said. “Although I live in Chicago, I will never leave Toledo until there is a community center and services for the Toledo LGBT community. I owe that to Joe Wicks. Then I’ll move back to Toledo.”

Tags: Joe Wicks, Lair Scott, Steve Steel

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 17th, 2012 at 11:58 am and is filed under Gay pride, People.
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UPDATE: In reaction to what he called an unanticipated “vitriol and divisive” reaction, Councilman Steve Steel says he plans to table the ordinance he proposed May 8 to rename a Downtown intersection in honor of Joe Wicks.

Steel made the proposal as a way to honor Wicks’ activism the early 1990’s in which he promoted AIDS awareness, prevention and treatment.

The response of downtown business owners, however, was quick and harsh, as Councilman Steve Sarantou received 23 emails in protest of the intersection renaming proposal in the first 15 hours following the City Council meeting. Business owners took intense issue with what they all referred to as Wicks’ failure to maintain his property at Caesar’s Show Lounge, formerly located at 725 Jefferson Ave.

Lair Scott, the gay activist who approached Steel with the intersection renaming proposal, says he’s not at all surprised with what he called “a homophobic overreaction to honoring Toledo’s gay icon.”

On the same day Barack Obama became the first United States president to endorse same-sex marriage, an activist accused the City of Toledo of being unresponsive to the gay community.

Gay rights activist Lair Scott warned City Council members that if they don’t approve the naming of a Downtown intersection in honor of the late Joe Wicks, “the people of Toledo will hear the voices of the gay community screaming at the top of their lungs.”

Scott’s warning comes in response to City Council’s May 8 decision to postpone a vote to name the intersection at the 100 block of Erie Street, which lies between Monroe Street and Jefferson Avenue, as “Joe Wicks Way.”

Wicks owned Caesar’s Show Bar, located at 725 Jefferson Ave. Caesar’s was known nationally as a gay bar and lounge with nightly performances by female impersonators.

Scott said he is “forewarning” City Council that a protest in which he has “invited thousands of gay and lesbian people from around the country” to participate is planned for noon, June 1 at One Government Center [located at 640 Jackson St.].

Scott said he chose the “Joe Wicks Way” proposal as a vehicle through which he could advocate for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender [LGBT] Toledoans.

Councilman Steve Steel, who introduced the resolution at the City Council meeting, said he doesn’t “personally believe Lair Scott came to me to get his march started. I believe it’s more coincidental than that.”

Other Council members said they are neither disturbed nor threatened by Scott’s warning.

“I’m not concerned that this may have been a nefarious act,” Councilman Tom Waniewski said. “I’m more concerned about how we run the government. This never should have seen the light of day. The naming of a street should be a fun, positive thing, and this situation just brings embarrassment to the City of Toledo.”

Councilman George Sarantou said opposition to the naming of the intersection has primarily come from Downtown business owners who tell him that recognizing Wicks “in this way is a slap in the face” for Downtown business owners.

Lair Scott

Waniewski said business owners accuse Wicks of not maintaining his property, thereby lowering the property value of their businesses.

“The uproar from the business people has been overwhelming,” Waniewski said. “They say he was rude to people, that he didn’t keep up his property, and that he wouldn’t get involved in the association of Downtown business people.”

Email uproar

The uproar Waniewski references are 23 emails Sarantou had received as of 2:30 p.m. May 9.

In response to an open records request from Toledo Free Press, Sarantou provided copies of 23 emails  he received from business owners in the 15 hours following council’s decision to not vote on renaming the intersection (see sidebar, at bottom of page).

The correspondence was directed to Sarantou after Bill Thomas contacted the councilman with concerns over the reaction he was hearing.

Thomas, chief operating officer of the Downtown Toledo Development Corporation and executive director of the Downtown Toledo Improvement District, said that after his discussion with Sarantou, he sent an email to business owners encouraging them to voice their opinions, either pro or con, in emails to Sarantou.

Sarantou said emails have been universally opposed to the renaming of the intersection.

“I’m not surprised at all,” Sarantou said. “They are all responsible people. They maintain first-class facilities and are offended that someone who did not maintain his property would be honored in this way.”

Waniewski agrees that the business owners’ response deserves City Council’s attention.

“I have never seen comments so eloquently articulated in such an elegant way about something so negative,” he said. “I’ve never seen such a groundswell of opposition.”

Scott said the responses Sarantou and Waniewski are receiving are not representative of Toledo, and that thousands of people would write to City Council in support of Joe Wicks Way if they only knew the intensity of Downtown business owners’ negative reactions.

Sarantou also cites business owners’ issue with the fact that Wicks did not pay property taxes on time. At the time of his death, April 19, 2010, both the Lucas County Treasurer and the Auditor reported that Wicks owed $30,954.83 in back taxes, and that those taxes have never been paid by Wicks’ estate.

In a May 4 email to Sarantou, City of Toledo Commissioner of Building Inspection and Acting Director of the Department of Inspection Chris Zervos wrote, “The misuse and abuse of its last owner, Joe Wick [sic] has rendered the building unusable in its present state.”

Waniewski also said the response to City Council’s decision to not act is a clear indication that Council must adopt an official policy regarding the naming of streets and intersections.

“This is a big deal,” Waniewski said. “We need a process in place by which we’re sure we’re doing the right thing. Just relying on a councilman’s judgment isn’t good enough anymore.”

Scott said opposition to the proposal has nothing to do with Wicks’ upkeep of a building.

Scott is adamant that “this is an issue of social justice. When streets were named for honorary people in the past, did City Council have a need for a policy back then? Why now? It’s because of the homophobic attitude of certain City Council members.”

Scott also said that he does not believe Waniewski’s claim that Council President Joe McNamara and Waniewski have discussed establishing a policy in the past, and are now recommitted to establishing that policy in light of the past days’ events.

Steel said he is stunned at the negative reaction.

“I did my research,” he said. “I read the Blade obituary, talked to local people. I was aware of the building problems with his business, but I thought Joe’s work with, and his legacy and contribution to the gay community with AIDS awareness, AIDS prevention and AIDS treatment back in the early ’90s far outweighed everything else.

“I was stunned by the flurry of emails in opposition as to why this would even be proposed in the first place. This is a level of scrutiny I’ve never seen before.”

Scott said Steel’s observations are a clear indication that the current scrutiny is discriminatory.

“Why are they concerned with the policies in naming streets for people?” he asked. “Why, all of a sudden, does a gay icon in Toledo have to be under changing policies or procedures? This has nothing at all to do with Caesar’s Show Bar. It deals with Joe’s legacy and the millions of dollars he brought into Toledo over the past decades.”

Sarantou said Steel and Scott do not recognize what he calls “Wicks’ true legacy.”

Sarantou cited former presidents Richard Nixon and Lyndon Baines Johnson as examples to illustrate

his position.

“Richard Nixon, despite all the good he did in his career, will be remembered for the stupidity of Watergate,” Sarantou said. “And LBJ, despite the civil rights legislation he passed, will be remembered for Vietnam, an albatross that will always hang around his neck.

“It’s the same case with Joe Wicks. Like it or not, God rest his soul, Joe Wicks has left a reputation as someone who did not maintain his property. That’s a fact.”

‘Lack of leadership’

Scott also cited what he calls Mayor Mike Bell’s “lack of leadership” as a mitigating factor in City Council’s lack of action.

“I appreciate that he just passed the city employees domestic partnership [ordinance], giving benefits to gay and lesbian partners,” Scott said. “But that’s not enough. Mayor Bell should follow the footsteps of our president, Barack Obama, and back him for his May 9 statement for equality. Mayor Bell has had an opportunity to be on a board with other mayors of cities in Ohio to assist in passing Ohio’s right to same-sex marriage. He was offered and declined.”

Bell responded to Scott’s accusations through Jen Sorgenfrei, public information officer for the City of Toledo. Sorgenfrei said Scott does not understand the complexities of the legal process.

“In fact, Mayor Bell did not pass anything,” Sorgenfrei said. “Domestic partnership is just an ordinance. Mayor Bell just introduced the ordinance. It must be passed. It requires Council approval.”

Sorgenfrei also dismissed any claims that Bell does not support all Toledoans. She said Bell is committed to working with the local community.

“The mayor says he was not asked to join a committee of other mayors to assist in the passing of a same-sex marriage act,” she said. “He said he was presented a petition of mayors, and he did not sign it. He does not hold a position on same-sex marriage, one way or another. What he does do is continue to engage in conversation with members of our local community.”

Sorgenfrei questioned Scott’s motives, pointing out that he lives in Chicago, not Toledo, and no longer has roots in the local community.

Scott said he is deeply offended that anyone suggests he may be an outside agitator.

“I left Toledo because of the oppression of Toledo back in 1980,” Scott said. “I owe Joe Wicks with my time and my passion for the gay community. Whether I live in Toledo or not doesn’t make any difference. A lot of people come into Toledo to do their business. And the gay community is my business.”

In  August, Scott made national news with a petition, “Let Bert & Ernie Get Married On Sesame Street” on Change.org. It collected 9,000 signatures in two weeks. The Facebook page “Bert and Ernie Get Married” has more than 6,700 fans.

Emails protest Joe Wicks Way

Emails sent to Toledo City Council:

• “I’m unclear why we would be honoring this individual? What specifically did he do during the course of his lifetime that is triggering this action? If it is simply that he was the proprietor of Caesars then I humbly ask how that validates such an honor? If there is more that is behind this initiative, please advise.”— Rich Schurfeld, CEO, REDSSON (May 6)
• “This is not appropriate. This individual did not maintain his property in downtown Toledo. How can the city single out this individual? There are so many other people who have been responsible, contributing citizens.” — Dennis Johnson, president, Brooks Insurance (May 4)
• “With all of the honorable citizens that have done so much for Toledo I think we could honor them prior to someone who has left buildings in decay creating hazards on our sidewalks. If this is approved I will be joining the ranks to have this repealed.” — Glen Blohm, facility manager, SSOE Group (May 4)
• “I am a partner in a property on Ontario St., less than 1.2 block from Jefferson and Ontario — I received the complaints from my tenants because his clientele, lack of concern by him for other businesses and property owners around the neighborhood. …  Think we can find better qualified individuals to name streets after.” — Ken Marciniak, principal, Signature Associates (May 4)
• “The designation of any public street, park, bridge or other structures is a coveted honor. To preserve the value of such recognitions, this honor should be reserved for a person who advanced the city or specific community through their extensive volunteer efforts or philanthropic work. An entrepreneur whose ingenuity and willingness to take a risk by investing personal assets created a product or service that enhanced the lives of others. This may be an ideal time to establish a ‘Criteria of Worthiness’ for such honorable designations.” — Vickie Rapp, Registry Bistro (May 4)
• “I’m not sure why anyone would want to spend time on this Joe Wicks issue. What did this guy do for the city to warrant attention such as this? We have more important topics to be discussing on behalf of our taxpayers and I believe you will find many who believe this way if they would even give it the time to respond and share their feelings.” — Tony Plath, vice president, CBRE | Reichle Klein (May 4)

Tags: Bill Thomas, Dennis Johnson, George Sarantou, Glen Blohm, Joe Wicks, Ken Marciniak, Lair Scott, Mike Bell, Rich Schurfeld, Steve Steel, Tom Waniewski, Tony Plath, Vickie Rapp

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 12th, 2012 at 11:00 am and is filed under City of Toledo, Community, Featured, Gay pride.
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With relatively few exceptions, we have supported the legislative efforts of Toledo City Council President Joe McNamara and Councilman Tom Waniewski. So when an issue such as extending domestic partner benefits to City of Toledo employees sharply divides the two public servants, it merits a close look.

As Toledo Free Press Staff Writer Sarah Marie Thompson reported April 27, Toledo Mayor Mike Bell has announced the introduction of legislation that will provide benefits to domestic partners of city employees.

If Council approves it, “the legislation will offer the same health, dental and vision benefits to domestic partners of city employees that are offered to married couples and their children. Eligibility will be granted to same-sex and heterosexual couples who meet the criteria for domestic partnership as outlined in the Toledo Municipal Code. Employees will be required to obtain a certificate recognizing their partnership through the city’s Domestic Partner Registry.”

McNamara, with Councilman Steve Steel and David Mann, President of EqualityToledo Community Action, spoke in support of the legislation. But at a meeting May 1, councilmen Waniewski, Rob Ludeman and D. Michael Collins opposed the legislation, citing reasons ranging from muddy financial estimates to recently completed union negotiations.

While the councilmen are correct in raising questions about the specifics of the proposal, they are focusing on short-term concerns at the expense of a long-term benefit. From a purely business and pragmatic point of view, offering domestic partner benefits makes sense. It is a recruitment tool and undoubtedly an inevitable element of retaining quality employees. As the legislation states, “Currently, 21 states and over 200 local governments, at least 98 Fortune 100 companies, 442 Fortune 500 companies, and approximately 9,000 other private companies, non-profit organizations and unions provide health insurance and other benefits to their employees’ domestic partners. In Toledo, these employers include the University of Toledo, Lucas County, Owens Corning and the Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce. Furthermore, the cities of Cleveland, Columbus, and Franklin County offer their employees domestic partner benefits and at least 14 Ohio public and private universities and colleges offer these benefits.”

Yes, there are questions that should be raised and nothing should be approved without scrutiny. But extending domestic partner benefits makes sense and we urge Council to approve the mayor’s proposal.

However, it is distressing to see men as learned as McNamara and Waniewski become entangled in personal rhetoric that stems more from emotion than intellect. McNamara did not use the word “homophobia” to describe the opposition but he implied it, and Waniewski and Collins were correct in objecting to that implication.

Bell’s proposal should be considered as a business incentive, not a social issue, and on those merits, it should be implemented.

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

Tags: D. Michael Collins, domestic partner benefits, Joe McNamara, Mike Bell, Publisher's Statement, Rob Ludeman, Steve Steel, Tom Pounds, Tom Waniewski

This entry was posted on Friday, May 4th, 2012 at 12:00 am and is filed under Opinion, Publisher's Statement.
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