To Run or Not to Run?
Here's the question: Do the people of Toledo want a Municipal leader that will stop at nothing to improve this City and will hold to accout those that have not?
I'm asking if the Poeple are ready for a person with a drive and dedication and who will always tell them the truth about the situations here and engage them in the decision making process? Is Toledo Ready for......
Mayor Chad Quigley????????????
About all of the flooded homes if you were mayor?
Dottie
If I were Mayor at the moment? or in the Future?
If I were in Carty's shoes at this very moment I'd be calling the Feds for help, I'd be assisting in the clean up of basements and I'd authorize the finance dept to tap the General fund for assistance in repairs. I would then order the work to replace the sewer systems in the older neighborhoods first to preserve historic treasures and then I'd contine to the city limits. I would have pumps delivered as a "loaner" to help drain buildings and basements. All non esential City Employees would be dispatched to assist with the cleanup and damage assesment. To help with paying for all of this I would fire the idiots that gave me the advice that led to this nightmare. Consolidate departments and refrain from pipe dream spending, concentrating on the City core infrastructure, then progressing outward to the City limits.
In the future...all of the same, but I can tell ya this, the flooding would not last long if I were Mayor. I'd expidite the time frame on the reconstruction and take a more focused approach to projects in general. Finishing 1 before starting another. I'd engage the Citizens on a weekly basis with a radio address covering the work of the last week and plans for the following week. Town Hall meetings would take place every Month to get imput from the community as to the direction to go and what to shoot for. I would also ask the Citizens to do their part and catch up their taxes so the Schools will have the cash they need.
I have a ever evolving list of goals and plans. But that's another day:-)
If I were mayor, and I know I'm going to regret saying this because it's not politically correct, I would tell you not to buy a house where your basement floods and to rely on your insurance to fix it. If you're getting that much water in your basement, the problem is not the city's systems, the problem is where your house lies. If I'm wrong please correct me, but I'm guessing you live near a river or a creek, likely in a flood plain. If not, you probably live at a relatively low location, where the water table rises substantially regardless. My guess is you live below the typical underground water table when it rains a lot (or above ground, as often happens here). If true, I don't really see how the city is responsible. We know our lands here are fertile, which implies a lot of rain. Like Katrina, when you live under sea level, there's a good chance you can flood.
This is what irritates me about this situation. People in California buy houses on cliffs and then seem so sympathetic when their houses fall down during a mudslide. Then they complain about their insurance rates. Guess what, if you build on a cliff and it rains alot, erosion happens. The same is true of those who own on the coasts of Florida, the Carolinas, and the Gulf. You should have high insurance rates. Stop building on uninhabitable lands. That's the solution.
My house sits almost above grade.. Only 4' of my foundation is below the sidewalk/street level. I'm not in a Federal, State of City Flood zone. And the nearest creek is way over by Jeep.
I went through a flood with my brother when he bought a new home in Toledo. The flood started when the city of Toledo filled in a depression in an adjacent field which used to act as a holding pond during the rainy season. Since the water had no place to rest, it invaded my brother's home.
My brother had flood insurance. The insurance company sent out an adjuster all the way from Florida (imagine that!) to inspect the home and flood damage. The adjuster took a look around and told my brother his living room was actually a basement, and therefore not covered by insurance. Imagine, all the way from Florida just to tell my brother his home wasn't covered.
A good friend in the construction industry helped my brother dry his house out and prove that the living room was, in fact, a living room and not a basement. Repairs began. Several months later, repairs ended.
My brother's flood insurance covered the house but not the content, which turned out to include cabinets and so forth. Some of the furniture took a beating, some did not.
The previous owner, who built the house, swore he never had flooding problems. So did his real estate agent. The insurance company swears that they shouldn't have paid this claim. From my experience all I can say is that you should have an attorney, a competent attorney, inspect your flood insurance coverage for loop holes - then brace yourself, Ace, because here comes the hose.
Howz the new digs? And you know, I found that some real estate agents lie. Some don't and some do. It's a CRAP SHOOT I TELL YA'!
I've found some very interesting info. Re: the existing flood issues/video tape.
W/the Jeep tear down, according to sources, the remaining area does NOT drain into any storm system?
Following up - it may be that responsible parties should have known about the repercussions to potential/known local flood areas.
Stay tuned,,,,interviewing 'resources' now.
"Mr. Finkbeiner's challenge came after flash floods Sunday inundated homes in the Old West End and off Cherry Street. City officials blamed the antiquated combined storm/sanitary sewer system that is found in Toledo's oldest neighborhoods."
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070606/NEWS16/706060...
http://toledoohioneighborhoodconcerns.com/blog
And to further clarify my point of view, I highly doubt the city's sewage or drainage system has anything to do with your flooding. It's merely where your house lies. The city would be hardpressed to control the water table.
We drained the Great Black Swamp, maybe some thought should be put to the idea that it wants to make a comeback. The city's services certainly include sewage, but unless you can prove the pipes are leaking, I'm hardpressed to believe the city has any responsibility for this. This should have been discussed with your realtor/previous owner. If it wasn't disclosed, you might have a nice lawsuit on your hands. But I find it weak to blame the city.
Your comments about insurance rates are naive.
First, how many Floridians do you think "built their house" AT ALL, let alone building it on the beach or off a cliff? Most people there buy their houses, just like everywhere else.
So often these are people born and raised there, their entire support networks, their whole lives, their jobs, their memories, all there. So they buy a house. The struggle with or profit from raising property values and they buy a house.
But as the years go by, a combination of ever-increasing property values and ever-increasing storm damage has caused a positive feedback loop--when old homes get destroyed, they're replaced with newer, usually larger, more expensive homes--which leads to an explosion in homeowners insurance rates.
A friend in St. Petersburg said that it's COMMON to have homeowners insurance 2/3 as expensive as your house payment. So you're paying $2000 a month for a modest ranch-style home, and $1000+ a month for homeowners insurance.
These are regular people. If the same thing happened here, 20 years from now your kids would say "I didn't ask for it. I was born and raised here. When I was a kid..."
You chide them for rebuilding. Yes, many rebuild their mansion on the beach because they adore the ocean. But most of them aren't the rich and glamorous jet-setter types you're making them out to be. They're just normal Middle Class Americans trying to make a living and you can't easily just pick up and head north because a storm hits.
http://www.ci.toledo.oh.us/images/Flood%20Hazard%20Development%20Applica...
The County also has some jurisdiction over the issue
http://www.co.lucas.oh.us/Engineer/faq-395.asp
If a Mayor was to tell people not to buy a house in Toledo where it floods we would have quite a few more empty lots of empty homes.
http://toledoohioneighborhoodconcerns.com/blog
...those pesky little things called statutory authority...
The mayor can't 'call in the feds'...in order to receive assistance, there has to a certain dollar level of damage and this storm, unfortunately for those impacted, is unlikely to qualify.
You can't tap into the general fund to assist with repairs - at least, not without ordinances, etc...You could have pumps and staff assisting - but don't forget that some employees are in a union and cleaning up after floods might not be in the job descriptions, so you'd have to deal with that issue one way or another. But I like the idea of firing people...lol
Not being an engineer, it seems as if something has changed in your area. You said you've never had water in the basement before, but you do now. What was different in the area? Is there some other drainage route that is now clogged/plugged that the water drained along that old stream under your house? That was part of the problem during the last storm...
When you had the home inspected prior to purchase, did the inspector say anything about water ever being in the basement?
As for the insurance - a lot of people don't think about these things. If they're not in a flood zone, they usually don't think about flooded basements and sewer backup coverage...unless it's specifically offered to them accompanied by an explanation of why it's important...
see comments on what started out as a good day
...back when the sub-tropical storm that began with an "A" churned the ocean with 15 foot waves, the beachfront from Ft Pierce Inlet south past Boyton Beach got slammed. The breaks (15 to 20 foot waves)from high tide was beginning to wash out the supports for some of those 10+ story condominiums.
One of those multi-millionaires had the nerve to look at he camera and say, "I hope FEMA hurries up and gets the sand back on the beach before my (super exclusive penthouse) condo falls into the sea."
Meanwhile, taxpayers are footing the $2 million plus it takes to go offshore about 1/4 mile and shoot sand back onto the beach just to have it sucked out the next high tide.
Bottom line in Engineer 101? Don't build on a barrier island.
Floods pretty good after a strong rain and there is the smell of sewage after the rain in the parking lot.
http://toledoohioneighborhoodconcerns.com/blog
I contend that there are programs available waitng to be found. It is the Mayors resposibility to follow every possible avenue to find and secure help, even if the answer is no, at least he tried. He could also call the State for any help they can provide. City Council and the Administraction can do Emergency ord.'s and other measures to secure City assistance.
If I were Mayor, no union contract would be without the Administration's ability to re-deploy all non essential City personel in emergency situations like floods and other issues at any time. That includeds everyone from labor to executives. An "All hands on deck" policy would be implimented when needed.
A "Strong Mayor" should be able to defend himself and his actions at anytime in front of anyone. A Mayor with integrity wouldn't do anything that would reflect negitivly on him or his administration. He would be totally honest about all things and even to the point of too much information, all so he could be a transparent as possible.
As for my personal situation, the City SBH demo'd a 2 story carriage house off my nw corner ajacent to the storm sewer main and in the process of bulldozing and uprooting the trees and building they damaged the antique sewers,, that when the heavy rain cam, they subsequently collapsed. So, for the time being, my block is flooding into the surrounding ground(s). The demo took place less than 10 days ago.
I have little sympathy for people that build homes on the edge of a cliff, but I'm not sure that applies to many in this area. I lived in the Shantee Creek area for ten years in the '70s and '80s and never saw a drop in my basement. At the time my bank didn't consider it to be in a flood zone either. I am not an engineer, but something has changed there. I suspect the sewer system that should have been improved 20 years ago can't handle the extra load caused by the new developments in the region that cause more flow through the area. It isn't fair to lay it all on Carty either, but those in charge for the past 20 years have been putting off the inevitable.
Amen Junta, Amen.
MikeyA
Fair enough chad. First of all, let me say that my comment was in no way personal towards you like some of the above comments. My intent was merely to point out that people expect government bailouts when they don't deserve them. It was not directed at you. There are certainly situations where the government screws up and is at fault. Is your case one of them? I don't know. Is the city at fault? Hard to say. I'm not sure what the city's duty of care is in this situation, nor am I sure that there was a breach of any such duty of care. If you want to find the answers, find a good lawyer and sue. Through discovery, the city will have to provide any documentation that the government was aware, or should have been aware, of any insufficiencies in the sewage system that needed repair. Best of luck to you and yours.
If I were Mayor, no union contract would be without the Administration's ability to re-deploy all non essential City personel in emergency situations like floods and other issues at any time. That includeds everyone from labor to executives. An "All hands on deck" policy would be implimented when needed.
In which case you wouldn't have a contract. I've been reading your take on the Mayoral office and you're truly clueless.
So..are you just going to be a critic...or are you going to "Clue" me in?:-)