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Toledo salon industry grows

By
Steven Bieber
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0
(Stock Image/Pexels by Kampus Production)

Glass City draws attention from major salon company

TOLEDO – There are hundreds of salons in Toledo, and – as the industry grows – one company plans to expand to the Glass City, providing local entrepreneurs a place to showcase their talents.

Phenix Salon Suites is a suite licensing company where franchisees essentially act as sub-landlords that go into a property, subdivide it into rooms or suites and rent it out. They rent the properties to entrepreneurs looking to open a hair, nail or makeup salon.

Phenix also works with lifestyle professions, such as massage therapists, teeth whitening, botox, chiropractors, and more. The company has 32 corporate locations and 400 franchise locations.

Philip Watson, vice president of global development, explained what the company saw in Toledo that prompted the expansion. Phenix Salon Suites plans to build three to four locations in Glass City and launch them in a few years.

“The Toledo market is a great market for Phenix salon suites because it adds all the main drivers we’re looking for,” he said.

Philip Watson

“To put it simply, we’re looking for concentrations of salons and salon professionals and in the Toledo DMA. We looked for a minimum of 50 salons for each of our locations, and that’s looking at hair, nail makeup, other types of salons,” he explained. “But looking at hair alone, there are 250 salons in Toledo, so the Toledo market is a three- to four-location market for us fairly easily.”

According to Watson, the company wants to avoid opening too many franchise locations and cannibalizing existing franchisees.

Phenix requires the renter of a suite to have a license in their profession. The only other requirement is to cover the rent. Watson says that Phenix offers freedom and flexibility for the renter.

To be a franchisee, he said it would be helpful to have marketing experience, as well as real estate or business ownership experience, but it is not a requirement. What he’s looking for is “passion for the industry and liquidity of at least 300,000 net worth of at least a million in order to have a shot at obtaining financing to open a location.”

Watson added that one of the biggest ways Phenix builds trust with clients is by maintaining the property. The other is by being a tenant. He also said they provide resources to their clients to market their business and increase their presence on social media.

For hairstylists, they provide equipment, such as a styling chair, mobile cabinet and a cabinet under the spa sink, and they are also encouraged to decorate the location how they want.

“We really let them flex their creative spirit,” Watson said.

Other resources the company provides are credit card processing, a loan program, scheduling software, as well as seminars and training videos.

One of the biggest factors that separates Toledo from other cities is the rental rates. Watson said the rates are much better than larger locations, like Miami or Manhattan. He said that the rent-to-income ratio in Toledo would be very strong.

Watson said Phenix Salon Suites does not have a rule against having too many of the same businesses in one building, but he hopes each location can be a one-stop shop for customers. At a franchise, a customer can get a haircut, go next store to get their nails done, and then go get a massage.

Watson talked about Gina Rivera, the company’s founder. He said she is a celebrity in the industry and spent more than 42,000 hours behind the chair cutting hair. He said that she has a strong family lineage with 29 family members in the industry.

“We provide all the support our franchisees need to be necessary. Everything from site search, lease negotiations, and build-out ongoing operational support technology to help them run their business, and with the gig economy on the rise and everybody wanting to be their own boss, we are well positioned to take advantage of that,” he said.

Pros and cons of starting a salon in Toledo

Ebony Carter, director of the Minority Business Assistance Center and vice president of the Minority Business Services at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, shared an indicator that the salon industry is performing well in the city. She said that there have recently been two or three new salon locations and expansion projects around Toledo.

“There are never enough salons. I think the beauty industry is one of those industries that’s going to always be a high demand,” she said. “Even for men, you’re always going to need your hair done, but especially for women; you could never have enough options as far as where you’re going to get your hair done.”

Carter said people will have different experiences when opening a new business. She said that the difficulty of the process depends on the space that the building was before.

“If you’re a salon and you’re going into an old Pizza Hut, then of course there’s going to be a lot of regulations associated with that.“

One of the biggest mistakes people make when starting a business in Toledo is failing to use the Toledo Permit Planner. The permit planner identifies and estimates the permits, licenses, and fees needed to open or expand your business in Toledo. Carter warned of hidden pitfalls when starting a business and the permit planner can save you money.

Stacey Mallett, vice president of communications at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, said when it comes to starting a business in Toledo, “You don’t have to go on your own, and our services here are free.”

Steve DeMaio, director of the Small Business Development Center and vice president of business development services at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, discussed the benefits that business owners enjoy while working with a franchise like Phenix Salon Suites.

“You’re not incurring the overhead of purchasing or leasing a full space that you would be as a salon owner who owns a whole salon space. You are renting a solar space, but they’ve done the work with the landlord for establishing that.”

Other benefits he discussed are fewer building costs, the fact you still get to be your own boss, and you don’t always have to manage employees. Additionally, some franchises offer marketing, website support and other business services.

DeMaio also mentioned some downsides of working with a franchise, such as missing out on the benefits of entrepreneurial experiences of owning the building and being in full control. The other downside was the loss of some foot traffic; just because someone walks into the building does not mean they will be your customer.

Carter said the franchises benefit the city because they help people comply with the health department or the school cosmetology. Someone running their business out of their home may not comply. They are also good for people who cannot afford to have their place or struggle to bring in a suitable amount of foot traffic because they work in their homes.

Feeding of Bonaparte’s gulls

By
Art Weber
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0
Bonaparte's gulls feed in the Farnsworth's Roche DeBout Rapids. TFP Photo/Art Weber)

Gulls gather, add action to wetlands

WATERVILLE – Waterfowl migration is lagging a bit, perhaps due to the warm fall they’ve enjoyed to our north. The big numbers we often see in our wetlands and waterways, like Howard Marsh Metropark and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, haven’t arrived.

Still, there’s always action to be observed in those wetlands and others, like the rapids of the Maumee River. Gulls love to gather in numbers to feed in Side Cut’s Jerome Road
rapids and Farnsworth’s Roche deBout Rapids, for example.

In this recent photo, hundreds of Bonaparte’s gulls gathered in those
rapids to feed. It’s not unusual to see large feeding flocks moving as one,
following the concentrations of forage fish, in this case probably shad.

Daily Dose | Humorist

By
Steven J Athanas
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0

Cartoon by Steven J Athanas

Statehouse: Ryan & Ramaswamy

By
Signal Statewide
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0
(Courtesy Photo/ Ohio State House)

Tim Ryan running? | Lame duck session | House speaker

This story was originally published by Signal Statewide. Sign up for their free newsletters at SignalOhio.org/StateSignals.

By Andrew Tobias | Signal Statehouse

Although he’s remained involved on the periphery of Democratic politics since losing a 2022 bid for the U.S. Senate, Tim Ryan publicly had ruled out running for office again in 2026.

He’s re-evaluating that position following last week’s election.

“I said I wasn’t,” Ryan said in an interview on Tuesday. “People have been calling me and saying, ‘Keep your options open.’ So I’m keeping my options open right now.”

The former Youngstown-area congressman gained currency among national Democrats when he ran for U.S. Senate two years ago against Republican JD Vance, who won and is now the vice president-elect.

Ryan lost by 7 percentage points, not an especially close result. But thanks to energetic campaigning and his big “Ohio guy” energy – think Ohio State sweatshirts and football tossing – Ryan managed to raise tens of millions of dollars and get widespread media attention in a race that wasn’t expected to be competitive. A grandiose headline in the New York Times sums up the national perception of the race ahead of that year’s election: “Tim Ryan is Winning the War for the Soul of the Democratic Party.” 

After leaving office at the end of 2022, Ryan’s now living in suburban Columbus and has been doing consulting work with natural gas and cryptocurrency industry groups and took a job selling clean-energy credits. A former high school star quarterback, he’s also been coaching his young son’s football and basketball teams. 

But Ryan said he’s been in touch with Democratic leaders since last Tuesday, including James Carville and David Axelrod, key strategists for Bill Clinton’s and Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns. He said he thinks 2026 could end up being a good national political environment for Democrats, depending on what President-elect Donald Trump does. 

2026 could see other top Democratic names

If Ryan runs, he could fill the Democratic slot for the governor’s race. There also continues to be buzz that Sen. Sherrod Brown may run again in 2026 after losing last week – for governor or the U.S. Senate. Amy Acton, the former state health department director, and Allison Russo, who’s the top Democrat in the Ohio House, also have said publicly they’re considering running for statewide office.

Regardless of what he decides, Ryan said he would like to be part of the conversation to push the Democrats toward “the Democratic Party that we all grew up with.” That vision includes moving away from the “old-school redistribution” and “woke elements” that he said voters rejected this month and moving toward emphasizing economic growth.

“I hope this is a wake-up call to, if you aren’t speaking directly to working-class people of all colors, shapes and sizes, you can’t win,” Ryan said. “Until you get a message that appeals to them where they trust you, you’re just not gonna get ‘em.” 

Vivek Ramaswamy’s new job and Ohio calculation

Vivek Ramaswamy, the Columbus-area billionaire and MAGA personality, has a new job in the Trump Administration. On Wednesday night, Trump announced that Ramaswamy and mega-billionaire Elon Musk will oversee a Department of Government Efficiency, a not-yet-clearly-defined outside-of-government initiative to slash federal spending. (But its title is surely ripe for memes on Musk’s X media platform.)

A Trump statement said their work will end on July 4, 2026, just before the home stretch of that year’s November election, which means Ramaswamy could still be a candidate in Ohio. While Ramaswamy withdrew his name from consideration for Ohio’s U.S. Senate appointment – although it didn’t seem likely that Gov. Mike DeWine would pick him – his role with Trump as described didn’t seem to close the door on a run for governor in 2026.

A few Republican operatives, including those with ties to Ramaswamy, said they viewed it the same way. Raswamy’s maneuvering has gotten the attention of other Republicans, given his ability to self-fund a campaign and ride his Trump-adjacent celebrity.

Ramaswamy sure sounded like a potential Ohio candidate when he spoke at an Ohio Chamber of Commerce event last Thursday. He deployed tried-and-true Ohio talking points, praising the state’s history of pioneering and innovation and its logistically convenient location. But, he said, the state also has declined economically over the past 60 years. 

Ramaswamy told reporters after his speech that Ohio needs to improve its business climate if it wants to compete economically with states such as Texas. That’s where an investment company Ramaswamy founded recently moved, although Ramaswamy said the decision wasn’t his and that he’s personally rooted in Columbus, in part because his wife is a top physician at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.

“Is that critical of the leadership of this state? No, it’s not,” said Ramaswamy, who is friendly with Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, who has spent years preparing to run for governor in 2026. “I think they’ve done a great job of getting the state to where it is. But when we think about, ‘How do we take this state and this country to the next level?’ that’s what I care about.”

House speaker vote coming up and more 

Ohio House Republicans are scheduled to meet next Wednesday to informally choose who will lead the chamber going into next year’s new legislative session. 

Senate President Matt Huffman, a Lima Republican who was elected to the Ohio House last week, is widely favored over current House Speaker Jason Stephens. That’s because Stephens has been unable to unite the GOP caucus after he surprisingly won the job in January 2023 by making a deal with Democrats.

A dark-horse candidate is stalking the speaker job

Steubenville-area Republican Rep. Ron Ferguson wants the job, too. And he has ideas.

Ferguson made his case in an interview with Signal Statewide. He said he’s campaigning on a platform of weakening the speaker’s job, in part by taking away its ability to unilaterally pick committee chairs, jobs that come with influence, prestige and a pay bump. Instead, Ferguson said House Republicans should elect an internal committee that would pick committee chairs. 

Another distinguishing factor is how many years both candidates will be able to remain in their jobs, thanks to term limits. 

If Huffman gets the job, he could keep it through 2033, providing stability but boxing out other ambitious legislators. If Ferguson gets it, the longest he could keep it is through 2029, giving a glimmer of hope to officials who look in the mirror and see themselves as a future House speaker. Huffman and Ferguson share a signature issue – support for wide expansions of private school vouchers, which Democrats and some rural Republicans oppose.

Ferguson said both he and Huffman may draw votes from the faction of House Republicans that previously backed Stephens. 

“It’s not black and white,” he said, adding there’s a “0 percent chance” that anyone will make another deal with Democrats, which triggered an intense backlash from GOP activists and sanctions from the state Republican Party. “We need to pick the person to turn around this fractured caucus and lead it in the best interest of Ohioans.”

A sure-fire lame duck prediction

State lawmakers have returned from their pre-election break and are holding their final legislative sessions before the end of the year. This period is called the “lame duck” session, known for late-night legislative huddles and a flurry of activity, which includes unfinished business but also controversial topics that lawmakers are more likely to stick their neck out for when they’re in their final days of elected office or if they don’t have to run for reelection for another two years.

State Rep. Bill Seitz, a longtime Cincinnati-area Republican who’s leaving office at the end of the year due to term limits, predicted one tried-and-true lame duck topic could come up for a vote – giving raises to elected officials.

Seitz said county elected officials haven’t gotten one since 2018, thanks to another lame duck vote, and are arguing they need one now due to inflation. Paying elected officials more may not play well politically, but Seitz said they “have a good case to make.” He and other lawmakers have argued in the past that good pay is needed to attract quality candidates.

Other subjects potentially could get a vote, include a bill banning Delta 8, a THC product derived from hemp that occupies a legal gray area, and a bill that would require schools to make a policy allowing students to leave during the school day for religious instruction. On Wednesday, Ohio Senate Republicans over Democratic objections, approved a bill restricting the use of common bathrooms and other similar facilities by transgender people at K-12 schools and universities. The measure now heads to DeWine’s desk for his approval.

Lame duck sessions are notoriously hard to predict, especially with the looming speaker vote. But Seitz made another lame duck prediction that seems like a stone-cold lock.

“We have 27 or 28 members that are leaving,” Seitz said, “so you can expect to hear farewell speeches until you puke.”

Signal Statewide is a nonprofit news organization covering government, education, health, economy and public safety.

Composting in Toledo

By
Au'Ree Antoinette
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0
LSWCD staff member Patrick Troyer teaches participants how to use shredded newspaper for composting during a vermicomposting 101 class this spring. (Courtesy Photo/LSWCD)

A guide to doing your part in the 419

TOLEDO – With the rise in environmental awareness, many people have been searching for new sustainable practices to implement into their lives, one of them being reducing food waste by composting. 

What is composting?

Composting is the process of breaking down organic waste — like food scraps, leaves and yard waste — into a nutrient-rich substance called compost. It involves the natural decomposition of materials using microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and worms. This compost can then be used to improve soil structure, boost plant growth, and reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers. 

Why should you compost?

Along with improving soil health, composting can make a much greater environmental impact. Landfills lack proper oxygen flow so that, when food waste accumulates there, it starts to creates methane, one of the leading contributors to poor air quality and the increased temperature of the planet. Human related methane emissions accounted for nearly 14 percent of all methane production on the planet from 1990-2022, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

How can you start composting?

Composting can seem like a daunting task. Luckily, local organizations, like Lucas Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), Keeping Toledo Lucas County Beautiful and Toledo Metroparks are working together to help make food waste recycling and composting accessible and simple.

The Lucas SWCD’s sole mission is to educate the community about environmental conservation and give them the resources and tools to make their own impact. Lucas SWCD has offered two vermicomposting 101 classes that provide registrants with everything necessary to start their at-home composting bin.

“Vermicomposting is intended to be more of an inside composting option for people if they may not have a yard or don’t have a lot of food waste, and it utilizes the power of worms to break down that material and create compost,” said Jessica Grisier, Lucas SWCD’s communication and outreach coordinator.

Grisier also shared that Lucas SWCD sells other composting tools, such as a cold composting bin and a food scrap pail. Lucas SWCD sells these in stock all year long; the composters cost $62.50 and the food scrap bin costs $25.

A vermicomposting 101 participant drills holes in the provided composting bins during a class at the LSWCD office last year. (Courtesy Photo/LSWCD)

If you run into any issues with starting or maintaining your compost bin, Grisier encourages residents to come into their office, view their website page, send them an email, give them a call or schedule a site visit. Once you are connected, their educated team will be ready to assist you with your conservation journey. 

If having your own composting bin doesn’t interest you, there are other ways to practice organics recycling. In 2023, Keeping Toledo Lucas County Beautiful, City of Toledo and Toledo Metroparks partnered with GoZero to create food waste drop-off locations. The three drop off locations are Swan Creek Metropark, Toledo Botanical Gardens and Glass City Metropark. Once those food scraps are collected, they are then transported to GoZero’s composting facility in Wauseon.

“They provide bins very similar to what you would have for your garbage or recycling, and they come through and pick it up in what pretty much looks like a big garage truck; they take it out to their facility to be composted,” said KTLCB’s executive director Adam Cassi. 

“It makes composting a lot easier because you don’t have to sort through as much,” shared Cassi. In total, these food waste bins have collected 67,350 pounds of food waste in the past year.

He also shared that Go Zero is an industrial composter, so they can break down materials that don’t typically break down in a traditional compost bin. Materials, such as meat, dairy, bone and BPI compostable plastics can be broken down quickly using an industrial composter. 

“Composting doesn’t have to be hard,” Cassi added. “Now we are coaching people to leave their leaves in their backyard, not rake them up and just let them sit. It’s better for insect life, biodiversity and small mammals. A lot of people complain that they don’t see as many butterflies and lighting bugs as they used to, and one reason is because we don’t leave our leaves; a lot of these insects need to live and complete their life cycle. Also they will decompose and become fertilizer for your yards. That’s composting.”

Cassi added that Go Zero has been aiding in food waste recycling for quite some time “There are a lot of business and restaurants that use them for composting, like Owens Corning, Dana and Mercy St. Vincent.”

Cassi is looking forward to expanding KTLCB’s food waste drop-off initiative by adding new locations in the near further. 

Keeping Toledo Lucas County focuses on waste reduction and recycling. Their other recycling efforts are listed here. 

Lucas SWCD is located at 3350 Hill Ave., Suite K, and their office is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Humorists

By
Don Lee
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0
Editorial cartoon by Don Lee for the Toledo Free Press.

13abc news anchor Diane Larson retires

Thursday is Diane Larson’s last night at the 13abc Action News station.

Larson is a news anchor on the Toledo station and is retiring after a long career in TV news. We at the Toledo Free Press wish her well! Happy retirement, Diane!

Climate migrants on the move

By
Steve Roberts
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0

Great Lakes Water Conference focuses on climate migration

TOLEDO – Are Toledo and other Great Lakes cities ready to welcome people moving away from challenging climate environments, like Asheville, N.C.; Fort Myers Beach, Fla.; Rolling Fork, Miss.; and Ruidoso, N.M.?

On Friday, the University of Toledo’s College of Law hosted its 24th annual Great Lakes Water Conference via a Webex presentation. The focus was on climate migration.

Many people, referred to as climate migrants, are on the move in the United States because of hurricanes, extreme flooding and wildfires. Remember Katrina hitting New Orleans, forcing thousands of people to move to Houston permanently? In 2022 and 2023, approximately 3 million Americans were displaced primarily by hurricanes, floods and fires.

One of the conference speakers, Evan Zoldan, professor of law at the University of Toledo College of Law, mentioned that because of its advantages, the Great Lakes region may become an important destination for climate migrants moving away from inhospitable environments. Great Lakes cities generally have abundant water, a more stable climate and affordable housing compared to many parts of the country.

Beth Gibbons, director of the Resiliency Office, Washtenaw County in Michigan, cautioned that the Great Lake’s region, although it has a more stable climate than much of the rest of the country, does have its own climate issues. The area is warming quickly, there has been a significant increase in precipitation and there has been a big increase in severe storms.

Gibbons also stated that the Great Lakes cities were not prepared to receive large numbers of climate migrants.

A lot of work needs to be done for cities like Toledo to prepare for the changing climate and potential climate migrants. Toledo is working on many of the following recommendations. I’ve gathered from several sources to cope with the changing climate and prepare for climate migrants.

Include citizens in decision-making so that current at-risk residents are not uprooted, new residents are welcomed and diversity is encouraged.

Develop affordable dense housing, such as high-rise apartments, duplexes and row homes for current residents and climate migrants within city limits, rather than sprawling single-family homes. Toledo has reasonably priced housing.

(Graphic by Steve Roberts)

Develop green infrastructure, such as restoring wetlands to reduce flooding. Toledo has worked to install green infrastructure and manage stormwater. The city has a grant program to help homeowners stop sewage from backing up into their basements.

Defend and conserve freshwater resources. Lake Erie and the Maumee River are wonderful resources that need defending.

Increase renewable energy capacity to meet increased demand sustainably. The Overland Industrial Park Solar Array is a recent addition to Toledo’s alternative energy supply. Toledo has a growing solar industry with several companies in the area.

Put city cooling programs into effect to lessen the impact of heat islands. Toledo has begun a heat island mitigation program and is in the process of planting 10,000 trees.

Improve walkability and public transportation. Toledo has been working hard to become more walkable and bike-friendly. The city says the Glass City Riverwalk will be the nation’s second-largest. The Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority will put 11 electric buses into service in 2025. Amtrak provides train service for Toledo.

Upgrade emergency response plans for climate/weather emergencies. Toledo is focused on mitigating increased rainfall and flooding, overloading storm sewers, runoff and sedimentation and property damage.

Develop job training programs. Toledo has several agencies working in this area, including OhioMeansJobs, Lucas County, Owens Community College, Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio, Harbor’s Career Services Program, Ohio to Work Initiative, Cherry Street Mission Workforce Development, WorkReady Lucas County and University of Toledo’s Rocket Career Center.

Amenities that contribute to quality of life. Toledo is well situated in this regard. We have so much: the Toledo Metroparks, Toledo Library, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Zoo, many arts organizations and sports teams, public and private school systems, and our institutions of higher education.

If you are an individual searching for a good place to relocate because your life has been disrupted by challenging environmental conditions, Toledo is worth a look.

The Humorists

By
Steven J Athanas
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0

Artwork by Steven J Athanas for the Toledo Free Press.

Statehouse News: Ohio’s election

By
Signal Statewide
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0
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno's victory Nov. 5 was part of a red wave in Ohio that has lots of implications for politics in the state. (Courtesy Photo/Jeff Haynes, Signal Cleveland)

What happens with Vance’s seat, democratic party, ballot issues?

This story was originally published by Signal Statewide. Sign up for their free newsletters at SignalOhio.org/StateSignals.

By Andrew Tobias | Signal Statewide

There are plenty of follow-up angles to Nov. 5’s historic presidential election, suffice to say. But then there’s a big, pressing Ohio one – JD Vance’s election as vice president leaves Gov. Mike DeWine with a very important decision. 

Here’s more on that and on other big, pressing political questions in the Buckeye State.

What happens to JD Vance’s seat?

Vance was elected to a six-year term in the senate in 2022, but he has to resign to become vice president sometime before Inauguration Day on Jan. 20. Under state law, governors have the authority to fill senate vacancies and are required to do so forthwith. Then, whomever DeWine appoints will have to run for election in 2026, including making it through the Republican primary. The winner then would have to run for a full term in 2028.

So whom might DeWine appoint?

DeWine has been tight-lipped on the topic. But he’s laid out his general criteria: He wants his pick to reflect his own views on politics, and he wants the person to be able to get elected in 2026. These two factors look as mutually exclusive as ever. In case you’re wondering where DeWine ranks in Trump World these days, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson called the governor a “midget” a few days ago to the delight of a room full of GOP voters.

One person I’m watching here is wealthy Columbus-area entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Not that I think it’s necessarily likely that DeWine will choose him. But he will have to choose whether NOT to appoint him. Ramaswamy openly lobbied for the Senate job at the Republican National Convention in July and appeared as a guest at an event hosted by Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, who used the RNC to network for his campaign to succeed DeWine in 2026. 

Picking Ramaswamy would solve a political problem for Husted – whom DeWine wants to help become governor – by ensuring that the businessman won’t run for governor in 2026, never mind that Ramaswamy hasn’t specifically said he might run for the job. Ramaswamy also is more in line with where the Republican Party is today and is popular with Trump’s base. Ramaswamy recently announced that his investment company is moving to Texas but he is personally remaining in Ohio.

(Update: President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency)

The reasoning may seem convoluted, but politicians think this way.

Another name to watch is Jane Timken, a former Ohio Republican Party chair who now represents Ohio in the national Republican National Committee. She would be the first woman to represent Ohio in the U.S. Senate if she were appointed, which I think would appeal to DeWine’s sense of wanting to make a mark in state history.

She’s also a Trump political ally, arguably giving her some electability in a GOP primary. But she ran near-last in the 2022 Senate primary. She also failed to get a possible endorsement from Trump because she did not forcefully defend Trump after the U.S. House voted to impeach him in January 2021 with support from a few Republicans. 

I personally think DeWine is less likely to consider Secretary of State Frank LaRose or state Sen. Matt Dolan, who both ran for the Republican Senate nomination in March and lost. But both frequently are mentioned by the people who talk about these things.

Finally, DeWine could surprise us and look at someone from his inner circle. He passed over some Republicans lobbying for a vacancy on the Ohio Supreme Court in November 2022 by appointing Joe Deters, who was a Hamilton County prosecutor with no judicial experience.

What is the future of the Ohio Democratic Party?

It seems like every election cycle since 2014 has marked a new bottoming out for Ohio Democrats. 

Yet they still haven’t found the bottom. 

Trump won Ohio by double digits on Tuesday – expanding on his 2016 and 2020 margins. Three of the four remaining statewide Democratic officeholders lost their seats – Justices Michael Donnelly and Melody Stewart and longtime Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost to businessman Bernie Moreno. Issue 1, the redistricting reform amendment, also failed, and although it wasn’t a Democratic proposal per se, Democrats were definitely pulling for it to pass.

It’s hard to see right now, but 2026 could give state Democrats a chance to rebuild.

Ruling political parties typically see a national backlash in off-year elections. And Democrats have won in other red states. Kansas and Kentucky both saw Democratic governors reelected in the last few years. The governor’s seat will be open, which means Democrats won’t have to try to defeat a well-known incumbent.

So there’s no theoretical reason why Democrats couldn’t compete in Ohio. They just need some good candidates. Although that’s kind of like saying the Cleveland Browns just need a quarterback. 

I have a hot take: Brown could run for governor. Or he could try to run for the Senate, challenging whomever Republicans nominate. I have no specific reason to think he’ll do this. But Brown didn’t sound to me like he was done with politics when he gave his concession speech on Tuesday night. 

I just don’t think it’s a crazy idea. And it might be the best shot Democrats get for a while.

Another potential candidate, Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo, made a point to address reporters Tuesday night after the Ohio Democratic Party’s Election Night event hastily ended following Brown’s concession. She touted Democrats’ success in Franklin County, where they flipped the county’s remaining Republican-held state legislative seats, as something the party might be able to build on in the future.

But she also said she hadn’t yet digested or processed where exactly Democrats went wrong nationally.

“Clearly we need to work on what it means to voters about who Democrats are,” Russo said. “But we win on the issues. There’s no doubt about that.”

What happens with ballot issues in Ohio? 

Democrats and Republicans thought Issue 1 might pass on Tuesday. But it failed by around eight percentage points. The result was a victory for Republicans, who managed to win a round after losing twice last year, including the November 2023 vote to enshrine abortion rights in Ohio’s constitution. Groups on both sides believed Republican-drawn ballot language played a key role in getting voters to defeat Issue 1, although the “yes” campaign took it further by saying the language was the only reason it failed.

I’m wondering if the defeat will cause the deep-pocketed liberal groups who propose and bankroll ballot issues in states across the country to reevaluate whether to invest in Ohio again. Something similar happened after a drug liberalization measure failed here in 2018 and then after Trump won for a second time in 2020.

On the other hand, Missouri voters approved an Ohio-esque abortion-rights measure and a joint $15 minimum wage / mandatory sick time measure on Tuesday night. It’s not hard to see wage and sick time measures passing in Ohio. Nebraska voters also approved a similar sick-time issue with 74% of the vote.

But maybe the loss will cause the groups to think twice about funding more wide-ranging changes that would upend Ohio’s political system and threaten the Republican power structure here, like redistricting reform or ranked-choice voting. 

Or maybe they’ll just try them in an off-year, when it will be harder to politicize the measures without a presidential race on the ticket.

Signal Statewide is a nonprofit news organization covering government, education, health, economy and public safety.
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Rachel Boes
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Denise Benton demonstrates the flexible paddle used to press a breast for imagery. The paddle considers the shape of the individual breast and doesn't push it down flat. (TFP Photo/Lori King)

Toledo Clinic Women’s Center leads with compassion, comfort

A paper flower bouquet hangs on the wall in the Toledo Clinic Imaging Center in Maumee. The wall art was made by Tammy Rosenbalm, a mammography technologist at the Toledo Clinic. (TFP Photo/Lori King)

MAUMEE – Have you ever received flowers after attending your first preventative appointment at a healthcare facility? You will at the Toledo Clinic’s satellite locations in Maumee and Toledo on Secor Rd.

The Toledo Clinic Women’s Center houses a dedicated and empathetic staff who have cultivated a soothing environment for mammography, an X-ray imaging technique that uses low-dose radiation to examine the breast for cancer and other diseases.

Their goal is to change the perception that mammography is scary and painful. But at this clinic, patients walk out with a sense of calm because of quick results and compassionate care.

We spoke with the staff at their Maumee location, where they took the time to tell us about their thorough and convenient imaging services and other conveniences this location provides.

It actually starts the moment you pull into the parking lot: There’s no parking garage, so parking lots are accessible, surround the building and are a short walk to the door. When you enter the facility, the imaging center is close to the entrance and easy to find. And walk-ins are welcome only at the Maumee location.

Mammography has come a long way in the past few years. Toledo Clinic’s Maumee location houses one 3D Digital Breast tomosynthesis high-definition mammogram unit. Imaging has updated from 2D to 3D.

Denise Benton demonstrates the flexible paddle used to press a breast for imagery. The paddle considers the shape of the individual breast, and does not push it down flat. (TFP Photo/Lori King)

Denise Benton R.T. (R) (CT) (MR) (M), of The Toledo Clinic, said she loves coming to work because of the team and patients she works with. “Patients say they prefer coming here than anywhere else; I hear that all the time.”

Tammy Rosenbalm, a mammography technologist at the Toledo Clinic Women’s Center, makes paper flowers as a welcome gift for first-time mammography patients. (TFP Photo/Lori King)
Tammy Rosenbalm, a mammography technologist at the Toledo Imaging Center, makes paper flowers as a welcome gift for new mammography patients.

Benton describes the progression of these tests as dramatically changing the landscape of mammography. 2D images were like finding a bunny in a snowstorm, whereas 3D is more like taking a loaf of bread and slicing it into sections that can be thoroughly examined. Early detection is vital for patients, making cancer easier to treat.

The improvement of this technology has saved countless lives. The best way to keep yourself ahead of the game is to have yearly mammogram appointments. The Toledo Clinic’s cozy experience will encourage you to come back every year.

Benton ends every appointment with “I’ll see you next year!” She and the other staff members at the women’s clinic know the importance of what they do, which is why they have taken many thoughtful steps to make women comfortable and take their preventative care seriously.

Tammy Rosenbalm, a mammography technologist at the Toledo Clinic, has added an extra touch to help the first-time patients feel comfortable and appreciated. She makes paper flowers as a welcome gift. When asked about what inspired her to make the roses, she said it helps reduce the anxiety patients have over their screening mammograms.

“I hope giving them roses will help them to think of these appointments as a positive experience,” Rosenbalm said.

Appointments and walk-ins will start with a script from your physician. The staff at the Women’s Center will need this script to get you booked. Scheduled appointments are available, and walk-ins (only at the Maumee location) are encouraged during their hours: Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mammograms are offered at their two imaging locations. The other imaging center is at the Toledo Clinic Secor location.

The first step of a mammogram will take you into a room draped with pink florals. Unsightly medical equipment are hidden with drapes, crafty décor and images of flowers. Patients can choose a warm or cool gown. The ambiance is heightened by smooth jazz.

First time mammogram patients are treated with the utmost care. They are told that the mammo will not be like your “mother’s mammogram.”

Unlike what women experienced in generations past, the Toledo Clinic’s equipment is forgiving. The flexible paddle used to press your breast for imagery considers the shape of the individual breast, and does not push it down flat. Instead, it applies pressure in the appropriate areas, making for a much more comfortable experience and a better image.

If there is any abnormality found, you will be notified of the results within 24 hours. The clinic will schedule a diagnostic mammogram and an ultrasound. The radiologist will then discuss the results with you. If a biopsy is needed, it can be scheduled before you leave.

Ruth Waddell. (TFP Photo/Lori King)

We spoke with one patient who is also a staff member at the Maumee imaging clinic. Ruth Waddell, the Toledo Clinic’s lead ultrasound technologist, has been receiving mammograms at another facility for about 12 years. She said she like being a patient at this facility because of the comfort staff provides.

“Tammy makes me feel comfortable and at ease. They make you forget it’s a medical test,” she said.

In her last appointment, Waddell heard the dreaded words, “We found something.” She was scheduled for a diagnostic appointment immediately, and received another mammogram and an ultrasound. The results detected a cyst.

Mammography is a vital tool for early detection of abnormalities that can’t be found by touch or sight. The staff at the Imaging Center encourages women to schedule a mammogram every year starting at 40 old.

The Women’s Center is located inside the Laboratory & Radiology building, which is behind the Karmanos Cancer Institute at The Toledo Clinic Cancer Center. (TFP Photo/Lori King)
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