Mayor

Hay, Toledo. Call your City Conunsel Members and Tell Them NO more Taxes or fees ! If they do, Don't re-Elect them !!! Better call all of them and the Mayor too. Or we will get taxed and fee'ed to death. Make cuts.

Tuesday morning at 7:30a Mike Bell will be on the show to talk about the budget turned over to City Council this afternoon. 'Nuff said.

Westfield Franklin Park officials this week reached out to the Mayor’s office and the Toledo Police Department to examine both short-term changes and long-term solutions to ensure safety and well being of the patrons and vendors at the shopping center following Saturday’s incident of youth violence.

At this afternoon's City Council Committee of the Whole meeting, Mayor Michael P. Bell recommended to members of Council that the proposed ordinance authorizing a ballot initiative to increase the city income tax be pulled from the agenda. The administration has made numerous other recommendations to resolve the 2010 deficit without increasing the income tax.

No Refuse or Recycling Collection on Monday, February 15th

The City of Toledo would like to remind you that our next Leap Forward holiday will be Monday, February 15th. There will be no refuse or recycling collection on that day in observance of the Presidents Day holiday.

For residents who are Yellow 2, collection will be on Tuesday, February 16th. Green 2 will be on Wednesday, February 17th; Orange 2 will be on Thursday, February 18th; Blue 2 will be on Friday, February 19th and Red 2 will be on Monday, February 22nd.

Mayor Bell came to our neighborhood meeting last night. He wants to get the money he says is owed by red light runners. He said that within 30 days , the city would begin to impound / tow autos of those who have not paid these fines. He gave out a handout of his top level administration staff and salaries. It shows his staff to be smaller than before his taking office. Despite salary increases of some, his handout showed 276,000 $ less in total staff salary than before he took office.

The Mayor and City Council will continue to address the 2010 City Budget at a series of working meetings that will include members of the Mayor's Transition Team, the Citizens Special Investigation team, union leaders and department directors.

The first meeting will be held on Thursday, February 4 at 9:30 a.m. in the Courtyard at Cousino's Navy Bistro. Subsequent meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, February 10; February 17; February 24 and March 3. All meetings will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will be held at the Bistro.

The Citizen’s Special Investigation (CSI) of the City of Toledo budget will hold their second meeting on Wednesday, January 27 at 4:30 p.m. in the Large Conference Room on the 22nd Floor of Government Center. The team requested to meet at least twice weekly to move quickly on the budget reform recommendations and will continue to meet on Monday and Wednesday until further notice. The media is invited to attend the meetings .

The Citizen’s Special Investigation (CSI) of the City of Toledo budget will begin on Monday, January 25 at 4:30 p.m. in the Large Conference Room on the 22nd Floor of Government Center. The media is invited to attend the meeting.

The CSI team was recruited by the Mayor after his election in November to review current financial figures for the city, examine potential long-term cost savings and efficiencies, and propose areas of the budget where the city might realize immediate cost reductions. A roster of team members is attached.

I'm sorry Toledo, but Mike Bell made his bones as a democrat. I don't know why he didn't choose to run as a democrat, but I never believed that he wouldn't govern as one. Today he asked those of you left in the city who actually pay income taxes to pay more. From 2.25% to 2.5%. But it's only "temporary".

he Toledo Fire and Rescue Department will promote 12 officers to the rank of Lieutenant and eight officers to the rank of Captain at a ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 in Toledo City Council Chambers.

The following officers will be promoted to Lieutenant:

§ Douglas S. Haack
§ Hector A. Solis
§ Brian J. Phillips
§ Craig A. Ellis
§ Matthew D. Brixey
§ Allison Armstrong
§ Dexter L. Baker
§ Joseph J. Camerato
§ Verdell Franklin
§ Todd M. Besteda
§ David J. Soldner

Mayor Michael P. Bell will meet this evening with his transition team to continue their progress in evaluating and implementing his platform and achieving the goals he has set for his first 90-days in office.

The Bell Transition Team will meet at 4:30 p.m. in The Courtyard at Cousino’s Navy Bistro. The media is welcome to attend.

The following letter was sent to our ex-Mayor. He never responded. This is an issue I hope all Toledoans would be concerned about. I called 911 about a crime and the Police never showed up!

I am hoping someone in this city will find out why the Police/Vice Squad did not show up.

Dear Carty Finkbeiner - Mayor of Toledo Ohio

I am writing in response to a 911 call I made the weekend of September 18-20th.
I called 911 to report a crime in progress here in the apartment building where I live.

Mayor Appoints Finance Director
McLean brings 20 years finance and budgeting experience to the job.

Mayor Michael P. Bell today announced his appointment for City Finance Director at his first press conference since taking office.

Well we are finally free of Carty Finkbeiner. In The Blade I read that our newly inaugurated Mayor announced that the new Welcome To Toledo signs would not bear his name. No ego-massaging signs for Mr. Bell as we had for Finkbeiner. Instead of the new mayor's name being displayed on the signs we will see an image of a rocket! How great! The Blade's cartoonist Kirk stuck Finkbeiner with the title Hizzoner. A great suggestion for all the pundits out there: let's call our new mayor Mike "The Rocketman" Bell!

Wow this is great Bell won't put his name on City signs. Now that is a positive change.
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Mike Bell said he would leave his ego out of his new job as mayor and motorists could be the first ones to see signs of him making good on that promise.

Aside from beginning the massive task of handling a predicted $40 million general fund deficit, Mayor Bell on his first full day at work yesterday said he would replace the city's entry point signs with new ones that don't bear his name.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100106/NEWS16/106032...

Mayor Elect Michael P. Bell will be sworn in to office on January 4, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. The ceremony will take place in The Courtyard at Cousino’s Navy Bistro with a short reception following.

After the ceremony and reception the Mayor will attend the City Council’s organizational meeting.

Mr. Bell was elected Mayor with 52.3 percent of the vote total. He ran as an Independent in his first bid for elective office. Toledo’s former fire chief and former State Fire Marshal, he received his education in the Toledo Public Schools and the University of Toledo.

What a surprise, when I came home today from visiting the Imagination Station with my grandchildren. There in front of my two eyes were two large trash cans. One had Recycle on it. I have been waiting for this day since I learned that we were going to have automated trash collecting. They are not as large and cumbersome as I thought they would be. Great! Sorry, if anyone loses their job to this automated system but I can't wait to use mine.

The Toledo Journal is reporting online that Carty insulted blacks, and one of his top aide's confrims this!

The Journal is reporting that Mayor Finkbeiner made insulting remarks about black men and probably about black women. Mayor Finkbeiner turned down a recommendation to hire a black man because he would be "crucified" if he had two minorities serving as co-directors of the city's Youth Commission.

Mayor-elect Michael P. Bell today announced his picks for Police Chief, Fire Chief, and Director of Public Service.
Mr. Bell confirmed that Chief Michael Navarre will continue to serve as Chief of Police Operations and Chief Mike Wolever will remain Chief of toledo Fire and Rescue. Both men are veterans of the Toledo safety services.
Chief Navarre joined the Toledo Police Department in 1977. He was appointed deputy chief in 1994 and was selected to succeed Gerald Galvin as Chief after a nationwide search for candidates in 1998.