Teamwork Toledo members Kevin Milliken and Tricia Lyons are urging Toledo City Council to either redraft or clarify legislation involving a homeowner’s ability to park on gravel driveways or pads on their properties, following a ticketing incident which garnered negative national headlines for the Glass City.
Several residents who live along North Holland-Sylvania Road are angered by the incident, and now face possible $25 fines and an administrative appeals process that will cost them time, effort, and money to defend themselves.
“This whole embarrassing episode calls into question whether this was arbitrary enforcement of a little-known city regulation by a government bureaucrat,” said Ms. Lyons.
“The ticket-writing incident also raises concerns about the need for intrusion on a citizen’s private-property rights, and whether the administrator involved actually trespassed on a homeowner’s property in the process.”
“Immediate action by city council could help stem the tidal wave of bad press Toledo is receiving over this incident, as well as send a message to the public that our government’s legislative body is responding to the outcry,” said Milliken.
“It’s both sad and ironic that our fine community is being tarnished this way, just as our mayor and a team of volunteers is in Florida to tout some of Toledo’s finest assets before the body that awards All-America City status to ten communities across our nation. It is exactly this kind of national embarrassment that will cause businesses and families to think twice before coming here.”
Milliken and Ms. Lyons both respect the original intent of the law, which is to prevent homeowners from parking on their front lawns. But the Teamwork Toledo members also encourage legislative leaders to redraft the ordinance to allow only local police to enforce the law, in order to clarify who can write tickets and establish a clear process of responding to complaints.
The two independent Toledo City Council candidates pledge that, if elected, they will work together toward that end if the current council chooses not to take action.
“If this is a money grab by the current administration, there’s a better way to help balance the budget: stop unnecessary spending,” Ms. Lyons said.
“This ordinance needs to be changed, because many citizens suddenly found out they’ve been violating a law they never knew existed,” Milliken added. “Let’s close this unfortunate chapter, learn from it, and do something positive about it.”
Milliken and Ms. Lyons applaud Councilman Mike Collins for his efforts to assist the property owners involved in the incident. They also encourage those residents to challenge the potential fines with whatever remedies are available, because of the many legal questions involved in the situation.
Teamwork Toledo consists of six first-time candidates: 30 and 40-something professionals and small business owners, like-minded individuals who want to reclaim city government on behalf of its citizens. Teamwork Toledo is a group of fiscal conservatives with a social conscience.
Teamwork Toledo stands for three basic principles: no new taxes, back-to-basics government, and a business-friendly community. Teamwork Toledo seeks to restore a common-sense approach to city government.
