Toledo, Ohio municipal elections, 2015
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The city of Toledo, Ohio, held elections for mayor and city council on November 3, 2015. A primary election for the city council races took place on September 15, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 21, 2015, for the city council race. Six city council seats were up for election.[1]
Toledo was originally scheduled to hold a council-only election in 2015. However, the death of first-term Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins on February 6, 2015, led the city to add a special mayoral election to the calendar.
Another electoral consequence of Collins' death was a vacancy on the city council. The council appointed District 4 council member Paula Hicks-Hudson to serve as acting mayor on February 1, 2015, shortly after Collins suffered the cardiac arrest that eventually led to his death five days later. Hicks-Hudson's appointment was temporary. Hicks-Hudson, who won the special election, served out the rest of Collins' first term, which expired in 2018. On March 18, 2015, Hicks-Hudson announced her intentions to run in November.[2] In the meantime, city council appointed Scott A. Ramsey to fill Hicks-Hudson's District 4 seat and called for a special election, which was held on May 5, 2015. Four candidates filed for the seat, including Ramsey. Yvonne Harper won the election, and had to run again in the September primary.[3] More information on the District 4 special election can be found below.
Both the local and state marijuana ballot measures seemed to make the elections less predictable because the measures were expected to draw people to the polls. The management and safety of the city's tap water were a concern for candidates and voters, especially after the weekend water ban that occurred in 2014 due to unsafe levels of microcystin in the water. Read more about these issues below.
Mayor
Candidate list
- Paula Hicks-Hudson [2]
- Incumbent Hicks-Hudson was appointed in 2015.
- Affiliated with the Democratic Party.
- Mike Bell[4]
- No party affiliation.
- Sandy Drabik Collins[5]
- No party affiliation.
- Opal Covey[6]
- Affiliated with the Republican Party.
- Mike Ferner[6]
- No party affiliation.
- Carty Finkbeiner[6]
- Affiliated with the Democratic Party.
- Sandy Spang[6]
- No party affiliation.
Election results
Mayor of Toledo, General election, 2015 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
35.6% | 23,087 | |
Mike Bell | 17.3% | 11,228 |
Carty Finkbeiner | 15.9% | 10,276 |
Sandy Drabik Collins | 14.6% | 9,432 |
Sandy Spang | 10.8% | 7,028 |
Mike Ferner | 5.0% | 3,208 |
Opal Covey | 0.8% | 544 |
Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
Total Votes | 64,803 | |
Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Election Summary Results", accessed November 3, 2015 |
City council
Candidate list
District 1
Primary election candidates:
- Jennifer L. Scott
- Tyrone Riley
- Incumbent Riley was first elected to the council in 2011.
- Darryl Fingers
General election candidates:
District 2
General election candidates:
- Matt Cherry
- Incumbent Cherry was first appointed in 2014.
- Drew D. Blazsik
District 3
Note: Incumbent Mike Craig did not run for re-election.
Primary election candidates:
General election candidates:
District 4
Primary election candidates:
- Robert J. Longoria
- Peggy Brown-Morehead
- Yvonne Harper
- Incumbent Harper was first elected in a 2015 special election.
General election candidates:
District 5
General election candidates:
- Tom Waniewski
- Incumbent Waniewski was first elected in 2007.
District 6
Primary election candidates:
- Lindsay Webb
- Incumbent Webb was first elected in 2007.
- Alex Rivera
- Bill Delaney
General election candidates:
At-large
General election candidates:
- Cecelia Adams
- Incumbent Adams was first appointed in 2015.
Election results
General election
Toledo City Council District 1, General election, 2015 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
72.2% | 6,333 | |
Jennifer L. Scott | 27.8% | 2,438 |
Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
Total Votes | 8,771 | |
Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Election Summary Results", accessed November 3, 2015 |
Toledo City Council District 2, General election, 2015 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
70.0% | 8,350 | |
Drew D. Blazsik | 30.0% | 3,575 |
Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
Total Votes | 11,925 | |
Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Election Summary Results", accessed November 3, 2015 |
Toledo City Council District 3, General election, 2015 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
52.9% | 3,258 | |
Glen Cook | 47.1% | 2,904 |
Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
Total Votes | 6,162 | |
Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Election Summary Results", accessed November 3, 2015 |
Toledo City Council District 4, General election, 2015 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
73.6% | 4,777 | |
Peggy Brown-Morehead | 26.4% | 1,715 |
Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
Total Votes | 6,492 | |
Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Election Summary Results", accessed November 3, 2015 |
Toledo City Council District 6, General election, 2015 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
69.8% | 7,289 | |
Bill Delaney | 30.2% | 3,154 |
Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
Total Votes | 10,443 | |
Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Election Summary Results", accessed November 3, 2015 |
Primary election
Toledo City Council, District 1 Primary Election, 2015 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
69.2% | 1,613 | ||
25.1% | 584 | ||
Darryl Fingers | 5.7% | 134 | |
Total Votes | 2,331 | ||
Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Official primary election results," accessed October 1, 2015 |
Toledo City Council, District 3 Primary Election, 2015 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
47.2% | 925 | ||
29.1% | 570 | ||
Ernest McCarthy | 12.6% | 247 | |
Robert James Worthington | 11.1% | 218 | |
Total Votes | 1,960 | ||
Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Official primary election results," accessed October 1, 2015 |
Toledo City Council, District 4 Primary Election, 2015 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
69.5% | 1,472 | ||
18.7% | 397 | ||
Robert J. Longoria | 11.8% | 250 | |
Total Votes | 2,119 | ||
Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Official primary election results," accessed October 1, 2015 |
Toledo City Council, District 6 Primary Election, 2015 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
64.2% | 2,177 | ||
25.1% | 851 | ||
Alex Rivera | 10.7% | 364 | |
Total Votes | 3,392 | ||
Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Official primary election results," accessed October 1, 2015 |
Special election
Candidate list
May 5 Special election candidates:
Election results
Toledo City Council, District 4, 2015 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
42% | 602 | ||
Ruth Ashford | 27.4% | 393 | |
Scott A. Ramsey | 22.2% | 318 | |
Alfonso R. Narvaez | 8.5% | 122 | |
Total Votes | 1,435 | ||
Source: City of Toledo, "Official special election results," accessed May 28, 2015 |
Ballot measures
Marijuana Decriminalization Initiative
A Marijuana Decriminalization Initiative, Issue 1, was on the ballot for Toledo voters in Lucas County, Ohio, on September 15, 2015. It was approved. Ultimately, the provisions of this initiative that related to decriminalizing felony offences—as determined by state law—were overturned in court.[7]
Issue 1 was called the "Sensible Marijuana Ordinance" by supporters.
Issue 1 decriminalized marijuana by decreasing the penalties for marijuana-related violations, including those considered felonies by state law, to the absolute minimum while keeping the substance technically illegal in order to comply with state law.[8]
Specifically, the measure was designed to:[8]
- Remove all jail time and fines for marijuana violations
- Prevent driver license suspension due to marijuana violations
- Forbid any marijuana violation from being reported to any professional licensing board or agency
- Prevent law enforcement agencies from reporting marijuana violations to any authority above the local city attorney
- Prohibit civil or criminal asset forfeiture as a consequence of any marijuana-related infraction
Upon the approval of Issue 1, Toledo, the fourth-largest city in the state, became the first to enact a local ordinance decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana in Ohio. Sean Nestor, a member of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), said that activists were planning decriminalization initiatives in six additional cities in Ohio.[9]
Marijuana activists were also working toward statewide legalization through an initiative petition targeting the November 2015 ballot.
Toledo, Issue 1 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
11,663 | 70.37% | |||
No | 4,911 | 29.63% |
- Election results from Lucas County Elections Office
Issues
Marijuana
In addition to Toledo's "Sensible Marijuana Ordinance" in September, there was a statewide marijuana measure on the ballot on November 3, the Marijuana Legalization Initiative (also referred to as the ResponsibleOhio plan). This initiative would have legalized medical and personal use of marijuana in the state for those over 21 years of age. There would have been 10 Marijuana Growth, Cultivation and Extraction (MGCE) facilities, and 1,159 retail stores (one store for every 10,000 Ohioans) would be allowed.[10]
The mayoral candidates (excluding Opal Covey) attended an event at the Toledo Country Club in early September. According to The Toledo Blade, "The candidates were mostly in agreement on the marijuana ballot measures. They are in support of decriminalization on the city ballot and against the so-called Responsible Ohio plan."[11] Gary Johnson, a Democratic activist in Lucas County, said the statewide ballot measure made it hard to predict the outcome of the mayoral race. "We’ve got an issue on the ballot [legalizing personal use of marijuana] that will bring out a group of people that we really can’t put our finger on as to how they’re going to vote," he said.[12]
Water
- See also: 2014 Toledo Water Crisis
During one weekend in August 2014, Toledo endured a water crisis wherein residents were told not to drink, cook or brush their teeth with tap water. Neither water filters nor boiling the water were effective in making the water safe. The ban was due to toxic levels of microcystin in the water, which comes from Lake Erie. Unsafe levels of microcystin can cause diarrhea, vomiting or abnormal liver function.[13]
The graphic below from the City of Toledo's website showed the status of drinking water on September 17, 2015.[14]
In June 2015, concerned citizens contacted the city, news outlets and the water treatment plant seeking information about a possible water warning. This occurred after rumors spread about an algae bloom that was spotted in the lake three miles from the city's water intake. Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson called a press conference to quell the rumor, which she said was unfounded. "I think it's important to let the public know that we have safe processes in place to make sure we are producing safe water, and when there is any type of hint of the water not being safe, we need to stop those rumors, and make sure people are not panicking or worrying unnecessarily," she said.[15] The issue of water was important in the 2015 election, including ensuring the safety of drinking water and whether the city should regionalize water distribution.[6]
Comments from Toledo's 2015 mayoral candidates on water quality. | ||||||||||
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Toledo Ohio Election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- United States municipal elections, 2015
- Toledo, Ohio
- City of Toledo Marijuana Decriminalization "Sensible Marijuana Ordinance" Initiative, Issue 1 (September 2015)
External links
- City of Toledo
- Lucas County Board of Elections - Official special election results
- Lucas County Board of Elections - Official primary election candidate list
- Lucas County Board of Elections - Official general election candidate list
- Lucas County Board of Elections - Official primary election results
Footnotes
- ↑ Lucas County Board of Elections, "Historic Election Results," accessed September 16, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Toledo Free Press, "Hicks-Hudson announces plan to run for mayor," March 19, 2015
- ↑ Toledo Blade, "Four file by deadline to run for vacant District 4 seat on Toledo City Council," March 26, 2015
- ↑ NBC 24, "Former Toledo Mayor Mike Bell announces run for November election," August 7, 2015
- ↑ WFMJ, "Widow of Toledo mayor says she's running to finish his term," May 20, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 The Toledo Blade, "Analysis of the Toledo mayoral race, candidates," September 6, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Issue 3," accessed September 15, 2015
- ↑ The Toledo Blade, "Mayoral hopefuls cordial at forum," September 11, 2015
- ↑ The Toledo Blade, "With packed field, marijuana vote, anything could happen," August 23, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "Tap Water Ban for Toledo Residents," August 3, 2014
- ↑ City of Toledo website, "Toledo Water Quality," accessed September 17, 2015
- ↑ Toledo News Now, "Toledo Mayor: 'The water is safe to drink'," June 19, 2015
- ↑ The Toledo Blade, "Hicks-Hudson says water, roads are on her agenda," September 21, 2015
- ↑ The Toledo Blade, "Mayoral hopefuls offer water ideas, split on ‘unigov'," September 24, 2015
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 13 ABC, "Toledo mayoral candidates face off in season's first debate," September 24, 2015
- ↑ Mike Bell campaign website, "Water," accessed September 28, 2015
- ↑ Sandy Drabik Collins campaign website, "Sandy's Platform," accessed September 10, 2015
- ↑ Mike Ferner campaign website, "Protecting Lake Erie," accessed September 28, 2015
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