TOLEDO, Ohio — An effort to change the city charter will now go before Toledo voters.
Toledo City Council approved the measure Wednesday by a unanimous vote from the council members present, ensuring that a charter change regarding consecutive mayoral term limits will be on the ballot for voters to decide in November.
The push began earlier this year when it was announced that "a group of business leaders" had begun collecting signatures "to allow the Mayor a third term," according to a press release sent by the group on March 1.
A petition including a total of 10,852 signatures was submitted Aug. 19 to the city of Toledo's clerk of council, Julie Gibbons, and verified by the Lucas County Board of Elections prior to Wednesday's special council meeting.
"The goal of the petition drive was to give voters a chance to choose a direction for Mayoral Term Limits in a single ballot issue," a spokesperson for the petition's group, BJ Fischer, said in a statement to WTOL 11. "With this charter amendment on the ballot, voters will be able to decide whether, at any time in the future, they would like the option of electing a Mayor to serve a third term."
Following the unanimous yes vote, council members shared their reasons.
"I believe this is what democracy is about. I believe that this now is an opportunity for the citizens to get to vote to decide if they are for this charter change or not," Council member John Hobbs said. "And I believe that if we have the opportunity to get citizens to vote on something, they deserve the right to speak. They deserve the right to speak on those issues."
Council president Carrie Hartman had a similar response, echoing the importance of a vote.
"In the spirit of democracy, we are elected by these same people too, and we don't want to say no to voters, especially when over 10,000 signed this," Hartman said.
This will not be the first time that voters were presented with a proposal to increase term limits for Toledo mayor.
In 2022, the mayoral term limit increase was included with multiple other city charter changes, but voters rejected it.
If the latest effort is approved by voters, the charter change will allow mayors a third consecutive term in office, matching city council's three-term limit.
Scott Hayes, Midwest director of government relations and strategic communications for New Jersey-based oil company PBF Energy, is one of the people who backed the effort to place the Toledo mayoral term limit increase on the ballot.
In March, Hayes described the group as "a fan of the current mayor" and said they want him to be elected to a third term.
"As someone who does business in Toledo, we want a business-friendly mayor. We want a mayor that is responsible," Hayes told WTOL 11 at the time. "If you have somebody that's doing a good job and has started initiatives that we think are productive and good for the city, I think it's appropriate to let them finish the job and I think two terms it's hard to do that."
Council members Theresa Gadus and Nick Komives were not present for Wednesday's vote.
If approved by voters, the charter change would allow any mayor to run for three consecutive terms and is not a vote to re-elect current Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz to a third term.
As the charter stands, Kapszukiewicz is in his second and final consecutive term. Kapszukiewicz has voiced interest in running for a third consecutive term.
Kapszukiewicz responded to WTOL 11's request for comment Wednesday evening with a statement in text.
"I don't plan to say anything about it, and I don't plan to campaign for it one way or another," Kapszukiewicz said. "It's in the hands of the voters, as it should be."