Again the Mayor is calling for City Council to increase the Refuse Fee to balance the budget. My attorneys, Ciolek and Wicklund, filed a lawsuit against the City in February of 2008 Lawsuit disputing the legality of the refuse fee on behalf of all residents and property owners of Toledo. It is still in the courts pending a decision by the 6th District Court Appeal of our appeal of the denial for class action by the Lucas County Common Pleas Court. Let me state unequivocally, this “fee” is a tax and as such it is not legal. When the Courts finally decide in our favor, it will be decided in the favor of every resident and property owner of Toledo. It may take a couple more years until the case is decided and no one in the City is anxious for a resolution, as they believe the revenue is essential to maintain services.
As City Council again weighs the recommendations of the Mayor to increase the fee, Council should consider the effect of having to reimburse the millions of illegally assessed taxes to the residents, which the courts will require. Continuing and increasing the “fee” will be a temporary repair to the budget and though it may seem wise at this time to assess these “fees”, Council would be prudent to resist the temptation, as it is only a temporary measure.
Until the District Court hears the case on class action, all residents paying the refuse “fee” are encourage to file the letter of protest with the Department of Public Utilities. The form can be accessed through the blog: Shanahanselect.blogspot.com and follow the instructions within the blog.
To the Mayor, this is folly to continue assessing an illegal tax, which is protested in the courts. To City Council, when the Courts decide in favor of the residents of Toledo on this illegal tax, the required refunds will be painful; to increase them would not be prudent. The residents of Toledo have faith that Scott Ciolek, Attorney, and I will continue to fight the battle on your behalf.
Showing posts with label council. Show all posts
Showing posts with label council. Show all posts
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Appointment to fill the City Council Seat
No doubt, Steve Steele is a bright, articulate candidate for City Council. But his primary role over the next few months is to get elected to office and appointing Steve to fill the City Council seat vacated by Mark Sobczak will only acerbate the Council proceedings and decisions. It will become a political campaign, whether or not intentional.
I ask you once again, think beyond party politics and political paradigms, appoint a statesman with no political ambitions.
Steve will have plenty of time, talent and resources to run his campaign for election. Toledo needs efforts and attentions directed to resolving the issues facing our embattled city and City Council, Toledo does not need this appointment bo becoma a campaign to be elected to office.
Karen Shanahan
3633 Denise Drive, Toledo 43614
kesjr@att.ent
419 380 0244
I ask you once again, think beyond party politics and political paradigms, appoint a statesman with no political ambitions.
Steve will have plenty of time, talent and resources to run his campaign for election. Toledo needs efforts and attentions directed to resolving the issues facing our embattled city and City Council, Toledo does not need this appointment bo becoma a campaign to be elected to office.
Karen Shanahan
3633 Denise Drive, Toledo 43614
kesjr@att.ent
419 380 0244
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Paradigm Shift for Council
Toledo City Council has many issues to contend with: rising unemployment, lagging economic development, budget deficits, increasing crime, decreased city services, employee layoffs and potholes. Now, unleashed in the midst of all these issues, is the search for a replacement to Council for Mark Sobczak, who resigned. If the process plays out in usual political fashion, we will again witness the partisanship and divisions within the parties and the end result will be a flawed, biased appointment of a person to fill the seat. It plays out like a three ring circus, which creates great press the media enjoys; but is harmful to effective government. Will the best person be appointed, or the best-connected person?
I challenge the Republican and Democratic chairmen and Council to effect a paradigm shift and consider the best interests of Toledo rather than the interests of the political parties. Appoint a statesman to the position, a person who has no desire or inclination to run for office
Seek a person who is experienced and can provide leadership without bias to the Party, reach out to the Community, appoint a Business Leader of our Community or a Donna Owens or a Tom Crothers or a Tom Pounds or a John McHugh, experienced but not politically motivated to seek office. Select a statesman who affects policy rather than policy affected by politics. Once this appointment is made, appoint this experienced Statesman President of Council, again, avoid politics, consider the needs of Toledo.
How refreshing it would be to have our political leaders take the high road of a paradigm shift, being more concerned with the welfare of Toledo and dismissing “politics as usual”.
I challenge the Republican and Democratic chairmen and Council to effect a paradigm shift and consider the best interests of Toledo rather than the interests of the political parties. Appoint a statesman to the position, a person who has no desire or inclination to run for office
Seek a person who is experienced and can provide leadership without bias to the Party, reach out to the Community, appoint a Business Leader of our Community or a Donna Owens or a Tom Crothers or a Tom Pounds or a John McHugh, experienced but not politically motivated to seek office. Select a statesman who affects policy rather than policy affected by politics. Once this appointment is made, appoint this experienced Statesman President of Council, again, avoid politics, consider the needs of Toledo.
How refreshing it would be to have our political leaders take the high road of a paradigm shift, being more concerned with the welfare of Toledo and dismissing “politics as usual”.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
A Gold Medal Hope
We were spellbound as we watched Michael Phelps swim to 8 gold medals during the Summer Olympics. This is an amazing fete which will take decades, if ever to equal or surpass. This was the accomplishment of a determined, driven, directed athlete. As Toledoans watch our politicians stumble from one project to another, we could only hope for a portion of the resolve of this winning athlete.
The politicians leap-frog from one pond to another with few issues resolved or completed and throughout the process, the partisanship is exclusionary and divisive creating waves which flood over the foundations of Toledo and wash away the little ripples of success we hope for.
The Erie Street Market has been a contentious issue for over 15 years with a round robin tag team of managers. The latest uproar was over the $100,000 renovation of the building to convert it to a concert venue. The cost was spread over numerous contracts, each under $10,000 to avoid City Council oversight. Council cried fowl, made numerous threats, received extensive media coverage but nothing happened. Council was out maneuvered by the Mayor, they were angry, but could do nothing as it was within the guidelines of the City Charter. Now, in retribution, they are attempting to remove the Verso Group, Rob Croak, from promoting events, but offers not alternatives. Where is the determination, drive and direction for success of Market.
Southwyck Mall has been high profile in Toledo for at least 10 years as the owners continued to let it decline year after year. Each year we hear the politicians profess they will revitalize Southwyck, what a waste of time, effort and money. They cannot revitalize Southwyck, it’s privately owned, not city property. Perhaps the pressure applied over the past couple years has pushed the owners to do something with their property, but even after multiple press conferences and much posturing, Toledo cannot revitalize property they do not own! So instead, the Mayor decided to renovate the “Reynolds Road corridor between Heatherdowns and Glendale. It looks ridiculous with the old fashioned light posts on only 2 blocks of highway. There is no synergy with the surrounding businesses, it’s like a fish out of water. The expenditure of our taxes on this project to nowhere is a waste of money, time and effort. There is determination and drive to do something, but no clearly defined direction.
Now we have a great opportunity in intermodal to expand our workforce in this area. From the media reports we watch with concern and hope that our leaders will work together to form an alliance with the railroads to expand intermodal in Toledo, But the first order of business was to fire Jim Hartung, President of the Port Authority, the second order of business is the replacement of Port Board members and the third order of business is the search for a new Port Board President. That puts the intermodal issue in fourth place, no ribbon, no prize. We need the determination, drive and direction of our leaders to move intermodal forward.
These are 3 examples of no clear direction from our political leaders. Without a united effort, we continue to flagellate in an abyss of misdirection. Each political faction has determination and drive but the fractured divisions of our political leaders paralyze our city, we are drowning. It’s time to end “politics as usual” and look at the parts of Toledo area as a whole. Difference of opinion is healthy and should create vibrant, progressive dialogue, not name calling, division and dissention. Determined, driven, directed leaders, working for the whole of Toledo gets gold medals.
\
The politicians leap-frog from one pond to another with few issues resolved or completed and throughout the process, the partisanship is exclusionary and divisive creating waves which flood over the foundations of Toledo and wash away the little ripples of success we hope for.
The Erie Street Market has been a contentious issue for over 15 years with a round robin tag team of managers. The latest uproar was over the $100,000 renovation of the building to convert it to a concert venue. The cost was spread over numerous contracts, each under $10,000 to avoid City Council oversight. Council cried fowl, made numerous threats, received extensive media coverage but nothing happened. Council was out maneuvered by the Mayor, they were angry, but could do nothing as it was within the guidelines of the City Charter. Now, in retribution, they are attempting to remove the Verso Group, Rob Croak, from promoting events, but offers not alternatives. Where is the determination, drive and direction for success of Market.
Southwyck Mall has been high profile in Toledo for at least 10 years as the owners continued to let it decline year after year. Each year we hear the politicians profess they will revitalize Southwyck, what a waste of time, effort and money. They cannot revitalize Southwyck, it’s privately owned, not city property. Perhaps the pressure applied over the past couple years has pushed the owners to do something with their property, but even after multiple press conferences and much posturing, Toledo cannot revitalize property they do not own! So instead, the Mayor decided to renovate the “Reynolds Road corridor between Heatherdowns and Glendale. It looks ridiculous with the old fashioned light posts on only 2 blocks of highway. There is no synergy with the surrounding businesses, it’s like a fish out of water. The expenditure of our taxes on this project to nowhere is a waste of money, time and effort. There is determination and drive to do something, but no clearly defined direction.
Now we have a great opportunity in intermodal to expand our workforce in this area. From the media reports we watch with concern and hope that our leaders will work together to form an alliance with the railroads to expand intermodal in Toledo, But the first order of business was to fire Jim Hartung, President of the Port Authority, the second order of business is the replacement of Port Board members and the third order of business is the search for a new Port Board President. That puts the intermodal issue in fourth place, no ribbon, no prize. We need the determination, drive and direction of our leaders to move intermodal forward.
These are 3 examples of no clear direction from our political leaders. Without a united effort, we continue to flagellate in an abyss of misdirection. Each political faction has determination and drive but the fractured divisions of our political leaders paralyze our city, we are drowning. It’s time to end “politics as usual” and look at the parts of Toledo area as a whole. Difference of opinion is healthy and should create vibrant, progressive dialogue, not name calling, division and dissention. Determined, driven, directed leaders, working for the whole of Toledo gets gold medals.
\
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Vacant Property Registry Folly
Vacant Property Registry
What is the purpose of this registry?
What is to be accomplished by the registry?
If I understand the purpose of the legislation, it is to provide easy access to the name and address of the owners of vacant properties so they can be billed for city work to maintain the property if the owner does not.
I had a discussion with a councilperson about this and it became quite intense. If I own a home, maintain it, clean it, keep it in repair, mow the grass, shovel the walks in the winter, pay the taxes… it is ABSOLUTELY none of the business of this or any other government entity whether it is or is not inhabited. If I am in compliance with the laws on maintaining MY property, it is ABSOLUTELY none of the business of this or any other government entity whether it is or is not inhabited
There are already regulations for those who have vacant property which is in decay, not maintained and condemned. If the city does maintain the grounds, condemns the building and then demolishes the home, the owner is billed.
We are assured there are many “exclusions” to the registry, but we have to request the exclusion after registering the property. The property is then on a registry visible to anyone who requests the information. What happened to the term “private property?”
When I asked the council person what will be accomplished when the registry is put into effect, it was explained it will help the city know how many vacant homes exist in Toledo to help determine revenues for the city and help control the dilapidated properties in Central city. Are you aware the City owns almost 600 vacant properties which are 30' frontage, many in Central City? Will they register these properties?
My point to all on council is this: those who do not maintain their properties are not going to register the properties. When I offered this opinion to the councilperson, I asked what ultimately would be accomplished and the response was more fees would build up. What good will that do when the City is not proactive enough to collect the fees currently owed?
The responsible residents will once again bear the brunt of city inefficiencies by the requirement to report to a city that already has proven they do not follow through with the regulations. It will be randomly and inefficiently be applied and undoubtedly another person will be needed to maintain this registry and answer all the requests for exclusions. As government is best at creating, this is another quagmire in the political arena of Toledo politics designed to appease the politically connected CDC’s..
If in fact there is close to $3,000,000 in unpaid fees against vacant and abandoned property the department responsible for collecting the unpaid fees should be held accountable, not create another regulation or registry which will be impossible to maintain.
Council should require a report with:
A list of properties with fees already assessed which they have not been able to collect.
The amount owned against each property
The name and last know address of the owner of the property
The efforts taken to collect the owned fines
It is extremely disappointing to see this Council continue to punish with additional regulations the citizens who pay the bills and vote them into office.
What is the purpose of this registry?
What is to be accomplished by the registry?
If I understand the purpose of the legislation, it is to provide easy access to the name and address of the owners of vacant properties so they can be billed for city work to maintain the property if the owner does not.
I had a discussion with a councilperson about this and it became quite intense. If I own a home, maintain it, clean it, keep it in repair, mow the grass, shovel the walks in the winter, pay the taxes… it is ABSOLUTELY none of the business of this or any other government entity whether it is or is not inhabited. If I am in compliance with the laws on maintaining MY property, it is ABSOLUTELY none of the business of this or any other government entity whether it is or is not inhabited
There are already regulations for those who have vacant property which is in decay, not maintained and condemned. If the city does maintain the grounds, condemns the building and then demolishes the home, the owner is billed.
We are assured there are many “exclusions” to the registry, but we have to request the exclusion after registering the property. The property is then on a registry visible to anyone who requests the information. What happened to the term “private property?”
When I asked the council person what will be accomplished when the registry is put into effect, it was explained it will help the city know how many vacant homes exist in Toledo to help determine revenues for the city and help control the dilapidated properties in Central city. Are you aware the City owns almost 600 vacant properties which are 30' frontage, many in Central City? Will they register these properties?
My point to all on council is this: those who do not maintain their properties are not going to register the properties. When I offered this opinion to the councilperson, I asked what ultimately would be accomplished and the response was more fees would build up. What good will that do when the City is not proactive enough to collect the fees currently owed?
The responsible residents will once again bear the brunt of city inefficiencies by the requirement to report to a city that already has proven they do not follow through with the regulations. It will be randomly and inefficiently be applied and undoubtedly another person will be needed to maintain this registry and answer all the requests for exclusions. As government is best at creating, this is another quagmire in the political arena of Toledo politics designed to appease the politically connected CDC’s..
If in fact there is close to $3,000,000 in unpaid fees against vacant and abandoned property the department responsible for collecting the unpaid fees should be held accountable, not create another regulation or registry which will be impossible to maintain.
Council should require a report with:
A list of properties with fees already assessed which they have not been able to collect.
The amount owned against each property
The name and last know address of the owner of the property
The efforts taken to collect the owned fines
It is extremely disappointing to see this Council continue to punish with additional regulations the citizens who pay the bills and vote them into office.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
White Paper: Fixing Toledo
After 2 years of campaigning, some of the issues facing Toledo have become very clear and the resistance to deal with the issues by elected officials is often driven by a concern they may lose the backing of the unions and city employees. The last election highlighted the reality of this as the electorate did not vote. Those elected won by connections in the political and union arena, not by issues, so to survive as an elected official, there is logic in appeasing the political party and unions. However, this is not to the benefit of Toledoans and we need elected officials to work for the good of the city not the good of the unions. Though my venture into Toledo politics is over, my concerns are not.
We need a good school system but we don’t have one. The city can do everything right to grow economically, but it will not until the school system or alternative schools offer our children a good education. Middle-income families are fleeing Toledo to the suburbs to escape the ineffective public school system. The chokehold TFT (Toledo Federation of Teachers) has on the system inhibits creative, flexible and innovative programs.
We have more than enough revenue in the general budget, we just plain blew it when we negotiated the city labor contracts and gave away the bank. Residents of Toledo do not need to pay more taxes; we need to realign the employee compensation to reflect the market.
It is time to stop manipulating business opportunities to further political agendas. It does not take long for interested businesses to feel threatened and chose the suburbs to bypass Toledo politics.
The following is a list of recommendations offered for consideration by elected officials and residents of Toledo. Our community would be in a much better position if we approached the business of the City of Toledo as a business. The residents are the customers of City Government and we are not treated very well.
EDUCATION
Embrace charter schools and the voucher program, it is offering a much-needed alternative to a failing public school system and can be instrumental in retaining and recruiting families to Toledo. They also provide a buffer to the threat of teacher strikes. Criticizing charter schools because they are “for profit” is invalid as they must perform and meet the expectations of student’s parents or they will not stay in business.
TPS needs to earn back students through quality educational programs, not through squelching competition.
TPS personnel should observe successful charter schools as a learning experience not consider such visits a threat to TPS. The following quotes demonstrate the negative attitude regarding charter schools. Quote from TPS management personnel and an elected official: “it would be the same as a scab crossing the picket line” or “I wouldn’t step foot in one of those places”.
Send out a blind survey and ask the 60% of teachers and administrators of TPS why they don’t live in Toledo and also to those who do live in Toledo but send their children to private schools. They are the professionals in the industry; we need to understand why so many do not send their children to TPS and ask for recommendations to improve the system.
BUDGET
Taxpayers disapprove of the trash tax and threat of reduced services, as they should. Balance the budget by looking inward for cost savings not outward for more revenue. As the UAW recognized the necessity to adjust the contracts to retain auto industry jobs in this area, so likewise, the Union leaders representing city employees must recognize the same need with the city to keep the threat of privatization off the table. Without a realignment of city employee compensation, the electorate may very well revolt and demand privatization of services and refuse to pass the ¾% “temporary” payroll tax the city has enjoyed for over 15 years. Such recognition of reality and a partnership between the unions and the City is pro-union as it will ensure job retention while keeping the city healthy.
· Within two years, eliminate the 10% city pick up of the employee portion of payment to PERZ and provide a 5% pay increase
o First year: reduce by 5% the city pickup of the employee contribution to PERZ but provide an across the board 2.5% pay increase.
o Second year: again, reduce by 5% the city pickup of the employee contribution to PERZ but provide an across the board 2.5% pay increase.
· Effective Jan. 1, 2008, all city employees would contribute $100 per month towards their medical coverage and $20 co-pay for office visits and prescriptions.
· Establish a task force to study medical coverage programs offered by private industry in the surrounding area and modify the program accordingly.
· Establish a task force to study the general budget and determine what percent of the general budget should be applied to wages and benefit packages for police/fire and trash collection. This percent would be the benchmark for future contract negotiations.
BUSINESS & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
· Stop bundling groups of legitimate businesses to vilify (i.e., convenience stores). If they do not comply with the laws, take the appropriate legal measures.
· Review the cost and frequency of inspections. They may increase city revenue, but at what cost to small business.
· Create a complete list of all yearly inspections and the inspection costs to determine whether they are necessary (they have dramatically increased in frequency and cost over the past few years). Those identified as frivolous and designed primarily to increase revenue should be eliminated.
· Bundle into one package all costs and permits required to establish a new business; establish one office to administer all the information, forms and communication for businesses, simplify this process.
· Eliminate the living wage law in Toledo. It is used to manipulate businesses as it is not uniformly applied and hinders our ability to encourage new business.
Work with Toledo hotels to create shopping packages as Bass Pro is completed to draw visitors into Toledo as well as Wood County. With regional cooperation with Wood County both communities would benefit by creating “mini-vacations” for visitors.
CITY BEAUTIFICATION
Seek more volunteer organizations to handle the beautification projects.
CITY GOVERNMENT:
· Reduce the size of council. Keep the 6 district seats but reduce at large to 2 seats. Residents need a representative who is accountable to them, without district seats, who would be accountable to their calls for service and how would the requests be assigned to an all “at-large” council. However, we need “at-large” seats to embrace all district issues and assimilate the needs into a citywide view of the requests.
· Do not reduce the pay for the Mayor; it must be attractive enough to draw quality candidates.
· Respond to requests for information and not use the “right to information” laws to delay response and avoid providing answers.
· Answer emails and phone calls.
· Embrace business and stop agreeing to additional fees to supplement the budget when there are shortages.
· NO NEW TAXES – hidden or otherwise.
· Responding to the hype of political candidates is detrimental to the well-being of Toledo and should be banned.
· The Administration would be more successful by operating and administrating with positive reinforcement rather than negative. The negative approach is tolerated but discourages open dialogue, ideas and growth.
· If a program is going to change, consider the programs a contract with the residents and give at least 30 days proper notification before implementation.
POLICE
The police department could use some realigning. In 2006, the numbers were as follows:
692 number of policemen
300 number of patrolmen on the beat
120 number of Command officers
292 number of policemen assigned to other duties besides patrolling the streets
33 number of patrolmen on any given day out of service for various reasons
67 number of patrolmen available per day at each stationhouse for 3 shifts
· Create a relationship with Owens Community College to offer a degree which would prepare students to be employed by TPD after graduation so the “police class” could be cut from one year to 3 months.
· Determine an appropriate ratio for Command Officers to Beat Officers, a 3 to 1 ratio is too high. We need the men on the streets.
· What are the 292 policemen duties?
· In the morning and evening, position a police car at a school for 15 minutes during the busiest time and have the lights flashing. Rotate the school location each day so at the end of the week, there was a police presence at every school in the city. The police would still be available to respond to a call, but since they have to be somewhere in the city, why not at a school on school days.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Multiple calls of complaint are costly to the City, as they all deserve a response. Create a web-based list of all repair requests for streets, potholes, and complaints which can easily be accessed by residents. It could be a free Google spreadsheet with a link on the City Web Page. The list should be prioritized by severity, listing: location, type of call, date of call, date of expected repair, estimated cost of repair and completion date. To the public, there is no rhyme or reason to how the requests are considered, prioritized, or assigned, this would answer those questions.
VACANT PROPERTY
The city has ownership of hundreds of residential properties with 30’ frontage primarily in the central city. They all must be maintained by the city: grass mowing, snow removal, police patrolling, etc., which is a cost with no revenue to the city. It drains our resources and our budget. Make it inexpensive, simple and easy to get these properties off the city books and generate some revenue through property taxes.
· Have a fire sale; offer each property to any buyer for $1.00.
· Bundle the closing costs, title transfers, etc. into one simplified package and low cost fee; i.e., $25.00.
· If the property has a condemned house, bundle the permits required to demolish and into one package, again, at a low cost fee.
· Offer a $500 incentive to the owner upon completion of the demolition of the building.
REFUSE COLLECTION:
Not only the residents of Toledo, but Toledo as a whole benefits from the unlimited trash collection program, it is instrumental in keeping the city clean. Continue the program, we already pay for it.
Be consistent in the messages to residents. First we are told the Administration wants to eliminate recycling because it costs too much money and isn’t worth the cost. Then we are told we must recycle and to get residents involved, they will pay $3.00 per month. Educate the residents on the recycle program and be consistent.
Return trash pickup to the alleys. If an area is littered and needs cleaning, have the refuse truck driver note on a route list, turn it over to the appropriate compliance department issue a 30 day warning to the property owner. The notification should contain an estimate of cost for the city to clean the area. If not cleaned in 30 days, send a crew or hire an independent contractor to clean the area and send a bill to the owner.
When the ¾% temporary tax was passed, it was to include an incinerator. With the issue of landfills, recycling and energy, it is time to revisit the possibility of an incinerator. Technology advances can offer better processes and the heat emitted can be used to generate electricity. A committee should immediately begin researching the latest technology of refuse incineration.
For the health of Toledo, we need to move away from "politics as usual", our elected officials should be expected to make the difficult choices for the health of Toledo, not to ensure their next election.
We need a good school system but we don’t have one. The city can do everything right to grow economically, but it will not until the school system or alternative schools offer our children a good education. Middle-income families are fleeing Toledo to the suburbs to escape the ineffective public school system. The chokehold TFT (Toledo Federation of Teachers) has on the system inhibits creative, flexible and innovative programs.
We have more than enough revenue in the general budget, we just plain blew it when we negotiated the city labor contracts and gave away the bank. Residents of Toledo do not need to pay more taxes; we need to realign the employee compensation to reflect the market.
It is time to stop manipulating business opportunities to further political agendas. It does not take long for interested businesses to feel threatened and chose the suburbs to bypass Toledo politics.
The following is a list of recommendations offered for consideration by elected officials and residents of Toledo. Our community would be in a much better position if we approached the business of the City of Toledo as a business. The residents are the customers of City Government and we are not treated very well.
EDUCATION
Embrace charter schools and the voucher program, it is offering a much-needed alternative to a failing public school system and can be instrumental in retaining and recruiting families to Toledo. They also provide a buffer to the threat of teacher strikes. Criticizing charter schools because they are “for profit” is invalid as they must perform and meet the expectations of student’s parents or they will not stay in business.
TPS needs to earn back students through quality educational programs, not through squelching competition.
TPS personnel should observe successful charter schools as a learning experience not consider such visits a threat to TPS. The following quotes demonstrate the negative attitude regarding charter schools. Quote from TPS management personnel and an elected official: “it would be the same as a scab crossing the picket line” or “I wouldn’t step foot in one of those places”.
Send out a blind survey and ask the 60% of teachers and administrators of TPS why they don’t live in Toledo and also to those who do live in Toledo but send their children to private schools. They are the professionals in the industry; we need to understand why so many do not send their children to TPS and ask for recommendations to improve the system.
BUDGET
Taxpayers disapprove of the trash tax and threat of reduced services, as they should. Balance the budget by looking inward for cost savings not outward for more revenue. As the UAW recognized the necessity to adjust the contracts to retain auto industry jobs in this area, so likewise, the Union leaders representing city employees must recognize the same need with the city to keep the threat of privatization off the table. Without a realignment of city employee compensation, the electorate may very well revolt and demand privatization of services and refuse to pass the ¾% “temporary” payroll tax the city has enjoyed for over 15 years. Such recognition of reality and a partnership between the unions and the City is pro-union as it will ensure job retention while keeping the city healthy.
· Within two years, eliminate the 10% city pick up of the employee portion of payment to PERZ and provide a 5% pay increase
o First year: reduce by 5% the city pickup of the employee contribution to PERZ but provide an across the board 2.5% pay increase.
o Second year: again, reduce by 5% the city pickup of the employee contribution to PERZ but provide an across the board 2.5% pay increase.
· Effective Jan. 1, 2008, all city employees would contribute $100 per month towards their medical coverage and $20 co-pay for office visits and prescriptions.
· Establish a task force to study medical coverage programs offered by private industry in the surrounding area and modify the program accordingly.
· Establish a task force to study the general budget and determine what percent of the general budget should be applied to wages and benefit packages for police/fire and trash collection. This percent would be the benchmark for future contract negotiations.
BUSINESS & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
· Stop bundling groups of legitimate businesses to vilify (i.e., convenience stores). If they do not comply with the laws, take the appropriate legal measures.
· Review the cost and frequency of inspections. They may increase city revenue, but at what cost to small business.
· Create a complete list of all yearly inspections and the inspection costs to determine whether they are necessary (they have dramatically increased in frequency and cost over the past few years). Those identified as frivolous and designed primarily to increase revenue should be eliminated.
· Bundle into one package all costs and permits required to establish a new business; establish one office to administer all the information, forms and communication for businesses, simplify this process.
· Eliminate the living wage law in Toledo. It is used to manipulate businesses as it is not uniformly applied and hinders our ability to encourage new business.
Work with Toledo hotels to create shopping packages as Bass Pro is completed to draw visitors into Toledo as well as Wood County. With regional cooperation with Wood County both communities would benefit by creating “mini-vacations” for visitors.
CITY BEAUTIFICATION
Seek more volunteer organizations to handle the beautification projects.
CITY GOVERNMENT:
· Reduce the size of council. Keep the 6 district seats but reduce at large to 2 seats. Residents need a representative who is accountable to them, without district seats, who would be accountable to their calls for service and how would the requests be assigned to an all “at-large” council. However, we need “at-large” seats to embrace all district issues and assimilate the needs into a citywide view of the requests.
· Do not reduce the pay for the Mayor; it must be attractive enough to draw quality candidates.
· Respond to requests for information and not use the “right to information” laws to delay response and avoid providing answers.
· Answer emails and phone calls.
· Embrace business and stop agreeing to additional fees to supplement the budget when there are shortages.
· NO NEW TAXES – hidden or otherwise.
· Responding to the hype of political candidates is detrimental to the well-being of Toledo and should be banned.
· The Administration would be more successful by operating and administrating with positive reinforcement rather than negative. The negative approach is tolerated but discourages open dialogue, ideas and growth.
· If a program is going to change, consider the programs a contract with the residents and give at least 30 days proper notification before implementation.
POLICE
The police department could use some realigning. In 2006, the numbers were as follows:
692 number of policemen
300 number of patrolmen on the beat
120 number of Command officers
292 number of policemen assigned to other duties besides patrolling the streets
33 number of patrolmen on any given day out of service for various reasons
67 number of patrolmen available per day at each stationhouse for 3 shifts
· Create a relationship with Owens Community College to offer a degree which would prepare students to be employed by TPD after graduation so the “police class” could be cut from one year to 3 months.
· Determine an appropriate ratio for Command Officers to Beat Officers, a 3 to 1 ratio is too high. We need the men on the streets.
· What are the 292 policemen duties?
· In the morning and evening, position a police car at a school for 15 minutes during the busiest time and have the lights flashing. Rotate the school location each day so at the end of the week, there was a police presence at every school in the city. The police would still be available to respond to a call, but since they have to be somewhere in the city, why not at a school on school days.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Multiple calls of complaint are costly to the City, as they all deserve a response. Create a web-based list of all repair requests for streets, potholes, and complaints which can easily be accessed by residents. It could be a free Google spreadsheet with a link on the City Web Page. The list should be prioritized by severity, listing: location, type of call, date of call, date of expected repair, estimated cost of repair and completion date. To the public, there is no rhyme or reason to how the requests are considered, prioritized, or assigned, this would answer those questions.
VACANT PROPERTY
The city has ownership of hundreds of residential properties with 30’ frontage primarily in the central city. They all must be maintained by the city: grass mowing, snow removal, police patrolling, etc., which is a cost with no revenue to the city. It drains our resources and our budget. Make it inexpensive, simple and easy to get these properties off the city books and generate some revenue through property taxes.
· Have a fire sale; offer each property to any buyer for $1.00.
· Bundle the closing costs, title transfers, etc. into one simplified package and low cost fee; i.e., $25.00.
· If the property has a condemned house, bundle the permits required to demolish and into one package, again, at a low cost fee.
· Offer a $500 incentive to the owner upon completion of the demolition of the building.
REFUSE COLLECTION:
Not only the residents of Toledo, but Toledo as a whole benefits from the unlimited trash collection program, it is instrumental in keeping the city clean. Continue the program, we already pay for it.
Be consistent in the messages to residents. First we are told the Administration wants to eliminate recycling because it costs too much money and isn’t worth the cost. Then we are told we must recycle and to get residents involved, they will pay $3.00 per month. Educate the residents on the recycle program and be consistent.
Return trash pickup to the alleys. If an area is littered and needs cleaning, have the refuse truck driver note on a route list, turn it over to the appropriate compliance department issue a 30 day warning to the property owner. The notification should contain an estimate of cost for the city to clean the area. If not cleaned in 30 days, send a crew or hire an independent contractor to clean the area and send a bill to the owner.
When the ¾% temporary tax was passed, it was to include an incinerator. With the issue of landfills, recycling and energy, it is time to revisit the possibility of an incinerator. Technology advances can offer better processes and the heat emitted can be used to generate electricity. A committee should immediately begin researching the latest technology of refuse incineration.
For the health of Toledo, we need to move away from "politics as usual", our elected officials should be expected to make the difficult choices for the health of Toledo, not to ensure their next election.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Blind Obedience?
Quote from Conklin and Company Program on 2/18/07, Jim Tankersley regarding the attempt of the Lucas County Democratic Party reunite: “A lot can embarrass the party and they are also pointing to a section of the Party Code that says you need to support other endorsed Democrats and very clearly every time Frank Szollosi or Michael Ashford clash with Carty Finkbeiner, they’re not supporting an endorsed Democrat.”
It is the responsibility of every elected politician to debate every issue under their jurisdiction so informed decisions are made. It is not appropriate for any organization, person or group to expect blind compliance to the opinions of any other organization, person or group and I firmly believe that neither the members of the Lucas Country Democratic Party nor Carty Finkbeiner believes in such blind obedience by elected officials. If elected officials were expected to vote without question, then there would be no need for other than one person to govern.
"Difference of opinion leads to enquiry, and enquiry to truth; and that, I am sure, is the ultimate and sincere object of us both. We both value too much the freedom of opinion sanctioned by our Constitution, not to cherish its exercise even where in opposition to ourselves." --Thomas Jefferson
It is the responsibility of every elected politician to debate every issue under their jurisdiction so informed decisions are made. It is not appropriate for any organization, person or group to expect blind compliance to the opinions of any other organization, person or group and I firmly believe that neither the members of the Lucas Country Democratic Party nor Carty Finkbeiner believes in such blind obedience by elected officials. If elected officials were expected to vote without question, then there would be no need for other than one person to govern.
"Difference of opinion leads to enquiry, and enquiry to truth; and that, I am sure, is the ultimate and sincere object of us both. We both value too much the freedom of opinion sanctioned by our Constitution, not to cherish its exercise even where in opposition to ourselves." --Thomas Jefferson
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Missing Ellen Grachek
What a loss for Toledo!! Ellen Grachek, a responsible, intelligent member of city council with a realistic, analytical view of issues chooses to leave rather than do fundraising.
I understand her dilemma as I begin campaigning for council. It would be refreshing for Toledo residents if Ellen were successfully passed legislation which would limit the spending on Council and other local races.
In addition to candidate spending, any legislation must include amounts spent on behalf of candidates by outside organizations such as PACS. These expenditures are not included in candidate’s financial reports, so it would be necessary to include these expenditures as well.
It’s also time to put out the call to the media to provide unbiased, equal and proportionate coverage for all candidates so voters can make formed decisions based on facts rather than sound bites, candidate created ads and name recognition. This would be revolutionary in the world of politics.
I understand her dilemma as I begin campaigning for council. It would be refreshing for Toledo residents if Ellen were successfully passed legislation which would limit the spending on Council and other local races.
In addition to candidate spending, any legislation must include amounts spent on behalf of candidates by outside organizations such as PACS. These expenditures are not included in candidate’s financial reports, so it would be necessary to include these expenditures as well.
It’s also time to put out the call to the media to provide unbiased, equal and proportionate coverage for all candidates so voters can make formed decisions based on facts rather than sound bites, candidate created ads and name recognition. This would be revolutionary in the world of politics.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Council President, an Opportunity Lost
At the City Council meeting Tuesday, January 2, a motion to elect a new Council president was made. A majority yes vote was required to pass the motion so the floor could be opened to receive nominations. It was disappointing to have a Council of 8 Democrats and 4 Republicans kill the motion as a majority yes vote was not achieved. The reason given by Frank Szollosi was that the Democrats didn’t have their “act” together and therefore had no business electing a president. He further explained there was a previous meeting with some of the Democratic Council members to discuss the position but a consensus was not reached. It was a choice between Frank and Wilma Brown. I was so hopeful Wilma would be selected. She has had a career spanning over 40 years which has required diplomacy, negotiation and dialogue. If there is anything we need right now, it is diplomacy, negotiation and dialogue between the split Democrats, the Administration and the Republican representatives. By killing the motion, there was no chance of electing a Democrat as president of Council and it indicates a belief by some of the Democrats that a Republican president would be better than a qualified Democrat, Wilma Brown. I would be concerned with Frank at the helm; even further division would yield conflict between the Administration and Council which would hinder progress in Toledo. Frank would be in a no win position as President as any action he would take would be deemed anti Administration or buckling to the Administration. At this juncture, we need at least a fighting chance of having an empowered Council. Frank has a future in this city, but this is not the time for him to lead as Council president and I doubt he really believes he would have any success in working with the Administration.
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