Mayor hopefuls debate Monday

10/1/2005

Two candidate forums on Toledo municipal offices are set for next week.

Incumbent Mayor Jack Ford and challenger Carty Finkbeiner will debate urban and minority issues during a forum at 7 p.m. Monday at Nitschke Auditorium at the University of Toledo.

The forum is sponsored by Northwest Ohio Black Media Association and the UT Alumni Association's Latino and minority affiliates.

City Council candidates have been invited to a forum scheduled for the same auditorium from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday. The event is sponsored by the Greater Toledo Urban League Young Professionals and the League of Women Voters of Toledo-Lucas County.

The attorney for Toledo District 6 hopeful Lisa Canales-Flores yesterday filed an appeal with the Ohio Supreme Court after the Lucas County Board of Elections rejected her second set of petitions Thursday.

"As we read the statute, we're not permitted to accept them," Jill Kelly, director of the elections board, said.

The board decertified Ms. Canales-Flores as a candidate Tuesday because of a clerical error on her petitions. The decision was based on the secretary of state's interpretation of the election law. Ms. Canales-Flores circulated new petitions, and presented them to the board Thursday.

We're "asking that the court place Lisa Canales-Flores' name on the ballot for District 6," said Keith Wilkowski, who is representing Ms. Canales-Flores.

As of yesterday afternoon, he had not heard if the court had set a date to hear the case.

The Lucas County Board of Elections yesterday certified the results of Toledo's Sept. 13 primary. The number of votes rose slightly, as provisional ballots were counted. Of the 452 cast, 100 were found invalid, including 43 from unregistered voters.

The top vote-getter in the mayoral race was Carty Finkbeiner, with 15,424 votes. Mayor Jack Ford was second, with 11,057. The two Democrats will compete against each other in the Nov. 8 general election.

Among those vying for the six at-large seats on City Council, garnering the most votes were Bob McCloskey, with 20,236; Phil Copeland, with 18,656, and Betty Shultz, with 17,735, according to the official results.