Toledo Mayor Recall Appears Self-Motivated

Will another aging, action movie star become the new mayor of Toledo?

Just like in California a few years ago, Toledo is facing its own potential recall election of Mayor Carty Finkbeiner. But right now, it seems to hold little chance of getting beyond the rabble-rousing stage.

Finkbeiner has already shot back against the leaders of Take Back Toledo, for what he calls their own self interested motives in advocating a recall.

The effort to recall the mayor has been undertaken by Tom Schlachter, Brian McMahon and Andy Stuart, three business men from the Toledo area. But from the appearance of their Web site there seems little indication of a large groundswell in favor of removing the mayor, who is currently serving his third term.

Finkbeiner himself has criticized two of the group’s leaders, Schlachter and McMahon, for not even living within Toledo city limits.

“Mr. Schlachter lives in Sylvania Township. Yet this man who has never lived in Toledo wants to take back Toledo. Not on my watch,” the mayor said in the Toledo Blade.

The Take Back Toledo leader who actually does live in the city – Stuart – was criticized for acting out of blatant self interest. Stuart is the manager of radio station WSPD-AM, which Finkbeiner has asked members of congress to investigate for violations of the Fairness Doctrine in broadcast media.

With such motives, it is doubtful that the group will earn the 19,753 voter signatures needed within a 90-day petitioning period to place the recall referendum on the Sept. 15 ballot next year. The Toledo Blade condemned the recall leaders yesterday in an editorial saying:

“YOU needn’t be a supporter of Mayor Carty Finkbeiner to agree that the announced mayoral recall effort is a bad idea, or to wonder whether the people behind the action really have Toledo’s best interests at heart.
Even Carty’s enemies have to be shaking their heads at this ill-timed political melodrama and asking the same pointed questions.”