Article published November 03, 2009
Issues, races land in voters' hands; casino question may aid turnout
Toledo mayoral candidates: Mike Bell and Keith Wilkowski.
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By TOM TROY
BLADE POLITICS WRITER
Voters have the final say Tuesday on who will be Toledo's next mayor, as well as on whether there will be casino gambling in the city and in three other Ohio locations - the issue some people think will drive voter turnout.
Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. in Ohio and open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. in Michigan.
As of Monday, 2,348 people had voted at the Lucas County Early Voting Center - less than 1 percent of the county's 314,632 registered voters.
Running for mayor of Toledo are endorsed Democrat Keith Wilkowski, 53, a lawyer who was city law director in the 1990s, and Mike Bell, 54, longtime city fire chief and a political independent.
Voters in Toledo also will select six people to be at-large council members for the next four years. And city voters will choose from 10 candidates to fill three Toledo Public Schools board seats.
Countywide, voters will decide Issue 4, a replacement levy for senior services.In the region, voters in Findlay and Bowling Green will be asked to approve temporary increases in city income tax levies to help those communities weather falling tax collections. And in Monroe, voters will decide races for mayor, three city council seats, and a 20-year levy to finance repairs to three bridges in the city.
Voters across Ohio will decide three statewide ballot issues: Issue 1, to give $1,000 bonuses to veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; Issue 2, to establish a livestock and poultry regulatory board, and Issue 3, to allow one casino each in Toledo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus.
Yesterday Mr. Bell, 54, walked door to door with volunteers in South Toledo's Crossgates neighborhood, while Mr. Wilkowski, 53, campaigned with other Democrats waving signs at the busy Dorr Street and Collingwood Boulevard intersection.
Both candidates for mayor of Toledo have sought to claim the "change" agenda.
"My message has been that we can change our economy. We can take positive steps to put people to work," Mr. Wilkowski said.
Of today's outcome, Mr. Wilkowski repeated that he was "cautiously optimistic."
Mr. Bell said, "The one thing I have been trying to get across is change through unity. If we don't get it together to change things here in Toledo and Lucas County, we will all fail."
He said he felt confident of success today.
"I feel that we are going to win and we are going to win substantially. I just believe we are reaching enough people and we are being underestimated by the opposition," Mr. Bell said.
Linda Howe, director of the Lucas County Board of Elections, predicted the turnout countywide would be about 28 percent, fueled mainly by Issue 3, the casino initiative. "I think the casino is going to bring them out," she said.
In other cities, villages, and townships, mayoral, trustee, council, and levy elections are being held.
Sylvania Township is seeing a spirited contested race with 10 people competing for two township trustee posts. In Oregon, incumbent Mayor Marge Brown, the endorsed Democrat, is being challenged by Councilman Mike Seferian, an independent.
Lucas County Republican Party Chairman Jon Stainbrook said the county's Issue 4, a tax levy to maintain senior citizens' services, may motivate senior voters to turn out, which could have an impact on other races. He said the race creating the most interest is state Issue 3, with people split strongly pro and con.
"The casino initiative is drawing people to the polls," Mr. Stainbrook said. "There's no Obama motivating people to vote and there's no Republican on our side to get people to come out and vote in the mayor's race."
He predicted turnout of several points below normal.
Ron Rothenbuhler, chairman of the Lucas County Democratic Party, participated in the sign-and-banner-waving rally at Dorr and Collingwood. He said the site was chosen because it is heavily traveled and to make sure the central city gets motivated.
"I honestly can't say" what the turnout might be, he said. "I wish people would take advantage of a privilege and a responsibility," he said.
In Toledo's 2005 mayoral elections, 42,000 people voted in the primary and 79,000 voted in the general election, out of 190,000 registered voters, for a turnout of 41.5 percent.
If voters follow the same pattern this year, then the 37,363 people who voted Sept. 15 will swell to about 70,000 voting today, or about 35 percent of the city's 203,000 registered voters.
Contact Tom Troy at:
tomtroy@theblade.com
or 419-724-6058.
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