Toledo would join an international organization of mayors dedicated to fighting climate change if Mike Ferner is elected mayor, Mr. Ferner said Saturday.
A political independent and one of seven candidates in the Nov. 3 special election, Mr. Ferner announced his climate change agenda in front of the Toledo Museum of Art, which has installed energy-saving solar panels on its roof and parking lot.
He would have Toledo join the World Mayors Council on Climate Change and develop a plan that involves inventorying the city’s generation of greenhouse gases and developing plans for reducing those emissions.
“As mayor, I will convene a task force of scientists, business leaders, and conservationists to develop a comprehensive Climate Action Plan. By leading on climate action, we can create good-paying green jobs and further Toledo’s leadership in clean technology industries,” Mr. Ferner said.
“This is exactly the sort of thing I wanted to do when I was on city council, but as one member of council I couldn’t make it happen. As mayor, I can,” he said.
He said investing in energy efficiency would save money, and cited a $1 million investment the city made in retrofitting city buildings with more efficient lighting, heating, and cooling equipment when he was on city council about 25 years ago. That investment has saved $3 million or $4 million since then, he believes.
Mr. Ferner acknowledged that some energy initiatives have not been successful, such as the proposed co-generation plant to use the methane gases emitted by the city landfill or the faulty wind turbines on top of Government Center. The four turbines installed in 2010 cost the state of Ohio $224,300 and have sat idle since 2012.
He said the city should install some “sensible” wind turbines, not like the ones on Government Center.
The international mayors’ organization met in April in Seoul with 200 city representatives. The group adopted a declaration of priorities for sustainable urban development.
Also running for mayor to fill the two years left in the term of Mayor D. Michael Collins, who died Feb. 6, are former mayors Mike Bell and Carty Finkbeiner, city Councilman Sandy Spang, retired lawyer and widow of Mr. Collins Sandy Drabik Collins, Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson, and evangelist Opal Covey.
Contact Tom Troy: tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058 or on Twitter @TomFTroy.
First Published September 27, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
