Bell jumps ahead of Wilkowski

Nov. 3, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Independent Mike Bell jumped ahead of Democrat Keith Wilkowski for mayor of Toledo, with 54 percent of precincts counted.

Mr. Bell had 51 percent of the vote over Mr. Wilkowski, taking a lead for the first time, as election results are reported by the Lucas County Board of Elections.

At the Navy Bistro restaurant where Mr. Bell is having his election gathering, people clinked their glasses and took off their hats when Mr. Bell took the lead.

Mr. Bell also spoke briefly to his supporters, telling them he was feeling the energy. But he noted they still had a ways to go in the close race.

And in Toledo city council races, the place for the sixth highest vote-getter has changed, with Polly Taylor-Gerken dropping to seventh and Adam Martinez moving into sixth, behind top vote-getters are Joe McNarama, George Sarantou, Rob Ludeman, followed by Phillip Copeland, and Steven Steel.

Republican Bill Connelly leads for Toledo municipal judge with 39 percent, ahead of Ian English and Mark Davis.

In Oregon, where 6,174 votes have been counted, or about 84 percent of the vote, challenger Michael Seferian leads incumbent Marge Brown for mayor with 60 percent of the vote.

In Sylvania Township, challengers Kevin Eff and Penny Levine are ahead of Kevin Haddad and the two incumbents, Pamela Hanley and Dee Dee Liedel.

In the race for Toledo school board, Bob Vasquez, Brenda Hill, and Larry Sykes hold the three top positions.

Voters in Springfield and Jerusalem townships were defeating new tax requests for police protection.

The casino question, Issue 3, is favored by 59 percent of the vote so far.

Article appeared in earlier versions of The Blade and toledoblade.com

Voting turnout light in early hours; no glitches reported

Turnout at the polls has been slow but steady Tuesday morning, according to poll workers and election officials. No major glitches have been reported so far.

The Toledo mayoral race, elections for Toledo City Council and the Toledo Public Schools board, plus the statewide casino gambling issue, have brought a steady stream of voters to St. Petri Lutheran Church, a polling place on South Byrne Road, according to the Rev. David Vinciguerra, pastor.

"We had somebody here ready to go at 6:20 and we told tell them they had to wait 10 minutes," Mr. Vinciguerra said.

The pastor said it's been busier than the primary election but not as much as last year's presidential vote.

Turnout in Monroe, Mich., has been low Tuesday morning but there have been no reports of mix-ups or malfunctions, according to Charlie Evans, clerk treasurer.

The Wood County Board of Elections reported no problems but had no information on voter turnout.

Jon Stainbrook, chairman of the Lucas County Republican Party, said he's been passing out literature at polling stations across the city.

"There's been a steady stream of voters but nothing like it was in the presidential year," Mr. Stainbrook said. He said Issue 3, a proposal to allow casino gambling in Ohio, has been a prime factor in turnout.

"If you hate casino gambling or if you love casino gambling, you're going to vote," he said.

Article appeared in earlier versions of The Blade and toledoblade.com

Issues, races land in voters' hands; casino question may aid turnout

Voters have the final say Tuesday on who will be Toledo's next mayor, as well as on whether there will be casino gambling in the city and in three other Ohio locations -- the issue some people think will drive voter turnout.

Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. in Ohio and open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. in Michigan.

As of Monday, 2,348 people had voted at the Lucas County Early Voting Center -- less than 1 percent of the county's 314,632 registered voters.

Running for mayor of Toledo are endorsed Democrat Keith Wilkowski, 53, a lawyer who was city law director in the 1990s, and Mike Bell, 54, longtime city fire chief and a political independent.

Voters in Toledo also will select six people to be at-large council members for the next four years. And city voters will choose from 10 candidates to fill three Toledo Public Schools board seats.

Countywide, voters will decide Issue 4, a replacement levy for senior services.

In the region, voters in Findlay and Bowling Green will be asked to approve temporary increases in city income tax levies to help those communities weather falling tax collections. And in Monroe, voters will decide races for mayor, three city council seats, and a 20-year levy to finance repairs to three bridges in the city.

Voters across Ohio will decide three statewide ballot issues: Issue 1, to give $1,000 bonuses to veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; Issue 2, to establish a livestock and poultry regulatory board, and Issue 3, to allow one casino each in Toledo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus.

Yesterday Mr. Bell, 54, walked door to door with volunteers in South Toledo's Crossgates neighborhood, while Mr. Wilkowski, 53, campaigned with other Democrats waving signs at the busy Dorr Street and Collingwood Boulevard intersection.

Both candidates for mayor of Toledo have sought to claim the "change" agenda.

"My message has been that we can change our economy. We can take positive steps to put people to work," Mr. Wilkowski said.

Of today's outcome, Mr. Wilkowski repeated that he was "cautiously optimistic."

Mr. Bell said, "The one thing I have been trying to get across is change through unity. If we don't get it together to change things here in Toledo and Lucas County, we will all fail."

He said he felt confident of success today.

"I feel that we are going to win and we are going to win substantially. I just believe we are reaching enough people and we are being underestimated by the opposition," Mr. Bell said.

Linda Howe, director of the Lucas County Board of Elections, predicted the turnout countywide would be about 28 percent, fueled mainly by Issue 3, the casino initiative. "I think the casino is going to bring them out," she said.

In other cities, villages, and townships, mayoral, trustee, council, and levy elections are being held.

Sylvania Township is seeing a spirited contested race with 10 people competing for two township trustee posts. In Oregon, incumbent Mayor Marge Brown, the endorsed Democrat, is being challenged by Councilman Mike Seferian, an independent.

Lucas County Republican Party Chairman Jon Stainbrook said the county's Issue 4, a tax levy to maintain senior citizens' services, may motivate senior voters to turn out, which could have an impact on other races. He said the race creating the most interest is state Issue 3, with people split strongly pro and con.

"The casino initiative is drawing people to the polls," Mr. Stainbrook said. "There's no Obama motivating people to vote and there's no Republican on our side to get people to come out and vote in the mayor's race."

He predicted turnout of several points below normal.

Ron Rothenbuhler, chairman of the Lucas County Democratic Party, participated in the sign-and-banner-waving rally at Dorr and Collingwood. He said the site was chosen because it is heavily traveled and to make sure the central city gets motivated.

"I honestly can't say" what the turnout might be, he said. "I wish people would take advantage of a privilege and a responsibility," he said.

In Toledo's 2005 mayoral elections, 42,000 people voted in the primary and 79,000 voted in the general election, out of 190,000 registered voters, for a turnout of 41.5 percent.

If voters follow the same pattern this year, then the 37,363 people who voted Sept. 15 will swell to about 70,000 voting today, or about 35 percent of the city's 203,000 registered voters.

Contact Tom Troy at:

tomtroy@theblade.com

or 419-724-6058.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0203-39416028