May 21, 2008

Periodically there are calls from many quarters for greater participation in civic life of the young upwardly mobile professionals around town. It is claimed that these future leaders need to step up and the old guard need to stand down in the name of progress and for the good of the community. Even the old guard who foist their antiquated views on the community sometimes call for this.

But what has the periodic youth movement given us? Karyn McConnell, Frank Szollosi, Ellen Greychek, Lindsey Webb, and Ben Konop in recent years. Each and everyone one of them has proven to be too inexperienced for the job. Each has shown an overly developed sense of melodrama and self-centeredness - "the job is about me." That some young pols do pretty well, Wade Kap... and Joe McNamara come to mind, is probably due to their having the wisdom to listen to good mentors.

But I'm doubtful that we really want 20 something year olds serving on City Council or as County Commissioner. Let the next generation start by serving on some boards and doing volunteer work. Let's rather find some 40 year olds to run for elected office who have good experience, balance, and have raised children and therefore know to not behave like one.


First Blush Assessment of the Proposed Swan Creek Riverwalk

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Based on news reports in the Toledo Blade, attending the Mayor's press conference, and reviewing the legislation the Mayor has sent to City Council, I must say that, overall, I really like the project. Because the project is limited in scope and the number of property owners is relatively small, it appears to be feasible to do and would be a valuable community asset.



First and foremost, this riverwalk should be viewed primarily as a project for current or future residents of the the neighborhoods that are adjacent to the project area. The project area runs from Collingwood Blvd to the confluence of Swan Creek and the mighty but muddy Maumee River, just about 1.5 miles as the river flows.

The idea that this will be an out-of-town destination is nice but, if that happens, it will merely be icing on the cake. This must primarily serve our urban neighborhoods as an amenity and convenience. Local citizens will use the path for getting where they need to go and for excercise and as a place to shop for daily goods. It will be vitally important to the long term health of the riverwalk to support existing and in-fill housing and mixed-use development in the adjoining neighborhoods, especially the Warehouse District.

My concerns are these -

- What part of the design of the San Antonio Riverwalk was Tetra Tech actually responsible for (as the old saying goes, success as in San Antonio, has many fathers while failure is an orphan)? Water engineering is their specialty; was that their only role in San Antonio? Did they do master planning? Urban planning? Architecture? Do they have experience as overall developer of this type of project?

- The City is offering existing public parks as part of the land sale to Tetra Tech (Boechenstein Park). A public park is different than land that the City merely owns. Is this an overall good policy for the City to engage in? This was done at International Park with overall good results but also with a loss of public use of the park, especially east-siders who had an expectation that it would be an Ottawa Park type facility.

- It is the intention of Tetra Tech as part of their plan to either deed back to the City (or some other entity) the property adjoining the creek OR grant an easement through all of these properties along the creek so that the new riverwalk would be open to the public?

- Over the 1.5 mile length of Swann Creek from Monroe Street to Collingwood, there are 6 bridges and 2 roads that dead-end into the creek. The remaining access to the creek is through private property. What will be the strategy to assure there is plentiful access along the length of the riverwalk?

- There are several properties being offered by the City that are not adjacent or in very close proximity to the riverwalk. These properties are also very valuable assets - specifically the parking lot at Central Union Terminal and the old Federal Building site at Promenade Park. Are these strictly assets to make the project viable for Tetra Tech or is there some associated use to tie these locations into the riverwalk project?

Is there a formal relationship between St. Clair Rubber and the City that St. Clair Rubber properties were included on the "Exhibit B" list? What is that relationship?

Why are several properties listed in both "Exhibit A" and "Exhibit B" lists?

What is the status of the land bounded by Collingwood, the Anthony Wayne Trail, and Swan Creek - the Auditor's website does not list an owner?

There are relatively few owners that Tetra Tech would have to deal with and whether these other entities are brought into the deal or bought out, it appears this project could work in every respect; for the City, for the residents, for the development community.

There are, of course, lots of property deals to be negotiated, political horse-trading to be haggelled over, financing hoops to jump through, and design issues to sweat. The project has been proposed and studied dozens of times over the last 100 years but this is the most momentum and perhaps the best chance to succeed a Swan Creek Riverwalk has ever had.


TARTA's suburban problem

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

The move by several local Toledo suburbs to pull out of the TARTA system reveals a real lack of leadership by politicians in those communities and short-sightedness by the residents. At a time when gas prices are soaring and roads, especially in the suburbs, are woefully inadequate to handle traffic volumes, opting out of a regional transit system will prove to be a mistake.

The suburbs, especially the "don't tax me" townships, are not in a position to remedy the problems they face in the future. The current housing finance crisis has shown just how many people are over-extended. As lower property values in sprawl communities cause tax revenues to drop and expenses continue to rise because of energy prices, these suburbs will be in a real revenue crisis. They have most often avoided responsibility in the past but there is a price to pay for living in distant sparsely populated areas.

If you want low taxes, live in a neighborhood with 35' X 140' lots and live in a real urban environments OR... stay out in the township, dig a well and septic tank, and have a fire department that serves as a "basement saver". The problem arises when people want all the services and advantages of living in a town, they just don't want to carry their fair share of the burden, taxes or otherwise. This becomes more difficult and less tenable in tough economic times.

To a certain extent, blocking TARTA service is yet another attempt to block the poor and minorities from moving into these communities. But simultaneously it is restricting the movement of the elderly, teenagers, the handicapped, the health conscious, and those wishing to live a "green" or frugal life.

Soon, due to inflation from the cost of everything becoming more expensive as fuel prices continue to rise, many more from every community, those feeling an economic pinch (hard as it is to admit to that) will be in need of public transportation. And really, it should be available.


Famed architect Predock to give lecture in Toledo

Monday April 7, 2008

To launch the annual 2008 AIA Toledo "Celebration of Architecture" events, distinguished architect Antoine Predock, FAIA will be the keynote speaker for the 2008 AIA Toledo Lecture Series entitled "The Art of Architecture" on April 8, 2008 held in Panther Hall at the Owens Corning World Headquarters. The keynote address starts at 7:00 PM and is open to the public at a cost of ten dollars. University students with a valid student ID can attend the lecture for free.


The Haughton Elevator Site Considered

Wednesday April 2, 2008

While it would appear a good thing that the City of Toledo has finally taken action to encourage or force, if you will, the owners of the old Haughton Elevator manufacturing site to remove the rubble from demolishing the old factory, let's consider a couple things.

First, the owners have a proposal for the site before the City Plan Commission and Toledo City Council this month and are likely looking for incentives from the City and the State. The owners were going to move forward with removing the rubble themselves in order to accommodate Council and prepare the site for the construction season and the City was certainly aware of this.

It seems likely that the Administration, looking for positive spin for themselves, decided to chastize the owners and portray themselves as protecting the neighborhood's interests. In exchange, the developers will get cooperation from the City in garnering various government monies for the project.

Secondly, and not to beat a dead horse, it has now been eight months since the City had the Sports Arena demolished and pulverized and they have yet to remove that debris - it is truely an eyesore but, more importantly, shows the Administration is both hypocritical AND doesn't understand what a drag that kind of image is on economic development.

The City of Toledo should have required the Haughton Elevator site owners to clear the site long ago but didn't. They only pushed the issue once the clean-up was imminent. They should see the importance of clearing the Sports Arena site for marketing and building civic pride and participation but they don't. Dysfunctional government


The current landscape of Toledo

Friday March 18, 2008

March 18 - Have you had enough of the plastic bags with unsolicited newspapers or, worse, advertising circulars accumulating in your driveway and front yard? My neighborhood gets yellow and blue bags; what color are yours.

These bags and contents constitute littering by the people cruising by in their cars and tossing these out their windows. It is one thing if these were newspapers to which people subscribed. It would be another thing if these were delivered in the mail. It would be yet another thing if these were hung on your front door handle. But as it is, they are merely tossed out a window of a moving car and this is just plain littering.

These bags and papers have become a real nuisance and eyesore. Call your city or township representatives and make it clear you want these activities stopped and if necessary prosecuted.

Strickland wants to re-evaluate Ohio rail system

Friday March 7, 2008

Very good news in an AP story from The Blade today. The governor has asked Amtrack to study the viability of bringing back a more extensive passenger rail service network in Ohio.

Not only would rail service help combat higher energy costs and decrease polluting emissions from delivery trucks and passenger vehicles, improved rail lines will contribute to the revitalization of our cities and increase the mobility of the elderly, the poor, and others such as student - how many Toledo kids go to school in or near Dayton, Cincinnati, or Columbus?!

The Governor has shown himself to be a progressive leader. Intermodal transportation links have always been a vital geographic advantage in Ohio and the failure of past administrations to protect that interest is in part why Ohio's economy lags.

This possible new intiative along with alternative energy production research, growth of "new economy" jobs, and strong continueing education programs that help retain important manufacturing jobs will go a long way toward bringing back our State's economic strength.


The Blade endorsement

Thursday February 28, 2008

I am of two minds when it comes to The Toledo Blade.

Five years ago or so, the Blade had a cadre of top flight reporters, writers, and editors across all departments (except, of course, sports which leaned heavily toward Airport Highway - exclude Hack from that comment). A couple dogs existed of course, fritz the weazel comes to mind, but that only made the contrast with the very good journalists more apparent.

The evil twin of this fine group of newsies is/was, of course, the publisher who at least had the good sense to notice things were humming along at the Blade and left the City to pursue more sophisticated possible love interests in Pittsburgh. The publisher's foibles still had to be tolerated occasionally: some coverage, mostly editorials, and other whims that usually are accompanied by either a personal service contract or the lack of a green card.

Two Pulitzer nominations and a management lock-out later, the Blade staff has been decimated by losses and dis-spirited by management. There are some very good people left but their numbers continue to dwindle and replacements are either not coming or are very young.

In this light, the publisher has made his endorsement for President (admittedly, I no longer subscribe to the Blade but I do try to check out the on-line edition and if the content seems worthy, I buy it from a box). That endorsement, for better or worse, is for Obama.

I like Obama; I will vote for him once or twice in the next 9 months. But honestly, the way the publisher has been fauning over Obama and their editorial board meeting has been kind of gross - ala George Castanza and his man crush on Elaine's boyfriends in one Seinfeld episode.

It is not as though the publisher made some difficult decision such as endorsing early or when Obama was behind. No, the readers are ahead of the publisher again and the publisher is merely the clanking weathervane, stating the obvious. And, really, brother Allan Block's half page ad welcoming Obama to Toledo should be counted as a campaign contribution. I haven't seen these two gush quite this much since the photo of them with Jerry Springer at the Kentucky Derby.

The publisher obviously could not wait to get his picture taken with Obama. One can practically hear the strings welling in anticipation and, then, their intellects met and, nirvana. Ironically, however, the publisher, betraying his lack of leadership, courage, and vision, left himself an out claiming this is NOT an endorsement for the general election in November. Might the winds change again or is he lining himself up for another round of glad-handing with Mr. Obama?

For me, The Blade endorsement would have been meaningful or at least insightful if it had been made/written by Tom Walton... or jeez, Roberta, Pollock, Troy, the religion guy, or maybe even MAP.


WI-FI for Toledo

Friday February 22, 2008

The Toledo Blade noted yesterday that the company that had been approached about the contract to install wireless internet service city-wide in Toledo has reneged on their deal with several other cities. These other cities had been told by California based MetroFi that they would get their systems installed for free with, I assume, incomes streams being generated by advertising as part of the frame of the internet screen.

This business model has not proved to be a reliable path to success in the past so it is not surprising that MetriFi is now attempting to get these municipalities to make significant payments to complete systems that are already underway. There are no freebies and the internet is still a nebulous entity - each new technology that is associated with it must figure a plausible economic value.

The point really is this: installing free WI-FI was a very good idea. The problem is setting an unrealistic goal of doing too much for too little. As Tom Walton, former editor at the Blade, pointed out in an editorial the other day regarding other issues, even when the Mayor is right, he gets it wrong, snatching failure from the jaws of success.

The City of Toledo would have been smart to have paid a fair price to have WI-FI installed in several neighborhoods in the near downtown as part of a strategy to support entrepreneurs in business incubator areas around the Central Business District. Wire the Warehouse District, Uptown, and Main Street on the east side. This would assist start-up businesses such as attorneys, artists, IT companies, light manufacturers, and residents in these regenerating neighborhoods.

Installing WI-FI in these defined areas would have been a manageable and affordable project that would have shown the City was serious about developing the neighborhoods around downtown as mixed-use. As part of a larger strategy that directed CIP spending on other infrastructure improvements in these areas and the other financial incentives already available, the City of Toledo could make progress toward the much sought reputation as a "creative-class" friendly environment, set the table for technology jobs, and start to make serious progress on job creation.


1900 map of Toledo

Tuesday February 7, 2008

Interesting map of Toledo from 1900. For scanning purposes the map is presented in a 2 row and 4 column format with generous overlap. In the features section they are posted in a large format to permit the best viewing of detail.




Was it really imperative that the Sports Arena come down? - 6 months on

Tuesday February 5, 2008

The City and the County, perhaps in their desire to once and for all quiet the residents of the east side of the river, rushed in and tore down the old Sports Arena. And then, as if to rub their noses in it, have left the piles of rubble on the site for the east siders and other visitors to look at everyday. Sure, plant flowers, put up fountains, plan round-abouts at entry points to the downtown on the west side of the river - leave the remainders of a beloved institution in heaps along the roadside on the east side. It is kind of like how ancient Rome would put the heads of their enemies on spits along the roadway to remind all of the fate of those who opposed their leaders.



It seems unlikely anything quite so adversarial was intended but it sure reeks of additional benign neglect at least. Nevermind, as previously mentioned, that Toledo suffers from a shortage of available ice rinks and that the administration has considered building a NEW ice rink as part of the Marina project. With no developer in sight (or on site) and the plans evolving in significent ways, what was the hurry?

The elected officials in our area play far more politics with development than in other cities. With deals being made away from public scrutiny, with favors and no-bid contracts being granted, and with the media being obsessed with saving one far off county courthouse while the fabric of their home city disintegrates, it is little wonder that outside developers don't come to Toledo. The unfortunate result is what we have around us now: bad economic conditions, an urban center that can not regenerate, and sprawl on the periphery.


Welcome to City Council

Tuesday January 4, 2008

There were several moments of levity during the January 2, 2008 Toledo City Council meeting but the greatest display of slapstick pratfall humor was the audible gasp that occurred when Lindsay Webb, new Democratic Party District Councilwoman for Point Place, reneged on her promise to vote for Michael Ashford for Council President. This resulted in a tie that allowed the administrative branch of City government to choose the leader for the legislative branch.

Never mind that Ms. Webb voted with three Republicans, an independent, and only one other Democrat (the opposing Council President nominee) or that she voted against six other Democrats. Never mind that she supported a Mayor who regularly shows himself to be out of step with the citizens of Toledo and regularly chides and goads City Council. Never mind that the very independence of City Council was compromised.

Most important is that Ms. Webb didn't have the courage to tell the truth; she lied with her very first vote to her fellow Council Members about who she was going to support. Not surprisingly, she commended herself for making the tough decision; for "showing leadership" - what she really did was show that she can never be trusted. Who knows what pressures were brought to bear but once a politician goes back on their word they are damaged goods. She instantly made herself irrelevant.

Welcome to Council - looks like it will be one and out for yet another member.


Citifest, Erie Street Market, and the Administration

Thursday, December 13, 2007

So, Citifest was unsuccessful at managing the Erie Street Market. They join a long list of failed managers for the City of Toledo owned indoor market.

The Mayor saddled Citifest with the responsibility of running the Erie Street Market without providing them with proper training, staff with expertise in administering a retail market, authority to make changes in the operation and mission needed make the market work, nor the working capital start-up businesses need. In short, the Mayor set Citifest up for failure and in all likelihood did so intentionally to shield himself from the blame; blame he rightly deserves to have placed on his shoulders,

Citifest was not formed to manage retail operations. As their name suggests, the people at Citifest have expertise in running City of Toledo sponsored special events such as parades, concerts, and festivals. This misplaced responsibility is not unusual, however. The Erie Street Market has had a long line of managers ill-suited to the position. Community Development Corporations, city government department heads, and political lackeys have all taken their turn at the helm of the Market and had the same dire results.

None of these organizations or managers have actually had the support or patience from the City to implement the original (and correct) vision for the Market of a true broad range, locally grown, multi-cultural indoor food market. This original vision was developed through much research and countless trips to markets throughout the country.

These markets can and do flourish elsewhere and could very well do so here in Toledo as well. However, this administration suffers from a kind of collective attention deficit disorder. Rather than coordinate programs and budgets and policy to create all of the conditions necessary to make a project successful, they address only one aspect of a problem, throw some money at it, expect it to work, and when it doesn’t it is the staff’s fault.

It is like having a room with four windows. In the middle of winter if all four windows are open and you only close one, you have not solved the problem and turning the thermostat up is not going to help.

The original vision for the market was good but it was quickly corrupted by impatient management. Several of the early vendors were exactly what was envisioned for the market and matched those vendors at successful markets elsewhere. These included small produce farmers, specialty non prepared food retailers such as meat, cheese and fish vendors, and ethnic food operations. When filling all the stalls early on proved difficult, however, the decision was made to allow restaurants, niche prepared food retail, and non-food nick-knack retail. These would have been acceptable as very small operations outside of the main hall and in support of the main market, but placing them inside the Erie Street Market itself ruined the very nature of the operation itself.

It did not help that many of these operations were start-up operations with suburban moms coming in and starting boutique businesses rather than experienced hard-nosed operations that knew what they were doing and were committed to making it a success. The failure to hold the line and ensure the correct mix of vendors has been an important component of the on-going failure at the Erie Street Market.

The City never tapped into additional ethnic food from our diverse neighborhoods. At its location at Erie Street and Nebraska Avenue directly adjacent to the old south end, how did the ESM never get a tortilloria on board. There are a plethora of Mexican markets and bakeries within a mile yet the City and the administrators never reached out to that community.

Additionally, Polish, Hungarian, African, southern, Chinese, and other ethnic foods and ingredients were never available at the ESM. This lack of diversity was debilitating.

Any indoor market relies on a regular group of residents who will use it as their regular shopping venue; tourist shopping is the icing on the cake and can be very profitable but an on-going successful market is based on regular clientele. The Warehouse District has the potential to be a major component of that base for the ESM. Typically, a neighborhood such as the Warehouse District becomes home the to very creative class that enjoys urbanism, a multicultural environment, and the do-it-yourself optimism that would support the vision held for the Erie Street Market.

But many of the projects approved by the City of Toledo in the Warehouse District in the last decade have seriously hindered the development of a dense mixed-use neighborhood. In its place the City has developed a kind of playground for wealthy suburbanites who want to have a Disneyland version of urbanism that they can visit for a few hours a couple times a month but then flee back home to the safety of their suburban McMansion in their SUV.

The projects that have been approved by the City of Toledo have torn down dozens of buildings that once provided the very fabric of what made the Warehouse District so appealing in the first place. The “Any development at any price” mentality has taken a serious toll on the development of the Warehouse District. In the place of the buildings that have been taken down are parking lots and carports, walled apartment communities, and yes, even our sports venues.

It is easy to make the argument against parking lots and suburban apartments in the middle of an urban neighborhood, but many bristle at the thought of questioning the location of 5/3rd Field. Be clear, it is only the specific location of 5/3rd Field that was a mistake in the development of the entire Warehouse District and, by extension, in support of the Erie Street Market.

Be honest, would it have mattered to you (whether you went to the ballpark straight from work downtown or went back home first and came back with friends or family) if the ball park were three blocks to the east near Swan Creek or three block north near Michigan Street – not really in all likelihood. The beautiful new stadium would have been the same major success at any of a number of near downtown locations.

But the difference a different location would have made to the development of the Warehouse District was huge. The placement of 5/3rd Field at its present location required the demolition of 16 buildings, most which were occupied, most of them 80 – 100 years old, all of them in good shape, and all of them important to the redevelopment of a mixed-use residential based neighborhood. The stadium also required the closing of Superior Street which had been the main street connecting downtown with the Warehouse District

Successful urban neighborhoods are characterized by small block size and the human scale of their architecture and the year-long buzz of street life. The stadium created a “superblock” which has limited activity; when it is busy it is very busy, but it is mostly beautifully silent. The architecture is generally very nice but on a cold rainy day, the Huron Street and Washington Street facades offer little to the residents of an urban neighborhood.

Additional issues that link in to and support the basic discussion of helping ensure the success of the Erie Street include investment in infrastructure, transportation, and strategies to keep jobs in the downtown. These concepts all work in concert if there is an over-arching policy and plan rather than a piece-meal, finger to the wind mentality. Integrating all of these components will be the only way to stop the musical chairs of managers at the ESM and allow it to be a public institution that adds to the quality of life and economic health of the City.


Debate about the structure of the Toledo City Council

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

The current discussion about reconfiguring Toledo City Council and reducing the salary of the Mayor is politically motivated retribution, theater, and maneuvering.

“Retribution” in that the Mayor, in a tit for tat exchange with several Councilmen, forwarded this proposal in order to put these Members in jeopardy. Joe McNamara, particularly, and other Council Members are the flies that have been buzzing around Carty’s head. This new proposal for Council realignment is the newspaper intended to swat them away.

It has been “theater” in that the savings proposed from both the Mayor’s reduction in salary and the reduction in the number of Members of Council is a trifling in relation to the total budget and the associated shortages – this melodrama is a gaudy gesture to the voters declaring “I am fiscally responsible.”.

Finally, it is “maneuvering” in that the Mayor wants to make “his” office less attractive to potential rivals by cutting the salary. Most people who would seriously run for Mayor and, frankly, be seriously qualified for the office, have higher income potential than what being Mayor pays. By reducing the salary, potential candidates with mortgages and perhaps children in college might think twice about running.

The voters should not fall for this ploy. We need a very highly qualified Chief Executive for the City of Toledo and should be prepared to pay a decent and fair price for that person. But perhaps the citizens should rethink the composition of Toledo City Council.

Here is my proposal:

Make Council a nine (9) member body each elected by district. With nine members, an odd number, City Council is less likely to have a tie. The Mayor, the head of the administrative branch of City government, would NOT be given the tie-breaking vote in City Council, the legislative branch of City government. The Mayor has this vote under the current system. This unnecessarily bogs down the legislative process and the Mayor should not have both a vote and a veto.

Council should be elected by district because, under the current system of mixed district and at-large Council Members, people in wealthy neighborhoods tend to be over represented and poor neighborhoods tend to be under-represented. The at-large Members, tend to disproportionally represent wealthy, non-minority communities. Wealthy suburbanites have greater personal wealth to fund their campaigns and tend to have similar friends, business connections, and neighbors who contribute as well.

Given that campaigns are as much about connections as they are about ideas, candidates from disadvantaged neighborhoods tend not to be able to compete City-wide in this type of system. This tends to skew Toledo City Council away from the democratic principle of “one person one vote.”

Another result of the current system has been very different job descriptions for the two types of Members of City Council. The “District” Members spend a significant amount of time performing constituent service that “At-Large” Members are generally spared. By making everyone “District” Members, that constituent workload gets dispersed among more people – this provides better service for the community and gives all Members of Council equal responsibilities.

Council should, however, be recognized for what it is, a part-time job. Council Members have one full Council meeting a week (alternating between the regular Toledo City Council meeting and, on alternate weeks, the “Agenda Review” meeting were most of the serious work is done outside of public view). On most weeks, Council Members only have 1 or 2 other Council subcommittee meetings per week. Add in several hours of research and taking care of constituents concerns and on the average week, Toledo City Council Members should only need 18 – 24 per week. The actual work-load for Council Members is not heavy enough to justify full-time status.

On top of this, each Member of Toledo City Council has a part-time employee working directly for them, doing research, providing constituent service, writing reports. The usefulness of these positions should be studied by the Clerk’s office to determine their effectiveness and continued need.

Further, we should not be paying City Council Members for the time they spend running for office. Many press conferences, public appearances, and much research time are actually Council Members campaigning.

The $27,500 that Toledo City Council Members get is too little to pay for a full-time job and too much to pay for a part-time job. Further, reducing the pay for City Council Members and the number of hours they are expected to work will make it more likely that Council persons are neighborhood activists and advocates rather than people posturing for their next higher elected office. I would set the half-time pay at $18 – 20,000.

On the other hand, the professional staff at the Clerk of Council’s office should be fully staffed. These are the people who do the heavy lifting - independent research, conferring with the administration, constituent service work, compliance, and writing – that makes for sound legislative policy and smooth running City operations. This office has run 2 or 3 person short for several years and at times it can not help but show the effects of that.

The City of Toledo has too many politicians right now and not enough trained staff and neighborhood advocates. For perhaps the wrong reasons, the Mayor may be right that it is time to change City Council around.