Eighth in series on Toledo City Council candidates.

Sam Melden has set an aggressive agenda for himself if he's elected to Toledo City Council — including an initiative to train hundreds of Toledo residents to administer an overdose-reversal drug, moving the municipal salt piles, making the city more bike-friendly, and engaging young people more in decision-making – but he put drinking water safety at the top of his priority list.

“Water has been, and continues to be, the number one issue for our city and the region as a whole,” Mr. Melden, 33, said.

“I think city council can use its influence to advocate for Lake Erie,” he said. “We have all chipped in to provide incredible upgrades in [water treatment] but now we have to do more.”

Previous City Council profiles: Rob Ludeman ■ Cecelia Adams ■ Alfonso Narvaez ■ Clyde Phillips, Jr. ■ Sandy Spang ■ Larry Sykes ■ Gary Johnson

Mr. Melden said he has always supported a resolution urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to declare western Lake Erie impaired because of excessive toxic algal blooms — something that Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson only recently decided to support.

He also joined Councilman Lindsay Webb after an algae bloom turned the Maumee River green to highlight how “an entire generation of Toledo's children” would not get to enjoy the city's recreational water activities because of the problem.

A political newcomer, Mr. Melden is the director for growth and advancement at Leadership Toledo, and has been endorsed by the Lucas County Democratic Party for council's at-large seats. He finished eighth in the September primary. Twelve of 13 candidates advanced to the general election and are now vying for six seats.

“One of the reason I was excited to run at-large is I have always been drawn to and really cared about the life of families in neighborhoods, and as an at-large [councilman] you can focus on every neighborhood,” he said.

Mr. Melden added he wants to work with the network of concerned citizens called Block Watch to improve neighborhood safety.

Mr. Melden has never run for political office, but he worked as social media coordinator for the campaign of then-former Toledo Mayor Mike Bell in 2015, who ran unsuccessfully that year to regain the seat.

One year later, Mr. Melden worked for the campaign of Lucas County Commissioner Peter Gerken, a Democrat, against Mr. Bell, who had become a Republican by that time and made an unsuccessful attempt to unseat the Democratic incumbent.

He has raised the issue of making Toledo more bike friendly. Young people want to live in cities that have that kind of amenity, he said, and Toledo should make that part of its plans. Toledo already has a comprehensive bike plan that was drafted in 2015.

He took aim at the city salt pile that sits opposite the Marina District just north of downtown. The salt piles on the west side of the Maumee River are unsightly and an obstacle to economic development, Mr. Melden said. The salt stored along the river is used by city transportation crews to combat ice on roads in the winter. Mr. Melden said the city should work with the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority to relocate the salt piles.

Mr. Melden and Nick Komives, 33, who is also running for council as an endorsed Democrat, together announced their desire to engage 20 and 30-year-olds in the development of a long-range plan for Toledo.

Mr. Melden also called on city and school leaders to combat homelessness among children. The number of Toledo students classified as homeless increased 37 percent throughout a three-year period. Toledo Public Schools officials attributed much of that increase to a more comprehensive approach to counting and tracking homeless students, a method that found more students who qualify for services.

Mr. Melden, who lives on Brunswick Drive in West Toledo with his wife and three children, said his faith is very important to him and he considered becoming a minster. After graduating from Lake High School in 2002, Mr. Melden worked five years for Cedar Creek Church as the youth pastor and a musician. He now attends St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.

Mr. Melden attended Owens Community College but did not finish his degree. He later started working for nonprofits in the city.

He was executive director of The Center for Servant Leadership from September, 2014, to June, 2016, and previously was executive director of Food for Thought for three years.

Contact Ignazio Messina at: imessina@theblade.com, 419-724-6171, or on Twitter @IgnazioMessina.

First Published October 2, 2017, 7:33 p.m.