TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo City Council is looking for some fresh faces to fill four seats after the original council members in those seats were arrested on bribery and extortion charges.
If you're interested in applying, you have until Aug. 21 to submit your application.
Dominique Warren and Dr. Patrice McClellan have both have been active in the Toledo community for years. Born and raised in the place they still call home, they're two of the dozens of interested parties looking to serve on city council.
"I'm very skilled at having the tough conversations without it being antagonistic, and so I'm very intentional about creating brave spaces where we can have those brave conversations," McClellan said.
McClellan is an educator with a background in finance and has held multiple leadership positions on different boards across the Toledo area.
"I'm prepared, I'm strategic in how I make my decisions, but I look at everything holistically, and it's not just a fly-by-the-seat decision I'll make," McClellan said.
With a background as an educator, bringing in more youth development and initiatives is her number one priority.
She says strengthening local leadership including building a capacity for racial and social justice and healing, and helping create local businesses through Economic Development, round out her top three priorities.
Dominique Warren has a background in politics working at both the state and federal level, including with Sherrod Brown.
"I've done it at the federal level, I've been a legislative director for a congressional member, I've been a legislative assistant for the sitting senator, Senator Sherrod Brown," Warren said.
Warren also wants to focus on youth, saying community programs played a large role in him becoming successful today.
He also wants to bring in community investment opportunities, saying it's especially important in District 4 where he lives.
He says Toledo needs to re-imagine community safety and wants to make himself accessible to people.
"More digital, more social media, more digital newsletters to reach out to community members, more articles to reach out to the smaller newspapers to let people know what's going on," Warren said.
Applications to apply for council can be sent to Judge Jack Puffenberger's office.
Judge Puffenberger says so far he's gotten 75 applications, 26 women and 49 men.