Tuesday set to be defining day for Toledo’s parks and youth companies

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – A showdown is brewing in Toledo politics.

Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz is preparing to veto new laws to reorganize the city’s park department. A group went into effect on Monday to ask him to reconsider.

It’s really a question of how to make parks in the city. All sides say they support parks and give children opportunities. It’s just a question of how it will happen.

People may not know this, but there are 129 parks in the city of Toledo. Many small ones, many in bad shape. To make it a priority, Toledo councilor Doctor Ceceila Adams proposed a plan to change the city’s parks department.

“If you look around what’s going on with our youth, our schools, our children, our parks, and our recreational programs, they practically don’t exist,” said Dr. Adams.

Dr. Adams’ plan would create the Department of Parks, Recreation, Youth Services, and Education. It would move millions from the current park and recreation division to fund it.

The council approved this plan in early March, but Mayor Kapszukiewicz says he will veto on Tuesday. He cites a legal opinion from the city’s legal department, according to which city law does not allow the council to set up its own departments. According to the legal opinion, this must come from the mayor’s office.

“We can make adjustments together, but they don’t do anything. They have so many other things that they are doing that it isn’t prioritized high enough and it fades into the background, ”said Dr. Adams.

The mayor recently said in his letter to the council that he supports parks and youth programs but asked for more time to put a plan together. Guides on Monday said the time is now.

“We’ll ask the mayor to get on board and sit at the table with Doctor Adams. Let’s get this department up and running to give our youth more opportunities and let’s go beyond some of the youth violence, ”said Rev. Willie Perryman.

“Postpone that for 10 months. No! We are losing our young people every day and we need to get these programs in order and set up for this summer. Spring is here, ”said Toledo Councilor Cerssandra McPherson.

This regulation was adopted by Council 9-3. If the mayor rejects this legislation, the council would need 9 votes to repeal it.

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