Toledo Councilman Gary Johnson has become unpopular with fellow councilmen and the Kapszukiewicz administration because he disclosed to The Blade some elements of a proposed settlement of the regional water dispute.
Let them dislike and diss you, Mr. Johnson, you deserve the thanks of citizens. His colleagues should actually follow his example.
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Background: Mayor Kapszukiewicz is trying to negotiate a deal under which the city’s drinking water treatment and supply would become regional.
The first plan, unveiled in January, generated opposition. Some said the city was giving away an asset. Others were against any change.
Still others think the city should hasten an agreement that gives all jurisdictions in metro Toledo a share in governing the water supply.
Earlier this month, Mr. Johnson disclosed to The Blade details of the proposed compromise that Mayor Kapszukiewicz has been discussing for weeks now with suburban mayors and with members of council.
Last Tuesday, Councilman Larry Sykes, from his seat on the council dais, expressed extreme umbrage with Mr. Johnson. Mr. Sykes accused Mr. Johnson of “reckless disregard.” He said the deal could “possibly be sunk because of this and the whole deal could go down the tubes.”
Bunk.
The details Mr. Johnson disclosed were already known to many outside the hallowed private rooms of Government Center. And the administration has been discussing a proposal such as this with the suburban communities for weeks. There is no possibility that the public becoming aware of a possible compromise could undermine the negotiations.
Mr. Kapszukiewicz actually said publicly that Mr. Johnson’s disclosures did not harm the agreement.
Secrecy is sometimes called for, as, for example, in some real estate negotiations and personnel matters. There was no such concern here.
Secretive negotiations of the previously proposed Toledo Area Water Authority contributed to controversy and suspicion. Mayor Kapszukiewicz himself was shocked to know that the plan was already in its 13th iteration by the time he took office in January.
The public already knew a compromise plan such as this was on its way because Mayor Kapszukiewicz signaled it was coming a month ago.
The more clarity the public has about how we might achieve regional water compromise, the better. The more the public knows about the back channels of Government Center, the better.
Mr. Sykes’s remarks are an attack on the public’s right to know, and they are meant as intimidation to his fellow councilman. His grandstanding is shameful.
Rather than Mr. Johnson owing anyone an apology, it is Mr. Sykes who should be asking the public for forgiveness.
First Published May 28, 2018, 9:15 p.m.
