As published in the January 1, 2009 Toledo Business Journal
Tom Schlachter
Take Back Toledo
Take Back Toledo initiative moving forward
Toledo Business Journal recently interviewed Tom Schlachter, chairman of the Take Back Toledo (TBT) initiative committee. He shared the following thoughts.
Toledo Business Journal: Can you explain the Take Back Toledo initiative?
Tom Schlachter: The Take Back Toledo initiative has been started by a group of Toledo-area business people for the purpose of establishing business' seat at the table of community direction and government.
TBJ: What are the specific reasons Take Back Toledo is pursuing a recall of Toledo Mayor Carleton Finkbeiner?
TS: He has been fiscally irresponsible with the City finances. He has gotten the City involved in several real estate transactions that have drained and have continued to drain the city of millions of dollars.
He has refused and failed to cooperate in regional progress with the various jurisdictions in and around the city of Toledo and Lucas County. He has created an environment that has been very unfriendly to new enterprise or expanding enterprise within the city of Toledo limits.
And he has been vindictive. He has micromanaged and he has refused to hire staff that is experienced in economic development, and he continues to undertake that job himself and does it very poorly.
TBJ: What are the specific requirements needed in order to have a recall placed on the ballot?
TS: The requirement, if you're recalling the mayor, is that you have a petition containing 25% of the number of voters that voted in the last mayoral election. There were 79,012 votes cast in that election, so you'd need roughly 20,000. And they need to be City of Toledo registered voters.
TBJ: Besides the recall of Mayor Finkbeiner, can you discuss the issue involving a possible amendment to the City of Toledo Charter?
TS: The problems exacerbated in our city 15 years ago when the strong mayor form of government came into being and the city manager form of professional management was changed. We used to have a city manager form of government, which was a professional manager at the helm of the city guided by a mayor and a council.
Now, the mayor has the authority himself, and for 15 years now it has been a bad experiment. We moved backward, not forward. So we're looking at the possibility of going back to a city manager form of government or at least empowering the city council with more power so they can be a better check on the authority of the mayor.
TBJ: Can you also discuss the Take Back Toledo plans for a Political Action Committee (PAC)?
TS: We have formed a Take Back Toledo PAC, which has been formed strictly for the purpose of this recall. It has been registered with the state of Ohio, and we can take private, personal, and corporate contributions for those who might want to contribute. All the information is available on takebacktoledo.com.
TBJ: The planned recall ballot issue is September 15, 2009, or two months before the next mayoral election. Why go to this effort so close to the next election?
TS: Because, in the meantime, the mayor continues to do damage every day; and we're trying to do several things. We're trying to dissuade him from running again, we're trying to make him think more prudently in this upcoming year so that no more horribly bad decisions — like the $10 million he's spending at the Marina District — are made.
We're trying to create an environment where other good candidates may emerge emboldened by the fact that the Mayor may not be running or isn't running.
We're trying to change the system. We're trying to give business a seat at the table along with labor, the politicians, and the newspaper.
TBJ: Are there any other issues that you would like to discuss?
TS: The overall point of this initiative is to change the system, it is not to get rid of Carty. We want a change in the system.
The Mayor shouldn't be egotistical enough to think this is just about him. It's about a system that's broken and needs to be fixed.