Amendment adds third term for Toledo mayors

By Mark Sobczak

Hello, Toledo Free Press readers! Indulge me for a few lines to tell you a little about myself.  I am a lifelong Toledoan.  I grew up in a working-class neighborhood. Dad was a Toledo police officer and mom, after raising my three siblings and me, worked as a bank teller.

I am not a professional journalist, which will become painfully evident to the Free Press’ more discerning readers.  I spent a 35-year career advocating for workers as an officer and business representative for Teamsters Local 20.  I was elected as an at-large member to Toledo City Council and served from 2006 to mid-2009, and the last 18 months as city council president.

After retiring from the Teamsters, former Mayor Mike Collins asked me to serve in his administration as the commissioner of human resources for the City of Toledo.  One year later, after his tragic and sudden death, then city council president Paula Hicks-Hudson became mayor by succession.  Paula contacted me and asked if I would be willing to serve as her chief of staff and director of public safety. 

I served for the next three years until current Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz was elected.  During my time as a city councilman, I became friends with Tom Pounds, editor/publisher of the Toledo Free Press. One very early Sunday morning while golfing together, he asked me a question about a City of Toledo water issue.  Several holes later, when I felt I had sufficiently answered his question, he said, ‘Wow, you could write a book,” which was code for him seeking a much more succinct response. I realized my TMI moment and we shared a laugh. 

But that got us thinking: I might be able to share some of my experiences as a city councilman and administrator with the Free Press readers.  So, against that backdrop, I will endeavor to periodically regale the Free Press faithful with insights I have picked up along the way.

Signing the petition

When confronted by an obvious non-Toledoan while attending the Toledo Jeep Fest to sign the petition to put this proposed amendment on the ballot, I initially hesitated.  Normally, I will sign just about any petition or accept any flyer/handout, sympathetic to the rejection invariably faced when interrupting someone’s day by asking them to sign or read something. 

At first, I thought ‘No, I won’t sign.’  Then I thought, ‘Well, this is not a vote for Wade’s third term. He would still have to run again and win.’ Then I got to thinking about who are the future Mayor wannabes and whether they may be better or worse than what we currently have.

Proposed Charter Amendment Issue 9 – City of Toledo

A majority affirmative vote is necessary for passage.

Shall the proposed amendment, set forth by citizen-initiated petition, to ChapterVI Section 87D of the Charter of the City of Toledo to limit the number of consecutive four-year terms to three from two, to be consistent with the term limits applied to the Toledo City Council, be adopted?

___   Yes

___   No

The turnover on city council has been rapid as of late, with a few exceptions.  Some of the new council members show potential as the city’s leader. Others not so much. But given four more years to demonstrate their acumen for city government, they may just fit the bill.  I have often said there are two types of people who run for office: civil servants and self-servants.  You can usually spot who is whom from a mile away.  We currently have both. 

Metaphorically speaking, it takes a new mayor about six months to find their parking space in the government center garage, meaning that time is usually lost to the inevitable transitioning that takes place with a new administration.  At the time, I considered the options. Should the amendment pass, Wade will have an opportunity to make his case for what a third term would bring.  Should the amendment fail, we lose an option that may have been best. That’s when I grabbed the clipboard and signed the petition.

Now that the results are in, we know that Issue 9 passed: 50,467 YES (55.37 percent) to 40,677 NO (44.63 percent) with 100 percent of precincts counted, which is unofficial until certified.

Wade has stated he will take advantage of the passage of Issue 9 and seek another term as mayor of the City of Toledo, but there hasn’t been an official announcement yet.

So, where are do we go from here?  Can the mayor make a cogent case for a third term? Will a current city council member rise to the occasion?  Will a local businessperson be willing to take the salary pay cut and jump into the fray?  Will a dark horse emerge from the citizenry?

In a post-ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds world, will it be status quo, utopia or an apocalypse? Time will tell.  Whomever it is, their success will be the city’s success.  As Gene Krantz, our American aerospace engineer heroically said, “Failure is not an option.”