The Blade voters guide to election 2016
A look at the contested issues and elections in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan
11/6/2016
Early voters wait in line to cast their vote in the upcoming election at the early vote center on Monroe Street in downtown Toledo Saturday.
The Blade/Nick Thomas
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Presidential race: War for Ohio
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the Democratic and Republican candidates for president, have blanketed the state of Ohio in person and with squads of surrogates.
The messages they’re sending voters focus on issues of character and the economy — but from starkly different angles.
Mr. Trump has stoked suspicions that Mrs. Clinton can’t be trusted and encourages his supporters at his rallies to chant, “Lock her up.”
Mrs. Clinton’s campaigns have turned the spotlight back on him, calling him “unfit” to serve in the Oval Office and too dangerous to trust with the nuclear launch button. FULL STORY | Blade editorial: A guide to decide | Op-ed: Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence | Op-ed: Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine | Sigov column
Imagination Station in downtown Toledo has one of a host of county tax issues on Tuesday’s ballot. The science center is looking for a 5-year renewal of its 0.17-mill levy.
Levies and taxes: Mayor, volunteers knock on doors to reach voters
With three days until Election Day, volunteers Saturday armed with stacks of leaflets and large coffees started the final weekend push to reach as many likely voters as possible.
Toledo Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson was among dozens meeting at the Toledo Federation of Teachers union office in South Toledo fueling up on sugary doughnuts before a full day of knocking on doors.
Mayor Hicks-Hudson — a Democrat and strong supporter of Hillary Clinton for president — was focused Saturday on the city’s 0.75 percent temporary income tax renewal. FULL STORY
Heated tax, pipeline disputes go to voters
With three days until Election Day, volunteers Saturday armed with stacks of leaflets and large coffees started the final weekend push to reach as many likely voters as possible.
Toledo Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson was among dozens meeting at the Toledo Federation of Teachers union office in South Toledo fueling up on sugary doughnuts before a full day of knocking on doors.
Mayor Hicks-Hudson — a Democrat and strong supporter of Hillary Clinton for president — was focused Saturday on the city’s 0.75 percent temporary income tax renewal. FULL STORY
School districts predict dire cuts if issues fail
Voters in two of the area’s largest suburban school districts — Perrysburg and Sylvania — will vote on levies next week that, if rejected, could bring large cuts to services.
Among the consequences Perrysburg Superintendent Tom Hosler warned of should the 16-mill levy fail is a halt to the construction of Hull Prairie Intermediate School. He also said 74 to 93 teaching jobs could be cut.
Perrysburg Schools has a 16-mill levy renewal on the ballot, which collects $13 million per year. A vote for the levy locks in the amount collected and makes the levy permanent. Property owners would continue to pay $490 per year per $100,000 of property value. FULL STORY
Toledo Zoo asks for less this year
Voters in two of the area’s largest suburban school districts — Perrysburg and Sylvania — will vote on levies next week that, if rejected, could bring large cuts to services.
Among the consequences Perrysburg Superintendent Tom Hosler warned of should the 16-mill levy fail is a halt to the construction of Hull Prairie Intermediate School. He also said 74 to 93 teaching jobs could be cut.
Perrysburg Schools has a 16-mill levy renewal on the ballot, which collects $13 million per year. A vote for the levy locks in the amount collected and makes the levy permanent. Property owners would continue to pay $490 per year per $100,000 of property value. FULL STORY | Regional levies
Candidates for U.S. Senate Ted Strickland, left, and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman.
U.S., state elections: Portman, Strickland wind down bitter race
Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, and incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman have attacked each other on myriad issues, including the recession that began in 2008, trade deals, and the auto industry bailout.
The campaign for Mr. Portman’s seat on Tuesday has included four debates, including one at The Blade, millions raised, and bitter back-and-forth comments on the presidential race. FULL STORY | Dems look to gain seats in northwest Ohio
Local races: Top township jobs up for election in Bedford
Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, and incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman have attacked each other on myriad issues, including the recession that began in 2008, trade deals, and the auto industry bailout.
The campaign for Mr. Portman’s seat on Tuesday has included four debates, including one at The Blade, millions raised, and bitter back-and-forth comments on the presidential race. FULL STORY
Former Toledo mayor challenges veteran Lucas County commissioner
Lucas County voters will decide Tuesday to either retain longtime Commissioner Pete Gerken or replace him with Mike Bell, a former Toledo mayor and fire chief.
Mr. Gerken, 64, of Toledo, who is seeking a fourth term, is focusing on countywide economic growth since the recession of 2008-2009, fostering partnerships with the private sector in development projects, and working on criminal justice reforms to reduce the local jail population.
Mr. Bell, 61, a Republican who was mayor from 2010 to 2014, is attacking his opponent for voting to increase the county sales tax by 0.25 percentage points for a 7.25 percent overall tax. FULL STORY | 4 run for Ohio Board of Ed seat
Judicial: Judges battle for seats on Ohio Supreme Court
Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, and incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman have attacked each other on myriad issues, including the recession that began in 2008, trade deals, and the auto industry bailout.
The campaign for Mr. Portman’s seat on Tuesday has included four debates, including one at The Blade, millions raised, and bitter back-and-forth comments on the presidential race. FULL STORY | 1 of 4 open seats for Lucas County court contested
EDITORIALS: The Blade recommends ...
Many of us are unhappy with the choices the two major parties have offered for the presidency this year.
But that doesn’t take us very far. While every American has the right to say “Hell, no” — to cast a protest vote for a third or fourth party or to abstain altogether — many Americans will see the choice, however unsavory, as binary: Either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will be president in the end.
For those people, we propose a 12-part test to apply in choosing our next president. FULL STORY
Toledo and Lucas County residents face a series of levy issues in this election — too many, really.
All are worthy, but perhaps all are not equally worthy to every voter. Each citizen will have to determine his or her own priorities. But at stake are whether the region remains at the current level of public safety, whether child-care authorities are able to keep providing a safety net for the children who fall into their care, and whether we uphold our single finest public institution in Lucas County — our library. FULL EDITORIAL
Levies are never an easy sell for school districts, but they have become a necessary evil for superintendents forced to cover for shortfalls left behind after funding cuts from the state.
The requests by Anthony Wayne, Perrysburg, and Sylvania schools are necessary to keep the districts moving and should be approved. A request by Rossford Schools, while rooted in genuine need, is difficult to support. FULL EDITORIAL.
Which man — Mr. Strickland or Mr. Portman — would be more effective in fighting for Ohio jobs going forward?
We think the answer is Mr. Portman.
We hope and trust that Mr. Strickland’s public career will not end with this race. He still has much to give. And he is a giver.
But Ted Strickland would be starting a Senate career at age 75. Mr. Portman already has seniority and clout at the age of 60. The Democrats, who have withdrawn money from Mr. Strickland, certainly never promised he would head a committee if elected. We need more than just a vote.
More than seniority, Mr. Portman is a “21st century senator” who works across party lines to get things done. Indeed, he is the very model of a senator who goes out of his way to build bridges across party and ideology. Mr. Portman passes a huge amount of legislation. He always starts with a Democratic co-sponsor — not just in name but in real partnership. FULL EDITORIAL
Mike Bell for Lucas County commissioner
In a “change year,” Mike Bell is the more likely agent of reform, partly because he is so bad at politics and so much better, as he puts it, “at being real” about our problems and our possibilities.
County government should not be a honeypot for those in power or those in favor. And for too many years, that has been the approach in Lucas County government. Mike Bell is a public servant and an outsider. Maybe he can “drain the swamp.” He has earned a chance to try. FULL EDITORIAL
In some states judges are appointed. In Ohio, they are elected. Is that a good idea? Perhaps surprisingly, most Ohio judges, even those who have experienced rejection at the hands of the voters, will tell you they think it is.
Why? Accountability. An elected judiciary cannot become remote and removed from the people. For an elected judge does not ultimately answer to other judges or lawyers, but ordinary citizens.
So, how are ordinary citizens to choose judges, since they cannot talk about pending cases or cases on appeal?
It’s not easy, but voters can look at values and experience.
Blade readers must make some key judicial choices this year. Mostly, they are happier choices than on higher and more visible levels of our politics. FULL EDITORIAL