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It’s official. The seven mayoral candidates vying to fill
the remaining two years of late Mayor D. Michael Collins’
term have been certified, all having received the required
750 signatures.
The number seven is symbolic of perfection, security, safety
and rest. “Seven,” can also represent good or bad luck. This
race, for sure, can be considered one that lies somewhere
between the mystical and the mysterious.
My thoughts on the “major” candidates and the direction of
the city?
The race seems to come down to what type of leader our city
needs for the future given our present circumstances. To
carry the city forward, do we need a leader who is
boisterous and vocal? Should the new mayor be a woman?
I like Sandy Spang, a fresh, new and passionate voice who is
at the center of many under-the-radar bipartisan efforts to
make Toledo a better city for all. Spang brings a small
business background and a focus on workforce development.
According to some, making municipal departments such as the
Department of Neighborhoods more community-friendly rather
than administrative top-heavy, is one of her priorities.
Spang has also been able to attract numerous young people to
her cause.
I am less excited about Sandy Drabik Collins, who is certain
to maintain her late husband’s close relationship with the
fire and police safety forces along with his overall
political perspective.
Should the next mayor be charismatic?
Charisma and substance are often unrelated. We’ve had
charismatic mayors in the past but it did not prevent the
city from experiencing fiscal crises. Today, according to
many, our budget is the number one issue. Citizens are
talking about roads and water quality. Yet it is impossible
to fill potholes, deal with infrastructure for sinkholes or
treat our water so that it’s safe to drink, without having
the money to do the work.
With access to CIP dollars (Critical Infrastructure
Protection/Capital Improvement) no longer an option after
2016, there are some difficult budget challenges on the
horizon.
“That money’s (CIP) done, so there’s no weaning, so that
money goes back to roads,” stated a municipal insider. “But
what’s happened to the $14 million dollars that we took from
CIP that we were using to pay people’s salaries? That we
were using to pay for fire and safety? There are going to be
some very hard choices.”
Realistically, the only way that Toledo moves forward is by
cutting expenses and/or raising taxes. Another difficult
choice.
“We’re probably not going to lay people off. Police and Fire
are certainly safe. Finkbeiner was the last person to lay
off safety services,” adds the insider.
While former Mayor Mike Bell has shown the fortitude and
political will to make these kinds of tough fiscal
decisions, many feel that he still carries with him the
weight of his past conflict with the unions.
“If Bell says ‘we need to eliminate expenses,’ the first
thing people are going to think is, ‘Oh, you’re going to
fire people, you’re going to lay off some union people.’
That’s immediately where people are going to go, even if
that’s not the case. I think Mike’s got too much stigma
around him from his past dealings. Whether it’s valid or
not, the perception is still there. So him being able to do
that and do it in a way that brings the city together, I
think it’s going to be hard,” concluded another political
insider.
For me, then, given the city’s current political and
economic environment, the best candidate to move Toledo
forward is Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson.
The elite, Spellman College-educated attorney, however, is
at a disadvantage compared to both Bell and Finkbeiner when
it comes to name recognition, especially among likely
non-African American, late Generation X and early millennial
voters.
At a recent public event, the insider reports, “I’m seeing
these mid-30s, not too young people, and they’re pointing to
Mayor Hicks-Hudson, and they’re like ‘who’s that?’ I’m
like, ‘that’s your mayor.’ And they’re like, ‘oh, what’s her
name? I can’t…what’s her name.’ No one knows her name and
that’s a scary place for an incumbent mayor to be.”
Yet, if anyone can make, not only the tough decisions but
also the right decisions, it is Hicks-Hudson. Those
decisions will likely not include layoffs but cutting
services in a politically equitable manner.
Having stepped into her current role as mayor from the
position of City Council president, Hicks-Hudson has proven
that she has the grit to maintain her place in the rough and
tumble world of politics while being able to also fight for
the everyday rights and privileges of the people she serves.
She has surrounded herself with a cadre of young, urban
professionals and grass roots activists such as Alicia Smith
of the rising Junction Coalition. Hicks-Hudson is also more
likely, than the other mayoral hopefuls, to make decisions
that bring others together rather than divide them.
At the end of the day, the present challenges we face will
only be met by looking forward and not in the rear view
mirror. This election, then, is not about the dark times of
the past, but is about, instead, facing the rising sun of a
NEW DAY begun.
Should Hicks-Hudson prevail, it will further reveal the
leadership qualities that she already possesses but which,
many “choose not to see.”
A victory won, also will solidify her current place of
authority, where she has admirably shown to be a more than
capable leader.
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org
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