TOLEDO MAYORAL RACE

Several unions endorse Finkbeiner for mayor

10/19/2015

BLADE STAFF

Toledo mayoral candidate Carty Finkbeiner announces he has the support of several labor unions during a news conference today at the United Building Trades Hall in Toledo.

Corrected version: Story updated Monday, Oct. 19, 2015 at 3:25 p.m. to correct information on Carty Finkbeiner’s endorsement status.

Mayoral candidate Carty Finkbeiner, an unendorsed Democrat, announced several organized labor endorsements today — including the support of the union representing Toledo’s rank-and-file firefighters.

Toledo Firefighters Local 92, Teamsters Local 20, the Northwest Ohio Building Trades Council, and Toledo Branch 100 of the National Association of Letters Carriers endorsed Mr. Finkbeiner in the Nov. 3 special election over the other six candidates.

Mr. Finkbeiner announced the endorsements at the United Building Trades Hall in West Toledo.

“There is a job to be done,” Mr. Finkbeiner said. “It’s a big job. I’m not sure that any candidate knows just how big that job is in comparison to someone who has held the job for 12 years.”

Mr. Finkbeiner completed three terms as mayor. He did not run for re-election in 2009.

The union representing rank-and-file police officers in Toledo earlier this month endorsed Sandy Drabik Collins.

Mrs. Collins is the widow of Mayor D. Michael Collins, who died Feb. 6. Mr. Collins was a career police officer and was president of the TPPA for 10 years.

There are nine city bargaining units.

The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees has endorsed Paula Hicks-Hudson, the incumbent and the endorsed Democrat.

The local AFL-CIO labor council, whose statewide affiliate funded a negative campaign in Toledo’s 2013 mayoral contest that helped defeat former Mayor Mike Bell, announced in June it is backing Mayor Hicks-Hudson for mayor.

Mr. Bell is also running, along with Councilman Sandy Spang, former councilman Mike Ferner, and evangelist Opal Covey.