Standing in the middle of Collingwood Boulevard to promote his plan to “fix the damn streets,” mayoral candidate Mike Ferner today said he’s prepared to do the same thing to force more local government funding loose in Columbus.

Mr. Ferner, a politically unaffiliated former city councilman, spelled out a two-pronged approach to improving the quality of city streets.

He said he would borrow additional money if the city’s debt limit allows and he would raise taxes for two years. He said he would suggest a temporary increase in the city’s income tax of 2.25 percent to 2.5 percent for possibly two years.

He said the current administration puts the need at $61 million a year in street repair, but the city is able to spend only $14 million.

At the same time, he said he would pressure the state government to restore funding to cities like Toledo. He said Toledo is getting $13 million a year less under Republican leadership in Columbus than before Gov. John Kasich took office.

He proposed establishing a new publicly owned Toledo Bank to lend money for infrastructure projects at lower rates than are available on Wall Street.

He also said $190 million goes to the Pentagon every year from Toledo taxpayers, some of which he said would be better spent on repairing pavement in Toledo than on the military.

“The goal of the organizing is to send people to Columbus and sit in like in the Wisconsin Statehouse if we need to to get this Republican legislature and the governor to stop screwing Ohio cities,” said Mr. Ferner, a former professional community and union organizer.

Asked if he would lead that sit-in, reminiscent of demonstrations in Wisconsin that unsuccessfully tried to prevent the passage of anti-union legislation in 2011, Mr. Ferner said, “I’d be happy to.”

He stood between lanes of traffic on Collingwood with four volunteers while holding a sign saying “Fix the Damn Streets.”

Contact Tom Troy: tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058 or on Twitter @TomFTroy.

First Published September 17, 2015, 3:21 p.m.