Glass City Jungle

This in via e-mail from the office of Governor Ted Strickland:

Governor, Lt. Governor Call for Vigilance, Collaborative Action to Protect Lake Erie from Invasive Species Asian Carp

Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Lt. Governor Lee Fisher today sent the following letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson to press the need for a coordinated response to the Asian carp threat on Lake Erie and all the Great Lakes.

Also today, Lt. Governor Fisher is participating by phone in a meeting with Administrator Jackson and Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, as well as several Great Lakes governors to discuss a joint federal/state partnership to address Asian carp. Fisher was scheduled to attend the meeting as the governor’s designee but was unable to secure a flight due to weather.
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This in via e-mail from the office of Governor Ted Strickland:

Governor Appoints Steven Lesser as PUCO Commissioner

Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland today appointed Steven Lesseras a commissioner of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio for a five-year term beginning April 11, 2010 and expiring April 10, 2015.

Lesser, of Bexley, is currently the chief of staff at the PUCO, a position he has held since September 2007. In this role, he directs the daily operations of the agency and advises agency staff on policies to follow in cases, rulemaking and enforcement action.
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This in via e-mail from the office of Mayor Mike Bell:

Mayor And Council To Hold Budget Working Meetings

First Public Input Session Also Scheduled

The Mayor and City Council will continue to address the 2010 City Budget at a series of working meetings that will also include members of the Mayor’s Transition Team, the Citizens Special Investigation team, union leaders and department directors.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 10 at 9:30 a.m. in the Courtyard at Cousino’s Navy Bistro. Subsequent meetings are scheduled for February 17; February 24 and March 3. All meetings will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will be held at the Bistro.
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This in via e-mail:

McNamara To Run For State Senate
Councilman pledges leadership on middle class priorities

Toledo, OH – Joe McNamara announces today that he will be a candidate for the 11th District seat in the Ohio State Senate being vacated by Teresa Fedor, who is term-limited. McNamara, an at-large member of Toledo City Council, will file petitions later this month to enter the May 4th Democratic primary.
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If you have been following the story of an attempted smuggling incident at the Governor’s residence that involved a prison inmate who was working at there along with several other inmates, (Dispatch story as one example) you may wonder to yourself about the use of prison inmates in working at the Governor’s office for parties, cooking or ground keeping type duties. The history of the use of prison inmates as cheap hired help has a lengthy history. Prison inmates generally earn from between 47 cents an hour to $1.23 per hour according to this Dayton Daily news article.

The Ohio Department of Corrections wrote in 2007:

Inmates working at the Governor’s Residence have received much attention this year. The Horticulture apprenticeship program has expanded to include all aspects of grounds keeping and building maintenance. The inmates working at the Residence have received certificates for landscape, plumbing, furnace repair, carpentry, floral preservation and even hospitality management. The new Governor has even hired an inmate apprentice cook to provide all meals at the Residence with a substantial savings of tax dollars.

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For those of you who love the fun aspect of the Super Bowl commercials, one Web site that promises they will have all of them. Here is another. You can also vote on your favorite commercial.

This in via e-mail from earlier today from District 5 Toledo City Councilman Tom Waniewski:

New Bulk Pick Up Rules
Beginning Monday, Feb. 8th, you will need to call 48 business hours in advance of your regular refuse pick up if you have oversized or overloaded refuse. In other words, if it doesn’t fit in the automated container, please call 419-936-2511 and call 48 business hours prior to your scheduled pick up.

New School in Old Foodtown?
There is renewed interest in the old Foodtown building in the DeVeaux Village Shopping Center. Horizons Academy is seeking a special use permit (SUP) to hold classes. There will be a public meeting about the SUP request before the Plan Commission on February 11th at 2 p.m. in Toledo City Council Chambers. I looked at some preliminary plans from a commercial realtor almost a year ago.
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The Blade today gives us a brief historical look at 1982 in City deficit has parallels to ‘82 plight. When I read this, these selected paragraphs from the linked article stuck with me:

During tense negotiations in 1979 with its unions, the city made a final offer for a three-year contract that called for a 2 percent wage increase the first year and raises of 1.5 percent and 1 percent in the subsequent two years.

The unions balked, and the impasse with the city, then-Mayor Doug DeGood, and then-City Manager J. Michael Porter led to what many people viewed as an illegal strike by 3,400 municipal employees – including police and firefighters – on the morning of July 1, 1979.

“I told them there was no money,” Mr. Douglas said of his negotiations with the unions just after the strike. “So they could have had the same deal and without a strike.”
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It was interesting that the recent story about possible voter fraud in Waterville, reported by the Toledo Free Press and blogged about below didn’t get a mention in today’s Blade. Councilman Ann Cherry is quoted in Waterville weighs cutting services, boosting revenue. What’s also not mentioned is Waterville Mayor Derek Merrin’s idea that Limousines are cheaper than TARTA.

Of course Merrin’s idea can’t happen, Waterville can’t opt out of TARTA and I have a feeling if private limousine service were instituted in Waterville, not only would more people want to move there, but those who did live there would use it at a much higher level. Using the household numbers from the Blade article and the rider numbers from the Toledo Free Press opinion piece, less than 5% of the households in Waterville need public transportation.
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On Thursday a media release went out from Marilyn’s on Monroe, the adult entertainment place that’s doing the whole “lap dances for Haiti” thing. I heard about it when I was working at the Toledo Free Press. FOX Toledo covered the story, and it went national when CNN picked up the story. So, the topic of lap dances for Haiti is all the rage on blogs outside of Toledo.

Here’s the original FOX Toledo story, if you want to help Haiti by having some young woman give you a lap dance? You better hurry, it ends tonight at 2:30 a.m. Though it really doesn’t say anything about lap dances, just that the ten dollar admission charge is going to be donated to Haiti, though they don’t know what charity yet. According to the Ultimate Strip Club List the average price at Marilyn’s on Monroe is:

Avg. Private Dance Cost: $20 or 2 for $30
Avg. Drink Cost: 4

This is not the first time lap dancing has been connected to charity, a San Francisco strip club offered free admission if a toy was brought in for Toys for Tots. There are also several clubs who have gotten media attention for their charity nights in other parts of the world. Welcome to the national media once again Toledo…Maybe that whole reality tv thing might work.

The reality is there are people who vote where they don’t live, they don’t often get caught but in this case, two women who happen to be the daughters of a current Waterville Council person have been accused of breaking Ohio’s election laws. Waterville councilwoman’s daughters accused of voter fraud is being reported by the Toledo Free Press. Part of the news piece:

On Jan. 29, Jan Lowe, of Waterville, submitted a letter to the Lucas County Board of Elections (BOE) challenging two voter registrations.

Lowe contested the registrations of Ruthann Cherry and Lisa Cherry, claiming evidence demonstrates that neither live in Waterville and neither are eligible to vote in Waterville. She also requested an investigation into “their possible fraudulent voter registration and actions to commit voter fraud in past elections.”

The letter states both women voted in the November 2009 election in which their mother, Ann Cherry, was up for and won reelection to the Village of Waterville council. Evidence was submitted that claims the daughters own property, work or reside in other cities or states.
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From today’s Columbus Dispatch, Ohio could set state record for lethal injections. Part of the news piece:

The state executed condemned killer Mark Brown on Thursday, the third execution in as many months and one of nine scheduled for this year.

In addition, prosecutors have already asked the Ohio Supreme Court, which schedules executions, to set dates for five additional death row inmates.

Ohio put seven people to death in 2004, a record for the state and second in the nation behind Texas, and executed four last year.

We’re also the first state to use the one drug method of the death penalty…

There are three ways a public school system can receive local funding, property tax, a traditional income tax and an earned income tax. As part of the beginning discussion on this, I thought it would be helpful to provide some material/information on the two different types of income taxes that a public school district can go before voters to seek. I’m sure this is going to be a topic we discuss in the days to come and there will be those of you have strong opinions on both sides of the issue. The purpose of this is so we start out with a basic knowledge of the options.

The Department of Ohio Taxation gives some of the basics on page 2:

Traditional Tax Base School District Method – Ohio Revised Code sections 5748.01(E)(1)(a) and 5748.01(E)(2) provide that the voters in each school district can vote to enact a school district income tax based upon income and deductions shown on the Ohio income tax return. Under these provisions of the law, individuals pay the school district income tax based upon Ohio taxable income (Ohio adjusted gross income less the exemption amount) as shown on line 5 of Ohio form IT 1040 or IT 1040EZ, and estates pay the school district income tax based upon Ohio taxable income as shown on line 3 of Ohio form IT 1041. Until recently, this method of taxation was the only method available to school district voters. Taxpayers residing in traditional tax base school districts must file Ohio form SD 100 even if none of their income is subject to the tax.
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Just reported moments ago by the Toledo Free Press, Prosecutor: Signature forgery decision within 30 days. Part of the recommended news piece:

A decision on whether to move forward with the Lucas County Republican Party signature fraud case will take place in the next 30 days, according to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor James Gutierrez.

The Cuyahoga County prosecutor’s office is investigating the alleged signature fraud case involving campaign finance forms filed during Jon
Stainbrook’s chairmanship. The case was sent to Cleveland on Oct. 26 after Lucas County Chief Investigator Frank Stiles concluded his investigation; this was due to concerns of the appearance of conflict and “allegations that are flying around” in the Toledo market.

Personally, it’s hard to understand why it’s taken this long, people have gone before the Grand Jury on murder cases that took place after these issues were raised, but? We’ll learn in the next 30 days if there is enough evidence for prosecution, if it will go to a Grand Jury or if no action will be taken.

I have the documentation from the Mayor’s latest CSI meeting that was held yesterday but I have not had time to go through it to write a post and to upload/share the material. In the meantime, I recommend this piece from FOX Toledo on the from Monday night and this piece from Thursday that reports after going line by line through the budget, it’s only been reduced to 38 million. It was 43.8 million…

I am however continued to be troubled by the inclusion of an income tax increase as a way to balance the budget, since from how it was explained to me previously and was clearly stated before Toledo City Council by Law Director Adam Loukx, you can not use expected money from a new tax or new levy to balance a budget, you can only do that with a renewal item. It is possible to create an on-paper budget cut that could be filled by a new tax or levy that passes later, but the amount expected to be generated would have to appear as a cut. This means what’s possible is scheduled cuts or layoffs that would happen towards the end of the budget period that would not be put into effect if the voters approved a tax increase.

This in via e-mail earlier today from Columbia Gas of Ohio:

Go Direct e-Bill and Go Green

Columbia Gas of Ohio, The Nature Conservancy Team to Promote Paperless Billing
Columbia Gas customers have a new opportunity to think globally and act locally through a joint effort with The Nature Conservancy.

Columbia Gas of Ohio and its parent company NiSource Inc. recently launched a campaign to encourage customers to go green in 2010. For every customer who enrolls in the company’s Direct e-Bill paperless billing service between now and April 1, 2010, Columbia Gas will contribute $10 to The Nature Conservancy to help rebuild Brazil’s Atlantic Forest through its Plant a Billion Trees program.
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Thank you to all of you who selected this blog as the Best Local Blog for the Best of Toledo 2k9 done by the Toledo City Paper.

It’s an honor to have won two years in a row, I appreciate your support. Congratulations to everyone else who was picked this year.

It’s Thursday, while I don’t have to the ability to delve into deeper details, since this is a time sensitive matter, I wanted to direct your attention to a blog post written by homeless advocate Ken Leslie on 1Matters.

Leslie recently raised a question concerning a possible conflict of interest, shortly after that he was told a special meeting of the Toledo Lucas County Homelessness Board (TLC) is scheduled for 1:30 pm Friday, 2/5 at the new United Way building to remove him from the Board of TLC.

Let’s say for the sake of argument that Ken Leslie’s most recent concern about the possible conflict of interest is not true:

After failing with the TLC board chair Paul Tecpanecatl, I sent an email to the entire board asking them to look into what I believe to be a blatant case of conflict of interest.
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At yesterday’s Council meeting Toledo City Councilman Phil apologized to the citizens of Toledo for missing the Human Resources, Information Technology and Finance committee meeting. He also stated that he was under the impression that he had gone on the record about that and wanted to make it clear that if he was unable to attend a meeting because his other employment necessitated going out of town, he did not want to be paid for it. That he did not want to be paid for any meeting that he missed. While I don’t personally recall any previous time where it was mentioned that Toledo City Councilman Phil Copeland wanted his pay docked for non-attendance for Committee or Council meetings, and he has been present when his previous absences have been excused, since the issue of his attendance has been raised here, I wanted to make sure readers of the blog were aware of his request to have the recent missed meeting and any future meetings deducted from his Council salary.

Audio link from yesterday for those of you who want to hear exactly what Councilman Copeland stated.

An interesting side note, if a Council member has an absence that is not excused, since there was no vote to excuse, there is no record in the Toledo City Journal.

There are normally a few statements/proclamations made at the beginning of Black History Month, so far two have been received. One from Lt. Governor Lee Fisher who is running for the Senate and from the Ohio Democratic Party chairman Chris Redfern:

Fisher Commemorates Black History Month

U.S. Senate candidate and Ohio Lt. Governor Lee Fisher released the following statement in commemoration of Black History Month:

“I am proud to honor the rich history of African Americans in Ohio and across the country not just this month but throughout the year. Black history is American history, and as we celebrate the contributions of African Americans to our national heritage, it is important to note both how far we have come and how far we have to go. We must not waver in our commitment to ensure equality and opportunity for all Ohioans now and in the future.”

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern’s Statement on Black History Month

COLUMBUS – Today, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern issued the following statement on Black History Month:

“America’s story cannot be told without the story our African Americans citizens. This month, we honor the legacy of countless extraordinary African Americans, their contributions to American society, and the sacrifices they made so that our country would be more free and more equal for every American. We take this opportunity to discover our rich and diverse history as Americans and renew our efforts for continued progress towards equality and justice for all.”

This in via e-mail from the Fisher for Senate campaign:

Fisher Proposes Steps to Protect American Democracy, Limit Corporate Money in Wake of Flawed Supreme Court Ruling

“Americans Should Determine Elections, Not Corporations,” Fisher Says

Challenges Portman to Join Effort to Curb Corporate Interference in our Democracy

COLUMBUS – With the Senate Budget Committee reviewing steps to curb a recent Supreme Court ruling allowing unfettered corporate political spending, Lt. Governor Lee Fisher outlined a plan to ensure that American voters determine elections – not multinational corporations and special interests.
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This in via e-mail from Rossford Public Schools:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The Public Forum to Address Facilities set for this evening, Wednesday, February 3, at 7:00 p.m. will be located in the Rossford High School Auditorium rather than the Rossford High School Cafeteria.

Thank you!

Some additional information as to the reasoning behind tonight’s meeting can be found on WTVG. Part of the story:

The Rossford Board of Education has been discussing the idea of renovating or moving the buildings for some time. Now some say moving them out of downtown is the only option safe for students. “It’s really not about buildings. For us, it’s about safety of our children. We are concerned we don’t see an option of staying there,” said Rossford Board of Education President Brian Hughes.
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This in via e-mail:

Senator Teresa Fedor Lauds Ujvagi’s Accomplishments

Will Seek Appointment to Ohio House of Representatives

COLUMBUS, OH – Senator Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) lauded Representative Peter Ujvagi’s (D-Toledo) accomplishments and leadership as a State Representative after Ujvagi announced today he is leaving his Statehouse position for an administrator post with the Lucas County Commissioners.

“I am happy for Peter on his decision to return to Lucas County. His leadership in public policy and record of accomplishments while in Columbus will resonate throughout Toledo, and all Ohio, for years to come. My great friend and colleague will be dearly missed in the Ohio Statehouse,” said Senator Fedor.

Concurrently, Senator Fedor announced she will seek an appointment to her former House seat in Ohio’s 47th District.
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Rumors are a part of what I deal with, and I don’t like to blog rumors, if that was my goal this would be a completely different blog. Yet there are times when a rumor is stated so often that it is either true or a very well organized rumor mongering moment. Today is one of those moments where at least part of a rumor that no one would go on the record about is true according to the Blade. (link).

Most of those rumored to be involved have not gone on the record, which leaves me with the decision of sharing what I know or continuing to wait. While I try to never betray things told to me in confidence, when it gets to the point where it’s clear it’s being shared to quite a few people, my dedication to transparency and my weariness of the games takes precedence.

As some of you may know, Lucas County Administrator Mike Beazley has taken a job with the City of Oregon. Current Ohio House Representative Peter Ujvagi was just picked as his replacement. Ujvagi is termed out of the House and was considered as a potential candidate for Ohio Senator Teresa Fedor’s seat, since she is also termed out and is said to be running for Ujvagi’s former seat. Ohio House Representative Edna Brown is also termed out. So this created a possible race between the two termed out House members for the same Senate seat.
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This in via e-mail from the Ohio Democratic Party:

Judge Eric Brown Announces Candidacy for Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court

COLUMBUS – Today, joined by supporters and family at a press conference at the Ohio Statehouse, Franklin County Probate Court Judge Eric Brown announced his candidacy for Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. Judge Brown was introduced by Governor Ted Strickland.
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Part 2 could be subtitled, “Why it is not that simple to just sell the parking garages” — the topic of the City’s commitment to the Toledo-Lucas County Housing Trust Fund and the connection to at least one parking garage was not mentioned in the recent article in the daily paper as referenced in Part 1. As part of that article (link) it states:

Clayton Johnston, executive director of the parking authority, said former Mayor Carty Finkbeiner tried to sell the garages but turned down two parking authority offers in 2008 – including the agency’s final offer of $16.5 million for all three garages and a 50-year lease on the meters.

“I guess he felt he could get more from an outside concern,” Mr. Johnston said.

If that same deal was offered today, the city could net roughly $11 million after paying off the garage construction debt in 2019.

This completely ignores the funding promised to the Toledo-Lucas County Housing Trust Fund. In 1998, Toledo City Council and the Mayor (Carleton Finkbeiner) agreed to:
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District 2 Toledo City Councilman D. Michael Collins sent out a memorandum to members of Toledo City Council yesterday. The full memo can be read here.

In it he asks for a Executive Session to take place with Attorney Fritz Byers so that Council can be briefed on the strengths and weaknesses of these cases before they make a decision. Collins also states he does not believe the burden of proof is made as to the claims of Perlean Griffin as stated in the memo:
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FOX Toledo has been covering the story of the promised $3.6 million dollars from Larry Dillin for quite some time. Today they are reporting, Marina project not on Bell’s radar. They are also reporting that without the $3.6 million, no matching funding will come from the state. Which means, we basically have a nice road, and the park is still planned to be finished by November 2010, at least at this point but? Until a developer comes forward with the money for the project, it sounds as if the Marina District is done.

When Karyn McConnell Hancock was sentenced to up to four years out of a possible 8 year sentence in jail back on 1/15/2009 it was stated as part of the record that she was considered eligible for shock incarceration. A request for shock parole/judicial release can be made after serving 6 months, she’s served a little over a year. The motion to ask for a judicial release was filed on 1/21/2010 and the prosecutor’s office filed a memorandum in opposition of the release.
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With Jennifer Garrison “encouraged” to drop out of the race for Secretary of State, those following the inside baseball aspect of politics expected an announcement that Maryellen O’Shaughnessy was going to enter the race. It is not clear if O’Shaughnessy will face an opponent in the primary, but the below release makes it clear who she has the support of:

Maryellen O’Shaughnessy to Launch Bid for Secretary of State
O’Shaughnessy Strongly Supported by Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern and Governor Ted Strickland

COLUMBUS – Today, the Ohio Democratic Party announced that Clerk of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Maryellen O’Shaughnessy has launched her campaign for Secretary of State and will make a formal announcement within the next ten days. O’Shaughnessy’s campaign for Secretary of State is strongly supported by Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern and Governor Ted Strickland.
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