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Black leaders are often
seen, by their own, as “watchmen,” overseers or custodians
of the black community. Based on a relationship of shared
values, the community expects to receive security,
prosperity and human and material resources regardless of
whatever at-large or other broader constituencies the leader
might also have.
Cecelia Adams, PhD, is a
leader, who has been able to sit high enough and see far
enough to serve the community at-large effectively without
sacrificing her identity, core cultural values or the needs
of her home community.
Part two of my
conversation with Adams concerns her past legislative
outcomes for the black community during her short tenure as
at-large city councilperson as well as her agenda for the
future.
Perryman:
Dr. Adams, I have been outspoken about the lack of tangible
community benefits in return for our electoral support of
local African-American leaders. You’ve mentioned signature
projects that you have been responsible for, namely the fire
and police academy partnership with the public schools. Is
there anything else in your leadership capacity that
specifically benefits our community?
Adams:
Well, I think that the employment piece is a very tangible
aspect. I’ve been doing a great deal of work with my
committee to increase the awareness of education and
training opportunities that are available to prepare our
community’s labor force for the jobs of the present and
immediate future in our city in partnership with Ohio Means
Jobs Lucas County and the area educational institutions.
There are just thousands
of jobs that are out there, at least hundreds, and they have
information from companies and businesses all throughout the
city from entry level all the way up to requirements of a
doctoral degree. They know where the jobs are, all people
have to do is go down to Ohio Means Jobs on Monroe Street or
go to their website and apply for them. And so we’ve been
trying to get that word out and so I think that that’s a big
help for minorities because I think getting jobs, education
and jobs, is the way out of poverty and so folks have to
know where to go.
Also, Local 500 has been
working very hard to get not only the average person off the
street who needs a job, but people who have been reentering
from the criminal justice system and folks who are just down
on their luck. They have been very, very helpful in working
together with the city to get people jobs. So that, to me,
is a tangible return that isn’t articulated enough and so
we’ve got to do a better job of getting that information out
there.
Additionally, a few months
ago in May, I was successfully able to get an ordinance
passed through City Council that puts reasonable
restrictions on predatory lending and payday lenders and
short-term lenders, these auto title loan companies that are
all over the City of Toledo and negatively impact the
minority community. And that’s why it was such an important
issue for me to champion, and so I did. So, with the help of
Evelyn McKinney from United Way, George Thomas from ABLE and
Valerie Moffitt from LISC, we were able to put together
legislation that was passed and so …now there can’t be any
more new predatory lenders or payday lenders in Toledo.
Payday lending ultimately
puts people in a horrible and desperate financial situation,
so municipalities like the City of Toledo can only put
zoning restrictions on these businesses, so I was able to do
that and I’m very proud of it with the help of the team that
we put together and had the full support of the council and
the mayor. And what’s happening now is that we’re
encouraging people, especially minority folks, to go to
financial opportunity centers and they can help you manage
your money and also point you towards better small interest
loans and give you a longer time to repay the loans.
There’s tons of work
that’s being done. I’m working hard every day to try to help
the minority community because that’s where I am from and
it’s the experience that I come from. And so some of these
things aren’t real showy, but they are important and the
people can feel the impact because when you listen to the
stories about people who have been taken advantage of, it’s
just very sad, and so that has been something that I’ve been
very proud of and been working on that too.
Also, our parks in the
central city are in terrible shape. Grass is growing
through broken courts, cement, there are metal rods that
don’t have a backboard or a hoop or a net for kids to throw
the basketball in, and baseball diamonds that are in
disrepair. Those are the things that I have been seeing and
I will tell you that I have been to all 125 of our city
neighborhood parks and so I have seen the condition and I’ve
made recommendations. There is actually a report, a master
plan that was put together by Pros Consulting in 2013 and
technically nothing has been done. That report says that the
budget of the city for recreation should be at least three
percent of the budget, but currently it’s less than one
percent.
So, starting with my next
meeting, I’m going to ask for a plan and a budget so that we
aren’t asking for donations and not depending upon donations
to open the pools, it ought to be in the budget. We know
that we need $320,000 to maintain them and get them ready,
it ought to be in the budget. And so those are kinds of
nitty-gritty things that really make an impact and not
flashy, but it’s important. Those are the intellectually
challenging aspects of being a councilperson that I think
that I’m there in order to make things happen.
Perryman:
As I said, those types of issues, particularly when it comes
down to the needs of the residents of the central city, get
pushed way down on the priority list and never get
addressed. Listening to people and looking at some of the
things that are on social media, it appears that many in the
black community are upset or frustrated.
Adams:
Well, in my opinion, the best is yet to come. These things
don’t work overnight and I’m trying to expedite them as
quickly as I can. And so I just think that if we just give
it a little more time we can work through some of the
natural and sometimes unnatural obstacles that get in the
way. So, I’m really moving as fast as I can to make a
difference, and that’s my goal, to make a difference.
Perryman:
Can you please talk about some of the barriers?
Adams:
Well, some of it is making sure that the city administration
understands what a councilman is trying to accomplish and
that it’s consistent with the mission and the vision of the
people who have to get it done. So there has to be a great
deal of conversation and discussion to make sure that
everybody’s on the same page and that’s harder to do than
you think, but it takes time and I’m willing to take the
time.
And so that to me is
sometimes an obstacle. Getting people together and
scheduling appointments and having time to talk with them
and making sure they get a good understanding. That may take
several different departments plus a mayor to get something
agreed upon so that we’re on the same page with what a
councilman is trying to push through. They understand what
they’re trying to do, but it needs to be better
communication or increased communication with each member of
council who’s trying to advance legislation.
Perryman:
Finally, what about Cecelia Adams would you like to resonate
most with voters?
Adams:
Well, I think that the thing I’d like to resonate most is
that I am a public servant. I’m a visionary and innovative
and I think that if the voters give me the honor of being
able to continue the work that I’ve started, that I will
work hard every day to make sure that we’re doing everything
- not only for the black community because there’s lots of
help that’s needed there and I come from that community, and
so that is a primary focus for me. But I do have to think
about the rest of the city too and so there isn’t anything
that I would promote for our community that wouldn’t be good
for the rest of the community as well.
I’m a Christian, I love
Toledo and I’m working daily to maintain an open dialogue
with our community’s constituents and other city officials
so that we can restore confidence and trust in city
government.
If you call me I’m going
to call you back. If you write me, I’m going to write you
back within 24-48 hours. And so I’m just hoping that the
public will continue to allow me to do the work I’ve already
begun, offering positive, progressive, responsible
leadership.
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org
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