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Tina Scott - Op Ed
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Blade Editorial Board invited candidates running in the Toledo City Council primary elections to submit essays telling us why they should be elected. This series continues with candidates for District 1, after previous entries from candidates for District 3 and District 4. Early voting concludes on Sept. 10.
Victim of a crime is a tremendous motivator
By Tina Scott
Published - August 15, 2019
When someone asks me why run for Toledo City Council, the answer is simple. It’s also what motivated me to become a community Block Watch leader for more than 15 years. I was the victim of a violent crime.
I lived in Toledo since 1990, and 20 years ago I was robbed at gunpoint in my own driveway. It was a crime where the perp, who is still at large, put a gun to my head, my ribs, and my hands, all the while threatening to pull the trigger if I didn’t give him the rings on my fingers. I feared for my life. I relive this nightmare every day.
Despite this experience, I chose to stay in my West Toledo neighborhood and take action. In addition to Block Watch, I served on the boards of the Eleanor Kahle Senior Center and Five Points Business Association. I founded the West Toledo Neighborhood Association where I designed a program called U.N.I.T.Y. (Unite Now In Toledo Youth). I organized a nonviolent Community Peace Day on April 16, 2015, to counter a neo-Nazi protest downtown and prevent a repeat of the violent confrontations Toledo witnessed in October, 2005.
I chaired the Fireman Freddy Parade from 2014 to 2017. I served on late Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins’ transition team for the Neighborhood, Safety, Community Relations Committee.
As Mayor Collins repeatedly told us, “we cannot have economic development until we have safe neighborhoods.” To that end, my platform is simple: Improve Block Watch and other neighborhood organizations to use the latest technology available to reduce crime; better access to city services; and address water issues both in terms of quality and cost.
Through it all I am able to share my story and every day help someone in the community — whether it is dealing with blight, neighborhood problems, the opiate epidemic, or safety. Some city leaders and my neighbors encouraged me to run for Toledo City Council, District 1. If elected, I will not let them down. I will not let you down. Being the victim of a violent crime can be a tremendous motivator.
