TOLEDO, Ohio -
Days after the latest plan to redevelop the old Southwyck mall site falls through, Toledo Mayor Mike Bell shakes up his executive staff.
The economic development man for the City of Toledo is getting moved to the Department of Public Utilities. Tom Crothers will no longer serve as Deputy Mayor in the Bell Administration.
Some council members say failure to fully vet the developer ended in an embarrassing way, and they maintain they've had credibility issues with Crothers in the past.
"Toledo needs more jobs and quite frankly the Bell Administration has made a lot of mistakes when it comes to economic development. The Southwyck debacle is just the latest in a series," says Council President Joe McNamara.
McNamara is looking for someone with more economic development experience.
"The mayor should not be appointing people, not be hiring people based on political support or personal relationships," says McNamara.
As Deputy Mayor of External Relations, Tom Crothers was making $90,000 a year. With his demotion to the Department of Public Utilities spearheading special projects, Crothers will be making $77,500.
This move comes mere days after Crothers and the mayor publicly stood beside developers who had a grand plan to buy Southwyck from its owners and turn it into a sports complex to host regional tournaments.
The developer, MJW Inc., wanted $50,000 from the city to pay for a feasibility study.
Bell put his support behind legislation offering a loan with grant money.
However, Bell quickly pulled his support back after learning the developer has a history of buying properties but never finishing them.
"It blew up in their face, but the thing that really bothers me is the stakes are too high for these type of mistakes to be made," says Councilman D. Michael Collins (I-District 2).
The vacant Southwyck property falls in Collins' district.
Collins says he spoke with one of Southwyck's three owners on Monday and the property is still on the market.
"I'm very optimistic, I must say I'm guardedly optimistic," says Collins.
Bell is not saying the staff restructuring announced Monday is directly related to the recent Southwyck issue, however he released a brief statement about Crothers saying, "My job as Mayor is to make sure the ship keeps sailing regardless of who fills individual roles. I appreciate the work Tom has done on behalf of the city and look forward to his ongoing contribution."
Acting Deputy Mayor of External Relations will be Paul Syring who served as General Counsel for the city.
Jill Pershing will serve as Acting Commissioner of Economic Development. Pershing has been with the city for 17 years working in development.
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