I have been following with a great deal of interest the calls to possibly change the form of government in the City of Toledo, Ohio. My interest is more than casual. Years ago, I was intricately involved in the same debate about Strong Mayor vs. City Manager, as well as at-large council vs. district council.
Some day, perhaps, I'll dig out an old cardboard box and finish putting together my scrapbook. Somewhere in that box, wherever it may be, is an article from the Toledo daily newspaper way back then in which I was quoted about the Strong Mayor/City Manager debate, and I think maybe it may have mentioned my role in the whole thing.
Regardless of all that, a change was made about 16 years ago from a Weak Mayor/City Manager/9-member At-large Council to a Strong Mayor/6-member At-large and 6-member District City Council.
But I digress -- I want to take this over into the area of County Government.
Some of the same people who are calling for a change in Toledo City Government have also expressed concerns that all three members of the Board of Lucas County Commissioners are residents of the City of Toledo.
Well, why isn't anyone talking about changing the structure of Lucas County government? The citizens of Lucas County are allowed by Ohio Revised Code to form an alternative form of county government.
We, the citizens of Lucas County, could have more than three commissioners if we so desire. We have that option along with the option of electing the Commissioners at-large, by districts, or a combination of at-large and districts. The total of County Commissioners' salaries remains the same, but the total is prorated amongst the number of commissioners. Another option under an alternative form of county government is that of having either an elective county executive or an appointed county executive.
Hey, don't take my word for it, go this way and read ORC CHAPTER 302: ALTERNATIVE FORM OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT.
Oh heck, while you're at it, you might want to learn more about County Government in Ohio. If that interests you, go over and read ORC TITLE [3] III COUNTIES.
I say the citizens of Lucas County ought to be looking at an alternative form of county government, especially one that would increase the number of County Commissioners and that would assure representation from all geographical segments of Lucas County!
5 comments:
I can remember back some years ago thinking we needed to have 5 county commissioners. Using the links you suggested I think I will continue to support that thinking.
Just so you know, Summit is the one Ohio county that has adopted the alternative, "charter" form of government. Summit is also a lot like Lucas -- one big city that everyone regards to be a 400 pound gorilla, whether it acts it or not.
The result? I worked in County government and, well, OK. Definitely different than Stark where I also worked, but then the counties are different. Ultimately you need not only a good government structure but also good people and there is the rub.
Thanks, pho. I am familiar with the Summit County structure which it adopted quite a few years ago.
I've often wondered why other counties in Ohio have not exercised the various options as allowed.
If demographics interest you, take a look at:
Lucas County QuickFacts from the U.S. Census Bureau
A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. I never arrived.
Huh?
Let me explain.
Shortly after my blog entry "Change Lucas County, Ohio Government"Toledo, Ohio WSPD radio talk show personality Fred LeFebvre called my home. Well, I was out at the time, but he did leave a message saying he would like to talk to me about it and he asked me to call him back. I did so approximately two hours later (note: my answering machine has a time stamp so I had a record of the time the meesage was left) but I received his voice mail. Therefore, I left a message that I was returning his call as he requested and that we were apparently playing phone tag.
To this day, Fred LeFebvre has not called me back. And now, if ever he does call, I'm not interested in speaking with him. I don't play games. I do not need to be in the limelight. And, I am certainly not at Fred Lefebvre's beck and call.
If you wish to visit Fred LeFebvre, by all means go ahead. He's over here.
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