By Trisha Hall
The Truth Reporter
Toledo City Councilman John Hobbs III has launched a series of fall town hall meetings across District 1. The objective of the town hall meetings is to bring community members together, to receive feedback and concerns from residents and to share resources.
The first meeting in the series was held on Wednesday, September 20 at Reynolds Corner Branch Library on Dorr Street. The meeting featured a special guest from the City of Toledo who discussed transportation and sidewalk plans. The second meeting in the series was held on Thursday, September 21 at Monroe United Methodist Church on Monroe Street. This meeting featured a guest speaker from Toledo Police Department who discussed crime, gangs and other safety concerns.
The Thursday meeting opened with greetings and an update about projects that impact the neighborhood.
“There’s a lot going on in the area near Monroe United Methodist Church. I want to thank you all for coming out tonight. I also want to thank Dr. [Larry] Clark and his willingness to open the church doors, he’s always been supportive. I also want to thank Toledo Police for coming out tonight. Yes, Fifth Third Bank closed the branch that was in this community and there was a great outcry from the community. A letter was sent to the bank, asking why are they leaving. Ultimately, Fifth Third agreed to sell that location for $300,000 to Toledo Urban Credit Union, so the credit union will maintain their current location and expand to the new location. A silent donor gave $150,000, the city approved $75,000 and the county approved $75,000 to benefit this project. It’s important to maintain financial stability in this area,” shared Hobbs.
“To let Fifth Third walk away is wrong. Is anyone being held accountable?” asked Pastor Larry Clark.
The meeting also provided information about Toledo Police Department activities.
“People being shot are down and there is a group of people that have done the shootings that are locked up. I was even in court today. A man that shot a 10-year old child and another individual was sentenced to 39-50 years in prison. There are 25 individuals that are in court now or about to start their court hearings that are linked to violence in the city. We also watch social media, criminals put their activities on social media, all of the sites are monitored because these criminals will post their activities. I want to thank each of you for coming out tonight, thank you for taking your time out to come down here,” said Sergeant Stachura.
The remaining September and October Town Hall information, each meeting begins at 6:00 p.m.:
- September 25 and October 23 at Resurrection Baptist Church, 3360 Nebraska Ave.
- September 26 and October 25 at Heatherdowns Branch Library, 3265 Glanzman Rd.
- October 4 at Eleanor Kahle Senior Center, 1315 Hillcrest Ave.
- October 16, Reynolds Corner Branch Library, 4833 Dorr Street.
- October 19, Monroe Street United Methodist Church, 3613 Monroe Street.