Several Toledo Councilmen today released the names of 15 people for the newly formed Toledo Blight Authority, which has been described as a mechanism by which leaders can come together, share ideas, and collaborate to help citizens sustain neighborhoods.
Council approved creating the authority, which was spearheaded by Councilman Jack Ford following his campaign promise to do so last year.
Mr. Ford said the new collaboration and cooperation between public and private community partners and stakeholders is not meant to be nor does it have to be a new bureaucracy. The blight authority will “pull together individual groups” and created the opportunity for members to speak with more of a singular focus.
The authority members are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by council. Councilman Mike Craig said mayor D. Michael Collins asked for names to be submitted. Legislation approved July 29 by council stipulates members will come from specific agencies, neighborhood groups, and one person from each council district.
The suggested neighborhood association representatives are Dawn Comstock from One Village Council in North Toledo and Glen Cook from One Voice in East Toledo. The other suggested members are Megan Meyer-Foos from the Toledo Board of Realtors; the Rev. Cedric Brock, pastor of Mount Nebo Baptist Church and representing the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance; Larry Vasko, the deputy health commissioner of the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department; Toledo Municipal Housing Court Judge C. Allen McConnell; Juliana Sample of Keep Toledo-Lucas County Beautiful; Michael Marsh, Toledo Fair Housing Center's president and chief executive; George Thomas, an attorney for Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, David Mann, president of the Lucas County Land Bank, and Linnie B. Willis, Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority executive director.
The council district representative suggestions are Diana Minor from District 1; Phil Barbosa from District 3, Tony Plath from District 5, and Julie Mullikin from District 6. There were no suggestions from districts 2 and 4.
First Published September 11, 2014, 8:32 p.m.
