Straying from the norm, Republican mayoral candidate Bill Todd's radio ads do not attack incumbent Democratic Mayor Mike Coleman. Instead, he attacks Columbus Public Schools and urges parents to place their children in private or charter schools. In one ad he said that if elected he would "evacuate as many students as I could from those 59 failing schools."
His reasons for this bashing probably have less to do with the education of Columbus' children and more to do with making money for School Choice Ohio, the nonprofit advocacy group of which Todd is the assistant vice president. Todd received $12,000 from the group after he helped get it started in the state of Delaware.
A lawsuit filed Sept. 17 by Todd on behalf of five Columbus City Schools residents against the Ohio Department of Education and the Columbus City School system also raises questions about his motives and it seems unfair to drag those five citizens into his campaign.
According to a Sept. 30 article in The Columbus Dispatch, Todd even became teary on several occasions when talking about the children who attend some of the city's under-performing schools.
The same article states that David L. Brennan, an Akron businessman who runs Ohio's biggest for-profit operator of charter schools, was Todd's biggest campaign donor between January and June.
Those Columbus schoolchildren would probably cry too if they knew how Todd was using them to make money for his charter school buddies.
It's hard to know how Todd would handle the growing issue of violent crime in the off-campus area or where he stands on most issues since he remains so hyper-focused on the public school system.
Although Columbus Public Schools definitely have room for improvement and changes need to implemented, Todd should refocus his campaign to include broader issues and appeal to a broader audience.
Both Todd and Coleman will be at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe Wednesday for a debate. Hopefully, Todd will use this as a platform to let voters know that he cares about improving the entire city - not just its schools.
2008 Woodie Awards
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