Toledo Free Press – November 11, 2012 by Toledo Free Press

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OPINION

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT

Politics as usual

resident Barack Obama, during his Nov. 7 victory speech, said, “Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual.” It’s hard to credit that here in Lucas County or in Ohio, especially when it came to Issue 2, a proposal to change the process for redrawing state legislative and congressional maps and Issue 1, a proposal to revisit the state’s constitution. Can it all be blamed on Democrats blindly voting a D slate card? Issue 2 throws a wrench in that theory given how hard the Democratic Party pushed for Issue 2. It failed in Lucas County and failed across the entire state. The same goes for Democratic Supreme Court Justice Yvette McGee Brown — she lost in Lucas County and in Ohio to Republican Sharon L. KenThomas F.POUNDS nedy. Angela Zimmann could not muster a victory when it came to challenging Rep. Bob Latta. It makes it almost hypocritical to thank those who voted the way we hoped on some issues, like TARTA staying in Spencer and Sylvania townships, when some of those same voters likely doomed our state to politics as usual when it comes to redistricting. Lucas County voters approved levies for Metroparks, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, Lucas County Children Services and Mental Health & Recovery Services Board of Lucas County. I will point out, admittedly with self-interest, that despite the politicians’ emphasis on a cascade of TV and radio ads, every levy and candidate that utilized Toledo Free Press advertising as a venue to reach voters triumphed, something for political types to keep in mind for future election cycles. It’s difficult to understand voters’ motivation this year, but it’s hard to deem the results a “call to action.” It appears to be a call to confusion. I’m sure the political analysts will try to come up with some scenario to explain all of this, but it’s hard to celebrate the overall outcome of what took place in our county and our state during the election. It is a mixed bag of successes and some epic failures. ✯ Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Pressand Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

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LIGHTING THE FUSE

Fast food politics V

oters practice politics in Lucas County like they ap- of his idea of “hope and change” to switch allegiances to proach the comfort food menu at a fast food joint. the GOP candidate. As we drove to the polling place, Evan The relatively smart and healthy choices are usually asked me repeatedly if I was still voting against Obama and I repeatedly said yes. My jaw, despite regular doses of preignored for less challenging options. There was not one surprise in any Lucas County race scription Motrin, still ached from an earlier double root canal surgery, so I preferred not to talk. But this year. Th e usual suspects won, like I wanted to encourage Evan’s interest in the cheeseburgers win over salads at McDonvoting process so I tried to explain to him ald’s. Sherrod Brown. Bob Latta. Marcy why I was voting against his guy. Kaptur. Randy Gardner. Michael Ashford “This vote is more about you and your (unopposed). Teresa Fedor (unopposed). little brother Sean than it is about me and Future Toledo Mayor Matt Szollosi. Barbara your mom,” I told him. “The country needs Sears. Pete Gerken. Tina Skeldon Wozniak. to make some major changes about money Julia Bates (unopposed). J. Bernie Quilter. and planning so you and Sean can grow up to Wade Kapszukiewicz. be what you want and be comfortable enough Would you like fries with that? to have families if you want to. I believe Mr. It’s not that these are bad people; they are just easy options, chosen for comfort Michael S. MILLER Romney is more likely to try to make changes that will benefit you than Mr. Obama is.” and familiarity as much (if not more) as for “You don’t know that for sure, do you Dad?” he asked. competence and results. “No, I don’t,” I said. “But voting is sometimes about In the Lucas County Recorder race, voters chose Phil Copeland over George Sarantou. It is gracious and proper to choosing a person based on potential and hope.” Evan was silent for a beat. congratulate Copeland, even as one shakes one’s head in disap“Daddy, I thought President Obama owned hope.” pointment. Under Jeanine Perry, the recorder’s offi ce has stayed I laughed to myself and told him, “No one really owns out of the news, a testament to its efficiency and competence. Let us hope its employees can compensate for Copeland’s lack hope. I voted for Mr. Obama last time but you were only 2 of a plan for the office (“I want to go and be a part of it and I may and Sean was just a few months old. Today, I don’t have the have some ideas when I get in there,” Copeland said, a fair ap- same faith in him.” Evan and I arrived at the precinct voting station a little proach when talking about decorating a kitchen but a suspect early and stood in line with about 50 people. The line plan for dealing with an important county office). Even scarier is that Jack Ford is reportedly maneuvering moved fairly quickly and Evan stood by patiently as I filled behind the scenes to garner an appointment to Copeland’s the ballot circles and turned in my ballot. We both received “I Voted” stickers, which we placed on our jackets, and soon-to-be vacated seat. There is buzz that Carty Finkbeiner and current City Council President Joe McNamara are walked to the car. Evan was quiet for a while, then asked, “Daddy, did you working to help Ford make that happen. Finkbeiner’s days in government are over, but if McNamara is embroiled in vote for President Obama?” “No, I voted for Mr. Romney. Remember, I think that’s moving Council backward with Ford, serious doubts should be cast on McNamara’s judgment if he is truly considering a the best choice for you and your future.” “It’s OK,” Evan said. “I won’t tell Mommy.” campaign for Toledo mayor. “I think she’ll know, son,” I said. Sarantou’s loss was part of another stellar showing for “But wouldn’t it be easier to keep President Obama?” the Lucas County Republican Party, a pitiful group estabEvan asked. lishing a legacy of epic failures and incompetency. Th e Lucas “Easier isn’t always better,” I said. “In fact, easier is usuCounty GOP loses so often, it makes the Pittsburgh Pirates’ ally not better. McDonald’s may be more fun, but it’s not as current 20-season losing streak look like a rousing success. good for you as making a smart dinner at home.” Making a ‘metafur’ Evan sat quietly for a few miles. “Can we go to McDonald’s today?” My fi rst-grader’s school was closed on Election Day to “Not today,” I said. “Th ere will be too many voters there.” serve as a polling place, so he was going to work with me “Why would voters be at McDonald’s?” he asked. for the day. We leftour house at 6 a.m. to make sure I could “Never mind,” I said. vote. Six-year-old Evan, who has been absorbing political “You’re making up a ‘metafur,’ aren’t you?” he replied. commercials and propaganda, was anxious for President I smiled. “Yes, but don’t tell your mom.” Obama to retain his job. Evan’s mom and I disagreed on “I think she’ll know, Dad.” ✯ this point; she is an unshakeable liberal who eschews Republican candidates like she shoos away summer flies and I am a conservative-leaning moderate who tries to vote case Michael S. Miller is editor in chief ofToledo Free Pressand Toledo by case. I voted for Obama in 2008 but have seen enough Free Press Star. Contact him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com. Thomas F. Pounds, President/Publisher tpounds@toledofreepress.com

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OPINION

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TREECE BLOG

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

DON LEE

Second term score card

t is no secret that many have been enough oil and natural gas in our own predicting a Romney victory for country, but we lack a political will to several months. While the polls issue permits and retrieve those releading up to election night showed a sources. The number of drilling permits issued on federal dead heat, very few preland dropped 40 percent dicted that Democrats from 2007-11. would come out the While there is still way they did (prelimian offshore drilling ban nary numbers showed in U.S. waters, President +6 Democrats at the Obama has been content exit polls). Whether this to provide funds and article was going to be support to help develop about Mitt Romney’s Brazil’s oil industry, a first term or President move that would not Barack Obama’s second lower U.S. prices. term, the numbers do Ben TREECE ✯ No more budget not change. A politician cannot create jobs, but he or she can deficits. Our deficits have exceeded influence the environment needed to $1 trillion every year for the past encourage job growth. Regardless of four years. This is an unacceptable which candidate won, these are the and unprecedented rate of spending numbers that need to be achieved for that must be stopped. If deficit spending in the next four years sura successful term. ✯ Gross Domestic Product passes $500 billion, it will be consid(GDP) must reach 5 percent year ered a failed term. ✯ No more federal debt added. to year at least once in President Obama’s second term. While 5 per- The federal debt is not a problem yet, cent sounds quite high compared to but it is certainly on its way to being the dismal sub-2 percent growth that a major problem. The government we have seen, it is achievable. During needs to either increase revenues in the Reagan administration, the fed- order to fund its spending (or start eral government had to intentionally paying down some of the debt), or devalue the U.S. dollar to keep ex- cap spending to a reasonable level. ports competitive on a global scale, The only viable option for the fedbecause GDP was growing at more eral government to raise revenues would be through expanded paythan 9.5 percent year to year. ✯ Bring unemployment down rolls. Raising taxes will not work. The to 5 percent or lower. With unem- proposed tax increases would not ployment still an issue facing many even begin to fund federal deficit Americans, we need to get our na- spending, let alone cover it. ✯ Do not blame the previous tion back to work. By doing so we will also be able to make necessary administration. “Blame Bush” may cuts to social welfare programs that have been bought by the public for have become beyond burdensome to the first four years, but for the next our federal government. four President Obama can only ✯ Bring U6 unemployment blame himself. Had Romney been back to below 10 percent. U6 is a elected, blaming President Obama published government figure that I would not have been acceptable, and feel more closely resembles national Obama continuing to pass the buck unemployment. It includes the same will not be tolerated either. numbers factored into U3 (the ofThese are not partisan issues, but ficial rate) and also factors in people economic issues that need to be relooking for full-time work who have solved for the U.S. to get back on track. to settle for a part-time job, as well as I hope that President Obama can make people who are not working but have his second term a success and the U.S. indicated they wanted a job in the economy can thrive again. ✯ previous 12 months. These workers are referred to as “marginally attached Ben Treece is a 2009 Graduate from the workers” or “discouraged workers.” University of Miami (Fla.), BBA InterPresident Clinton was able to bring national Finance and Marketing. He is a U6 down to roughly 7 percent from partner with Treece Investment Advisory 12 percent from 1994-99. If President Corp (www.TreeceInvestments.com) Obama were to accomplish this goal and a stockbroker licensed with FINRA, at the same rate, U6 would be some- working for Treece Financial Services where between 8 and 8.5 percent. Corp. The above information is the ex✯ Fuel prices must come back press opinion of Ben Treece and should down to the $2-$2.50 range. Studies not be construed as investment advice or have shown that we have more than used without outside verification.

THE LIBERTARIAN PERSPECTIVE: POST-ELECTION THOUGHTS

Voting for, not against

By Kenneth Sharp

knew that after the final tally one of two men would be president. I knew it would not be Gary Johnson. The work of Libertarians and all minor parties is the same as it was the day before the election. For the Republican Party and many of its supporters, the defeat has been a powerful personal blow. Do not blame Libertarians, though it may be tempting. Blame falls squarely on the Republican Party. In Tampa, at the Republican National Convention, the party elite decided to disenfranchise Ron Paul Republicans and Tea Party conservatives. These voters, millions in numbers, did not all flock to the Libertarian or other parties. An overwhelming number of Ron Paul supporters were the highly desirable youth vote. I have had personal conversations with a few of these young new voters, and their experiences have led them to decide that they will never vote for a Republican. Some refuse to vote at all. You only get one chance at a first impression. Among older Tea Partiers it is probably different. But many of these voters will also not return. This does not mean Libertarians or other parties automatically get them. Your party elite decided they did not need every voter. Also do not blame certain local media that gave a voice to Libertarian candidates and ideas, specifically WSPD and Toledo Free Press. Both where very fair in their coverage. Both gave credit to all candidates when and where it was due. No one told you or anyone else how to vote. Allowing free and full debate is to be desired not denigrated. Libertarians will continue to fight Big Government and the rapid erosion of civil liberties under this and future administrations. We continue to represent the majority of Americans’ views on issues as diverse as the war on terror, the domestic wars on drugs and poverty (which have become wars on the poor and minorities), civil rights for the LGBTQA community, repeal of the NDAA, an audit and review of the Federal Reserve and drastic and immediate debt reduction in part by eliminating unnecessary military spending and ending the

wars. For the past four years the current administration has expanded or failed to address these issues. There is good news nationally and locally. Six states voted to nullify federal law. Montana, Alabama and Wyoming all voted to nullify the health care mandate, and Colorado, Massachusetts and Washington state all voted to nullify some aspect of federal marijuana prohibitions. I do not expect President Obama to respect the rights of the citizens of these states on either issue. Locally, the numbers of people willing to break free of “fear and revenge” voting to vote Libertarian more than doubled from the 2008 presidential election and more than quintupled from the 2011 primary election. While we did not reach the number of votes nationally to directly break the monopoly of the two party system, we have loosened the hold. There is a lot to do before the next election, not even considering the next presidential election. The Libertarian Party considers itself right of the left and left of the right. That places us in the middle for the majority of Americans. The issue has been meeting more of the voting public to expand our base. The Lucas County Libertarian Party is, logically, most concerned about Lucas County. Expect us to reach out more, and we hope that you will reach out to us even if you are unsure where you fall with your political beliefs. We seem to be a divided nation. The numbers between Democrat and Republican votes are close. Americans seem to enjoy a specific form of Schadenfreude, or the enjoyment of other people’s misery. I have seen in the Bush and Obama eras the delight taken at the expense of others in our society over election results. This creates in voters an “us versus them” mentality. Lost in any discussion is an honest debate about policy and the effects on us all. A large number of the electorate vote to watch the anguish of others even if it is detrimental to them. I am very content, even though my candidate failed to win, even though he failed to surpass a threshold to break the monopoly, because I voted for a candidate I believed in and not against anyone. ✯

OPINION

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

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CHILDREN OF LIBERTY: POST-ELECTION THOUGHTS

We must step out of party labels By Scott Allegrini CHILDREN OF LIBERTY

ongratulations to President Obama or Romney. I write this as the votes are being counted, about 8 p.m Nov. 6. I wanted to write before the final results for one reason. While I personally believe that another four years of President Barack Obama will do great damage to our country, as I’ve tried to point out in columns these past weeks, this is more about “We The People” than who controls the White House and Congress. Whether President Obama won re-election or Mitt Romney did the impossible, our country faces hard times in the near future. Now that the election is over, the hatchets need to be buried and we need to join our neighbors to pull together to face the coming tough times. Once we get away from the emotion of this election, I hope that we can once again remember that we are all Americans, and while we may disagree on how

much government should be involved in our lives, we all love our country and want the best for every citizen. All that being said, we will disagree and we will have to be able to disagree without being disagreeable. As a totally engaged American and a conservative, no matter who wins the election, on Nov. 7 I will be doing the same thing — working to educate and activate fellow Americans. The principles that founded this country do not change whether we have President Obama or President Romney. It is the principles of freedom and liberty that make America great: being responsible for your own future, being able to dream and achieve a better life for your family. We have to unite on the issues that transcend political parties. I think we can all agree that $16 trillion in debt is an immoral burden to pass on to our children. I think we can all agree that spending trillions of dollars on wars and military bases in countries that hate us is not a

wise investment. I think that we can all agree that unless we make meaningful changes to Social Security and Medicare, these programs will bankrupt us. I think that we can all agree that the school systems in this country, and especially in urban areas, are embarrassments. I think that we can all agree that big business should not get special tax breaks and loopholes. I think that we can all agree that the best way to increase tax revenue is to have more people working and earning money. I think that we can all agree that big banks should not be bailed out when they make bad bets. I think that we can all agree that our society has become more coarse and has lost common decency. If we can agree on even half of these then we, Republicans, Democrats and Libertarians, can work together to make this country much better. What worries me is that the rancor and divisiveness of the past decade makes us opponents and not fellow countrymen. From the

“

The parties pit us against each other, and they need us that way so we don’t notice that the politicians are raiding our treasury, using taxpayer dollars to bail out corporations ... and doing a terrible job of educating our children.” beginning our founders warned us about the destructive power of party politics. They talked about how the parties would divide us and pit us against each other. In so many ways,

our founders were fortune tellers. We have to be able to step out of our party labels. We are not Democrats or Republicans, we are Americans first and foremost. The parties pit us against each other, and they need us that way so we don’t notice that the politicians are raiding our treasury, using taxpayer dollars to bail out corporations, sending our troops to war without ever declaring war, propping up the Ponzi scheme that is Social Security and doing a terrible job of educating our children. They have divided us so that we argue over silly things while the ship is sinking under our feet. As we decompress from this election season, we must find a way to remove ourselves from the “ us and them” divide that the parties have created. That is not to say that we will agree on everything, but as long as we agree on the important things, you and I can change this country. We can stick together or we can stay divided. The choice is ours. ✯

Profile of Excellence: Audrey Wright Owens Community College Alumna Audrey Wright grew up in Toledo, Ohio. She attended Scott High School and graduated as a junior because she had taken classes in the summer. In 1976, she attended the University of Akron at the age of 17. It was the first time she had been away from home and she soon decided to return to Toledo and attend classes locally. After two years of classes, she decided to pursue a full-time job as a bank teller. She worked at Sylvania Savings and got married. Then, she worked at People Savings until she had her son, Guy, in 1984. Her plan was to return to work, but decided instead to stay home with him. When her son was three she returned to work part time at Toledo Trust. She never made much money as a bank teller, but loved her job. When she and her husband divorced, five years later, she knew she would need to make more money to support her son. She began at the Private Industry Council as a summer payroll clerk and soon moved into a permanent position. In 2000, the organization lost funding. She found herself at the age of 41 without a degree, unsure if her position would continue and looking for work. “I kept hearing that my work experience was great, but that I needed a degree,” said Wright. Audrey Wright Judicial Office Manager 2003 African Studies Graduate

In 2001, she decided to go back to college. She returned to the university where she had attended before. She found that they couldn’t accept any of her credits because they were too old. “I knew that Owens had a great reputation as being user friendly – especially for non-traditional students. I decided if I was going to start over that I should start fresh,” said Wright. She began taking classes full time while still working full time. She graduated in two years and began her bachelor’s degree at Spring Arbor University. “I had a wonderful experience at Owens. The faculty were so supportive and understanding, especially when my dad died,” said Wright. In 2002, she accepted a position with Judge James Ray as the Judicial Office Manager. Her main responsibilities are to process judgments accurately and in a timely manner. In 2005, she graduated with a bachelor’s of management and organizational development. Wright continues to work in this position today under Judge Denise Navarre Cubbon in the Juvenile Court. She enjoys her job and is proud of the work the court offers to the citizens in the community. “I would recommend Owens to everyone,” said Wright.

“The faculty were so supportive and understanding.”

Come Join The Fun Join the Alumni Association today and experience cultural events, community service, legacy scholarship opportunities and more. Reconnect with Owens online at www.owens.edu/alumni.

Shop ‘Til You Drop Head out by luxury coach on December 1 to Twelve Oaks Mall to enjoy a shopping excursion without the hassle of traffic. For more information call (567) 661-7876 or e-mail alumni@owens.edu.

For a complete calendar of events, please call Laura Moore at (567) 661-7410, e-mail alumni@owens.edu or go to www.owens.edu and click the Alumni and Donors link.

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A6 ■ TOLEDO FREE PRESS

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

ELECTION 2012

From Obama to Kaptur, from Sears to Gerken, voters retain incumbents TOLEDO FREE PRESS NEWS EDITOR bburks@toledofreepress.com

President Barack Obama emerged victorious over Mitt Romney in an election that saw Ohio and its 18 electoral votes heavily courted with political ads and candidate visits. In Lucas County, Obama won 64 percent of the votes to Romney’s 34 percent. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, earned 1 percent in Lucas County. All numbers are according to unofficial results from Lucas County Board of Elections and Secretary of State’s Office.

U.S. Senate In another race driven by ads, Sen. Sherrod Brown triumphed over Treasurer Josh Mandel in the contest for U.S. Senate. Democrat Brown retained his seat with 50 percent of the votes statewide compared to Republican Mandel’s 45 percent. Independent Scott Rupert won about 5 percent of the votes. Rupert said of his $6,000 campaign, “I would say our campaign got the most bang for the buck … we spent about a nickel a vote. Now people will know who I am so we’ll have more success in the future. What I’m trying to accomplish needs to be done.”

U.S. House In the race to represent the redrawn District 9, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur won about 73 percent of the votes. Republican Samuel Wurzelbacher earned about 23 percent. Libertarian Sean Stipe received about 4 percent. Kaptur has served 30 years in the House and was recently appointed

to the House Appropriations Committee. After winning the primary in March, Kaptur said of her district, which now includes Toledo and parts of Cleveland, “This is a powerhouse of a district — they’ve given us the crown jewels of Ohio.” Wurzelbacher, who received his famous nickname in the 2008 election, said he decided to run because he was “disgusted” with the state of Congress. He said that poor voter turnout among conservatives may have been why he and Romney lost. In Ohio, officials reported that overall turnout was about 68 percent, compared to 70 percent in 2008. “It’s gonna be a rough next couple years and we have ourselves to blame because we settled for the status quo,” Wurzelbacher said of the 2012 results. He plans to continue his work with Alaska’s Healing Hearts, which provides outdoor activities to help veterans with social reintegration. Wurzelbacher also said he will continue to speak out on replacing the country’s tax system and did not rule out a future run for office. “You’re supposed to say ‘Never say never.’ Right now, it’s the furthest thing from my mind, but we’ll see what happens in the future,” he said. In the contest for District 5, U.S. Rep. Bob Latta had about 57 percent of votes while Democrat Angela Zimmann had 39 percent. Libertarian Eric Eberly received about 3 percent. Latta, now in his third term, said, “I’m very, very humbled to once again be able to serve the people of the 5th Congressional District. It’s the greatest honor and privilege that I can have.” Zimmann, pastor of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in

TOLEDO FREE PRESS PHOTO BY JOSEPH HERR

By Brigitta Burks

■

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA VISITED BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY ON SEPT. 26, ONE OF SEVERAL TRIPS TO NORTHWEST OHIO.

Riga, Mich., said, “It was an amazing race and we had fantastic support from so many people. I actually had a lovely conversation with Bob Latta tonight [Nov. 6] and told him I will be wishing him the best.” Zimmann added that she is looking forward to seeing the results of the provisional ballots in Lucas County where votes were close.

State representatives In the race to represent the redrawn 47th District, state Rep. Barbara Sears, currently serving her second term, received 60 percent of the votes over Democrat Jeff Bunck, a

retired teacher, who took 40 percent. “I’m thrilled. I’m absolutely ecstatic with the support and feel an over w helming amount of responsibility to appreciate the support everyone has given me in my race,” Sears said. “Extending into new territory with SEARS Fulton County brings with it a lot of responsibility to learn, appreciate and understand a lot of new area.”

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State Rep. Matt Szollosi received 65 percent of the votes against Republican Dave Kissinger, regional vice president at maxIT Healthcare, who earned 35 percent in the contest for District 46. “I’m very pleased with the results and very humbled by the strong showing of support from the voters in the 46th District,” Szollosi said. “You can’t take on this kind of effort and campaigning without strong support from family and friends and we had a lot of people out there helping with the campaign. It was a hard-fought election and I’m just very humbled with the result.” ■ ELECTIONS CONTINUES ON A7

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Visit www.toledofreepress.com m ■ ELECTIONS CONTINUED FROM A6 Kissinger said, “We’re obviously saddened by the loss, but we will live to fight again. It was a long campaign. We fought hard and we had a lot of support from great volunteers. We certainly appreciate all their hard work and contributions and assistance in helping us get to this point.”

County Commissioners

FOR MANY, THIS WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT SEAT UP FOR GRABS THIS ELECTION. On behalf of the thousands of people who depend on our services for their livelihoods, thank you for your vote of confidence at the polls on November 6. You’ve helped give a lift to those who really need it. To learn more, please visit tarta.com.

Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken won 67 percent of the votes versus Republican John Marshall’s 33 percent. “I’m grateful to the people of Lucas County for giving me the opportunity to serve them for four more years,” Gerken said. “We came out of the worst four years and I think we showed our common sense and resilience. I thank our voters, our employees and our people that we give services to for their trust. It’s been a tough road, but we’re around the corner.” In the other commissioner’s race, Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak earned 62 percent of the votes to Brent McCormack’s 25 percent and Kevin Haddad’s 13 percent. “It’s just a complete honor to serve the citizens of Lucas County and I can’t wait to continue to work hard with everyone to solve our community’s challenges,” Wozniak said. McCormack said, “I made it a real focus to be out there and touch base with citizens on a personal level, not just put up a sign every five feet, and I think that really hit it off. I know I have support now and this absolutely will not be the last you see of me. Maybe not for county commissioner, but I plan on running again very soon.”

Lucas County Recorder City Councilman Phil Copeland garnered 56 percent of the votes in the race for county recorder over fellow Councilman George Sarantou, who had about 44 percent. “The voters have spoken. I respect that and we did the best we could,” said Sarantou, who has a year left on Council but is term-limited after that. He said he has not thought about what his next step will be after his term is up.

Levies This year, seven tax levies were presented to Toledo voters, who chose not to support three of them. The Toledo Public Schools’ (TPS) 4.9-mill levy failed to pass with about 52 percent against it. “I’m disappointed ... on the other side, I saw how close the numbers were. I can see we are making up some ground,” said Lisa Sobecki, president of the TPS Board of Education. In November 2010, voters rejected a 7.8-mill levy for TPS. Imagination Station’s 0.17-mill tax

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levy failed with 50.28 percent of votes against the levy. The City of Toledo Parks and Recreation 1-mill levy also failed, with about 54 percent of votes against it. “We respect the will of the voters and we’re going to continue to work to come up with creative funding solutions for parks and recreations,” said Councilwoman Lindsay Webb, who supported the levy. As of now, Webb does not know what will be cut. She is waiting for the mayor’s budget, which is due Nov. 15. The Toledo-Lucas County Public Library 2.9-mill levy passed with about 66 percent of voters in its favor. “It kind of demonstrates to us and to the community at large that people really see public value to public libraries,” Media Relations Coordinator Rhonda Sewell said. The Metroparks’ 0.9-mill levy had 55 percent of votes in favor of the levy. “We’re obviously thrilled with the outcome,” Director of Public Relations Scott Carpenter said. “It’s exciting and at the same time humbling.” The money will be used mainly for major maintenance and capital improvement in the Metroparks system. The Lucas County Mental Health & Recovery Services 1-mill levy passed narrowly, with 51 percent of votes for the levy. “First of all, we need to thank the voters for their support,” Executive Director Scott Sylak said. “Our campaign was always about the best interest of our clients.” The levy funds will go toward restoring access to treatment, medication and housing, he said. The Lucas County Children Services’ 1.85-mill levy passed with about 55 percent of the votes in favor of the levy. “We are very happy that Lucas County voters have once again shown their commitment to our county’s most vulnerable citizens,” Public Information Officer Julie Malkin said.

Other candidate races ✯ State Rep. Randy Gardner earned 59 percent of votes in his bid to return to the Ohio Senate against Democrat Jeff Bretz, who earned 41 percent. ✯ J. Bernie Quilter, Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, earned 69 percent of the vote over Constantine Stamos with about 31 percent. ✯ Common Pleas Judge Myron Duhart earned 51 percent of votes in the race to keep his seat versus Kenneth Phillips, who earned 49 percent. ✯ Lucas County Treasurer Wade Kapszukiewicz garnered 71 percent of the votes over Norm Witzler, who had 29 percent. ✯ More election commentray is posted at www.toledofreepress.com. Sarah Ottney and Matt Liasse contributed to this report.

EBE HALL OF FAME

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NOVEMBER 11, 2012

Six area businesses honored for excellence By Sarah Ottney

TOLEDO FREE PRESS MANAGING EDITOR

Profiles by John P. McCartney

sottney@toledofreepress.com

TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER jpmccartney@toledofreepress.com

Six area businesses were honored Nov. 8 at an induction ceremony for the Entrepreneurial & Business Excellence Hall of Fame (EBE HOF). The EBE HOF, presented by the University of Toledo, recognizes entrepreneurs who have built and sustained growing businesses and created jobs in the region as well as businesses that display technological innovation, said Adam Davenport, EBE HOF chairman and president of Gorillas & Gazelles, founding sponsor of the event. Honored for business excellence were Burkett Restaurant Equipment of Toledo, Clouse Construction Corp. of New Riegel, Ohio, NovaVision Inc. DAVENPORT of Bowling Green and Riker Products of Toledo. The Mel Lanzer Company, based in Napoleon, was honored for excellence in family business. Solar Spectrum LLC of Toledo was honored for excellence in startup innovation. “We’re really excited,” Davenport said. “We have a few construction companies, a restaurant supplier, solar once again through the University of Toledo, an automotive supplier, a security label manufacturer. There’s just a lot of diverse industries represented this year.” In addition, Judd Silverman of the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic was announced as the winner of the Davenport-Longenecker Lifetime Achievement Award for Business Advocacy. The EBE HOF considers businesses within a 50-mile radius of Toledo and hundreds of people attend the ceremony honoring the winners each year, Davenport said. “It’s just a breath of fresh air to see that so many people will come out and support an event like this that showcases some of the companies around this area,” Davenport said. “One thing we’re told is it’s an inspiration to many people out there that there are a lot of great things happening around here.” For more information, visit the web site www.ebehof.com. ✯

Burkett Restaurant Equipment At 32, Jameel Burkett is the youngest of the six Entrepreneurial & Business Excellence Hall of Fame award winners by decades, but he believes his youth in no way indicates a lack of experience. After graduating from the University of Toledo in 2002, Burkett went to work for Owens Corning but left a year later when his father, Mike Burkett, founder of Burkett Restaurant Equipment, asked his son to join him and help expand the family business. “We were just a local retail BURKETT facility that sold about 80 percent used, 20 percent new equipment when I first started,” Burkett, president and CEO, said. “Since then, we have branched out and we have three separate sales divisions now: a retail center, an Internet division and a contract and project division. The retail division includes a remodeled showroom that promotes new equipment. “I knew that in growing the business, we weren’t going to be able to grow it to the level we wanted to get to by promoting used first,” Burkett said. “If you promote new first, you’re attracting customers that want new, and then you offer used as a choice where you can save people money if they want to.” The Internet division began with an eBay store in 2004 while Burkett built the company’s internal website, which launched in 2005. The contract and project division, which handles government contracts, new construction and chain accounts, was launched in early 2008. And then, in October 2008, “When the market crashed, the phones just stopped ringing,” Burkett said. “Everything stopped. But then in March 2009, we landed a sizeable seven-figure government contract through a joint venture partnership with another dealer that really got us back on track. That really accelerated the contract and project division. “And then, in 2010, when the government was giving money to the school districts to spend on upgrading their kitchens as part of the stimulus package, we doubled our business between March and April of 2010.” Burkett said he is humbled to be a recipient of the Business Excellence Award. “The recognition is allowing people to see what we’ve actually done. And if people really want to support local and stay local, I think that they have to feel confident in their local companies. And an award like this builds the confidence of the people we do business with and allows people not doing business with us to learn about us.” ✯

Clouse Construction Corp.

Mel Lanzer Company

After studying at Tiffin University in the early 1970s, Lenny Clouse, a New Riegel native, left college to go to work for a custom home builder. “I always loved to do construction-type work growing up,” Clouse said. “I had some natural talent, I believe, from my mother’s family [the Kauffmans]. Many of them were in the trades —masons, carpenters, that type of construction work. I felt it was a good way to provide for a family.” Three-and–a-half years later, in 1975, Clouse went to work for himself. Now, 37 years and 65 employees later, Clouse and his wife Lynn operate Clouse Construction Corp., a Northwest Ohio company honored Nov. 8 with the Business Excellence Award from the EBE HOF. Clouse, 59, said he was honored when Mike Reser, a friend from Tiffin, nominated his construction company for the award. “I am a common-type person, a very hard worker who runs a company that keeps our word,” Clouse said. “We follow through. “We care about the people who work for us, the customers we’re working for, and how the project ends up. We want it to be a good value for long-term service of the project. And we’re always concerned about taking care of our employees. We try to CLOUSE take care of them and make sure they can have the best lives available.” Clouse said he takes pride in operating “a very diversified” company that works for religious, educational, agricultural and financial banking groups. The company also does factory maintenance work. Clouse attributed surviving the recent downturn in the economy to that diversification. “I could kind of feel the economy coming to a head, so we got rolling a couple of years before it did,” he said. “We’ve always tried to be ahead of the curve, and we developed all different kinds of business customers over the years.” In 2006, Clouse started another branch of his company he called STOP — Service Team of Professionals. That branch of the company does fire restoration, mold remediation, and chemical and flooding cleanup at private homes and businesses. “The No. 1 thing that always set us apart is that we always cared,” Clouse said. “We always cared for our customers and our employees, and we want to give back. I want to make our business, our country, our state better than what it has been in the past; a better place to live, work and worship.” ✯

Charlotte Zgela and her husband enjoyed working at her father’s business in Napoleon during their 1981 summer vacations from their teaching jobs in Mansfield so much that they gave up their careers as educators to join his team. Thirty-one years later, on behalf of her father, mother, and brother, Zgela accepted the Excellence in Family Business Award Nov. 8 for the Mel Lanzer Company from the Entrepreneurial & Business Excellence Hall of Fame. “It says a lot in how my faZGELA ther (Mel Lanzer) started the company,” Zgela, 57, said. “He is proud of the work he did, and he encouraged my brother (Matt Lanzer) and me just by taking us out on Sunday drives. “That was our thing we did on Sundays growing up. We used to go to the job sites all the time. Not that we really wanted to go, but my mom (Marge Lanzer) would say, ‘Come on, I’ll get an ice cream cone afterward.’ “And that inspired us. It was that love. It was that drive my father had that inspired my brother and me to get into the business and make it what it is today. When I took over, our sales were maybe $3 million, $4 million a year. Now, we’re a $20 million a year company. “And it all goes back to the family and the values my father instilled in us, and the compassion we have for our job. We worry about those people under us. We worry about our customers. That’s what makes us a little different — we care how our customers feel about the finished product.” Mel Lanzer started the business building single-family homes in the early 1950s, but was forced to refocus from housing to commercial construction in 1955 when the postwar housing boom began to decline. Zgela and Matt faced that same obstacle in October 2008 after the market crash. They have geared the construction company toward the retail industry, remodeling as a Wal-Mart certified contractor, doing school construction with Ohio Schools Facility Commission projects as well as higher education new construction like the $4.5 million NCAA-regulation track and field house for Defiance College, and construction management. “Since we’ve been in business for such a long time, and done so many different types of construction, there’s not too many things people can throw at us that we haven’t seen before,” Matt Lanzer, 45, said. “We’re able to get a pretty good grip on almost all types of construction. It’s nice to have that much experience behind us.” ✯ ■ EBE HOF CONTINUES ON A10

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A10 ■ TOLEDO FREE PRESS ■ EBE HOF CONTINUED FROM A8

NovaVision, Inc. After a 24-year career with Owens Corning, Mike Messmer joined forces with Al Caperna in 1998 to help commercialize Caperna’s patented hologram technology and transform NovaVision, Inc. from a small town printing business in Bowling Green into an international company with $7.6 million in sales revenue in 2011, up 40 percent from 2010. As partners, Messmer and Caperna have built a large and diverse group of customers, shipping product to 25 countries outside the U.S. MESSMER “What really changed the business is when we began to market our products on the Internet [in 2003],” Messmer said. “Within about six months, it went from calling customers to the customers starting to call us.” Messmer said 2011 was unique because, after acquiring a competitor from New York, the company hired 15 of its 45 employees, increasing its workforce 50 percent in just 12 months. “And we’ll do real well this year too, more in sales because we hired

the people in anticipation of growing again this year,” Messmer said. “We made the commitment last year to hire and train people knowing that the growth was coming.” In recognition of that success, Caperna, a former Business Excellence Award winner from the Entrepreneurial & Business Excellence Hall of Fame who is no longer active in the day-to-day operation of NovaVision, nominated his partner for the 2012 honor. “I’m honored that we were recognized,” Messmer, 62, said. “But I am just one person, and I think it’s not only a reflection on me, but it’s really an honor for the entire team. Messmer said product innovation, Internet savvy and enticing the customer to buy the product is the essence of what NovaVision has done exceptionally well. Messmer also believes “we’re very good at helping ordinary people do extraordinary things. Our culture here is different. We try to make it that it’s OK to make mistakes, and it’s OK to try new things and it’s OK to treat a customer fantastic.” ✯

Riker Products When Walter Riker opened Riker Products “way back in the late 1940s, no one had any money,” said Gary Frye, 62, current president and chief executive officer. “There was a main truck

line going from Detroit to Toledo, and they would stop in here. They couldn’t afford to buy a muffler or an exhaust pipe, so old Walter Riker would weld up theirs, repair it. In the wintertime, he would actually load his welder up in the back of a pickup truck, reverse current, and thaw people’s pipes that froze in the wintertime.” Frye started working for Riker in 1968 as a 17-year-old student at Libbey High School. “I didn’t plan on staying 44 years,” Frye said. “It just worked out that way.” Frye now operates a successful business in North Toledo with 168 employees that services Class 8 trucks, including Macks, Volvos, and InternaFRYE tionals. Frye said Riker Products is still struggling to recover from the market crash about five years ago when his business fell 60 percent. “You get lean. You get real lean,” Frye said. “You cut costs. You get as lean as you can and you just try to survive. We did it. We did very well.” In recognition of the tenacity and business savvy that led to that survival, Jeremy Zeisloft, vice president, commercial relationship manager at Huntington Bank, nominated Frye for the Business

NOVEMBER 11, 2012 Excellence Award from the Entrepreneurial & Business Excellence Hall of Fame, an honor Frye will receive Nov. 8. Although he would like to grow the business, Frye said that “We’re still stagnant. We’re certainly a long way from coming out of the slump. We just need to get down and dirty, get competitive and win market share, and the best way to do that is to fine tune processes. That means don’t work harder, work smarter.” Despite the recognition that comes with the Business Excellence Award, Frye said the public “will never know our company because it’s not a glamorous business. But it is a successful business, a well-run business that employees 168 good, good people.” ✯

Solar Spectrum LLC At a time when most men are enjoying their retirement years, Charles Tomita has embarked on a new adventure. Tomita, who spent his career working as an electromagnetism scientist for Northrop Grumman Corp. in El Segundo, Calif., began his second career Nov. 1 when he went to work full-time at Solar Spectrum. The startup business manufactures the coating that will be applied to transparent solar windows at the University of Toledo Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization (UT-PVIC). Tomita and his partner, Richard McClary, a particle physicist, started

Solar Spectrum in 2005. “Dr. McClary came running into my office,” Tomita said. “[He said] ‘I want to share this idea with you. Do you think it will work?’ “It was an idea called ‘photon trapping’ on how to drastically improve the efficiency of solar cells. We spent a year digging into it. After that year, TOMITA we decided this could be real.” Tomita, Solar Spectrum’s chief executive officer, will receive the Startup Innovation Idea Award at the Entrepreneurial & Business Excellence Hall of Fame awards ceremony. Tomita, in his early 70s, is optimistic that Solar Spectrum will be a success because its product “is something every building needs. “Our product coats the windows, and we should revolutionize the whole building industry of the future. We don’t have to tie into the major power grids or feed back into the grid. We generate electricity, and this is a new paradigm on the future buildings of the world, not just the U.S., but of the world. “And I made one informal promise to the university. We are going to concentrate on U.S.-built, U.S.-made panels, U.S.-made glass in the State of Ohio. That is our pledge.” ✯

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

EBE HALL OF FAME

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EBE HALL OF FAME

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NOVEMBER 11, 2012

By John P. McCartney TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER jpmccartney@toledofreepress.com

Although he originally enrolled in the University of Toledo in 1973 “to major in football and minor in school, as sad as that sounds,” Clint Longeneckerhas been nominated as a candidate in the The Economist search for “Intelligence Unit Business Professor of the Year.” Longenecker is a 28-year member of UT’s College of Business and Innovation who is currently a professor of Leadership and Business Excellence in UT’s Stranahan College of Business and Innovation. The award is sponsored by the Hult International Business School, an undergraduate and graduate school of business with campuses in Boston, London, United Arab Emirates and Shanghai, was created by the EIU to identify the best business professor in the world. Voting began Oct. 23 and continues through Nov. 23. Longenecker, with undergraduate marketing and Master of Business Administration degrees from UT, graduated from Penn State University in 1984 with his Ph.D. in business. “I came back to Toledo after Penn

State for about a year because I wanted to let the batteries recharge and spend some time with family and that sort of stuff,” he said. “And here we are 28 years later. Isn’t that crazy?” Longenecker said “UT has been very good to me. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. “If you’re in a university environment like UT, you realize that the word ‘universe’ is one of the root words of ‘university.’ You have this universe of people, a universe of opportunities, a universe of interest, and a‘universe of learning things that really makes it really a very stimulating job. “At the end of the day … you know what I’ve learned? I’ve learned people care how much you care before they care how much you know. “I have never had anybody take a class because I wrote the book. I have had people take a class of mine because they say, ‘I hear you’re going to help me be successful. I hear you’re going to know my name and you’re going to show a personal interest in me.’ “So at the end of the day, this recognition — I’m in an environment where we place a high priority on teaching. I’ve been surrounded by good teachers pretty much my en-

tire life between a student at UT and the Westgate Chapel [where] I go to church. I’ve had some great teachers.” Longenecker’s colleagues say they hold him in highest regard. “I’m a pretty good teacher, but if it wasn’t for Clint mentoring me, I never would have won the outstanding teacher award,” said Laurence S. Fink, a professor in UT’s College of Business Administration’s Department of Management. “It never would have happened. I don’t even come close to Clint. He’s in his own ZIP code.” Longenecker is quick to deflect any praise. “You know what’s nice? This is a place where people take teaching seriously,” Longenecker said. “There’s a verse in the scriptures, in the Old Testament, that says, ‘As iron sharpens iron, so one person can sharpen another.’ That’s what’s going on. You’ve got a lot of ironworkers around here who are sharpening each other up.” Although he was nominated by a group of former students, Longenecker’s current students are some of his most vocal advocates for this award. Edward Griffith III, a senior marketing major from Cleveland who is looking forward to a business ca-

PHOTO COURTESY CLINT LONGENECKER

Mentor Longenecker nominated for national award

■

CLINT LONGENECKER HAS BEEN A FACULTY MEMBER AT UT FOR 28 YEARS.

reer as the owner of a chain of show stores, said he has enjoyed his mentor’s kindness. “He really cares about his students in life,” Griffith said. “He knows everybody’s name in class. Some teachers that teach here don’t know your name. They just know you by your face.

And you can sit down and talk to him about anything, and he explains everything very well. “My class with Clint (Managing Organizational Change and Improvement) is a two-hour long class, and it goes by so fast. ■ LONGENECKER CONTINUES ON A13

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EBE HALL OF FAME

NOVEMBER 11, 2012 ■ LONGENECKER CONTINUED FROM A12 “He actually keeps our attention the whole time. Class flies by.” Tia Robinson, an Entrepreneurial and Organization Leadership and Management major from Cleveland who plans to graduate in December, said she is actively promoting Longenecker’s candidacy among her classmates. “He gets to know his students outside the classroom,” Robinson, 22, said. “Even when there’s an issue at home that maybe you aren’t so willing to talk about offhand with any of your professors, you feel comfortable with him. “He introduces you to everyone. If he’s walking and talking with you and he sees someone he knows, he’s like, ‘Hey! Have you met Tia?’” Trent Miller, 32, a married graduate student with one son and an active member of the military, was touched with Longenecker’s compassion. “My class started with him last January, and I went and talked to him outside of class,” Miller said. “I approached him and said, ‘Here’s my story. I’m not a traditional student. This is what I’ve been doing. I’m looking forward to your class.’ Normal, just a professional introduction. “And he was interested in my family and how connected we were. He gave my wife and me his time, and

he introduced us to the spouses’ club. We’re from the area, but we’re a couple hours’ drive away from where our immediate family is. So he gave my wife a way, with our young son, where they could interact with some other moms, meet some other people in the area. He certainly didn’t have to do that or open that up. I thought that was very, very generous of him to try to help us get engaged in the community, knowing our background a little bit.” Miller said he is also tremendously impressed with Longenecker’s leadership skills. “He is certainly a remarkable individual and on par with some of the best leaders I’ve ever been around,” Miller said. “And I’m certainly thinking of my military commanders I’ve had in the past. Previously, I’ve been under a Colonel Promotable (an officer who has been selected to become a general but has not been formally promoted) who’s now a two-star general, and the types of things that I would see in that man I also see in Clint.” Keenan Fischer, a senior human resource management major from Toledo who plans to graduate in May, said he is inspired by the way Longenecker handles himself. “When I was a kid in sixth grade at Rosary Cathedral, I played on the YMCA basketball team,” Fischer said. “Clint was the volunteer coach for

the Y. He was a great coach. We developed a relationship through that — the basketball program — when I was younger. “When I got to college, I met him again. He remembered me from when I was 12 years old, and now I’m 24. The very first time I saw him — and I hadn’t seen him since I was 12 — was, ‘You can come by my office. I’m always here to help you.’ “That impressed me, being a freshman in college and having that connection with him. Even being able to come by his office. We just talked. He’d give me advice on how to handle situations throughout my college career. “He’s been so helpful with everything; making decisions on my major and my career path, and introducing me to people I can network with now and network with when I’m a college graduate. “This man was my coach when I was 12, and I never thought we would be the No. 1 reference on my resume.” Liz Hussey, 36, a nontraditional graduate student from Massachusetts, worked in employee benefits in a human resources department before she took a single college course and relocated to Toledo in 2004. Hussey said she enrolled at UT because she noticed that she failed to get the career advancements she had the experience for because she

Visit www.toledofreepress.com m didn’t have a college degree. Hussey said Longenecker is one of UT’s more valuable assets, and she would like to see him named as one of the finalists in the International Teacher of the Year competition. “He’s just a stand-up guy,” she said. “He really just cares a lot about people. I think he’s been very fortunate. He has worked real hard for what he has, but he really appreciates it, and he wants to help people who are maybe less fortunate. He wants to help people succeed in general. “He knows that obviously this [award] would be some good publicity for the University of Toledo. And it’s going to be especially good for students that are in the College of Business. “I’m a prime example. I’ve taken one class in undergrad, I have an independent study with him in my MBA, and I’m going to take a course with him next semester. So I know him fairly well. And so if he’s recognized like this, that’s going to get back to me as a career connection or even a talking point. “I’m just really excited for him. I think it’s awesome that he’s been nominated, and I think he definitely deserves to be in the Top 10.” Longenecker has received more than 40 awards in recognition of his leadership, teaching, research and service to the community. He has pub-

■ .A13

lished three books and has two more in the writing stages that are scheduled to be published in 2013 and 2014. He has also published more than 160 articles in academic journals. Longenecker has held seminars and lectures all over the world, including presentations in Barbados, Haiti, Hungary, Russia and Zimbabwe. He has also presented seminars to members of the U. S. military.

Voting online Current and former students and alumni can vote for Longenecker by completing an online form. Once a vote is cast, it must be verified via email before the 1 p.m. Nov. 23 deadline. The 10 professors who receive the most votes will join five other professors selected by the judges for an interview. From these 15 professors, the judges will choose four who compete in a live teach-off in London where they will present a short lecture on a topic of their choice to two audiences: a live audience and an online audience. After the presentations, viewers will vote, and the winner, who will receive the title of EIU Business Professor of the Year as well as $100,000, will be announced live. For more information on the award or to vote, visit the web site www.businessprofessoraward.com. ✯

COMMUNITY

A14 ■ TOLEDO FREE PRESS

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

RELIGION

Bacik: Gandhi’s teachings still relevant By David Yonke EDITOR, TOLEDOFAVS.COM David.Yonke@ReligionNews.com

To put Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings on nonviolence into practice, it is best to study the root causes of violence, the Rev. James J. Bacik said in a Nov. 4 lecture at the University of Toledo. In the sixth annual Gandhi Lecture for Peace and Nonviolence, Bacik told the crowd of 250 in McQuade Law School Auditorium on Sunday (Nov. 4) that human nature, selfish desire and sociopolitical oppression are key factors that lead to violence. The retired Toledo Catholic priest, a theologian, author and scholar who now teaches at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, also said Gandhi stressed the need for interreligious dialogue and participation in nonviolent resistance as means of countering the causes of violence and enacting change. In opening his hour-long lecture, Bacik, as usual forsaking a clerical collar for sportcoat and tie and speaking fluidly without notes, said French philosopher René Girard recognized that “mimetic desire,” in which a person wants something that another possesses, is a leading cause of violence. “It’s like the story of little kids in a room playing with toys. There’s a bunch of toys, but if another little kid walks in he’s going to want the toy that that kid’s playing with,” Bacik said. Of interest to Gandhian philosophy, he said, is that people who desire someone else’s possessions often create scapegoats on whom to blame their problems. Understanding this tendency helps in the quest for peacemaking, Bacik said. He said Gandhi, who was born in Gujarat, India, on Oct. 2, 1869, and assassinated by a Hindu extremist in Delhi on Jan. 30, 1948, sought self-realization, which is integral to Eastern culture, rather than the quest for self-fulfillment that drives much of Western society. “He was introspective. He tried to understand what made him tick,” Bacik said. Gandhi fasted and prayed diligently, and in his 30s took a vow of chastity (without first consulting his wife) in hopes that mortifying the flesh would give him more strength for peace and justice. Another important lesson from Gandhi is “to see the commonness of the human situation,” Bacik said. Everyone is at fault in some way or another, and it is dangerous when one group considers itself superior to others. Such an attitude can lead to

dehumanization, discrimination and even genocide, he said. He said Catholic teaching holds that “salvation is open to all people, not just a few,” as long as people “follow their conscience.” Such a belief erases any sense of superiority. Recognizing that socioeconomic oppression is another BACIK major cause of violence, Gandhi sought to end India’s social caste system, Bacik said. He said

that if were to be is reincarnated he wanted to come back as an untouchable — India’s lowest social class. He sought to bring Muslims and Hindus together for dialogue, but because those efforts failed and the rift between the groups was not healed, Gandhi refused to join in celebration of India’s independence in 1947. During a question-and-answer session, Bacik was asked if he thought the Catholic church would ever make Gandhi a saint. “Not under the present pontiff,” Bacik replied. But he said that in the early church, before formal canonization, holy people were made saints “by acclama-

tion,” and by that standard Gandhi “already is a saint for many people.” When someone asked about Gandhi’s teachings on marriage, Bacik said the Indian leader “was not a good guide on marriage.” He was patriarchal to his wife, whom he married through an arranged marriage, and took a vow of chastity without even talking to her about it, he said. ✯ David Yonke is the editor and community manager of Toledo Faith & Values (ToledoFAVS.com), a website that provides in-depth, nonsectarian news coverage of religion, faith and spirituality in the Toledo area.

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■ A15

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A16 ■ TOLEDO FREE PRESS

LEGACY: PHILANTHROPY IN NW OHIO

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

By Duane Ramsey TOLEDO FREE PRESS SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER dramsey@toledofreepress.com

Corporate giving and employee volunteerism is on the rise in the Toledo area as more firms develop strategies to involve their employees in activities that benefit their communities. That was the message of a presentation, “How corporations determine where to give and how it can parlay to individual giving,” given at the EPIC Toledo Summit on Nov. 1 by two major corporate givers in the Toledo area. Julie Payeff, community commitment manager at The Andersons, and Don Rettig, director of community relations at Owens Corning, emphasized that both companies have strategies to get more employees involved in volunteering their time and talent in their communities. Payeff and Rettig said their companies have many employees who are active members of EPIC. Payeff said The Andersons encourages its employees to get involved because EPIC helps to build leadership skills. Many companies are putting more focus on community involvement, said Kim Sidwell, senior vice president of resource development for United Way of

Greater Toledo. “A trend we’re seeing is that more corporations are becoming much more intentional in how they employ their resources and more innovative about how they support community organizations,” Sidwell said. Owens Corning employs about 15,000 people in 28 countries on five continents with about 900 employees at its world headquarters in Toledo. “It’s important for a company to have a strategy for corporate giving. We want to have a presence in Toledo, but we’re a world company so we’re expanding what we do globally,” Rettig said. The company focuses on building relationships with organizations that fit the company’s business, such as those providing safe, efficient housing and criticalneed shelters that include disaster relief and community centers, Rettig said. The company supports Habitat for Humanity and HomeAid, a national nonprofit provider of housing for the homeless. Owens Corning has helped HomeAid rehab six shelters for women and children in the U.S. and has helped Habitat for Humanity build nine homes in the Toledo area, as well as homes in Denver, Kansas City, Kan., and Jacksonville, Fla. ■ GIVING CONTINUES ON A17

TOLEDO FREE PRESS PHOTO BY DUANE RAMSEY

Corporate giving, employee volunteerism growing

■

DON RETTIG SHOWS THAT OWENS CORNING RECOGNIZES GLOBAL VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR AMONG EMPLOYEES.

At Owens, we believe education should be available to everyone. The Owens Community College Foundation is dedicated to expanding access to education through the Success Program. This fall, nearly 250 students from Toledo Public, Washington Local, Lake Local, and all Hancock County Public High Schools are attending Owens Community College tuition-free, thanks to the Success Program. To endow a scholarship fund at the Owens Community College Foundation or to discuss planned giving opportunities, please call Ann Savage at (567) 661-7184.

OWENS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

FOUNDATION

LEGACY: PHILANTHROPY IN NW OHIO

■ GIVING CONTINUED FROM A16 The company donates roofing materials and insulation for those homes and has 30-40 employees involved in each of the projects. “Employee volunteerism, that’s our sweet spot,” Rettig said. The company has also adopted neighborhood centers, such as the Friendly Center in North Toledo. More

than 700 people attended a fall festival at the local center sponsored by Owens Corning with the involvement of 45 employees and family members. Owens Corning also recently hosted a vendor supplier golf outing with participants invited from its global customer base. The event raised $312,000 to benefit the United Way, up from $200,000 raised two years ago, Sidwell said.

The Andersons, which has more than 3,000 employees in more than 70 locations across the U.S., has local charities it encourages its employees to support through volunteerism each year, including the United Way, Junior Achievement, American Red Cross and Queen of Apostles, a Catholic charity and mission organization. “Our spirit of giving is to give a

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reate your own field of dreams through Toledo Community Foundation’s Legacy Society. By creating a permanent charitable fund in your name, you establish a lasting legacy and your gifts make a significant difference in our community.

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little bit to many organizations in the community with a variety of charities for our employees to get involved in,” Payeff said. Both Owens Corning and The Andersons encourage employees to serve on local boards. Board membership is a great way for employees to contribute their time and talent to nonprofit organizations, enhancing quality of life in the community as well as their own personal and professional development, Payeff said. In September, 42 companies provided 1,500 employee volunteers who contributed 5,600 hours to 65 community projects with various nonprofit organizations during the Week of Caring conducted by the Volunteer Center at the United Way of Greater Toledo. “Companies want to see collaboration with organizations working together with measurable outcomes,” Sidwell said. Revenue for the United Way comes from corporate and employee giving, comprising 21.7 percent and 56 percent respectively. Another 16 percent comes from grants and individual gifts outside the workplace with the balance from bequests, special events and sponsorships, Sidwell said. Last year, the United Way raised $13.6 million with its annual

■ A17

fundraising campaign, and has a goal of $13.8 million this year as announced at its kickoff in September. The campaign is starting to wrap up but no total figures are available yet. In the past, Owens-Illinois has led with its combination of corporate and employee contributions to the United Way, but it has not yet completed its drive. The company matches any donations up to $500 dollar for dollar and any above $500 by 125 percent. Owens Corning recently wrapped up its United Way campaign, with employees contributing $337,544. Employees at The Andersons donated $333,500 for the local campaign. The Andersons also lends corporate support of $175,000 for the United Way’s overall campaign to “help graduate kids,” Sidwell said. The United Way also partners with companies and organizations to hold Day of Caring events year-round to get more companies and individuals involved with community groups. Owens Community College participated in its first Day of Caring event Sept. 14. The project benefited the Family House in Toledo and Otterbein Skilled Nursing & Rehab Neighborhood in Perrysburg. Owens allowed time for faculty and staff to serve alongside students with a total of 60 people involved in that event. ✯

TOLEDO FREE PRESS PHOTO BY DUANE RAMSEY

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

We are thankful for the continued support of the members of the Toledo Community Foundation Legacy Society, and their commitment to making our community better through their generous gifts. Make your mark. Join Toledo Community Foundation’s Legacy Society. For information about our Legacy Society, please contact Ben Imdieke or Bridget Brell Holt at 419.241.5049 or visit www.toledocf.org.

■

JULIE PAYEFF OF THE ANDERSONS SHOWS THE COMPANY’S UNITED WAY CAMPAIGN GOALS AND HOLDS A CHRISTMAS GIFT TREE FOR ANOTHER PROGRAM.

A18 n Toledo Free Press

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A20 ■ TOLEDO FREE PRESS

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

By Sarah Ottney TOLEDO FREE PRESS MANAGING EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

The walls of nearly every room in Jayne Schroeder’s Toledo home are covered in framed paintings, her handiwork of the past 12 years. The 92-year-old took up painting at age 80, saying she believes no one is ever too old to learn something new. “Everyone can do something to keep their mind occupied,” Schroeder said. “Don’t just sit there and say, ‘Well, I’m old. I guess I can sit in this chair and do nothing.’ Or ‘I’ve worked hard all my life.’ I’ve heard that before. Baloney. So did I.” Schroeder, who grew up in Sylvania, retired as head of the social work department at the former Medical College of Ohio at age 63. Years later, her daughter gave her some art supplies, which Schroeder “fiddled around with” for a year before deciding she should take some formal lessons. She found For the Love of Art, a Toledo art supply shop at 4027 N. HollandSylvania Road, where owner Bob Schira offers art classes for all ages. Adult SCHIRA classes are offered Mondays through Thursdays. “I called around to different art places and got a hold of Bob,” Schroeder said. “I said, ‘Do you have art classes for 80-year-old dummies?’ He said, ‘There are no 80-year-old dummies,’ so I said, ‘OK, you’re for me!’ I decided to start with him and I’ve been with him ever since. Every Wednesday. I’ve seen umpteen people come and go, but I’ve stuck with it because my husband died 19 years ago and I don’t know what to do with myself and I don’t want to watch television all the time.” Schira starts all beginning art students with drawing before they move on to paint, pastels, watercolors or other mediums. “Jayne has done a number of incredible pieces,” Schira said. “She came here in 2000 after having been retired quite a few years and said, ‘Do you think I can do this?’ And the answer is, by all accounts, a resounding, ‘Yes, she can!’” Schroeder started painting with acrylics and found her niche. “I’m too impatient to go for oil,” Schroeder said. “I like acrylics.” Her favorite subjects are buildings and landscapes, especially barn scenes. “I like building scenes. I don’t care to do people,” Schroeder said. “I just like the scenery. I’m pretty good at trees.”

Schroeder has also painted William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway’s house in England, the Eiffel Tower, a French castle, Mackinac Island and the Mackinac Bridge, beach scenes, lighthouses, covered bridges and more. Schroeder gives many of her paintings to family and friends. She’s sold a few, donated some to fundraisers and even gotten a few commissions. “I’ve been giving them away to friends and Bob the teacher yells at me,” Schroeder said. “He wants me to sell them. I said, ‘I can’t do that.’ I just let people pick out what they want.” Schira said his classes have many talented participants, but the focus is on having fun and trying new things. “We don’t worry about making something museum-worthy,” Schira said. “Our emphasis is on let’s express yourself and learn how these tools work and maybe the result is going

to be a big surprise, a nice surprise. I like to see all the students come in and find a way to let themselves out. “Jayne has been painting with us in our classes for the last 13 years. She’s just a character. She adds so much to the class. She’s got a style and her personality is really unique. I hope some other 92-year-olds say, ‘I could do that.’” Schroeder said she has no plans to stop painting or attending classes. “They are a lot of fun and he doesn’t care how much fun we have as long as we paint away,” Schroeder said. “I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t paint. I think that’s why older people get a rocking chair and sit and watch TV, because they don’t have anything else to do.” Schroeder does have one television weakness, however. “I only watch cooking shows,” Schroeder said. “I love to cook.” ✯

TOLEDO FREE PRESS PHOTO BY SARAH OTTNEY

92-year-old painter says seniors never too old to learn

■

JAYNE SCHROEDER OF TOLEDO STARTED PAINTING AT AGE 80.

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■ A21

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A22 â&#x2013; TOLEDO FREE PRESS

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

THE RETIREMENT GUYS

For Veterans Day and beyond: Adopt a troop A

s we come to the end of another national election, many of us exercised our right to participate in the democratic process and elect our national leader. And while some may be thrilled and others not happy with who won, we should be thankful for the process and that we are not living in a country where corruption is the absolute determining factor in the outcome. Many countries hold elections that are rigged by backroom deals and payoffs. While our country has its share of problems, we can all have a certain level of confidence in the process. What does it mean to you to be an American? Think about it for a few moments. Sometimes we can be moving through everyday life and take it for granted. Here are a few things it means to me (Mark). It all revolves around freedom. We all just had the freedom to go and cast our votes for who will run the country for the next four years. We have the freedom to live where we choose and the freedom to choose the kind of work we want to do. We have the freedom to practice whatever religious beliefs we have. We have the freedom to pursue whatever our definition of the American dream is. For some, it is creating a business that becomes their legacy that is passed down from generation to generation.

For some, it is merely working hard to provide a nice lifestyle for their families and an education that equips their children to better pursue their dreams. For others, the dream may be more about passing on values and beliefs than it is about money or things. Whatever it is, we all have a certain amount of freedom to do our own thing. Mark We can decide what Nolan we want to spend our time on. I think about the time we are living in now and the span of time that I have lived, and I am thankful that I have not had to experience the hardships that many others did to get us to this point. The study of history has made me sit back sometimes in amazement at what those who have come before us went through in their lives. Past times that come to mind are times of war, famine, economic depression and many situations of personal hardship. Everything from the colonists coming here to establish a new country to the Civil War to the Great Depression to World Wars I and II to where we are today. During these times, people lived

hard lives to establish something for those who would come along next. When thinking about those whohave sacrificed something for the greater good, it is natural to think about our troops, who are working and in some cases dying to keep us safe from harm. With that in mind, The Retirement Guys have participated CLAIR the past few years BAKER in what we call our Community Give Back Campaign. We have tried to think of ways we can give back to our community as a sign of appreciation for the freedom and opportunity we have to do what we do. We have participated in causes like Vision Kitchen, Race for the Cure and Miracle Christmas. A cause that is near and dear to our hearts is Adopt a Platoon. This is an organization that allows you to adopt one soldier or an entire troop and send them things like handwritten letters and packages of goodies. The Retirement Guys just finished sponsoring a troop of 35 soldiers who have recently come home. With Veterans Day coming up, we have decided to sponsor another troop

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and will be sending them things like snacks (nuts, ramen noodles, sunflower seeds, granola bars, dried fruits, jerky, Slim Jims, etc.), books, board games, puzzle books, playing cards, etc. It is a small token of our appreciation and we are told how much our troop members look forward to receiving these items. We encourage you to join with us. If you are reading this column and are interested in participating, there are several ways to do so. If you belong to a company or organization, you may want to consider adopting your own troop. You can get more information by going to www.adoptaplatoon.org/ site/. You could also participate with The Retirement Guys and drop off donations to us here in Maumee of

the things listed above. Our contact person in charge of this project locally is Dana Nehren. She can be reached at our office at (419) 842-0550. May God bless you and your families and God Bless America. â&#x153;Ż For more information about The Retirement Guys, tune in every Saturday at 1 p.m. on 1370 WSPD or visit www. retirementguysnetwork.com. Securities and Investment Advisory Services are offered through NEXT Financial Group Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC. NEXT Financial Group, Inc. does not provide tax or legal advice. The Retirement Guys are not an affiliate of NEXT Financial Group. The office is at 1700 Woodlands Drive, Suite 100, Maumee, OH 43537. (419) 842-0550.

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Craig’s Pianos & Keyboards celebrating 41 years TOLEDO FREE PRESS MANAGING EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

When he was in junior high, Craig Whitaker tried to tune his parents’ piano. “We had a piano that needed to be tuned, so I said, ‘Hey, I can do that,’” Whitaker said. “I did such a bad job, my parents had to call out a piano tuner to fix it. A few months later, I had an opportunity to tune a relative’s piano and did an equally poor job. My parents had to call out the same piano tuner to correct that tuning.” From those humble, fumbling beginnings, the West Toledo native went on to become a registered piano technician and estimates he’s successfully tuned more than 40,000 pianos to date. Whitaker opened Craig’s Pianos & Keyboards in 1971. The business, at 2902 Sylvania Ave., is the only full-service piano shop in the Toledo area. It offers new and used pianos, keyboards and organs as well as sheet music, lessons and tuning, restoration and repair services. To celebrate more than 40 years in business, Craig’s will host a four-day sale Nov. 15-18, featuring up to 40 percent off all pianos. Sale hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 15-17 and 1-5 p.m. Nov. 18. Whitaker said one of the reasons he’s lasted in business is because he surrounds himself with skilled staff. “I’m smart enough to know I don’t know the stuff I don’t know,” Whitaker said. “So I find people who do those things better than I do.” Whitaker majored in clarinet performance at the University of Toledo and then apprenticed under Rossford piano rebuilder Paul Stewart. He said he enjoys restoring and repairing pianos because it involves creativity and critical thinking skills. “There’s a series of approximately 40 steps that happen in order to make a piano key sound correctly,” Whitaker said. “When that gets out of adjustment, there’s some figuring to do on what to do first and how that affects the second thing, which then adversely affects the third thing. So you have to think it through. “Some of what I do, there aren’t any books to show you how. We’ve had pianos come in here that have been in three feet of water where the bottom half of the piano is unglued. It’s simply a matter of looking at the problem and analyzing it and trying to be creative in an approach. If you think about something long enough you usually come up with the solution.” No two pianos are exactly alike, Whitaker said. “That’s kind of the beauty of pianos, is that each piano is individual,”

he said. “A manufacturer can produce two pianos of the same size, model, type, quality and color, sitting side by side, and they can both be completely different sounding.” Steinway is his favorite brand for tone quality, Yamaha for quality of construction and European manufacturers for cabinetry, Whitaker said — but an elusive mix of aesthetic features will draw him to a certain piano. “If I just want to sit down and play a piano, the piano has to speak to me,” Whitaker said. Although he is intimately familiar with their innards, Whitaker plays piano only casually. “You could equate me with a race car mechanic that drives casually in his home car, but knows how to soup up race cars,” Whitaker said. “I’m not a race car driver. I’m not a concert pianist. I play enough in order to get a sense of what the instrument sounds like and how it feels, but I am not proficient. I’m not a performer.” Whitaker has been Toledo Symphony Orchestra’s (TSO) exclusive piano tuner and technician for more than 30 years. “Nobody touches Toledo Symphony Orchestra pianos unless Craig assigns them,” said TSO General Manager Keith McWatters. “He’s always delivered. He’s a good guy to have on the team.” Whitaker is on hand before each performance to adjust TSO’s pianos to the artist’s specifications. A collection of autographs from the professional musicians he’s tuned for fills two large

Celebrate

TOLEDO FREE PRESS PHOTO BY JOSEPH HERR

By Sarah Ottney

Customer Appreciation at the

ALEXIS RD. ■

CRAIG WHITAKER, OWNER OF CRAIG’S PIANOS & KEYBOARDS.

binders at the shop. “They are playing technical, difficult music and need an instrument that’s going to react,” McWatters said. “That’s what we call the action, how the piano responds to the fingers of the person trying to play. In a 9-foot grand that mechanism has to be absolutely flawless. If there’s any delay and you’ve got 10 fingers going 100 miles an hour and it doesn’t react, it’s like a bicycle race where one guy crashes and they all crash. There are so many variables in the inner workings of a piano.” Whitaker also tunes all of Toledo School for the Arts’ (TSA) pianos and has demonstrated his work to TSA students who came to his shop for a

field trip, said chorus and piano instructor Jamie Dauel. “They really are one of the only true piano shops left in this area and they provide quality service and quality work,” Dauel said. “They are very good friends to the school and genuinely support education and participate in the education process. I can’t say enough good about them.” Toledo Opera artistic administrator and chorus master Kevin Bylsma agreed. “His work and service have been top-notch,” Bylsma said. “We’re always satisfied.” For more information, visit the web site craigskeyboards.com. ✯

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NOVEMBER 11, 2012

A VIEW FROM THE GULCH

No matter what changes, some things will remain the same

resident Barack Obama has been declared the winner in the 2012 presidential election and I can’t help but think about what will change and what will remain the same. Even rereading that first statement I am prone to think about the term “winner.” Gary L. I tend to think that the winner is irrelevant, since we the people are ultimately the losers. Each presidential candidate spent roughly $1 billion on his campaign. If you count all of the campaigns for the Senate and House of Representatives, the total is more than $6 billion for this election. One has to ask, why? Why spend this amount of money unless there is a really big reward somewhere? While the rewards include speaking fees after the final term, there must be a lot more during the interim. In a word, cronyism. The dollar will continue to be devalued and inflation will start to become more evident, but a similar thing would have happened if Romney had been elected. Both men were promising more entitlements into the foreseeable future while we all know that there is no way to pay for them. Both have praised Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for his monetary policy, which is a direct endorsement of Keynesian economics. The dollar will see a significant devaluation during the next four years and very possibly a loss of world reserve status. These consequences will be the result of the Federal Reserve directly and President Obama will not get rid of this abomination, nor would have Romney. In coordination with the above actions of the Federal Reserve, we will have continued high levels of government spending with borrowed money. Neither man, nor any politician for that matter, offered a practical solution to $16 trillion of current national debt. In fact, both have talked about increasing

spending which will only deepen the recession that we never came out of in the first place. Additionally, I can’t see any winding down on any of the conflicts we are involved in around the world. In fact, I can see our military men and women RATHBUN being sent to more places and being put in harm’s way for nothing but the appearance of the president carrying a big stick. This will be justified by the increasing use of drones and laser technology that supposedly accomplish our “mission” without putting our troops in harm’s way. Speaking of drones, more and more of these drones will be used to monitor our own people in this country thus erasing even more civil liberties. The Constitution is very quickly becoming an archaic document that will have very little meaning or power in the months and years ahead. It is very easy to be classified an extremist or even a terrorist these days, by writing a newspaper column for instance. Virtually anyone can be put under surveillance and/or detained. One of the writers that I regularly read, Brandon Smith, said “I can guarantee with absolute certainty that the next president, regardless of who he happens to be, will promote an IMF (International Monetary Fund) rescue package coupling the dollar to the SDR (special drawing rights) and turning over full economic control of America to an international body.” When President Obama is sworn in on Jan. 20 he will still be, definitely, part of the problem and not part of the solution. So, after all of this cheery commentary, what is a person to do to survive and thrive in the coming months and years? Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, what is left of my column space this week is too short to answer. Next week we

will look at the next steps to take to position yourself to not only survive but to take advantage of the carnage that is to come. Stay tuned, I promise it will be worth the wait. ✯

Gary L. Rathbun is the president and CEO of Private Wealth Consultants, LTD. He can be heard every day on 1370 WSPD at 4:06 p.m. on “After the Bell with Brian Wilson and the Afternoon Drive”

and every Wednesday and Thursday evening at 6 throughout Northern Ohio on “Eye on Your Money.” He can be reached at (419) 842-0334 or email him at garyrathbun@ privatewealthconsultants.com.

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Lights to shine at Frankie’s Inner City on Nov. 13 TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER vkroll@toledofreepress.com

Electro-rocker Lights was flying high when she found inspiration for the title track of her 2011 disc, “Siberia.” “That was one of the first songs written with [electronic band] Holy F*** after we jammed,” she recalled. “This really cool kind of pulsating, distorted sound came out, and I took it home and started writing to it. I tried to come up with lyrics and nothing would work, and I knew the track was something special. “And I was actually flying into Denver, when I was landing I was trying to work on lyrics, and it was all just snow. And it reminded me of the way Siberia looked, and I remembered the man who’s my husband now said we could be happy no matter where we are; we could be in Siberia. “And I thought, man, that means

so much because that is truly what the best part of life is: How you can be anywhere but as long as you’re with the right people, you’re in the right place.” The Canadian singer-songwriter found herself ready to change things up on this disc. “I was ready to evolve,” she said during a call before a show in Calgary, Alberta. “When you have one record out and you’ve had your entire life to make that, it’s a very challenging thing to find your way to the next record.” So Lights collaborated with Holy F*** and rapper Shad. “The first record (2009’s ‘The Listening’) was kind of like me getting stuff off my chest and talking about things I was going through, and the second record is a bit more of a visual escape and a bit more carefree in terms of the content,” she said. Consider the catchy single, “Toes.” “I always like to make sure the lyrics

have meaning because music is such a powerful thing, and why not move people if you can? So I thought: What’s the most exciting situation you can be in with your job or with a person? It’s anticipation, it’s looking forward to something. And that’s when you know there’s something special in your life, when it keeps you excited.” She captured attention north of the border with a 2008 self-titled EP that featured “Drive My Soul.” In 2009, she

won the JUNO Award for New Artist of the Year. “I had this little EP out, we were touring around in this old, junky van, playing to 30 people, and I got a text saying that you were nominated for a JUNO, and I thought, ‘Wow, that’s super unexpected.’ And then to win on top of that was amazing,” she said. “It’s nice to know your country’s got your back.” Lights will play at Frankie’s Inner

City Nov. 13. Arkells will open. Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 the night of the concert. Doors open at 7 p.m. “I like to write something that can take people away for a little bit and they don’t leave heavier than when they came in,” Lights said. “I want it to be a bit freeing, a cheap vacation. “The reason we like so much art is because it takes us out of real life for a minute, and that’s exactly what I try to do.” ✯

PHOTO COURTESY PERPETUAL MEDIA RELATIONS

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n A27

‘Star Wars’ writer says Disney will respect franchise Fans: Stop vilifying Lucas By Jim Beard

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

In the wake of The Walt Disney Co.’s announcement of its purchase of Lucasfilm for a smidge over $4 billion, it’s not just “Star Wars” fans who are putting their trust in the Force — it’s also those creators who make their living shaping that galaxy far, far away. Freelance writer Jeremy Barlow, author of several “Star Wars” projects at Dark Horse Comics as well as “Mass Effect” tie-ins, exhibited “complete shock” when he first heard the news, but swiftly realized the deal’s potential and profitability. “I did not see it coming, but it makes sense, really,” he insists. “Overall, it’s a good thing for the franchise — Disney will respect the brand and inject some new life into it. As a fan, I’m excited to see what they do with it.” Barlow’s a pragmatic fellow, able to look at the Disney purchase in a cold light as well as by the flickering embers that burn in the heart of all devotees to George Lucas’ little 35-year-old rebellion. “This is Disney’s game to lose,” he said. “There’s a segment of ‘Star Wars’ fans that put ‘Star Wars’ expanded universe timelines and continuity ahead of story, and those guys might have a rough road ahead, but I’d hope that some good films will ease that pain. Because, really, what are we talking about here? The — OK, very slight — possibility of Brad Bird or Andrew Stanton or Matthew Vaughn writing and directing a ‘Star Wars’ movie? I’ll be first in line.” Is Barlow concerned that a portion of his bread and butter — ‘Star Wars’ comics — may make the jump to light speed and leave Dark Horse? “That’s the other shoe still to drop, isn’t it?” he said. “Dark Horse has put so much care and thought into the ‘Star Wars’ comics that I can’t see anyone else doing that job at the same level. So I hope they keep the license. What’s right and what’s profitable seldom cross in the corporate world, though, and Disney does already own their own comics publisher. We can only wait and see.” O

By Jeff McGinnis

Toledo Free Press Pop Culture Editor PopGoesJeff@gmail.com

There is probably no franchise in pop culture more celebrated than “Star Wars.” And, in a perverse twist of fate, there are few figures in pop culture who are more reviled than the series’ creator, George Lucas. Ever since 1999, when the first of the three prequels was released and widely derided as an unworthy successor, fans of the franchise have taken up arms against Lucas and found fault in most everything he has done. The man who created and guided the “Star Wars” series, overseeing its maturation into a pop culture juggernaut that changed movies forever, was suddenly a schmuck. Lucas was now clearly a horrible filmmaker, fans everywhere would write endlessly on message boards, social media outlets, blogs and more. He was a lousy writer, as evidenced by the terrible dialogue and plotting of the new trilogy. He was a man who obviously held nothing but contempt for his fans, given how he refused to offer the original versions of the films they held so dear for sale. What has always bothered me about the level and passion of the vitriol directed at Lucas is how overblown the anger is, considering that if the guy hadn’t created the series in the first place, there would be nothing to get so passionately angry about. Lucas is obviously not the awful director and writer he is being painted as, given the quality of the first “Star Wars” movie — the one that launched the fanbase’s passion in the first place — not to

mention his work on “THX 1138” and “American Graffiti.” Granted, if you loved the original movies and have hated everything he has done since — Lucas did not direct another movie after “Star Wars” until Episode I — you can still dismiss his work under the scientifically proven “What have you done for me lately?” train of thought. And anyone can express dissatisfaction and disgust over an artist’s work, of course. Look who’s talking — I make a kinda-sorta living doing the same. But the anger I see goes far beyond just saying that you don’t like a movie. It ranges into the most ridiculously hyperbolic hatred I can think of, with fans jokingly (I hope) ranting incessantly about how they plan on making Lucas pay for his transgressions against the franchise that they care about, grew up

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with, one that has made a big contribution to their lives since childhood. I grew up with “Star Wars,” too. A big part of me loves the franchise as fervently as the most passionate fanboy. But I also try and keep perspective. Yes, it is silly that Lucas continues to tinker with the original trilogy and maintains the position that they should not be released except in the new forms he deems worthy. But then again, that was his right when the movie was first released, too, before anyone else had even seen it. As the author of the work, I believe he has the right to make alterations if he wishes. I also believe that for film history, he should continue to preserve and release the original versions. Were the films of the prequel trilogy equal in quality to the original films? Of course not. But they were also not bad films, either. Yes, I said it. I have always felt that Episode I and III were fundamentally good movies with amazing special effects, imaginative visuals and genuinely entertaining storytelling. They also had no chance of standing up to the first trilogy. Lucas could have made the space opera equivalent of “Citizen Kane” in 1999, and the shadow of Episodes IV-VI were impossible to overcome. Now, as we sit in the aftermath of one of the biggest deals in pop culture history, wherein Disney has announced plans to buy Lucasfilm and

the rights to “Star Wars,” you’d think fans would be rejoicing that the man himself would no longer have any connection to the franchise they insist he ruined. But in actuality, this is being seen as one last act of contempt — clearly, selling these beloved characters to the most saccharin of Hollywood studios is his final middle finger. But it also means the franchise now has steady leadership and a future outside of Lucas’ guidance. It means that maybe those original films will now be readily available. It means that new films will be made. As has been pointed out on Twitter, Disney purchased Marvel in 2009 to similar fan hand-wringing, and the end result has been a stronger brand which hasn’t been compromised — and gave us terrific “Iron Man” and “Avengers” films, too. And Lucas? He’s already announced his plans to donate the lion’s share of the $4 billion he’ll make from the sale toward education. And, just maybe, he can garner a respite from the overheated hatred of fans who love his work but hate its creator. So, on behalf of myself, I would like to say, thank you, George. No matter what others say, you have contributed far more good than bad to the world, and changed the pop culture landscape forever. And for that, you deserve far more respect than you seem to garner. Oh, and “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was a good movie, too. O

ARTS Life

A28 n Toledo Free Press

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

RESTAURANT REVIEW

By Dustin Hostetler

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

I am a huge fan of funky Asian cuisine. I’ve had some of the best meals of my life in Chinatown in New York City. I’ve eaten things that no one should have eaten, and it’s given me a real taste for things way too spicy and way too fishy. One time I ate a pot of clams that were so off, my tongue felt like I had licked a battery for days. Toledo has some terrific Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean restaurants. We now have a contender for best “Asian” food in Toledo. Long story short, they don’t serve just Chinese. Our friend Michelle came over last week and brought some takeout from QQ Kitchen. I tried the sizzling rice soup, which was light and flavorful with a nice shrimpy finish, as well as the black bean noodles and pork bulgogi. Both dishes were very assertive in flavor, and much more deeply seasoned than is typical in Toledo. The next day, I picked up some take-out which is clearly going to be QQ’s focus and speciality. The dining room is small, and the kitchen way too fast and efficient to be concerned with just the small amount of diners eating in. We ordered several things, all of which were delightful. When I got home, I took note of how well they packaged and bagged up everything. I ordered the spicy seafood noodle soup (minus the noodles) and the plastic container it was in was wrapped in a sealed bag and then placed in another double bag. It was filled with a surprising variety of seafood and veggies, along with equal parts deeply red and spicy broth. Absolutely gorgeous. We had crab rangoon (classic) and an egg roll, which my wife described as “a nice little pocket of satisfying yum.” We tried the Mapo tofu, which I loved. As soon as I got home with the togo, I grabbed a spoon and took a scalding hot bite. I felt it slowly burn the entire way down my esophagus. It burnt not only with the scalding, freshly cooked heat, but also with the delicious twang of Sichwan spices that are mixed in with the silky soft tofu cubes and ground beef. This place is not messing around. The dish is very spicy, and I yelled in delight as it burnt its way down to my stomach. I did not grab a glass of water. I let it burn all the way down. This is a dish I am going to order again and again. Then ... for me ... the piece de résistance was the salt and black pepper shrimp. The portion was huge, with nine or ten — head and legs on —

giant shrimp. They were very lightly breaded (so light, you could still see the eyeballs) and deep fried. These beautiful bad boys are not for the faint of heart. I suspect many people would be prone to rip the head and tail off and just eat the body. But not me. I ate the whole thing. All nine or 10 of them. Bite off the head and enjoy the flavor. Then I poured a little soy into the body and gobbled that up. Seriously a joyful seafood experience. I stopped by a couple more times during the course of a week, as I could not get enough. The hot and sour soup is complex, with a rich variety of textures and flavors. I also tried the Gan Pan Chicken, which is deep fried with the bone in. It’s stir-fried in a Chinese garlic sauce. It’s an adventurous dish, as the chicken is chopped up in such

a way that you aren’t immediately sure which part of the bird you’re eating. The flavors and textures in this dish are addictive. During my four visits to QQ during the course of only a week, I bumped into and recognized many familiar faces. The word is out, and Toledo is excited. This two-generation-deep, family-owned restaurant has only been open since July, and it has been so busy that it hasn’t had time to throw itself a proper opening celebration. It’s rare for a brand-new restaurant to find its sea legs so quickly, but this place knows what it’s doing. I can’t wait to eat QQ’s food again and again and again. After finding out they deliver to the Old West End, it’s clear I’m eating QQ every week for the rest of my life. Five stars out of five all the way. O

photo by dustin hostetler

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Dec. 1st, 2012

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at The Toledo Club 5:30 p.m. - Midnight 35th Annual Dinner & Dance for the LGBT Family & Friends

Benefiting Toledo Pride Foundation, Gay & Lesbian Endowment Fund at University of Toledo, ARC Ohio (Toledo Office) and Holiday with Heart Fund at Toledo Community Foundation

5272 Monroe St. • Toledo, OH 419-882-7171 • franklinparklincoln.com

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err ne Stephanie Soldn Smith and Glencora

((From Left) Wayne North, Rick Cornett, Andrew Larsen, David Bingham & Ed Hoffman (Tom Brooks Photography) D

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ARTS Life

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

Visit www.toledofreepress.com

n A29

New organization aims to fund local arts programs By Sarah Ottney

Toledo Free Press Managing Editor sottney@toledofreepress.com

A new local organization, the Grant Writers for the Arts Founda-

tion, will celebrate its launch with two upcoming events. Due to reduced funding, many schools have cut arts programs. The group’s mission is to regrant community-based organizations that provide

performing arts, visual arts and music instruction for children in grades K-8, said founder/CEO Kathleen Greely. “Creative arts has always been one of the paths that would help our youth today to arrive at a place

Create a Lasting Family Memorial Bring in your Military Photos, Medals, Patches and Insignias so they can be enjoyed for years to come. We can also order those hard to find items such as:

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of better academic success,” Greely said. “How do we really replace that which we are taking away? What are we doing to give kids access to creative learning? These kids are going to be our tomorrow. I think it’s our responsibility to give rise to outlets for children.” At 6:30 p.m. Nov. 9, artist Carmen Miller will headline a mixer for the “movers and shakers of Toledo’s creative community” at Club Evolution, 519 N. Reynolds Road, Greely said. Admission is free. On Nov. 11, a fundraiser, Artz and Soul, is set for 2-6 p.m. at the historic Collingwood Arts Center, 2413 Collingwood Blvd. Grammynominated neo-soul singer/songwriter Dwele will headline the enter-

tainment lineup. Also performing will be Ramona Collins, Michael Hayes Sr. & Creative Impulse, Jesse Coleman & The Jamm Band, Bobby G, Carmen Miller, Dwayne Douglas, Joy Youster, Toledo Free Press Star columnist Rachel Richardson, U.G.E., That Band and more. There will also be a salsa and ballroom dance-off. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Advance tickets are available at Jack’s Men’s Wear, 3414 Dorr St., Henry’s Jewelry, 4909 Dorr St. or online at grantwritersforthearts.org. A VIP afterparty will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Club Evolution. Cost is $10 at the door. For more information, visit www. grantwritersforthearts.org. O

We Proudly Support the United States Armed Forces WWII • Korean War Vietnam War • Desert Storm

Monday VETERANS DAY

2554 Parkway Plaza

Maumee, Ohio 43537 Tuesday - Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Observed

BANK ORDERED ONLINE ONLY REAL ESTATE AUCTION

2264 ROCKSPRING ROAD #9 TOLEDO, OHIO 43614 BID DEADLINE: THURS. NOVEMBER 15, 2012 at 1 pm

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Pamela Rose, Auctioneer, AARE, CAI | 419-865-1224 Michael Murray, Auctioneer, CAI, GRI | michael@pamelaroseauction.com

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*Sale excludes jewelry, new merchandise (red tags), books, and items tagged housewares or furniture. Oﬀer not valid with any other coupon or discount. Regular in-store discounts not available on sale day.

ARTS Life

A30 n Toledo Free Press

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

HOLIDAYS

Levis Commons Christmas tree lighting set for Nov. 17 The Town Center at Levis Commons is kicking off the holiday season with its 8th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at 6-9 p.m. Nov. 17. Santa and Elmo are only a couple of the important guests expected to attend the celebration. Santa will start the event at 6 p.m. and be available for visits until 9 p.m., according to a news release. Families should bring their own cameras. Julie’s Dance Studio and the Perrysburg Sophisticates will provide entertainment with dance and baton performances. The Forte Trio Boys and Night Session Orchestra are also set to perform. The Forte Trio Boys is a group of Ottawa Hills

Elementary School sixth graders who take voice lessons and the Night Session Orchestra is a full instrumentation big band, according to the release. Mary Beth and Rick from 101.5 The River and Elmo will lead the crowd in a countdown to the tree lighting at 8 p.m. There are more than 150,000 lights on the 50-foot tree, according to the release. Elmo will choose 10 children to help with the ceremony. ISOH/IMPACT will collect items for the “Keeping Kids Kozy and Warm” project during the event. Donations of homemade or purchased blankets/throws, pajamas, packages of underwear/socks and age-appropriate books are needed. Those who donate will be eligible to win a prize package,

which includes tickets to ISOH/IMPACT’s annual “International Tea & Gingerbread Party” on Dec. 1. Horse-drawn carriage rides will also be available during the three-hour

event. Pickup is located on Chappel Drive near Schakolad Chocolate Factory. Cost is $5 per person or $10 per family, according to the release. Also at the event, “Snow Globe

Live” will give children the chance to play inside a giant snow globe, complete with fake snow. For more information, visit ShopLevisCommons.com. O

Time to order your Turkey! It’s not too late Call us Today!

news@toledofreepress.com

From Staff Reports

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effective 11/12/12 - 11/18/12 | We reserve the right to limit quantities. | No sales to vendors. | Not responsible for pictorial or typographical errors.

TV LISTINGS

NOVEMBER 11, 2012 Sunday Morning 8 am ABC 13 CBS 11 FOX 36 NBC 24 PBS 30 A&E BRAVO COM DISN ESN FAM FOOD HGTV LIF MTV TBS TCM TNT USA WTO5

8:30

November 11, 2012

MOVIES

9 am