Tt post sep 5, 2017 - c

"... endorsements don't mean strings are attached, in all cases."

Mmm. By "cases", do you mean "cities"?

It's theoretically possible that endorsements in other cities mean nothing, but we're discussing Toledo, Ohio.

Referring again to the 2015 thread that pointed to a Blade editorial titled No rubber stamp

In filling two key vacancies, City Council members must answer to citizens, not party and union bosses.

Council members must elect a new president to succeed Paula Hicks-Hudson. Insiders say that council incumbent Steven Steel is seeking support among his colleagues for the position, and has the backing of local private-sector unions that traditionally have exercised broad political influence on the council.

The county Democratic Party and its organized-labor allies are leaning on council members to appoint Yvonne Harper, the party’s executive director.

I have no idea why anyone would be cynical about local politics.

Back in early 2015, Scott Ramsey was appointed to fill the District 4 vacancy seat, and then Yvonne won it fair-and-square in the May 2015 election.

Remember the West Toledo Kroger-Sisters issue back in the spring?

A Blade editorial described the issue.

The words that come to mind are: blatant, sleazy, and shameless.

You’d think that after brazenly caving to a combination of pressure groups — unions, Catholics loyal to the leadership of the Notre Dame sisters, and big business, plus the promise of campaign help from all of the above — to approve a development deal that violates the city’s master plan, Toledo City Council and the Hicks-Hudson administration would lay low for a while. But you’d be wrong.

Here are the city council members who voted FOR mayor Paul Hicks-Hudson's shenanigans:

• Tyrone Riley
• Matt Cherry
• Yvonne Harper
• Tom Waniewski
• Lindsay Webb
• Cecelia Adams
• Theresa Gabriel
• Rob Ludeman
• Steven Steel
• Larry Sykes

Voted against:

• Sandy Spang
• Peter Ujvagi

2017 Lucas County democrat party endorsements:

• Paula Hicks-Hudson to remain mayor of Toledo
• Cecelia Adams to remain an at-large Toledo City Council member
• Larry Sykes to remain an at-large Toledo City Council member

Politics may be the place where good people go to lose their souls.

How is seeking party endorsements a new and fresh approach?

And the problem exists on both sides.

Lucas County republican party endorsements

• Rob Ludeman to remain an at-large Toledo City Council member
• Tom Waniewski for Toledo Mayor

Ludeman participated in or was an accomplice to what, in my opinion, was thievery when he failed to come forward in a timely fashion about the city's scam of ticketing motorists who did nothing wrong. And the city had no intention of refunding the money until the Blade started poking around. Man, that criminal activity got swept away quickly, despite the last count being over 400 motorists who were wrongly ticketed.

July 2017 Blade editorial asked a simple question.

Did the ticket revenue exceed expectations because officers have been directed to nab drivers who are not actually speeding?

What did Ludeman know, and when did he know it?

Find the July 2017 interview that WSPD afternoon host Scott Sands conducted with Tom Waniewski.

In my opinion, Waniewski gave possibly the dumbest political interview that I have ever heard, and that's saying something when living in Toledo, Ohio.

Tom touched on multiple subjects, expressing the most amazing amount of illogical thinking in a short period of time. And his answer about the money-grab cameras dripped with a condescending, asshole-like attitude.

He may be a great person outside of politics, but in my opinion, he should not be in public service in Toledo.

Tom won't win as mayor this year.

His answers in that interview were so nonsensical, that he shoulded be recalled from city council in 2018, one year ahead of his final year as a district councilman because he would be term-limited out at the end of 2019.

He needs recalled to have that stain on his political career, and it might prevent him from getting elected as an at-large councilman in the future.

In my opinion, a blatant disregard of logic disqualifies someone from political office.

Find that interview.

Scott told Tom that the traffic enforcement camera program is a money grab, which obviously it is, but Tom disagreed. In Tom's mind, it's not a money grab.

But Scott failed to ask Tom that if the cameras are not a money grab, then why is the money from the fines listed as revenue in the budget? Why does the city expect to receive 4 to 6 million dollars from these cameras to balance the budget?

Tom said that if you don't want to get ticketed, then don't speed. In other words according to Tom, obey the law.

The mayoral hopeful made his moronic suggestion approximately one week after the Blade published stories about the city wrongly ticketing motorists who obeyed the law. Earlier this year, hundreds of motorists did what Tom suggested and obeyed the law, but they got ticketed anyway, and most paid the fines. But Scott failed to mention this.

Tom is a city council member, and city council approves the budget. The traffic enforcement fines are listed in the budget as expected revenue. But Tom told people to drive the speed limit. If that happened, then the city has a 4 to 6 million dollar budget deficit.

Tom endorses a budget that is not balanced, which for a city is against state law.

Scott failed to ask Tom where does the money come from to fill the budget hole if people obeyed the speed limits? But hold on. How could we have a budget deficit if the traffic enforcement cameras are not a money grab?

Tom wants to add a zillion new police officers to the force. Fine. Where does the money come from, especially if people are obeying speed limitis, and the city has a multi-million dollar deficit?

The traffic enforcement camera revenue goes to the general fund. Police and fire services are funded by the general fund. I'm unsure if Tom knows this.

Scott failed to tell Tom that Toledo has more police officers and firemen per residents in 2017 than the city had in 1970. Why do we need more officers?

The answer comes from some arbitrary number, and Toledo is below this number for police officers.

July 2017 Blade editorial may offer a reason as to why Toledo needs more police officers.

Crime is a legitimate issue. Toledo police Chief George Kral needs more officers.

Apparently, crime is significantly worst in Toledo in 2017 than it was in 1970, relative to the population.