toledoblade.com --

Standing on a chair in his Warehouse District headquarters, mayoral candidate Keith Wilkowski exhorted the several dozen volunteers and staffers who had assembled yesterday morning to begin the final push for the election.

"This is great, to have to stand here in order to see everybody to talk," he said.

"I'm confident that the reason that we will win is because of all of you who are here today and carrying a message, that we can change Toledo, that we can bring jobs to Toledo, that we don't have to accept a second-rate economy," Mr. Wilkowski said in the building that last year housed President Obama's campaign.

ELECTION 2009

READ: Bell rallies troops in final push for undecided voters

"This place here has some pretty good karma," he said.

Mr. Wilkowski, 53, is running against independent Mike Bell, 54, the city's former fire chief and recent former state fire marshal, to succeed Mayor Carty Finkbeiner. The election is Tuesday.

He started the day with his wife, Barbara, as guests on a WTOL-TV, Channel 11, morning news program, and then stopped in at a wake for Carol Lewis, the daughter of state Rep. Edna Brown (D., Toledo). Ms. Lewis died of cancer at 44 on Oct. 24.

After the headquarters pep talk, he headed out to knock on doors in West Toledo, an expedition cut short by rain.

Before the rain fell, he found Bruce Godwin, 56, of Haddington Drive, and Chad and Susan Ingram of Hannaford Drive, talking where their properties met on Barstow Avenue. All three indicated they were supporting Mr. Wilkowski for mayor, and said he was the first candidate they knew of to come to their neighborhood.

"I think you have a lot of work to do," said Mr. Godwin, who is a retired sales representative on disability.

"And that little tiny bit of gray hair, I think before it's over it's going to be a lot grayer," he said.

Mr. Wilkowski said, "I would welcome it."

Mr. Godwin said Mr. Wilkowski "seems to have more ideas about things he wants to get done, and one of them is not to tax us more."

His neighbors, the Ingrams, said they were discouraged about the direction of the city and angry over having received a warning in August to move their camper, which was parked on grass next to the garage.

"I want to go where I can keep my camper," Mr. Ingram, 33, said. His wife, 34, said they've had medical issues, and Mr. Wilkowski's commitment to not raise taxes clicked with them - even though they're looking to move out of Toledo after seven years in their home.

"Without more jobs there will be no taxes. The people that are working shouldn't be taxed more," Mrs. Ingram said.

Mr. Wilkowski spoke to two other residents who said they were voting for him. One of them, Helen Fisher, 82, of Haddington said she believes Mr. Wilkowski is going to win and that "Bell doesn't really know anything."

At headquarters, volunteers and staffers, including some paid by the Ohio Democratic Party, were busy working in 600 two-hour shifts that have been scheduled to reach voters who have said they will vote for Mr. Wilkowski and remind them to get out and vote.

Among the volunteers helping Mr. Wilkowski yesterday were Doug Johnson, 42, who lives on Willys Parkway with his wife, Mellisa, and their 7-year-old son. The law librarian said he started working with Mr. Wilkowski in March and has recently been putting in time almost every day, mostly going door-to-door on Mr. Wilkowski's behalf.

"He's talking about neighborhoods and small businesses. He's talking about things that have been on my wife's and my minds ever since we bought the house, something that really resonated with me," Mr. Johnson said.

Another volunteer, Diana Hersch of Perrysburg, a laid-off Lucas County employee, said she joined the campaign because she was impressed by Mr. Wilkowski's work as city law director for Rossford when she worked as an editor for a community newspaper in that municipality.

Contact Tom Troy at:
tomtroy@theblade.com
or 419-724-6058.

Bell rallies troops in final push fro undecided voters

By IGNAZIO MESSINA
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Mayoral hopeful Mike Bell edged his way yesterday morning into a crowded campaign headquarters — dressed in a crisp navy blue suit, carrying two boxes of doughnuts. He was ready to deliver a battle cry for three dozen volunteers ready to brave the cold and rain to hand-deliver 25,000 flyers.

“This thing for me started way back in January and it's been a heck of a job,” Mr. Bell told the eager volunteers.

“It's so important to have the ‘we' portion of the formula if we are going to turn this region around and we all have to work together,” he said. “We tried that territorial thing here in this city and we have to have everyone in on this.”

Throughout the campaign, Mr. Bell has emphasized making Toledo a place for business to thrive and promised to create close-knit regional relationships.

The election is Tuesday.

Mr. Bell — like his opponent, Keith Wilkowski — started yesterday with an interview on WTOL-TV, Channel 11.

He stopped at his Washington Street headquarters downtown and was soon after in the same place as Mr. Wilkowski.

They both stepped off the campaign trail for an hour yesterday and crossed paths again at a visitation for the daughter of state Rep. Edna Brown (D., Toledo). Carol Lewis died of cancer at 44 on Oct. 24.

An hour later, Mr. Bell was back at the campaign headquarters — this time wearing jeans, a sleeveless jacket, and a New York Fire Department baseball cap.

“It's time to go hit the streets. Are you ready?” the former Toledo fire chief and state fire marshal asked no one in particular.

As the race to take over Toledo from outgoing Mayor Carty Finkbeiner winds into the final days, Bell supporters said they would push the envelope to persuade undecided voters to swing their way.

“I am a lifelong Democrat and I strongly believe it's time for a change,” said Ned Howard, a contractor volunteering for the Bell campaign. “I think Keith Wilkowski will get swallowed up by the Democratic machine whereas Mike won't.”

Mr. Bell, 54, an independent, is running against endorsed Democrat Wilkowski, 53, a Toledo attorney who has been a Lucas County commissioner and a member of the Toledo Board of Education.

John Irish, a former Lucas County Democratic Party chairman who is advising Mr. Bell, said the campaign would concentrate today and tomorrow on reaching voters in pockets of West Toledo and South Toledo.

“Because of the amount of money that Keith had, he was able to do a bunch of negative mailers and that got a lot of people here fired up for supporting Mike,” Mr. Irish said. “I think there are 15 to 18 percent of the voters who are undecided and that is enough to swing it either way.”

By lunchtime, Mr. Bell was on his way to a West Toledo neighborhood to knock on doors and stump for votes.

On Westbrook Drive, just east of Douglas Road, the former fire chief's popularity among Toledoans was apparent.

He was greeted warmly at doors and even left the home of Tammy and Scott Edinger with a promise of two votes and a slice of pumpkin cobbler for the road.

Also on Westbrook, Mr. Bell spent some time talking with Nadine Lawhead on her front lawn as she was overseeing her two sons rake leaves.

“I think he has a vested interest in what's going on in our city, where he has worked and served,” Ms. Lawhead said.

Mr. Bell didn't talk much to voters about the issues gripping the election — which have included his divergence from Mr. Wilkowski on job creation and taxes.

Among the volunteers for Mr. Bell were Toledo firefighters, whose union, along with the Toledo Police Patrolman's Association, has endorsed him.

Mr. Bell was city fire chief for 17 years, which is an experience he says will help him guide Toledo through an economic recovery.

Contact Ignazio Messina at:imessina@theblade.comor 419-724-6171.

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