Elections board certifies slate of candidates
7/19/2003The Lucas County Board of Elections, at its meeting yesterday, certified candidates for City Council races in Toledo and Sylvania, and for clerk of Toledo Municipal Court.
In Toledo, if no write-in candidates enter races before Tuesday's filing deadline, three districts will have primary elections in September. The top two finishers in each district will advance to the November run-off elections. No primary election will be held in those districts with just one or two candidates.
In District 3, which includes East Toledo and part of South Toledo, incumbent Democrat Bob McCloskey is challenged by Martin Okonski and Tiffany Adamski. Ms. Adamski is endorsed by the Republican Party. A fourth candidate, Michael Surprise, failed to gather enough valid signatures on his nominating petition and was not certified to the ballot.
In District 4, which includes downtown and central-city neighborhoods, incumbent Democrat Michael Ashford is challenged by independents Perlean Griffin and Terry Shankland, both of whom have run for public office before as Democrats.
In District 6, which includes Point Place and portions of West Toledo, incumbent Democrat Wade Kapszukiewicz is challenged by Republican Joe Birmingham and David Ball, an unendorsed Democrat.
In District 1, which includes central-city neighborhoods, incumbent Democrat Wilma Brown faces no challenger.
In District 2, which includes South and portions of West Toledo, incumbent Republican Rob Ludeman is challenged by Democrat Christy Cole.
In District 5, which includes much of West Toledo, incumbent Democrat Ellen Grachek is challenged by Republican Mary Beth Moran. Ms. Grachek won a special election over Ms. Moran earlier this year.
In the race for Toledo Clerk of Court, incumbent Republican Theresa Gabriel is pitted against Democratic challenger Vallie Bowman-English.
The elections board also certified seven candidates for the city council race in Sylvania, including incumbents John Billis, a Democrat; and Bonita Scheidel and Keith Haddad, both Republicans.
Republicans John Borell, Jr., and Douglas Haynam also were certified, as were Democrat Mark Leutke and independent Patrick Flynn.
The top four finishers in the November election will win seats.
In other business, the elections board told elections Director Joe Kidd and Deputy Director Paula Hicks-Hudson to find offices outside Government Center. Mr. Kidd said the board would like its offices to share space its new voting equipment.
The county is purchasing about 2,000 new electronic voting machines next year, and has learned that its current voting machine storage space - a warehouse on Berdan Avenue - is unfit because the new machines will require a climate-controlled space.