Toledo mayoral candidate short on signatures

Toledoan Don Gozdowski, right, missed the required number of valid signatures to qualify for the September primary election in Toledo. The man signing last month did not want to be identified.

One of the candidates for Toledo mayor, an independent who finished a distant sixth for office in the 2005 primary election, did not collect enough signatures to appear on the September ballot.

Don Gozdowski, a home-improvement contractor, submitted 873 signatures but only 634 were ruled valid, according to the Lucas County Board of Elections.

Mayoral candidates needed to have 750 valid signatures to be on the ballot.

"I'm very much disappointed. It's a shame," Mr. Gozdowski said. "I was out there quite often and I went through and knocked out quite a few signatures I knew were bad."

The elections board meets Monday morning to certify the remaining candidates.

Three major-party candidates - Republican Jim Moody and Democrats Keith Wilkowski and Ben Konop - and independents Mike Bell, D. Michael Collins, and Opal Covey each collected enough valid signatures to appear on the September ballot.

The top two mayoral candidates and top 12 council candidates in the Sept. 15 primary will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.

Some of the other candidates were close to the 750-signature requirement.

Mr. Collins collected 1,279 signatures, of which 752 were ruled valid - just two above the required amount.

Mr. Moody collected 754 valid signatures; Mr. Wilkowski collected 760 valid signatures; Ms. Covey collected 761 valid signatures; Mr. Konop collected 762 valid signatures, and Mr. Bell collected 773 valid signatures.

Two candidates for Toledo City Council, Paul Tetuan, of 5937 Yarmouth Ave., and William Terry, of 605 Bronx Drive., also failed to collect enough valid signatures.