MAYOR'S MESSAGE

Craig A. Stough 2/02/2007

"Congratulations To Barbara Sears"

Congratulations to Sylvania City Council President Barbara Sears who has been elected Chair of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG). Her election occurred during the January 30, 2007 TMACOG Winter General Assembly held in Perrysburg. Also elected were Lucas County Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak as Vice Chair and Theodore Rutherford of Greensprings Ohio as Second Vice Chair.

TMACOG is a voluntary association of local governments, school districts, special districts and authorities, and the private sector in Northwest Ohio and Southeastern Michigan. It was established to foster regional cooperation and progress by studying and coordinating regional issues and activities. TMACOG, however, is not a government and does not seek to be one.

Issues such as transportation, landuse planning, and environmental issues are areas where TMACOG can help regional coordination across local governmental boundaries. An areawide 2035 Transportation Plan is being developed and federal/state transportation funding is always actively pursued. Water quality projects are underway in the Maumee River and Portage River watersheds. TMACOG also helps coordinate air quality efforts for meeting EPA requirements.

TMACOG's offices are in the Martin Luther King (Central Union) Plaza south of downtown Toledo, with the Amtrak Station on the lower level. TMACOG was instrumental in saving and remodeling the station and keeping Toledo from suffering the same fate as many communities - a premanufactured "mobile home" train station.

The General Assembly of all members meets twice a year, caucusing and electing Board Members and Committee appointments in January. The Board of Directors, to which I belong, meets quarterly, and the Executive Committee meets monthly. Four councils meet regularly to address regional issues: Transportation, Environmental, Growth Strategies and Commuter Services.

Barbara Sears has actively represented Sylvania at TMACOG for many years, most recently as Vice Chair. The Sylvania community is fortunate to have a community leader the caliber of City Council President Sears representing us at TMACOG and providing leadership for the entire region.