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Mayor D. Michael Collins is in the hospital in very critical
condition and at the time of this writing, the prognosis for
his recovery is undetermined. City Council President Paula
Hicks- Hudson, after a few hours earlier appearing publicly
with Collins, finds herself unexpectedly serving as interim
mayor at a time of unprecedented uncertainty, not to mention
a level three emergency, which simultaneously produced 12
inches of snow.
Our sincere and heartfelt prayers go out, along with
thousands of others, on behalf of Mayor Collins, wife Sandra
Drabik and family, for his complete recovery.
Special intercessory prayers and pleas for community support
also go out on behalf of Hicks-Hudson, the second
African-American female Toledo city council president and
first female African-American mayor, as she inherits several
critical challenges in her new position.
Besides the snowstorm, Hicks-Hudson faces Fiat Chrysler’s
option to relocate production of its profitable Jeep
Wrangler out of Toledo, a decision, which could have a
catastrophic effect on Toledo’s employment and economy.
Then there is the water problem. This past summer, Toledo’s
drinking water contained toxins in excess of safe
consumption levels, triggering a no-drink mandate and near
public panic. In addition, a recent performance audit has
identified a multitude of severe problems in the city’s
Department of Public Utilities or water department. Most
notable is a neglected sanitary sewer system that has become
old and decrepit and has the potential to facilitate another
wide spread crisis.
Another critical issue is reform of the criminal justice
system with the city being accused of not paying its fair
share of costs to operate the regional jail and court
system.
Yet, possibly, the interim mayor’s most critical challenge
is that the city of Toledo does not yet have an approved
operating budget, which by law they have until March 31 to
complete but are just getting started in the process.
Hicks-Hudson, not a proponent of Collins’ strategies, is
likely to think about putting a different set of strategies
and policies in motion. Imagine potential thoughts going
through her ambitious mind: “I can’t continue to take funds
out of the CIP budget to fund salaries, raises or labor
settlements. If I back a regional water authority or
increase water bills to raise the capital to repair the
sanitary sewer system does, that do anything for the people
who live in Toledo other than raise their rates? Should I
reform the Department of Public Utilities (DPU)? None of
these staff are mine. Should I bring in new blood to help?
What’s going on with Jeep? Should I talk with the Lucas
County commissioners? How can I repair the relationship with
the county?”
However, the biggest mistake the interim mayor can make at a
time like this is to start racing before she can walk. In
order to overcome this subtle temptation, Hicks-Hudson will
have to understand the difference between leading and
managing. The function of leadership, say business experts,
is to create change while the function of management is to
create stability. Management anticipates change and adapts
to it, but its function is not to create change.
Hicks-Hudson’s task, in this time of uncertainty is to bring
stability and thus is a management rather than a leadership
function. Her task involves the allocation and control of
resources to achieve certain objectives by directing people
to achieve specific goals. The only goal of City Council and
the mayor’s office during this period should be to ensure
that the city’s core services are delivered until we get
some signal of Mayor Collins’ recovery.
Rather than one person with a title, stability will be
achieved only by many people working collaboratively as a
team to support the interim mayor. This requires cooperation
between the interim mayor and city council to get through
the process of budget hearings. It requires leaning on
those, who, like temporary Council President Jack Ford, have
knowledge of how a municipal budget is put together and
those with diverse skills and expertise to offer their help
in order to sustain the work until the mayor returns or a
new mayor is elected.
At this point, all we can do is pray, make sure that core
city services are delivered, and move one day at a time. If
we focus on these, true leadership and opportunities for
change will emerge.
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org
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