Recorded at the UAW Local 12 Union Hall in Toledo on Feb. 17, the episode features conversations with Katie and event host Bernie Quilter about public service, community support and what’s ahead in the next term.

One of Katie’s goals is “to have the best 2028 revaluation so again we have the best third-party vendor that’s undergirded by a good contract with expectations with accountability. That way everybody in Lucas County knows they are getting an accurate and equitable value on their home. That is paramount to me.”

Katie Moline

Katie’s background sets her apart from past county auditors: She is a certified public accountant who uses those skills to serve as the county’s chief financial officer — bringing technical financial expertise directly into the role.

Before becoming auditor, she chaired the Finance, Budget and Debt Oversight Committee on Toledo City Council, helped guide responsible spending of federal relief funds, authored municipal code defining auditor duties, and supported recognition of the local film commission.

In our conversation, we discuss what the auditor actually does, what she’s learned on the job over the past two years, and how voters can stay engaged in her campaign heading into the fall election.

To learn more about Katie’s campaign, go HERE.

UPCOMING >

• Democratic Feminist Alliance Club

• Ohio Equal Rights Petition Signing

• A Conversation with Marcy Kaptur

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Representing much of Lucas County — including Toledo, Oregon, and Maumee — Hicks-Hudson brings decades of public service experience, from prosecutor and public defender to legislative leadership.

Paula Hicks-Hudson, front left, kicks off her re-election campaign. (Photos/Lori King)

Locally, she is perhaps best known for her time on Toledo City Council and her historic tenure as mayor following the sudden death of D. Michael Collins on Feb. 6, 2015, becoming the city’s first Black woman to hold that office.

In this episode, we talk about her record, the challenge of serving in a Democratic minority, rebuilding civic trust in a deeply polarized moment, and what she hopes voters take away as the election season approaches.

My main goal is to get all of my friends aware of what is happening at the Statehouse and that they can be a part of the solution. We have this disconnect that folks feel that they are helpless. They are not.

The people have the power, and I want to empower them to walk with me on this journey.

Paula Hicks-Hudson

You’ll also hear from three of her biggest supporters in order of appearance: Her granddaughter, Nadia Temple; longtime friend Johnny Hutton; and Lucas County treasurer Lindsay Webb.

Listen, subscribe, like and share this episode — and stay tuned for more conversations introducing voters to the candidates shaping our local and state landscape.

Up Next: Auditor Katie Moline

From left: Lisa Sobecki | Paula Hicks-Hudson | Rep. Marcy Kaptur | Teresa Fedor

From left: Lindsay Webb | Paula Hicks-Hudson greeted by Rep. Marcy Kaptur | Nadia Temple

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For too many years, Republicans have held power in red and purple districts by default - they faced little to no opposition.

That dynamic is changing.

In Ohio House District 44, Dave Fournier decided it was time to stop watching from the sidelines and start offering voters an alternative grounded in local experience and practical solutions.

District 44 covers areas in Northwest Ohio, primarily encompassing South, Central, and East Toledo in Lucas County. The district also includes northern parts of Wood and Ottawa counties, specifically the communities of Northwood, Walbridge, Genoa, and Elmore.

I'm running because I want the government to get back to the business of governing, instead of just partisan posturing. There are real issues facing Ohio, and we deserve legislators who take the job seriously and legislate for all Ohioans - regardless of their political affiliation, religion or socio-economic status.

> Dave Fournier

Fournier, a Whitehouse, Ohio resident and attorney, just entered his first race after watching culture war politics and bad policies dominate the Statehouse, as well as within his own community.

In this episode, listen as he talks about what he wants to focus on if he gets elected in November:

• education funding reform in Ohio

• property taxes

• healthcare reform

• affordability for working families

The father of three said he understands what it takes to win a race like this. His campaign is still ramping up, with a focus on people power, a grassroots effort and building the infrastructure—social media, volunteers and a campaign website.

Races like this rarely make headlines, but they shape the policies that affect our daily lives. When districts go uncontested, voters lose more than a choice—they lose a voice.

Welcome to politics, Dave!

Coming up:

• Stonewall Democrats Club

• Attorney Kurt Young

• Former Anthony Wayne school board member Shellie McNight

• Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken

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They’re about who gets to vote, how those votes are counted, and who gets to draw the lines that decide representation for the next decade.

That’s why the race for Secretary of State matters far more than most people realize.

In this episode, I sat down with Rep. Allison Russo before she headlined the Westshore Democrats meeting at the Westlake Porter Public Library on Jan. 19. She was proceeded by about 16 other Cuyahoga County or state-wide candidates who were each given three minutes to state their cases.

Listen to all of those speakers in the unedited audio clip below >

Allison, one of two Democratic candidates for Secretary of State, talked about power, process, and what it would actually mean to have a pro-voter chief elections officer in a state where voter suppression, legislative overreach and gerrymandering have become routine.

Ohio’s next redistricting commission won’t convene until 2031. In the meantime, voters are still living under maps that courts have repeatedly found unconstitutional. The question is no longer whether the system is broken—it’s what can be done now, and who is willing to do it.

That’s where the Secretary of State comes in.

Russo isn’t new to hard fights. She was the first Democrat in a decade to flip a central Ohio House seat the first time she ever ran, and during her time in the legislature she helped lead some of the most consequential voter-driven victories in state history.

From defeating the August 2023 Issue 1 power grab to protecting reproductive freedom through a constitutional amendment, Russo has been at the center of efforts that put voters—not politicians—back in control.

You hit on something that I think is so incredibly important and I think will be the biggest challenge for me coming into the Secretary of State’s office, and that is how do we address this issue of trust in our elections again? I think it starts with having a secretary of state that is very clear-eyed and clear in language - that this is why our election should be trusted.

> Allison Russo

She talks about why she’s is running for the office, what she believes the role should be, and how a Secretary of State can either protect access to the ballot—or quietly undermine it, like Frank LaRose has been unabashedly doing for six years.

We also discuss Senate Bill 293, recently signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine, and what it signals about the current legislature’s priorities when it comes to voting rights and election integrity.

Yes, it’s a lot … but if you care about fair maps, accessible elections, and whether Ohio’s democracy works for voters or against them, this conversation matters.

🎧 Listen now or download this episode.

Up next:

• Candidate Watch: Ohio House District 44 candidate Dave Fournier

• LC Dem Clubs: Stonewall Democrats, featuring chair Lucas Camuso-Stall

Hambley stopped by Earnest Brew Works/Westgate Dec. 1 for a candidate meet and greet, hosted by Keith and Barb Wilkowski, Joe and Jennifer Dawson and Janet Hales.

As one of four candidates vying for Ohio’s next secretary of state, Hambley has been traveling statewide to share his vision of what Ohio could be if he wins the November 2026 general Election.

Toledo was his 219th campaign stop and his third trip to Toledo, with more treks planned here throughout the rest of the campaign.

In the May 5 Democratic primary, Hambley faces Upper Arlington resident Allison Russo, a member of the Ohio House of Representatives (District 7).

Keith Wilkowski introduces Dr. Bryan Hambley, who shares his vision with local Democrats at Earnest Brew Works on Dec. 1. (Video/Lori King)

In this episode of Candidate Watch, Hambley points out a litany of issues currently plaguing the state under the control of Republican SoS Frank LaRose: Unfair drawn districts and double-down gerrymandering; crooked and dishonest ballot language; loss of public school funding, and poor health care policies, including losing Medicaid funding.

The two voices heard in this episode are Hambley and Dawson.

‘We need to be telling that story right now - that half a million Ohioans are going to lose their Medicaid. And every Republican member of Congress from Ohio, a state where many people rely on Medicaid, voted to cut those benefits.

This is not a partisan thing. Health care is a human right. And when I go to more conservative rural areas, boy, they believe it just as much as people in the more liberal city areas. What we need is to clearly state our values.’ > Dr. Bryan Hambley

Candidate Watch is a podcast that introduces listeners like you to local and statewide political candidates running for office in the May and November elections.

Please contact me at lorikingblog@gmail.com if you hear of a candidate coming to town for meet & greets, fundraisers or other types of campaign stops. I can’t do this civic duty without your support. Thank you!

The latest political candidate to make a pit stop in Toledo is Ohio attorney general (AG) candidate John Kulewicz, an Upper Arlington councilman and retired attorney who successfully argued and won cases in the Supreme Court of the United States and in courts throughout Ohio.

Kulewicz is also an author. His book, An Ohioan’s Odyssey: Lessons in Leadership, Law, was published in June 2025.

John Kulewicz addresses the room at Earnest Brew Works. (Video/Lori King)

On Nov. 24, Kulewicz attended a meet-and-greet in his honor at Earnest Brew Works, hosted by longtime friends Jim and Jane Ruvolo. The event brought together about 75 political activists, local attorneys, judges and others interested in his pledge to uphold law and order and remain nonpartisan as Ohio’s top legal officer.

John will make sure that the Constitution of Ohio is followed. And if the voters pass a constitutional amendment, he’ll defend that. He will not attack it. He will do the things that an attorney general ought to do, and he will do it regardless of partisanship.

John will not do something because he’s a Democrat. He’ll do something because he’s the attorney general. And we haven’t had that in a long time. > Jim Ruvolo

Also in attendance were Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates, and Baldemar Velásquez, founder of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), underscoring the broad interest in the race.

In this episode, Kulewicz shares his priorities as a candidate for Ohio’s top legal office. He outlines plans to protect Ohioans from consumer fraud, wage theft, nursing home and Medicaid fraud, and antitrust violations—efforts he says are essential to making the economy work better for the people of Ohio. Tune in to hear his vision for a fairer, safer state.

The three other voices included in this episode (in order): Ruvolo; Allison Arnold, chief assistant prosecuting attorney in Lenawee County; and Aaron Hill, assistant prosecutor with the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office.

Candidate Watch is a podcast that introduces listeners to local and statewide political candidates running for office in the May and November elections.

Please contact me at lorikingblog@gmail.com if you hear of a candidate coming to town for meet & greets, fundraisers or other types of campaign stops. I can’t do this civic duty without your support. Thank you!

Erika recently returned from Boston, where she joined Texas Democratic state lawmakers and other legislators from across the country on the steps of the Massachusetts State House to protest the unfair gerrymandering of congressional political maps, which is happening in our own state right now.

She said the Ohio political maps are “rigged and they’re cheating,” and went on to say it’s vital that she and her Democratic Statehouse colleagues fight for the 8-7 rule.

As you know, Boston Massachusetts is the place for the Boston Tea Party. And so it happened while we were there, we chose to come together … to raise our voices about what was happening in Texas because it’s time to stand up for democracy. - Erika White

During this show, Erika also talks about:

• her passion for the mental and physical health of our community, and how the new Ohio budget will strip Medicaid benefits from thousands of Ohioans

• how to claim your portion of the $1.7 billion in unclaimed funds that will go towards building a new Cleveland Brown Stadium

• how gun violence and nationalism are eroding humility and duty to service in this country. “We’ve lost the heart of America.”

• her concern about the Ohio budget, which she said is about policy and words, not numbers and data. “This is a bad budget, and this budget has consequences and words.”

Erika ends the podcast with a call to action:

Let’s fight like Americans, man! We just cannot any longer stand still and just keep wishing, hoping and dreaming. It’s time to start moving forward!