Toledo’s mayoral and city council races, in the gear-up stages for weeks, will cross an unofficial kind of starting line this weekend with two neighborhood parades and two church festivals.
All three major mayoral candidates indicated they’ll participate today in the parades at 10 a.m. in the Old West End and at 2 p.m. in Point Place.
The Old West End parade has two rules for the politicians — keep moving and don’t give out literature.
“We ask that they don’t pass out literature because it ends up being litter. We also ask that they don’t hold up the parade,” said Josh Thurston, parade chairman for the Old West End Festival.
Immediately after the Old West End parade, the politicians and their volunteers scamper to Point Place parade, whose theme this year is “A Look Back at the ’70s”, and which starts at noon at Summit and 109th streets.
Also certain to attract candidates for city council, mayor, and two hotly contested Toledo municipal judicial races are the Our Lady of Perpetual Help church festival in South Toledo and Blessed Sacrament church festival in West Toledo.
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Major candidates already vying for the Sept. 12 primary election are Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson, Councilman Tom Waniewski, and county Treasurer Wade Kapszukiewicz.
There is also potentially a primary contest for at-large council, with six seats up for consideration. If more than 12 candidates qualify for the ballot, they will compete in the Sept. 12 primary election with the top 12 vote-getters moving on to the Nov. 7 general election.
Lucas County Democratic Chairman Joshua Hughes said this weekend is acknowledged as the unofficial start of the primary election.
“We sort of view it as the de facto kickoff to the parade and festival season. That’s when campaigns are in full force, participate in parades, out wearing shirts, carrying placards,” Mr. Hughes said.
He added it’s still early for candidates to be campaigning full-throttle in Oregon and other suburban communities.
“The city of Toledo, given its sheer size, if you don’t have things in place now you’re way behind the eight ball,” Mr. Hughes said. “All of our candidates will be in the Old West End parade.”
Mr. Kapszukiewicz said this weekend has the busiest event schedule of any before the November election.
“This is just a fantastic opportunity to get out in the neighborhoods and talk to Toledoans. My campaign is going to be based on the feedback and input from Toledoans in their neighborhoods,” he said.
Mayor Hicks-Hudson said the Old West End parade is, “for me, more of a kick-off the summer festival seasons.
“I know there’s a lot of politicians in the parade. It’s a showcase for the city,” said Ms. Hicks-Hudson, who lives in the Old West End.
Mr. Waniewski said he used to hate walking in parades. Now, he sees the necessity of it.
“You want to have a presence where people are. If you’re not out there you don’t give people the opportunity to say something to you,” Mr. Waniewski said.
The Democratic Party has endorsed six people for the six at-large Toledo City Council seats while the Lucas County Republican Party has not endorsed candidates yet.
“There’s going to be other people coming in,” Jon Stainbrook, the county GOP chairman, said. “It’s good to actually use these festivals for a dual purpose — getting signatures [for candidate petitions] and being seen.”
The field of council candidates in Toledo has been slow to materialize.
Twenty-four people have obtained blank petition forms from the Lucas County Board of Elections, but only one, Democrat Gary Johnson, has filed. The filing deadline to submit a petition with at least 250 Toledo voter signatures is July 14.
Contact Tom Troy: tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058 or on Twitter @TomFTroy.
First Published June 3, 2017, 4:00 a.m.