That was fun.
The late General Election has come and gone and local results are certified. And certifiable.
Our takeaway? T-burg, and our froggy county, confirm that certain things are inevitable.
Death, because, duh.
Taxes, which we don’t mind if we can see a proper return on our public investment.
And Opal Covey, who wins votes even when she’s not on the ballot.
Hit, me baby, one more time
First to the tax levies and bond issues on the ballot.
All the major ballot issues passed.
The largest was a combo tax levy and bond issue for Toledo Public Schools to the tune of over two hundred ducats per annum per hundred Gs of assessed value. It’s new operations money for the schools and almost a hundo mil for facilities.
The latter includes money for the ambitious plan to renovate the old Scott Park campus into an inter-generational education panacea, with a school, day-care center and senior housing. The former is the first new money the schools have seen in years.
Voters also approved new facilities money for the libraries. Some of the money is targeted for an innovative new library in partnership with the Metroparks.
Levies supporting services for seniors and children passed easily. Ditto a renewal levy for the Port Authority.
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All told, it will cost most local property owners hundreds of dollars per year in taxes. And what do we get in return?
Better schools, a unique new educational campus, a groundbreaking new library, economic development, and ongoing support for the young and old.
Sounds like a deal.
Write-in mania
Then there’s the omnipresent Opal.
Opal might be the perfect mascot for City Politics. Quirky, sure. Sometimes just plain weird, of course. But she has an indescribable charm, too. She should never be let anywhere near the levers of power. But she had some attractive ideas.
Who doesn’t want a pot of gold? And a riverfront amusement park?
Boy, sign us up!
Opal wasn’t on the ballot this past November. But that didn’t stop six brave souls from writing her in for Toledo City Council At-Large. Protest votes, or serious fans?
We’ll never know.
Also receiving write-in votes for Council were Brittany Jones, Mac Driscoll, and Tom Names, even though all three actually appeared on the official ballot.
Lots of well-known names who weren’t on the ballot also got votes. Current members of Council received write-in votes, including John Hobbs, current District One rep, and Carrie Hartman and Cerssandra McPherson, who are already serving as At-Large members. The latter was misspelled Cassandra McPherson, but whatevs.
Other current elected officials and candidates for other offices receiving write-in votes include Toledo School Board members Sheena Barnes and Randall Parker, State Rep candidate Erika White, Commissioners Anita Lopez and Peter Gerken, Judge Linda Knepp, judicial candidate Amy Stoner, and State Rep Elgin Rogers.
Former Council members Steve Steel and Sandy Spang got votes. Neither have run for office in several years.
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Local radio personalities Scott Sands and Fred Lefebvre got votes.. So did disgraced former Council members Gary Johnson and Yvonne Harper. Several former failed Council candidates got votes, including Sean Nestor, Alfonso Narváez Glen Cook, Scott Ramsey, and Harvey Savage. Ditto Tony “Killer” Dia.
The Director of the Board of Elections LaVera Scott got a vote. So did former GOP chair Jon Stainbrook, who made the Board of Elections so dysfunctional he was removed by the Secretary of State.
Someone voted for Jim Jones. We’re not sure if that’s the Guyana kool-aid guy, but he’s been dead for decades. Someone else voted for John Doe. A third wrote in Donald Trump. who as a resident of Florida was not eligible for election.
All in all dozens and dozens of ordinary folks got votes. All of whom had no chance of actually getting elected.
You know who else got two votes? And had no chance of election? And got less votes than Opal?
You guessed it. Carty.
Who, like Opal, is a caricature of City Politics.
