TOLEDO, OH (Toledo News Now) -
Toledo City Councilman Rob
Ludeman is accusing the Bell administration of playing dirty, after a list was
released revealing which members of council have not paid their water bills.
The list was released just
days after council met to discuss a controversial new $200 water deposit that
the administration decided to impose on new homeowners.
Many council members felt
that the administration hadn't been up-front with them when it came to the new
utility changes.
Now Ludeman said someone
from within the administration compiled this list and he wants to know who.
"Should they pay their
water bills? Yes, they should pay their bills," he said of those on the list. "However,
this is not about paying bills. This is about driving a wedge and trying to
embarrass people."
The list shows that five
out of 12 council members are delinquent in their water bills: Adam Martinez,
Mike Craig, Shaun Enright, Lindsay Webb, and Tyrone Riley. Riley owes the most –
over $5,000 on different properties.
"The need for cooperation between the
administration is always there," Ludeman said. "And I think this, in one fell
swoop, drives a wedge between the administration and city council, and I think
it's going to potentially escalate from there."
For his part, Mayor Mike
Bell said the list was compiled to make sure no one on council had a conflict
of interest when discussing the water deposit. He said his administration did
not release the list nor talk about it, it was for informational purposes only.
The list also included
Mayor Bell and Public Utilities Director Dave Welch – both are caught up on
their bills now.
Related: City
council discusses new water deposit policy.
Copyright 2013 Toledo News
Now. All rights reserved.
Councilman Rob Ludeman
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