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PAGES OF OPINIONSUNDAY, JANUARY 8, 2017 Section C, Page 4Toledo, Ohio
THE BLADE
Keith C. Burris Editorial Page Editor
Kurt G. FranckExecutive Editor-Vice President
Dave MurrayManaging Editor
THE BLADE541 N. Superior St.
P.O. Box 921Toledo, OH 43697-0921
Telephone 419-724-6000
John Robinson BlockPublisher and Editor-in-Chief
Allan BlockChairman
William A. SouthernPresident-General Manager
Luann Sharp, Assistant Managing Editor
Paul Block, Publisher, 1926-1941, Paul Block, Jr., Co-Publisher, 1942-1987,William Block, Co-Publisher, 1942-1989, William Block, Jr., Co-Publisher, 1990-2001
BLOCK COMMUNICATIONS INC.: Executive Committee: Allan Block, Diana E. Block, John Robinson Block, William Block, Jr., Karen B. Johnese
READERS’ FORUM
Additional letters can be found attoledoblade.com/letters-to-the-editor.
Kroger: Find the common good
Even if Kroger only requeststhat 10 acres are rezoned, a new
store will increase traffic anddestroy green space.
Kroger keeps coming back to the Toledoplan commission to rezone the Sisters
of Notre Dame property and clear the wayfor it to build a superstore. And its strong-arming may be wearing down authoritieswho can help the project move forward.However, the plan commission has againrejected Kroger’s plan, which would de-stroy rare green space at the Secor Road
and Monroe Street intersection, acrossfrom its current store.
The plan commission had already re-jected rezoning 18 acres of the WestToledo site from single-family residentialto regional commercial, and the body hadpreviously offered suggestions that wouldbetter fit the city’s 20/20 ComprehensivePlan. In light of that plan, the preferreduse of the property would be less con-crete- and traffic-intensive — for a smallretirement village or medical offices, forexample.
In its latest finding, the plan commission
recommended a least, or less, terrible ap-proach than Kroger’s preferred one — thatthe company scale back its plan to just 10acres. That showed a good impulse towardcompromise, but it is the wrong compro-mise.
After all, a new and bigger store on theSisters’ property would still increase traffic,threaten public safety, and destroy much-needed open and green space. And thoughstore officials say its current store acrossthe street would be marketed for reuse,what would happen, if Kroger gets its way,to the old store?
It would be a part of a larger, continuousexpanse of an already immense concretejungle in that part of the city.
It’s unclear why the grocer won’t simplyrevamp and build up the present store, orpurchase the neighboring appliance andfurniture stores, or property near its gasstation at the same intersection. There arealready many vacant sites in that area, andone more building sitting empty is notwhat this city needs. Somebody at City Hallhas to take the reins on this issue and crafta deal that works for everyone — for Tole-doans’ safety and for handsome appear-ance and well being of the city as a whole.It’s not too much to ask.
Action on opioidsAn addiction support group’s plans to
open an opioid detox and treatment fa-cility in Maumee and Gov. John Kasichsigning another bill to stem the flow ofavailable drugs are the latest signs that pri-vate groups and the state are beginning torow in the same direction in combating thedeadly heroin and opioid epidemic.
Team Recovery and a Florida-basedtreatment center are in the process ofopening a facility at Arrowhead Parkthat will have 22 detox beds. In Decem-ber, Unison Behavioral Group an-nounced it is planning a 16-bed facilityon Cherry Street. The Lima UrbanMinority Drug and Outreach Programhas committed to a 16-bed center inthe Spencer-Sharples area just west ofToledo.
That is 54 new beds in addition to the 16available at the Zepf Center and 37 at theArrowhead Behavioral Health facility.
“I’m truly pleased that the community isrecognizing that we need more beds and ismaking it happen,” Lucas County SheriffJohn Tharp told The Blade’s editorialboard.
Mr. Tharp’s Drug Abuse Response Teamhas been aggressive in working to get ad-dicts into treatment. The problem he re-peatedly runs into is not having open bedsfor addicts his team is trying to help.
“When we finally get someone to go intotreatment, and we have nowhere to takethem, it’s heartbreaking,” Mr. Tharp said,adding that even more beds will be neededbecause the problem is still getting worse.
Numbers released last year showed thatOhio had more opioid overdoses in 2014than any other state in the country, and thefigures for 2015 and 2016 will be muchhigher.
On Wednesday, Mr. Kasich signed a billthat limits the number of opioid pills thatcan be dispensed to a 90-day supply, andinvalidates a prescription if it hasn’t beenfilled within 30 days. It also establishes aregister for pharmacy technicians throughthe Ohio Pharmacy Board in an effort todeter on-the-job stealing.
During the signing ceremony, Mr. Ka-sich said that the state is spending about $1billion a year on the fight but that entirecommunities need to help.
“There are going to be more tools tocome, but we’re not going to defeat thisfrom the top down,” Mr. Kasich said. “Weneed to fix it right where we live, all of us.”
There is still more that the state can do,including freeing up money fromthe “rainy day fund” to fully fund drug-fighting units like Lucas County’s DART,but the governor is right that entire com-munities need to be engaged.
Sheriff Tharp said his team has receivedmore than $200,000 in donations for cars,laptops, and other supplies from the com-munity. Now, 54 new detox beds are beingplanned. It is entirely possible that Ohiohas not yet hit rock bottom in fighting thisepidemic, but it is clear that the public andprivate sectors now fully understand thegravity of the situation and are working to-gether.
Council, put down the batToledo City Council is considering an
ordinance to “bring back” Little Leaguebaseball in the city — a laudable cause.
But youth baseball isn’t the biggest needfacing city government right now, and or-ganizing it is probably not something thecity would do well.
There are baseball teams in the cityalready, Councilman Lindsay Webbsaid, but children in “the heart of thecity” do not have the same opportuni-ties as those in neighborhoods wherebaseball has been organized locally.They should have that chance, but per-haps this is a mission for some of thecity’s service clubs and fraternities, likethe Rotary, the Lions, and the Knights ofColumbus.
The ordinance is still fluid and underconstruction, but even if the league, onceset up, takes minimal city resources, it isnot clear that youth sports is, or will everbe, an area of competence for Toledo mu-nicipal government.
Meanwhile, the city’s basic infrastruc-ture, which we all rely on, is in inexcusablyand embarrassingly bad shape. We have
streets that are in a shambles. We havesidewalks that are rubble. We need cityworkers to check for streetlight outages.
Land-use planning in this city needs themayor and council’s attention. Beautifica-tion needs their attention. City leadersneed to make Toledo look and feel like acity people care about.
These are things that only city govern-ment can do. These are matters city offi-cials and workers should spend their timeon.
Ms. Adams has said that having the citypick the league’s board would ensure con-tinuity as kids get too old to play and theirparents move on. But a sufficiently able,self-perpetuating board, with bylaws de-signed to deal with this and most other po-tential problems, should be able to provideits own continuity.
Baseball is a great game and inner-citykids should have access to it, if they want it.But some of the best-run enterprises in ourregion are run by voluntary organizationsand private boards, and the city of Toledoneeds to focus on planning, streets, side-walks, and lights.
KEITH C. BURRIS
Outsourcing our resolveIT HAPPENS every year at
this time, and it always sur-prises. On Jan. 3, 4, and 5, youcan’t get a parking space at thegym. By Jan. 30, things havesettled down. Is that really theshelf-life of our resolve?
I was preparing a column onlocal politics for this day. I hadit roughed out in my head. Butthat parking lot has me think-ing about New Year’s resolu-tions. I can’t say I have made alot of them, but, like theFounding Fathers regardingreligion, I think the impulse toresolution and reform— change for the better — isimportant. I think it’s good forindividuals, groups, and soci-eties.
We have to believe in the pos-sibility of change — that peopleand human institutions can alterthemselves, even as we admitthey generally don’t. We have tosee the birth of babies, NewYear’s Day, new professional op-portunities not just as the meta-phors, but as the promise ofgrowth and wisdom. Otherwise,we lose hope and the ability topull ourselves out of the housein mid-winter.
That’s corny, I admit. But,who doesn’t open a fortunecookie? Many corny expres-sions — from “haste makeswaste” to “I love you, Mom”— are corny but nonethelesssound.
Resolutions equal hope.I heard an interesting take
on resolutions this year frommy pastor: Outsource them.The idea is a fascinating one.In addition to your own resolu-tions, you ask a loved one,“What would you wish or re-solve for me?” And the loved
one asks the same of you.Some, on hearing this idea,
remarked ruefully that thiscould be a very dangerous ex-ercise.
But there is a caveat: It has tobe a positive wish.
In other words, it can’t be“I’d like to see you watch lessfootball.” Or, “My wish for youis that you drink less gin.” Or,“I resolve that you spend lesstime at the office.”
It has to be along the lines of“I’d like to see you buy thatsai lboat you’ve alwayswanted,” or “I’d like to helpyou open that restaurant youhave always hoped to own.”
The caveat is key. The wishmust be affirming.
So the outsourced NewYear’s resolution can becomea source of “goodwill towardmen” — the whole point oflighting up this dark season.Goodwill — both the assump-tion of goodwill and the prac-tice of goodwill — is a habit.You have to practice it for avery long time to start to feel it.
The philosopher HannahArendt paraphrased St. Augus-tine’s concept of love very sim-ply: “I want you to be.” As Mr.Spock put it, “live long andprosper.”
I would love to see Presi-dent-elect Trump say the for-
mer to Chuck Schumer and forMr. Schumer to say the latterto the new president.
Is it possible? Some cornyideas are nonetheless sound. Ido not see how the nation canprogress — I don’t even seehow we stop demonizing eachother — if we cannot see somemerit in the positions of theperson on the other side of thefence, sometimes.
I would love to see a hard-ened Obama-hater admit thatthe current president has donesome fine things. And I wouldlove to see just one virulentTrump-hater admit that thenext president has been as-sembling his team with imagi-nation and care. Is it possible?
It has to be.What I wish for the country
in 2017 is tolerance. That’s alow bar, said a friend of mine. Idisagree. Tolerance is a highart. If I want you to be, I wantyour perceptions and thoughtsto be too.
What I wish for my friends ishappiness — “the great com-modity,” said the musicianNeil Young.
What I wish for the city ofToledo is pride and self-confi-dence.
For members of my profes-sion, I wish a sense of sacredmission.
For my children, belief inthemselves.
To resolve is to hope. To re-solve for others is an act ofgoodwill. Live long and pros-per.
Keith C. Burris is editorialpage editor of The Blade.
Contact him at:[email protected]
or 419-724-6266.
Kasich maderight decisionon energy bill
Gov. John Kasich should bethanked for vetoing legislationthat would have extended thecurrent freeze on Ohio’s clean-energy standards. Before theywere frozen, the standardshelped cut pollution, cut en-ergy bills, created thousands ofjobs, and brought millions ofinvestor dollars to the state.
The long-term strategy ofencouraging research and de-velopment for renewable cleanenergy is simply commonsense. The proposed legisla-tion would have ceded Ohio’sleadership on clean energy toother states.
RICHARD HYLANTFormer trustee for the Ohio Na-
ture Conservancy and chairmanof the Toledo Regional Chamber
of Commerce
Government shouldnot stop abortions
No one has the right to tell awoman she cannot have anabortion. It is none of my busi-ness, so why should it be any-body’s business?
If the woman can’t take careof a child or if she was raped,why shouldn’t she be able toget one?
The government does nothave the right to say anythingeither because it is betweenthe woman and her doctor.
Everyone should keep their
noses out of others’ business.
FRED GIBSONPerrysburg
Toledo cluelesson real estate
I could not agree more withThe Blade’s recent editorialcriticizing the Paula Hicks-Hudson administration overits dubious reputation as a realestate developer (Jan. 5, “Thesecret deal that wasn’t”).
Personally, I don’t think Ms.Hicks-Hudson’s administrationcould develop its way out of acardboard box if it was open atboth ends. But let’s not forgetthat the dismal track record ofeconomic development did notstart with Ms. Hicks-Hudson. Itwas her predecessor, MayorMichael Collins, who hiredMatt Sapara away from the Lu-cas County Port Authority andpaid him more than $130,000 to
mastermind the “Keep Jeep”incentive package.
Without Chrysler even ask-ing for it, Mr. Sapara commit-ted millions of dollars of tax-payers’ money to buy up tonsof dilapidated and contami-nated industrial property tosupposedly build a new Jeepplant on. When Chryslermade its decision to stay andjust retool their existingplant, Mr. Sapara couldn’tbeat it out of Dodge fastenough.
Let’s hope our next mayorgets out of the economic de-velopment business and hiresa professional outside firm tohandle this vitally importanttask for the taxpayers. The onlyeconomic development ourcurrent mayor is good at is in-creasing the paychecks forunionized city workers.
MIKE McMAHONRobinwood Avenue
The Blade welcomes letters from our readers.Letters should be brief and succinctly expressed.They should be signed and include an addressand phone number. All letters are edited foraccuracy, clarity, and length. Contributors arelimited to one published letter a month.
Mail your letters to Readers’ Forum, The Blade,541 N. Superior St., P.O. Box 921, Toledo, OH43697-0921. Letters that are not published cannotbe acknowledged or returned.
You also can send letters through The Blade’swebsite at toledoblade.com/letterstoeditor,fax letters to 419-724-6191, or email them (plaintext only, no attachments) [email protected].
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