Tt post jan 12, 2017

http://toledotalk.com/cgi-bin/tt.pl/article/208577/12Jan2017/Mayoral_Race_2017

"Wade Kapszukiewicz may be testing the waters."

In the spring of 2015, Wade considered running for mayor, during that November's special election.

March 2015:

Lucas County Democratic Treasurer Wade Kapszukiewicz, who mulled a run for Toledo mayor this year, announced Thursday he will stay out of the race and instead endorse the incumbent Democrat, Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson. The party quickly endorsed Ms. Hicks-Hudson Thursday, one day after she officially announced her candidacy.

From my September 2015 comment :

Looking ahead, Toledo's next regularly scheduled mayoral election will occur in 2017. Regardless of who wins this November [2015], that person will not be elected mayor in 2017.

Like the internet, the "word on the street" is always correct.

And the street states that Wade Kapszukiewicz will be the officially-endorsed democrat candidate for mayor of Toledo in 2017. Currently, Wade is in his early 40s.

Wade considered running for mayor this year, but he remained loyal to the party and chose to endorse PH2. If PH2 had been an independent or a republican, then obviously, Wade would have entered the race.

If PH2 wins this November, then I'm sure that the party will find something else for her to do after 2017. Maybe a state or county position would be available.

Wade should win easily in 2017. And if chooses, he could probably win again in 2021. The next chance for someone else to be mayor of Toledo may not occur until 2025.

I'm guessing that Marcy Kaptur will leave office within the next 10 years. Assuming that redistricting does not occur, then a democrat from either the Toledo or Cleveland area will be anointed as Kaptur's successor. Will that be Wade, Webb, or someone else?

I would be surprised if Wade is not the officially endorsed democrat candidate. But Wade will run even if he does not get the official endorsement.

From today's Jan 12, 2017 Blade story mentioned above:

Mr. Kapszukiewicz has not decided to run for mayor, but he will apply by the Jan. 20 deadline to be interviewed for the party’s backing just in case.

He declined to say how he’ll respond if asked for the traditional pledge to support whomever the party endorses.

“I believe Toledo can be better, I believe that we can do better, that city government has to be better for Toledo to reach its full potential,” he said.

In May of 2016 when Pete Gerken announced that he would seek re-election as a county commissioner that year, Mayor Hicks-Hudson surprised people by announcing that she would run for mayor in 2017. It's not a surprise that she seeks re-election. It was a surprise that she announced so early. I don't think anyone this century has announced a run for mayor that early in Toledo.

May 2016:

During the event, [Gerken] was endorsed by fellow Democrat Toledo Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson — not a surprise. The surprise was her announcement that she intends to run again in 2017.

Toledo's primary will be held in September 2017 for mayoral and city council at-large candidates.

In September, the top-2 mayoral candidates make it to the November ballot, and the top-12 city council at-large candidates move on to November.

Based upon past primaries, I'm predicting that voter turnout for Toledo's September primary will be 15 to 17 percent.

Turnout in September might be lower than that as this could be the most uninteresting mayoral election thus far this century, mainly because it seems like a foregone conclusion that Wade will win in November.

From today's Blade:

The Lucas County Republican Party has a number of potential candidates but is not ready to make an endorsement, said party Chairman Jon Stainbrook.

That's hilarious. The only reason that the Lucas County Republican Party exists is to be the jester. Entertainment purposes only.

In my opinion, the only way that this year's mayoral election generates interest is if a "big name" person who exists outside politics decides to run. And sorry, but that's not Opal.