Glass City Jungle

Tetuan for Council Committee
5937 Yarmouth Ave. * Toledo OH 43623
419.324.4361 * www.TetuanForToledo.com

NEWS RELEASE May 28, 2008

CONTACT: Paul Tetuan
419.324.4361
Paul@TetuanForToledo.com

Paul Tetuan Announces Candidacy for Toledo City Council

Toledo, Ohio. Paul Tetuan announced today that he is a candidate for Toledo City Council for the election in 2009.

“I am Paul Tetuan and I am proud to take this opportunity to announce that I am a candidate for Toledo City Council in the 2009 election.

I believe that Toledo can be a great community where all who wish to work can work. The spirit of our community is second to none. Citizens of Toledo should be proud of our history, and must feel that the future holds better opportunities for them and their families. For this to happen, Toledo needs leaders with the vision, common sense and the ability to bring citizens together to do what is best for Toledo, now and in the future.

I believe that I possess these traits and stand ready to serve all of the citizens of Toledo as a member of City Council.

The City of Toledo is the place I call home. My wife, Pat, and I, and our 18-year-old twin daughters, Kimberly and Kristen, have lived here since April, 1994, when I graduated from the Toledo Police Academy and have served as a police officer these 14 years. My daughters will graduate from Whitmer High School this Saturday and my wife works in Toledo at the West Toledo YMCA.

I live in Toledo because I chose to. While I do possess a waiver to live outside the city, I choose to live in Toledo. Toledo is a great city in which to live and raise a family. But I believe that Toledo can be an even better city. Toledo’s potential is limited only by the vision of our leaders.

I believe that we can reverse the trend that Toledo and many other Midwestern cities have in common. That is the trend of declining population and the loss of jobs to other areas of the country and to other countries.

Toledo has just about everything that a company would want from a municipality. Toledo has a world-class university, a motivated and highly trained workforce, an excellent freeway and railway system, and easy access to modern air and port facilities – to name just a few of our assets.

What is needed in Toledo is leadership in city government that is responsible to all the citizens of Toledo, leaders who will be responsive to their needs and who will provide the leadership Toledo needs to become a desired destination for companies to bring jobs to Toledo. I believe that, with the support of the citizens of Toledo, I can provide that leadership as a member of the Toledo City Council.

I believe that one of the most important functions of our City Council is to make sure the city administration is following the City Charter regarding budget priorities. Those priorities call for maintaining a safety force to include a police and fire department. These critical departments must be staffed and equipped properly to do their jobs. I know firsthand that our police and fire personnel are second to none. These professionals do a near-impossible job on a daily basis, with little notice or thanks. What our fire and police officers do deserve and need is the support of the city and the citizens they serve.

The city is also required to provide and maintain the infrastructure of the city. One priority has to be the regular maintenance of our city streets. Only half of the recommended number of miles of streets is being repaved each year. When the streets are neglected year after year, they eventually need to be totally rebuilt. This costs the city much more than it would if the streets were maintained properly on an ongoing basis. Street maintenance must be considered when budget priorities are set. Also, our water and sewage system must be upgraded, and measures must be taken to prevent neighborhoods from flooding. Our citizens expect this from our city leaders.

Another priority for the city government is trash collection. I am in favor of the automated trash pickup, and support the city’s decision to begin with test areas and expand this service when feasible. The savings that are realized should result in the termination of the trash tax instituted in 2007.

A major responsibility for city government is to do everything in its power to create a condition where jobs can be maintained and created. It is not the responsibility of government to provide jobs to everyone. However, the policies of city government can and do impact the number and quality of jobs available to the citizens. I am calling for a full review of all city ordinances, rules and regulations to determine the impact they have on a business’s ability to operate profitably in the city.

Businesses should feel welcome in Toledo. Toledo needs jobs. We have a fantastic workforce ready and willing to work hard. Through their hard work, every company, if managed properly, will succeed in Toledo. Government’s role is to work with all types of business and the unions, to make sure government does not unfairly hinder their ability to be profitable. It is in everyone’s best interest for businesses to locate to Toledo and for those already here to remain. The City of Toledo’s future depends on it.

I am Paul Tetuan, and I will be honored to receive your vote for Toledo City Council in the 2009 election. If you honor me with your vote, you can be sure that no one will work harder to represent you on City Council and to do what is best for all the citizens of this great community.