TOLEDO, Ohio — Wednesday night at Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz's "Wednesdays with Wade" meeting started with simple conversations about a variety of topics.
But then, the heat turned up.
"He's (Local Union 92 president Matt Tabb) engaging in theater so we're both going to have fun," Kapszukiewicz said.
This comment was part of a series of back-and-forth exchanges between Kapszukiewicz and members of Toledo Firefighters Local 92 Union, who shared a wide range of concerns at the meeting.
But in their view, they were not listened to.
"We had some legitimate questions for the mayor. Unfortunately, the mayor made it adversarial, which we did not intend it to be," Tabb said. "We just had questions that we wanted answered and he kind of refused to answer."
Tabb shared concerns with WTOL 11 about a series of topics, including a new union contract negotiation, a recent EMS system change, as well as the status of firehouse infrastructures in relation to air conditioning.
When reached for comment by WTOL 11, the mayor and the fire chief both issued statements, with Chief Allison Armstrong asserting she is committed to getting a contract done and Kapszukiewicz saying he supports Armstrong's efforts.
WTOL 11 is still investigating the mentioned issues and is working on reaching out to both sides to learn more about the conflict.
The following Q&A's are from the meeting Wednesday night, labeled by topic.
UNION QUESTION ABOUT EMS SYSTEM:
~ TABB
"Are you literally saying, to this person here, that you're not aware that the city of Toledo has begun a new response system for fire and EMS, and that it has begun as of Aug. 5?"
~ KAPSZUKIEWICZ
"No, I am aware of that, but the suggestion was that it was somehow improper of Allison (Armstrong - TRFD chief) to do that, and that's the part I take issue with. I'm well aware of it, but I also know that that was in Allison's purview."
UNION QUESTION ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE:
~ INDIVIDUAL
"What are you doing to fix our crumbling infrastructure of our fire departments? Yesterday, I was cooking dinner in the station and it was 81 degrees in the kitchen."
~ KAPSZUKIEWICZ
"Can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Harry Truman was right."
CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
On the topic of contract negotiations, Armstrong said negotiations have been going on since January.
Firefighters at the meeting shared frustrations with the mayor, and at the end of the meeting, the mayor said the following reply:
"I know you are here for the media. The media's here, just go talk to them."
INDISTINCT CHATTER
"Well, OK, I'll be happy to talk after the meeting," the mayor said.
WTOL 11 reached out to Armstrong and Kapszukiewicz for statements following the meeting.
Armstrong shared the following statement:
Local 92 is passionate. They want a good contract. I want the same thing. I am committed to getting this contract done. This has been a long process - and I think we will. We met with them today and will meet with them again tomorrow.
Kapszukiewicz shared the following:
Some traditionally male-dominated workplaces have a hard time respecting female leaders. I picked Allison to be Fire Chief because I knew she was a reformer who had the guts to make tough decisions. I support Allison 100% in what she’s trying to accomplish with the fire department, and I know Toledoans have her back too. Frankly, we need more strong women leaders like her.”