May 26, 2023
On Tuesday of this upcoming week, we are told that you will be voting to hire a firm from Louisville to give you a plan to make safe Toledo’s neighborhoods and families.
Over three months ago, Saturday, February 18, the Coalition for Peaceful Toledo Neighborhoods, 300 members strong, announced and presented to each of you our 12-point plan to reduce the violence and make safe Toledoans and the neighborhoods in which we live.
Our plan came to each of you after hosting eight “Town Hall” meetings, which produced hundreds of suggestions. In addition, we former mayors, with 28 years of mayoral leadership experience, have had to address some of these same public safety challenges during our terms in office. We should remind you that eight suburban mayors presently serving their respective cities have also endorsed our 12-point plan. We have presented our plan to our city fathers without cost to the taxpayers f Toledo.
It is our understanding that the firm from Louisville will be paid $180,000 annually for their yet-to-be-received plan.
Louisville is a very troubled city, according to a 12-page article recently highlighted in the New York Times. Racism is rampant and police-community relations are very bad, confirms the Attorney General of the United States. Why would you seek counsel from those headquartered in such a troubled city? And, why would you think those folks are better qualified than Toledoans who know our city much better than the folks from Kentucky – and they have a track record, which by their own admission has but three of nearly 150 cities they claim as clients, that have reduced violence by 25 percent. That data was provided to City Council this past week.
We believe wisdom and experience and love for our home city should place the responsibility for a safer, less violent city in the hands of Toledo’s Mayor, City Council and a coalition of Toledo citizens all working together. We believe most Toledo an suburban residents would agree.
Please act to keep Toledoans responsible for bringing safer streets and neighborhoods back to the city we all love.
Sincerely,
Mike Bell Carty Finkbeiner Paula Hicks-Hudson Donna Owens and The Coalition for Peaceful Toledo Neighborhoods