One balanced budget, 16 bus rides to work, and 20 community meetings in 100 days.

Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz has made a habit of measuring everything since he was sworn in as mayor at One Government Center on Jan. 2. He has an internal ticking clock tracking his progress toward making Toledo a safer, cleaner, more financially sound city before his time in office is up.

“Toledo has a window of opportunity open, and I don’t want us to blow this chance,” he said. “So I am self-motivated to work my rear end off to take advantage of that.”

Thursday marks Mr. Kapszukiewicz’s 100th day as Toledo’s mayor, and in that time he believes his administration has accomplished quite a bit.

Mr. Kapszukiewicz, a Democrat, helped establish a joint budget committee with city council, which council members said led to a more productive, transparent budgeting process. In March, council passed a $255.21 million 2018 operating budget with a unanimous vote — the first time that’s happened since 2013.

VIDEO: Mayor marks 100 days in office

The mayor also pushed to restructure the city’s Youth Commission and create a Human Relations Commission in place of the Board of Community Relations. The goal there is to better serve youths and underrepresented Toledoans.

He asked city council to transfer the Toledo Botanical Garden and Manhattan Marsh property to Metroparks Toledo, part of his efforts to have city government partner with other agencies. He also advocated for a bicycle share program downtown, which should be in operation in time for summer.

In partnership with the Toledo Police Department, he launched the Not in My House program to combat gun violence and drug use in city neighborhoods. He also rides the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority bus to work once a week in an effort to spark a community conversation about public transit.

“I think I promised energy, and excitement, and risk-taking, and reform, and new ideas,” said Mr. Kapszukiewicz, 45. “I think you’ve seen a little bit of all of that in the first 100 days.”

The mayor has made a point to interact with Toledoans outside of the political players in One Government Center. He has hosted Wednesdays With Wade community meetings, judged a science fair at Rosa Parks Elementary School, delivered Meals on Wheels, and addressed several Boy and Girl scout troops.

In February, he was met at the end of his driveway by a frustrated constituent with a bull horn, defused the tension, and set up a meeting with him for the next day.

“We really, really have taken seriously the commitment to being transparent, and open, and available, and present in the lives of Toledoans,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said. “We’re out there. We are interacting with the public. We’re not hiding.”

City Councilman Tom Waniewski, a Republican who ran against Mr. Kapszukiewicz in the mayoral primary, said the mayor is still in the honeymoon period, but “so far, so good.”

He said he doesn’t expect the two will agree on everything, but he complimented the Kapszukiewicz administration for being professional and open to communicating with council members. He also supported the joint budgeting efforts between the mayor’s office and council, which ultimately produced a budget that Mr. Waniewski, a fiscal conservative, could get behind.

Yvonne Harper, a Democrat who campaigned for Mr. Kapszukiewicz’s opponent in the 2017 election, incumbent Paula Hicks-Hudson, delivered the mayor’s introduction at his first State of the City Address in February.

She, too, said she is encouraged that Mr. Kapszukiewicz wants to work hand-in-hand with council members and praised his zest for change at One Government Center.

“I am pleased to see our mayor has selected his new administration,” she said. “They include more young people, which the city is not used to, and you may have noticed the mayor’s office is slightly more female than usual.”

Of Mr. Kapszukiewicz’s 10 staff members, only one is male. It’s the most female staff in the history of the mayor’s office.

Council President Matt Cherry, a Democrat, said Mr. Kapszukiewicz has already faced tough issues in his first 100 days. He signed an agreement with Toledo’s suburban neighbors pledging his support for joining a regional water authority, something that was in the works long before he was elected.

The regional water debate has grown contentious since January when the agreement was signed, and the mayor’s office held a series of community meetings in all six council districts to inform the public and solicit feedback. Now, the mayor is attempting to negotiate a deal that achieves regional water while protecting the interests of Toledo residents.

“It has been a pretty stressful, I would think, three months, but I think Wade has handled himself well,” Mr. Cherry said.

Serving as mayor has been an adjustment for Mr. Kapszukiewicz, who formerly worked as Lucas County’s treasurer. He typically works 12-hour days and often juggles double-booked meetings, events, and media interviews, grabbing a quick Diet Coke and snack if he can in between.

But he’s also a husband and a dad and said he still makes time for his wife, Sarah Weglian, 43; daughter Emma Kapszukiewicz, 14; and son Will Kapszukiewicz, 11. His children are both involved in sports and theater, and the mayor said he won’t book an appearance or meeting if it falls during a performance or competition.

“I do not go to as many of their practices as I used to, but I still have not missed any of their games,” he said. “There is a difference. I do have less time to do Dad things than I used to, but I am still making it a priority to be there and to be present.”

He also enjoys sharing some of his experiences as mayor with his family, he said. For example, Mr. Kapszukiewicz brought Will along to Toledo’s March For Our Lives rally last month to advocate for tighter gun laws.

“When there’s a natural chance to turn my job into a teaching opportunity, I absolutely look for ways to do that,” he said.

Mr. Kapszukiewicz said there’s much more he hopes to accomplish in his next 100 days.

He is proud the administration of Gov. John Kasich declared the open waters of western Lake Erie impaired, something Mr. Kapszukiewicz strongly advocated for during his mayoral campaign. But he said there is more work to be done to protect the region’s natural resources.

He is also confident a framework for a regional water system that can work for all parties will be developed in the next 100 days, but it’s not there yet.

The mayor said he plans to continue improving the city’s building inspection department and discuss consolidating some city and county services.

“I think after 100 days we’re off to a pretty good start, but I fully understand that there are 1,360 more days to go,” he said.

Mr. Waniewski said he would like to see the mayor work to fill key positions, such as directors of finance and economic development, in his next few months in office. Mr. Cherry said he is looking forward to the 2018 capital budget being passed.

It’s fitting that the mayor’s 100th day as mayor coincides with the Toledo Mud Hens’ home opener. A sports nut, Mr. Kapszukiewicz often thinks in baseball, basketball, or football analogies.

He said Toledoans cannot bank on a Hail Mary pass that will solve the city’s problems. It’s the small victories and having the diligence to achieve them that he believes ultimately will lead to success.

“If you do the nuts and bolts of government, and you do it well, you will move the ball down the field and eventually get to the end zone,” he said. “That is just a better way of planning than sitting back and waiting for some miracle pass.”

Contact Sarah Elms at selms@theblade.com, 419-724-6103, or on Twitter @BySarahElms.

First Published April 12, 2018, 10:30 a.m.