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Just as winter turns to spring, political
activity is beginning to warm up and the budding of
electoral and ideological change has started to appear. Will
certain political campaigns bear good fruit? Will policy
proposals ultimately bloom fully?
What’s going on in Toledo?
The Race for County Commissioner:
The race to replace Lucas County Commissioner
Carol Contrada, who has chosen not to seek reelection, will
likely come down to endorsed Democrat Gary Byers and current
city Councilperson Sandy Spang, an independent.
The contest appears to be an uphill battle
for Byers, a former judge whose controversial campaign was
defeated in his November 2017 reelection bid for Maumee
Municipal Court Judge.
Spang, however, performed extremely well in
her recent reelection to her current at-large city council
position. The City of Toledo represents 60 percent of the
Lucas County electorate, so if Byers, a suburbanite, can’t
do well in Toledo, winning will likely be problematic.
Spang offers a strong fiscal perspective and
touts a message of “inclusive growth.” Should Spang prevail,
look for her to bring spice and debate to the commissioner’s
office but not significant change since she will still be
outnumbered by current Democratic Commissioners Pete Gerken
and Tina Skeldon Wozniak, 2 to 1.
The Proposed Regional Water Authority (TAWA):
Currently the TAWA water deal has a lot of
moving parts. A solution to the water issue has to include
at a minimum: (1) public safety as it concerns the
replacement of lead waterlines; (2) the creation of a water
affordability fund for those who are income-challenged and
need help paying water bills; and (3) an equitable and
diverse workforce development provision. Additionally, there
needs to be rate stability for Toledoans, whose water rates
have risen 40 percent in the last four years.
Several city councilmen have urged the
Kapszukiewicz administration to “pump the brakes” on
regional water, since it, as it does almost every other
issue, comes down to power and control. Opponents argue that
since Toledo residents account for 60 percent of consumption
and are expected to generate an estimated 60 percent of the
revenues, that the City should also have a majority rather
position on the TAWA board, a provision not included in the
current MOU.
Currently City Council lacks enough votes to
go forward under the existing MOU and several are demanding
an appraised assessment water treatment plant’s value.
“Get Your Behind Back in the House!” a/k/a
The Curfew Proposal:
Councilman Larry Sykes has proposed changes
that will make the current youth curfew ordinance much more
strict. However, there are several reasons that the current
ordinance is not being enforced, with disproportionate
minority contact (DMC) with the criminal justice system
located at the very top of the list.
Too many black and brown individuals have
been marginalized and their communities decimated by the
racial disparities in the criminal justice system. The use
of minor, petty and nonviolent infractions has been the
primary vehicle or tool used to reap the devastating
destruction of poverty, disengagement from school and
society, family break up and unemployment.
While kids in both white and communities of
color will undoubtedly be out and about past curfew times,
those actually arrested are likely to be black or brown.
This legislation also punishes parents, many of who are
often single parents working two or more jobs to put food on
the table. In addition, there is no valid research to show
that youth curfews actually work to reduce violence.
Let’s not create knee-jerk legislation that
exacerbates rather than solves problems. The statistics show
that crime in Toledo has been declining since the smart on
crime policies of former Police Chief Derrick Diggs.
City Council would do well to expand the
table of discussion beyond Sykes to include advocates of
evidence-based criminal justice reform: Chief George Kral,
Judge Denise Cubbon and other criminal justice and public
safety professionals.
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org
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