Campaign finance reports show Toledo 2020, the committee backing passage of Issue 1, paid $165,000 to a Toledo-based company called Strategy Five for digital advertising, direct mail, and radio advertisements.
It’s a local political consulting firm, said Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, whose proposal to raise the city’s temporary income tax by half a percentage point is on the March 17 ballot as Issue 1.
It’s also relatively new, though its members aren’t new to Lucas County’s political scene. All five work for the city, Lucas County, the Lucas County Democratic Party, or are running campaigns this election cycle.
But information about the firm is tough to come by. It doesn’t appear to have a website or a phone number.
Ohio Secretary of State business records show David Mann, president and CEO of the Lucas County Land Bank and an unpaid policy adviser for the mayor, filed the articles of organization Feb. 7, 2018. Toledo lawyer Sarah Skow then took over as the limited liability company’s statutory agent Dec. 11, 2019.
Mr. Kapszukiewicz said he knows Mr. Mann is key to Strategy Five. And he knows Mr. Mann gets paid for the work he does for the company.
“When I think of Strategy Five, I think of David Mann,” he said. “He is an adviser to me and someone I know and trust, and he understands how to communicate effectively with the public. And he’s local.”
But Mr. Kapszukiewicz could not say on Friday who else works “with or for” Mr. Mann at Strategy Five.
“I honestly don’t know,” he said.
Mr. Mann on Friday confirmed he filed the company’s paperwork with the state but declined to discuss who else works with or for Strategy Five or the extent of his role in the company. He referred those questions to Ms. Skow, who did not return a call seeking comment.
While Strategy Five is relatively new, its members have years of experience in Lucas County politics.
Karen Poore, treasurer for Toledo 2020, the political action committee backing Issue 1, said Strategy Five is comprised of Mr. Mann, Alex Huguelet, Leah Michael, Molly Luetke, and herself.
She handles campaign finance matters, with help from Ms. Michael. Ms. Luetke handles graphic design, Ms. Huguelet coordinates which voters to target with direct mail, and Mr. Mann provides strategy and communication expertise.
Ms. Poore said the five have been doing political work independently for years, and they decided it made sense to combine their skills under one company and split the work and resources.
“We know Toledo. We have a lot of experience. We spend a lot of our own time doing this,” Ms. Poore said. “Campaigns are hiring the expertise of all of us.”
Both Ms. Poore and Ms. Huguelet said the group doesn’t advertise Strategy Five because it isn’t a full-time job for any of its members.
Ms. Poore’s day job is deputy chief of staff for Mayor Kapszukiewicz, and Ms. Huguelet is chief deputy clerk at Toledo Municipal Court, in addition to treasurer for the Lucas County Democratic Party. Ms. Michael is a local attorney, and Ms. Luetke is an account manager at Madhouse Creative.
They all do the Strategy Five work on the side.
“We don’t do it for free, but we aren’t getting rich off it by any means,” Ms. Poore said.
Three of the five also work on the Navarre for Sheriff campaign. Ms. Huguelet is the campaign manager, Ms. Michael is the treasurer, and Ms. Poore is the deputy treasurer.
Ms. Huguelet said she doesn’t believe their work on the campaign is in conflict with their work for Strategy Five.
“It’s ultimately up to the candidate what they want to do,” she said. “I’m not making a decision to spend campaign funds without an approval of the plan and an approval of the cost.”
She added that much of the payments campaigns have made to Strategy Five go straight to mailers and advertisements, not staff.
Ms. Huguelet also said she would have resigned her position as treasurer with the local Democratic Party to work on Oregon Police Chief Mike Navarre’s campaign for sheriff if the party would have endorsed a candidate in the race.
Party leadership did not pick one candidate to endorse ahead of the primary election but recommended the public choose from these four: Chris Delaney, Gary Johnson, Earl Mack, and Daniel Raab. Mr. Delaney and Mr. Raab have since dropped out, and Mr. Mack withdrew his petitions and may run as an independent candidate.
Mr. Navarre did not screen for the party’s endorsement.
“We did not endorse, so I felt that I was free to do what I wanted to do,” Ms. Huguelet said.
Ms. Poore similarly said she doesn’t believe her work on Toledo 2020 or the political consulting firm is in conflict with her job with the city. She said the success or failure of Issue 1 at the polls has no bearing on her job security, and she is working on the campaign because she believes in its mission.
“It’s not taxpayer dollars that’s funding this. It’s money that the PAC has raised,” she said. “What I do at my kitchen table is my business.”
Mr. Kapszukiewicz also said he did not see a conflict with Mr. Mann’s political consulting work and his role with the land bank or as an adviser to the mayor. He said he does not believe Mr. Mann would directly benefit from the passage of Issue 1 more than any other Toledoan.
“David is my friend. David is someone I trust. He runs the land bank, a public entity whose board meetings are public,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said. “He is able to also have a private campaign consulting firm.”
He added that many city employees are on their own time encouraging voters to raise the temporary income tax.
“There’s no question that there are people who work for the city who are interested in seeing Issue 1 pass,” he said. “All you have to do is look at our direct mail piece that had a picture of [Toledo Fire and Rescue Chief] Brian Byrd and [Toledo Police] Chief George Kral on it.”
Other campaigns have enlisted the services of Strategy Five since it formed in 2018.
The largest expenditures include $92,634 to the group from Citizens for a Safe Lucas County and $44,386 from Citizens for Clean and Affordable Water, both in 2018.
Councilmen Matt Cherry, Sam Melden, and Chris Delaney have also used Strategy Five in their campaigns.
First Published March 7, 2020, 1:00 p.m.
