Toledo Blade
Poor Children Remain at risk as lead removal plan falters
August 4, 1997
Article talks about how in 1995 Toledo (with a role being played by future Toledo Mayor, then state Rep. Jack Ford) was awarded a $1.5 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to remove hazardous lead in 220 homes and that it has hardly been used (only in 3 homes at the date of the article, and those only in the previous 2 months). The city cited 2 reasons: a lack of licensed contractors to do the work and a lack of interest among the homeowners and landlords who qualify for the lead removal program.
Larry Sykes, member of the board of the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority and vice president at Fifth Third Bank had this to say “The fact that the federal gran money sat unused for so long is ridiculous, mismanagement and ludicrous”. “Why would you start a program if you’re not going to carry it out?” “You’re basically affecting peoples lives. All it would take is for one child to die, and that would give the ciry a real bad name”.
Toledo Blade
Candidate to receive party ok
August 20, 1997
Lucas County Democrats plan to endorse Larry Sykes, former chairman of the Lucas Metropolitan Haousing Authority, for a seat on the Toledo school board.
Party Chairman Keith Wilkowski, who was on the screening committee, said Mr. Sykes was selected because of his devotion to the Toledo community and education over the years.
“Mr. Sykes has a lot of community service in his background, including being instrumental in the turnaround from LMHA,” he said.
News of the impending endorsement surprised Me. Sykes, a vice president with Fifth Third Bank who said he decided to take out nominating petitions last week. This will be Mr. Sykes, second try at the office; he ran in 1981 as an independent.
Mr. Sykes said the biggest issues facting Toledo Public Schools include funding and facilitating corporate incolcement. Local companies need to come into Toledo schools and tell children about the real world, he said.
Mr. Sykes, the president of the Coalition of Quality of Education and a member of Toledo Area Metroparks board, also said he is against out-of-school suspensions. They give problem children exactly what they want by taking them out of school.
“By putting them in a program that’s in-school – having them clean graffiti off the walls, pick up papers, embarrassing them in front of their peers – they will get in line,” he said.
SYKES SEEKS SOME POWER IN ASSIGNMENT OF TEACHERS
Larry Sykes, candidate for the Toledo board of education, said yesterday that he supports Superintendent Merrill Grant’s drive to reclaim lost management rights from the teachers’ union.
“Our schools are broken. Dr. Grant has begun the process of fixing them,” Mr. Sykes said. “It is time for Toledo school board members to be pro-parent and pro-child as well as pro-teacher.”
Mr. Sykes defended his choice to send his two children, who are now grown, through private schools instead of the Toledo Public Schools. One child attended Robinson Junior High Schools. He said he has an interst as a taxpayer and Toledo resident in the operations of the school system.
CANDIDATES WOO SENIOR VOTES
October 7, 1997
Larry Sykes, candidate for a seat on the Toledo board of education, emphasized his care for local children by reciting a slightly reworked version of the lyrics to Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All”: “I believer the people are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way”.
FOR THE TOLEDO SCHOOL BOARD
October 29, 1997
Mr. Sykes has proven board savvy. He was chairman of the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority, and he is a member of the Toledo Area Metroparks board. A vice president at Fifth Third Bank, he is also president of the Coalition for Quality Education. This is the second time Mr. Sykes, a Semocrat, has tried for a board seat; he ran as an independent in 1981. He deserves to be elected now.
Mr. Sykes (and the others who were endorsed by the blade in said article) are unequivocal in their support for the superintendent’s efforts. They should be elected so that they can help the process of getting the Toledo Public Schools back on track.
SCHOOL HOPFULS SPEAK OUT TEACHER TALKS, EVALUATIONS FOCUS OF TOLEDO FORUM
October 30, 1997
This article is a typical campaign article with everyone saying what they’re going to do if you elect them. The only thing that hit me in the face in this article was one sentence
“Patrician Kennedy, an endorsed Republican seeking her thrird term, chided other candidates that the current board’s policies have resulted in a projected $8 million dollar surplus”
WHAT THE CANDIDATES HAVE TO SAY
November 2, 1997
Since the other candidates that answered these questions are no longer on the board, Mr. Sykes answers are the only ones I am going to give.
1). How would you improve student performance and proficiency test scores?
All schools are developing school improvement plans to improve test scores. The district is conducting a curriculum audit to identify areas which do not adequately address learning outcomes on proficiency tests.
2). Minority parents were offended by the alternative school idea. Is such a school necessary and if so, how would you allay parental concerns?
Properly implemented, a good alternative program cen be just what is needed to allay parents’ concerns that their child’s inappropriate behaviors may prevent him or her from doing well in school.
3). What do you think of Superintendent Merrill Grant’s attempt to retake management rights from the union?
I support him 115 percent. The present contract with the TPS (shouldn’t that be TFT?) is the worst contract in the nation. It’s time for a change.
4). What would you do to decrease the high suspension rate?
The district is asking for a change in contract language that will allow homework to be given while a student is suspended.
WHITES LEAD SCHOOL BOARD
November 6, 1997
Toledo schools, at that time, had an enrollment of 48% white, 44% black, and 8% Hispanic and other minorities. In that story, it went on to state that Mr. Sykes was considered the most likely successor to Ms. Brown, who was stepping down after just winning a seat on the city council.
WILMA BROWN RESIGNS FROM TOLEDO SCHOOL BOARD
November 19, 1997
After announcing that she would resign from the school board effective November 25, Ms. Brown went on to say this later in the article:
“My resignation at this time will allow the board to select a qualifies individual … who will not only represent the African-American community but the community as a whole,” she said. Ms. Brown is the only black on the five-member board.
Ms. Brown said she favors Larry Sykes, who is African-American, to succeed her. Mr. Sykes, a vice president of Fifth Third Bank and a member of the Lucan Metropolitan Housing Authority and the Toledo Area Metroparks boards, was narrowly defeated in the Nov. 4 elections.
LOCAL HOUSING AUTHORITY GETS PERFECT SCORE FROM U.S. AGENCY
December 4, 1997
The Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority, mired in difficulties six years ago, scored a perfect 100 percent in a recent assessment of its operations by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In 1991, with about 1/3 of the housing authority’s more than 3,000 housing units vacant, HUD officials declared it a troubled housing authority.
Poor maintenance made some units unfit for living. High crime in the projects made it difficult to keep or attract tenants.
“Nobody wanted to be president of the board,” Larry Sykes, one of the authority’s five board members. “The reality is we were an embarrassment as a housing authority.”
Appointed to the board in 1990, he became president the following year as several new board members joined him and the executive director resigned.
“We had a meeting with staff,” Mr. Sykes said. “We said we weren’t here to get rid of people. We were here to build. We said we may make some decision you may not like, but we are here for the agency,” he said.
SCHOOL BOARD TO VOTE FRIDAY ON REPORT ABOUT TEACHER PACT
December 17, 1997
Last night, the board appointed Democrat Larry Sykes to serve the two years remaining in the term of Wilma Brown, who resigned from the board Nov. 25 to take a seat on Toledo Council.
The appointment of Larry Sykes returns Africa-American representation to the board in a district with a 44 percent black enrollment. Mr. Sykes was the top vote-getter among the losing candidates in the Nov 4 election.
A vice president of Fifth Thrird Bank, Mr. Sykes last night said his commitment will be to the entire community. But he said the board needs diverse viewpoints.
In this community, you have to have a broad base of representations,” Mr. Sykes said.
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