TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo City Council on Tuesday confirmed a new chief of staff who will oversee the legislative body's operations and act as a liaison between council and the mayor's office, as well as other governmental and non-governmental entities.
Lucille Frank, who currently serves as an aide for Columbus City Council and president of the Ohio Young Democrats, was confirmed over fellow nominee Roberto Martinez in a 7-4 vote. Council member Vanice Williams was not present for the vote.
The position will be paid an annual salary of $80,000-130,000. Frank is not officially hired though because she still needs to accept the position, council member Tiffany Whitman, who led the search process alongside council member Carrie Hartman, said.
Frank previously worked in the mayor's office during Wade Kapszukiewicz's first term and graduated from the University of Toledo, according to her biography on the Young Democrats website.
"I’m thrilled to be working with her again in this new capacity," Kapszukiewicz said in a statement to WTOL 11. "She has worked for Republicans and Democrats, in big cities and in small, and in many levels of government. Her wealth of experience will be an asset to the office of City Council and her familiarity with my administration will create more opportunities for us to work together to build on our progress.”
Council members Whitman and Cerssandra McPherson, who nominated Frank during Tuesday's meeting, said Frank meets what council wants from the position.
Read more about what responsibilities the chief of staff is expected to have in the job listing below:
Whitman said plans that Frank laid out for how she would handle the position include how council members reach out to and field input from constituents, how council works with elected officials and assisting with needs of council staff, including the clerk of council and the city auditor, which saw the hiring of John Rivalsky in March.
Whitman said she expects Frank to accept the position based on excitement for the opportunity she expressed in meetings with council, but there is no set date for when she would assume the chief of staff position after accepting.
The position was proposed earlier in 2023 and stems from discussions of restructuring how city council operates.