Before a standing-room only crowd at City Council chambers, Paula Hicks-Hudson was sworn in Feb. 17 as Toledo’s first female African-American mayor.
The ceremony was a formality as Hicks-Hudson, as City Council president, was sworn in as acting mayor Feb. 1 at University of Toledo Medical Center after Mayor D. Michael Collins was hospitalized in critical condition following a cardiac arrest and car accident. When he died Feb. 6, she became mayor.
Paula Hicks-Hudson, left, is sworn in as Toledo mayor by Judge Arlene Singer of the Sixth District Court of Appeals during a ceremony Feb. 17. Toledo Free Press Photo by Sarah Ottney
Hicks-Hudson’s remarks were laced with Biblical references and also drew laughs at times.
After thanking her husband, family members and friends, she addressed her former City Council colleagues.
“To my Council colleagues: I have unfortunately crossed the Rubicon to the 22nd floor,” she said wryly, to laughter. “But I have not crossed off the issues we that we’ve long cared about. It is my pledge to work with you for the betterment of the citizens. We may not always agree on the methods, but I’m sure we always will agree on the fundamental purpose of making this great city a great place to live and to work.”
She also drew laughs when thanking Judge Arlene Singer of Ohio’s 6th District Court of Appeals, whom she called her longtime friend and colleague.
“Thank you for swearing me in rather than swearing at me, which she has sometimes done,” Hicks-Hudson said, referring to her career as a lawyer.
Hicks-Hudson thanked all City of Toledo employees for continuing to do their jobs despite their shock and grief over Collins. She thanked particularly the executive team led by Chief of Staff Robert Reinbolt for helping her with the transition.
“It is a testament to their dedication and their professionalism that during these past two weeks, through their grief and disbelief, they got the job done,” she said.
With strong language, Hicks-Hudson made it clear the city would not falter in implementing plans set in place by Collins.
“Please rest assured that the city is not in turmoil. Rest assured that we are going to go forward with those plans and projects that were in the pipeline,” Hicks-Hudson said. “It is my intention and my plan to continue those initiatives … because those plans are for the betterment of this city and are what we need to do moving forward as a community.
Toledo Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson reacts to cheers from the crowd following her swearing in ceremony Feb. 17. Toledo Free Press photo by Sarah Ottney
“We must actively and intelligently attract living wage jobs for our area. We must actively and intelligently create liveable spaces for families to make their homes. We must develop partnerships that can expand the width and depth of our region so our city can continue on this path of ascent.”
The role of mayor was not one she sought, but one that her professional career has prepared her for, Hicks-Hudson said.
“I stand before you with the determination and with the dedicated men and women of city government ready to assume this role,” she said. “Please know that I have accepted this challenge just as I have accepted other challenges in my life. But I accept this challenge with the understanding that you must be a part of it with me.”
With echoes of Collins’ prized slogan “You Will Do Better in Toledo,” Hicks-Hudson asked for a positive mindset.
“It is my plan and my intention to look at ways to show our young people that you can make a home here in Toledo,” she said. “The first act I ask you to do is speak with pride about this great city. Talk about the resilience about our community and the life we can provide for ourselves and our children.
“It is not an I versus You. It is an us, it is a we. It is we that can move this place forward. It is we who can make Toledo the city on the hill you can hear about so often.”
To close, Hicks-Hudson paraphrased the Book of Ecclesiastes
“To a season, there is a purpose and it is our purpose and our time to move this city forward, with your help and with the help of God,” she said.
In her invocation before the ceremony, Rev. Lori Strang of Redeemer Lutheran Church described Hicks-Hudson as having “a heart of a servant.”
“May our entire city be inspired by her service and that we may truly be a city of hope,” Stang said. “Lord, lead us into the future for we do not know what it holds but we know that you hold it. We thank you, Lord, for bringing us to this day. And, Lord, even with our hearts still filled with anxiety and sorry over the loss of D. Michael Collins, we thank you, Lord, that you have prepared someone for this place.”
Many of Hicks-Hudson’s family members and friends attended. Also in attendance at the ceremony were former Toledo mayors Donna Owens, Carty Finkbeiner, Mike Bell and Jack Ford, who is City Council president pro tempore after Hicks-Hudson became acting mayor. Hicks-Hudson acknowledged them for their attendance and support, saying, “each has been kind enough to offer words of encouragement and willingness to continue to help our great city.”
After the ceremony, Bell said he gave Hicks-Hudson’s speech was “excellent.”
“I give her an A+,” Bell said. “I thought her speech was extremely inclusive of a lot of related issues to our city. If she stays on that track, she will be an excellent mayor.”
