{"id":17548,"date":"2025-10-23T20:23:50","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T20:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=17548"},"modified":"2025-10-23T20:24:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T20:24:22","slug":"mayoral-candidate-roberto-torres-a-new-kind-of-independent-leadership-for-toledo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/23\/mayoral-candidate-roberto-torres-a-new-kind-of-independent-leadership-for-toledo\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayoral Candidate Roberto Torres: A New Kind of Independent Leadership for Toledo"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"By Asia Nail
\n<\/em><\/strong>The Truth Reporter<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When Roberto Torres<\/strong> talks about Toledo, you can tell it\u2019s personal. His voice softens when he talks about the neighborhoods he grew up around, the ones that were full of family-owned businesses, church socials and kids walking home from after-school programs. \u201cThose places shaped me,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd the truth is, I think a lot of folks just want to see their neighborhoods come alive again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Torres isn\u2019t new to politics or public service. What is different today is how<\/em> he is choosing to step into leadership. With decades of experience working under six mayors across four cities, he\u2019s now taking the leap to chart his own course as an independent<\/strong> candidate for mayor.<\/p>\n

The word \u201cindependent\u201d can mean a lot of things. For Torres, it means having the freedom to really listen, to build bridges instead of walls and to care more about people than party lines.<\/p>\n

From the Marines to City Hall<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Long before city hall meetings and campaign slogans, Torres wore a different kind of uniform. He\u2019s a Desert Storm veteran, a Marine who still carries that quiet discipline in the way he speaks. He says that\u2019s where he learned what honor, loyalty, and keeping your word really mean. \u201cWhen you serve,\u201d he tells me, \u201cyou don\u2019t get to pick and choose when to show up. You make a promise and you keep it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He draws a pretty clear line between that sense of duty and the kind of leadership Toledo, in his view, needs now. It\u2019s not just about showing up; it\u2019s about following through. \u201cToo often, people make promises when they\u2019re campaigning and forget them after they get elected,\u201d he says. \u201cThat isn\u2019t leadership. That\u2019s convenience.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a pause before he continues, the kind that may suggest he\u2019s said this before but still feels it. \u201cIt\u2019s like we\u2019ve lost the muscle memory for keeping our word,\u201d he says finally. \u201cSomewhere along the way, we forgot what service really means. Thankfully that\u2019s something we can fix.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Beyond Party Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n

Torres has been a Democrat most of his life. When he looks at the situation in party politics today, he says, it is barely recognizable. “I believe the democratic way means service to all<\/em> people,” he asserts. “Now it feels like the system\u2019s forgotten that part.”<\/p>\n

He stops before he continues, not out of frustration, but out of honesty. “It is not a question of turning our backs on anyone. It\u2019s about widening the table again. Toledo deserves leadership that invites everybody to sit down, Democrat, Republican, Independent or a first-time voter,” he says.<\/p>\n

The balance between firmness and empathy is what makes Torres\u2019 campaign feel different. He doesn\u2019t come across as someone looking to fight the system. He sounds more like someone trying to tune it, so it finally plays in harmony again.<\/p>\n

Lessons From Other Cities.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Roberto Torres has the kind of background that tells a real story of the Midwest trying to rebuild itself. He\u2019s lived and worked in places like Canton, Detroit and Grand Rapids, cities that, at one point, were all fighting their way back, just like Toledo is now.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s never been afraid to work across party lines if it means getting results. Back in Canton, he teamed up with then-Governor John Kasich<\/strong>, a Republican, to help bring jobs and life back to the city. \u201cWe didn\u2019t see eye to eye on everything,\u201d he says with a small smile, \u201cbut we both cared about one thing\u2014moving the city forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the years, Torres has served under several mayors: Carty Finkbeiner and Jack Ford in Toledo, William Healy in Canton, and Mike Duggan in Detroit. Each, he says, taught him something different about leadership, collaboration and resilience.<\/p>\n

Later, in Grand Rapids and Detroit, he worked with Governor Rick Snyder\u2019s team to help Michigan reach beyond its borders and grow its international connections. As Director of the Hispanic Center of West Michigan<\/strong>, Torres focused on international partnerships and cultural attraction, work that caught the attention of the state\u2019s Office of New Americans<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s ultimately what led him to Detroit, where he spent six years as Director of the Mayor\u2019s Office of Immigrant Affairs and Economic Inclusion<\/strong>. Those years, he notes, coincided with Detroit\u2019s first real population growth in decades, more than 14,000 new residents, while Toledo, during that same time, lost nearly 10,000.<\/p>\n

A City of Corridors and Connections <\/strong><\/p>\n

These experiences have left Torres with a message. He has seen how private businesses, when told to invest in communities instead of skyscrapers, can completely reshape the future of a city.<\/p>\n

“Detroit got $300 million in corporate partner funds to rebuild neighborhoods,” he says. “We could do that here too. Toledo has the same heart, we just need a mayor who believes strongly in that form of partnership.”<\/p>\n

If elected, according to Torres, the first 100 days of his administration will be spent on what he calls “safe, clean, resilient neighborhoods.” The plan is simple: clean up that which has been neglected.<\/p>\n

“There\u2019s no pride in a city if the blocks look like they’ve been forgotten,” he said. “We\u2019ve got to get rid of the slum and blight, fix what\u2019s broken and make our streets feel safe again.”<\/p>\n

He would also like to restore community development corporations (CDCs)<\/strong>, the heart and blood of communities like LaGrange, Monroe, Dorr and Main streets. “Those used to be our open doors,” he says. “Each had its own heartbeat.”<\/p>\n

Housing is another big topic. Torres feels strongly that affordable homes shouldn\u2019t be luxury projects or political handouts, but a must-have for strong communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

“We have some great local nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity, NeighborWorks, Friendship Baptist, who know what our families need,” he shares.<\/p>\n

A History of Mentorship <\/strong><\/p>\n

Entrepreneurship is a theme that truly lights Torres up. \u201cToledo was once a city full of small businesses,\u201d he says with a grin. \u201cWe can be that again.\u201d Future programs would include getting back to things that help citizens, particularly our youth and minority entrepreneurs, giving birth to their startup operations. \u201cIt is just like seed planting,\u201d he explains. \u201cYou water them early, and before long, you\u2019ve got a community full of small business owners feeding their own neighborhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n

Torres speaks of working with the late Mayor Jack Ford with genuine respect. Together they created a youth entrepreneurship program designed to teach youth the workings of a small business from start to finish. \u201cWe had kids that had written business plans, received mini grants and bought their first equipment,\u201d Torres recalls. \u201cSome of them are still business owners today.\u201d<\/p>\n

He still runs into many of those former students. \u201cThey\u2019ll say, \u2018Mr. Torres, you probably don\u2019t remember me, but I was in that program.\u2019 I say, \u2018How could I forget?\u2019 That\u2019s the kind of impact that lasts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opening the Door for Everyone<\/strong><\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one word that keeps coming up, it\u2019s inclusion<\/em>. Torres has a quiet conviction that division can\u2019t survive in a city that works for everyone. \u201cWe can\u2019t grow Toledo if half the residents feel left out,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen opportunity only flows to one side of town, you build resentment instead of community.\u201d<\/p>\n

He points to his decades of work with people from every background imaginable: Black, Latino, Asian, African, Muslim, Jewish. \u201cWe\u2019ve all faced moments of being left out,\u201d he says. \u201cSo we should understand more than anyone that inclusion isn\u2019t charity. It\u2019s smart policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Torres, it\u2019s not about choosing sides, it\u2019s about building bridges. \u201cToledo could be a model for how communities grow together,\u201d he says. \u201cA place where diversity isn\u2019t just a talking point, but a strategy.”<\/p>\n

Reclaiming Toledo’s Heart<\/strong><\/p>\n

Asked what success would look like years from now, Torres doesn’t hesitate. “I want people to say Toledo became an international city under our leadership,” he shares. “Not because of fancy titles, but because everybody from old South End to Point Place, felt a part of something bigger.”<\/p>\n

He adds, “I have seen what happens when cities begin to lose faith in themselves and I have seen the reverse when they start again. I want that second story for us.”<\/p>\n

This isn’t the voice of a career politician voicing talking points. It\u2019s more like a neighbor you\u2019ve known for years, someone who\u2019s worked quietly in the background and finally decided it\u2019s time to lead from the front.<\/p>\n

And maybe that is the kind of leadership Toledo\u2019s ready for, one built on promises kept, partnerships formed, and the belief that real progress happens one person at a time.<\/p>\n

Learn more about Roberto Torres and his <\/em>vision for Toledo<\/em><\/a>. Election Day is Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Polls open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Asia Nail The Truth Reporter When Roberto Torres talks about Toledo, you can tell it\u2019s personal. His voice softens when he talks about the neighborhoods he grew up around, the ones that were full of family-owned businesses, church socials and kids walking home from after-school programs. \u201cThose places shaped me,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17550,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,252,17],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[317,23],"class_list":["post-17548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover_story","category-politics","category-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17548"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17548\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17551,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17548\/revisions\/17551"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17548"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=17548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}