The condition our condition is in

After taking a couple of weeks over the holiday to do something of a political detox, I got back into it last night by attending both the City Council meeting, where they passed the 2009 budget, and the Mayor's State of the City speech.
I'll start with a couple of observations from the Council meeting. The first is that I noted the absence of WSPD or anyone else from Take Back Toledo. Maybe someone was there who I didn't see, but I did see people from both papers and all four television stations there. I'm still behind the effort to bounce Carty, but I'd feel better about what Take Back Toledo says is their motivation if I saw them at other events like this.
That said, I have to applaud a few things I heard at the meeting. The first would be Councilman Tom Waniewski when he pointed out that the Council has let the city down, referring to the fact that they have not provided for promised city services like police and fire as promised in the 3/4 percent campaign. Second would be Councilman Collins' and Ashford's impassioned speeches against passing the budget based on what is most likely faulty numbers and not providing for public safety as promised. Finally, and possibly most importantly, was that Councilman McNamara's amendment to provide for the people to vote on the reapplication of the 3/4 percent to allow for a police and fire class. I still contend that this adds police and fire too late in the year to do any good, but it's better than what some of the council members (George Sarantou leading that charge) wanted to do, which was nothing and hope for the best down the road. My word to council, you've passed a plan B, now find the plan A, which is putting the money together for a police and fire class that will allow us to see more cops and firefighters in Toledo before 2010.
Now, on to the Mayor's speech. It was quite impassioned, very upbeat, and like so many other things that the mayor says - was tainted by his rose-colored glasses and missed the point in several ways. For those of you who didn't attend or couldn't see it on WGTE, Maggie Thurber has published the complete text of his speech on her blog. Or you can read it on Glass City Jungle.
Having waited to see the end of the budget discussion in council, I was late to the mayor's speech and apparently missed the fireworks. I was told that someone stood up and sang the Marine Hymn until he was removed by police. Kudos to him! Now onto the speech at hand...

The mayor posed this question..

Why is it that ABC News, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The London Financial Times, and the Governor all praise Toledo’s transformation — and Toledoans remain our own worst critics?

Perhaps, Mr. Mayor it could be that, unlike me, the producers at ABC News didn't call the city to complain about trying to negotiate the three-inch thick ice rink that their street had become only to be told that the city wouldn't be coming out to do anything about it? Could it be, Mr. Mayor, that unlike my neighbors, the producers at CNN didn't call the Toledo Police Department following a break-in at their house only to be told that they couldn't spare an officer to come out since the burglars weren't still in the house? Maybe, Mr. Mayor, it could be that, unlike some of us, the editors at The New York Times didn't drive through town and notice the increasing number of boarded up buildings. In short, Mr Mayor, could it be that they don't live here?
In his speech, the mayor pointed out that privatization of some city services was a realistic option. Really? The mayor who put the city into the ambulance business and put private ambulance companies out of the business is going to privatize city services? I really don't think so.
He pointed to a number of business developments in the area, but so many of those are either not actually in Toledo or, like the Westgate shopping center, developed in spite of the mayor's efforts. He has instead turned to these Joint Economic Development Zones to attach Toledo's name to the success of other cities in attracting business.
On that same line, he pointed to all of the high-tech training that is going on at the 49 colleges in the Toledo region. Of course, to do that, he had to go well into Michigan to the north, as far south as Lima, to the Indiana line to the west, and, I think nearly to Cleveland to the east.
It would seem that the Mayor is going with the success by association thought. As long as the areas around Toledo are doing well, Toledo must be doing well too, right?
Toledo needs a cheerleader, there is no doubt, but the mayor is so caught up in the cheerleading that he fails to see the forest for the trees. Cheerleading and positive speeches are just hollow words if they aren't backed up by actions.
Which brings me back to the council meeting. Councilman Craig said of his fellow councilpeople in that meeting that saying they support a police and fire class without actually coming up with the money to do it is just hollow words. I couldn't agree more. This, of course, came just moments before the council passed the mayor's 2009 budget, with the numbers some of them are saying are faulty, and without the police class that so many of them spoke in favor of, 7-5.
This is why I would like to see the Take Back Toledo folks at these meetings. Getting rid of Carty is a good idea, but holding a council that rubber stamps his every move accountable is just as important.

Outside Agencies

Why is it that the mayor can't seem to trust the city to do the city's business? The latest incarnation of his lack of faith in the city is that he wanted to spend $60,000 to hire an outside marketing firm to promote a rolling holiday trash schedule. Thankfully, the city council stood in the way of this latest stupid money decision. Councilmen Tom Waniewski and Joe McNamara both pointed out that they think there are less expensive ways to do this.

Of the $60K, $25K was going for postage. That leaves $35,000 to go to the firm for thinking up mailing out flyers? I find it hard to believe that in all of the city, nobody could have thought of mailing out flyers without the help of an outside agency. The city has an in-house print shop to print the flyers. They already mail out utility bills to everyone who gets trash service. This isn't rocket science.

Then there's the $50,000 bill for an outside law firm to represent the city and the mayor in the Perlene Griffin firing. Here again, the city has a legal department. Why does the mayor think that the city's lawyers aren't competent to represent the city? Councilman Collins said that he thinks the fees should come from the mayor's pocket. Given the back story on the Griffin affair, I agree, unfortunately, state law says that the city has to pay to defend the mayor. However, maybe the council could not approve the money for the use of an outside firm and instead make the mayor utilize the legal eagles that the city already employs. Again, doesn't seem like rocket science to me.

I believe that the outside law firm is already approved, but I look for the mayor to take the same financial high road he took on the Erie Street Market to pay for the marketing firm. I see six marketing projects at $9,999 each on the horizon.