Toledo mayor accuses Wood County of poaching

The mayor accused Wood County of previously pirating, raiding, pilfering Toledo companies. He cited O-I, which moved more than a year ago from its downtown Toledo world headquarters to Levis Commons in Perrysburg.

Lane Williamson, chairman of the board for the Wood County Economic Development Commission, told us O-I approached Wood County, not the other way around. He says the commission is in a healthy competition with Lucas County, not raiding businesses.

"The [commission] office has three employees," said Williamson, "So as busy as the office is, [it's] because business is good in Wood County. It takes their full time attention to manage the prospects and the projects they are working on."

Toledo mayor derails possible regional cooperation

Toledo Mayor Carleton Finkbeiner may have put the cart before the horse last week when he lashed out at Wood County and Perrysburg Township for trying to steal Federal Express out from under the city.

When word leaked out last week that officials from FedEx were looking at other sites for their ground shipment hub, the mayor accused Wood County of "poaching."

FedEx employs about 600 people at its current location, 650 South Reynolds Road.
Perrysburg Township administrator John Hrosko said the company approached township officials about 18 months ago regarding a possible relocation to the Ampoint Industrial Park at Buck Road.

The site offers the acreage that the company needs, is already appropriately zoned and provides easy access to the Ohio Turnpike, he explained. "We knew they were looking at us as well as Toledo and Michigan."

The administrator said a joint meeting with Toledo officials was scheduled to take place yesterday, July 24, but was terminated after the mayor's comments. "He derailed it on Friday."

Mr. Hrosko said the purpose of that meeting, which was arranged prior to Mayor Finkbeiner's public statements, was to discuss development of a joint economic development zone (JEDZ) for the Ampoint site.

It seems that if Toledo lands a major company, it benefits the entire region, but if a major company chooses the region, it's not necessarily a boon for Toledo, according to [Toledo] mayoral logic.