The Leadership FundThe Leadership Fund, the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce's political action committee, was formed in 2001. The purpose is to promote candidates in Toledo and its surrounding communities who understand and work to preserve a pro-business climate in our region. The fund supports candidates at the local and state level and does not endorse candidates for federal office.
2025 Leadership Fund Endorsements All candidates appearing on the ballot for Toledo City Council At-Large positions were invited to meet with members of the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Fund PAC board. After extensive conversations with each candidate, individuals were chosen for endorsement based their understanding of the issues facing the business community and willingness to collaborate on solutions to move the region forward. Of significance was their understanding and desire to address the City’s structural budget deficit. The City’s 2025 budget was structurally deficient by more than $40M, meaning that the Administration and Council needed to transfer funds from the capital improvement program (CIP) and reserves in order to have a legally required balanced budget. Continuing to depend on transfers, whether taken or not, of this magnitude is not sustainable for our community. The Leadership Fund has voted to endorse: Mayor, City of Toledo Wade Kapszukiewicz Toledo City Council At-Large Ed Beczynski Mac Driscoll Nick Komives George Sarantou Tom Waniewski Toledo Public School Board Bob Vasquez Chris Varwig Contact Brian Dicken, VP of Advocacy and Strategic Initiatives at the Chamber at [email protected] with all information requests. Levy EndorsementsThe Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Trustees recently voted to support the Lucas County Children Services 1.80-mill, 5-year property levy renewal that will appear on the November 4 general election ballot for Lucas County voters.
Lucas County Children Services (LCCS) operations are funded largely (50%) by three levies that are periodically placed before voters for re-approval. The levy is not intended to expand services, but rather to cover the escalating costs of placing children in care, which has increased by 77% over the last few years. The need for the renewal is also attributed to trickle-down effects from federal legislation that increased the cost of caring for children. The agency faces a projected funding gap by 2027 without the renewal, which would make it impossible to maintain current services. “Protecting our community’s most vulnerable children is not only the right thing to do, it is also critical to ensuring the long-term health, safety, and prosperity of our region,” said Brian Dicken, VP of Advocacy and Strategic Initiatives at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce. "Renewal of this levy will allow LCCS to continue providing essential services, helping to create a stronger foundation for families and future workforce in Lucas County Levies are reviewed by the Chamber's Levy Review Subcommittee, which researches and studies levy requests and makes recommendations to other Chamber committees, culminating with the Chamber Board. The levy review process ensures that levy requests are examined by a broad cross-section of the Chamber's membership and reflect the views of the business community. The Chamber's comprehensive levy review process includes presentations by the agencies making the request, an examination of the impact of the levy request on both the agency and taxpayers, and a review of agency financials to better understand the need behind the request. Tax Chartshe charts below compare property tax, sales tax and income tax rates in regional metro counties and cities and State of Ohio metro counties and cities. The information does not reflect school property taxes, state income tax or federal income tax rates. Information is current as of August 14, 2023.
For more information, please contact the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Advocacy & Public Policy Department at 419-243-8191. Voter ResourcesVoter Registration Form
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