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Wade Kapszukiewicz
2018 - Present
2026
7
Wade Kapszukiewicz is the Mayor of Toledo in Ohio. He assumed office on January 2, 2018. His current term ends on January 2, 2026.
Kapszukiewicz is running for re-election for Mayor of Toledo in Ohio. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025. He advanced from the primary on May 6, 2025.
Although municipal positions in Toledo are officially nonpartisan, Kapsuzkiewicz has been affiliated with the Democratic Party.[1]
Biography
Kapszukiewicz earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Marquette University. He later received his master's degree in public policy from the University of Michigan. Kapszukiewicz previously served on the Toledo City Council from 1999 to 2005.[2]
Elections
2025
See also: Mayoral election in Toledo, Ohio (2025)
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Mayor of Toledo
Incumbent Wade Kapszukiewicz and Roberto Torres are running in the general election for Mayor of Toledo on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Wade Kapszukiewicz (Nonpartisan) | |
| Roberto Torres (Nonpartisan) | ||
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Toledo
Incumbent Wade Kapszukiewicz and Roberto Torres defeated Harold Harris in the primary for Mayor of Toledo on May 6, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Wade Kapszukiewicz (Nonpartisan) | 53.1 | 7,021 |
| ✔ | Roberto Torres (Nonpartisan) | 24.4 | 3,226 | |
| Harold Harris (Nonpartisan) | 21.7 | 2,863 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.9 | 113 | ||
| Total votes: 13,223 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
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2021
See also: Mayoral election in Toledo, Ohio (2021)
General election
General election for Mayor of Toledo
Incumbent Wade Kapszukiewicz defeated Carty Finkbeiner and Sharmayne Ivey in the general election for Mayor of Toledo on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Wade Kapszukiewicz (Nonpartisan) | 68.9 | 24,061 |
 | Carty Finkbeiner (Nonpartisan) | 29.7 | 10,377 | |
 | Sharmayne Ivey (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 8 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.3 | 470 | ||
| Total votes: 34,916 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Toledo
Incumbent Wade Kapszukiewicz and Carty Finkbeiner defeated Jan Scotland in the primary for Mayor of Toledo on September 14, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Wade Kapszukiewicz (Nonpartisan) | 53.3 | 7,531 |
| ✔ | | Carty Finkbeiner (Nonpartisan) | 27.0 | 3,814 |
| Jan Scotland (Nonpartisan) | 19.2 | 2,717 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 61 | ||
| Total votes: 14,123 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2017
The city of Toledo, Ohio, held elections for mayor and six seats on the city council on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on September 12, 2017. The filing deadline for this election was July 14, 2017.[3][4] Wade Kapszukiewicz defeated incumbent Paula Hicks-Hudson in the general election for mayor of Toledo.
| Mayor of Toledo, General Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Wade Kapszukiewicz |
55.45% | 28,546 |
| Paula Hicks-Hudson Incumbent | 44.55% | 22,930 |
| Total Votes | 51,476 | |
| Source: Lucas County, Ohio, "November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed November 7, 2017 | ||
Incumbent Paula Hicks-Hudson and Wade Kapszukiewicz defeated Tom Waniewski and Opal Covey in the primary election for mayor of Toledo.
| Mayor of Toledo, Primary Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Paula Hicks-Hudson Incumbent |
38.91% | 9,686 |
| Wade Kapszukiewicz |
33.54% | 8,350 |
| Tom Waniewski | 26.75% | 6,659 |
| Opal Covey | 0.80% | 199 |
| Total Votes | 24,894 | |
| Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Board of Elections," accessed September 12, 2017 | ||
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
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2021
Wade Kapszukiewicz did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
2017
Kapszukiewicz's campaign website listed the following themes for 2017:
| “ |
Toledo is at a crossroads. In many ways, we are seeing a rebirth of optimism that hasn’t been seen in 30 years, maybe longer. The private sector has stepped up. The metroparks have embraced the exciting potential of our river. The social service community is playing an important role. The philanthropic community is leading the way. The one missing piece of the puzzle is our city government. Whatever our potential is as a city, we are never going to reach it if we can’t take care of our streets. If we can’t develop Southwyck. If we can’t ensure safe and affordable drinking water. If we can’t keep our neighborhoods safe and clean. If we can’t balance our budget. It doesn’t have to be this way. Toledo needs more than just city government to lead the renaissance. But government must get its part right, government can’t be standing in the way. Too often that is what is happening right now. For the first time since the invention of the automobile, cities in this country are growing faster than their suburbs. Cities have momentum, and it’s happening all over the country. The early signs can be seen here, too. But this moment won’t last forever, and at some point, the momentum might shift the other way. I don’t want Toledo to miss this chance because it has a city government that means well but just can’t get out of its own way and can’t get the job done. Toledo has to change the way it governs in order to better deal with the new realities that we face as a city. Toledo today is not meeting the service needs of our residents and businesses, and cities that can’t meet basic service needs are on a path to failure no matter how well the private sector is doing. We must recognize that the $18 million dollars a year that Columbus has taken from Toledo taxpayers over the last 8 years is not likely to come back any time soon. I don’t blame my opponents for the money that left for Columbus, that’s not the fault of the mayor or the City Council. But I do blame them for failing to lead, failing to change, failing to innovate, failing to recognize that new challenges call for new solutions, not just shouting the same arguments over and over again. We can keep trying the same things that haven’t worked over the last 25 years, or we can be like other successful cities that have faced similar challenges. There is no amount of pushing words around the room, or squeezing the budget of one department to fund another, that will solve this problem. City government needs to change. Toledo government needs both stronger leadership and better management. But more than that it needs to be ready to innovate and change. When I’m mayor, we’re going to bring fundamental change to the way our local government operates. My administration will lead and effort to consolidate significant portions of city and county government. I will reach out to County officials who I believe are also ready for change. Today our city and county governments are suing each other. What we need to be doing is working together. Such a step can both save money for the taxpayers, and improve the quality of our services for both the City and the County. The taxpayers are paying for too many things twice. The money saved through such a consolidation will free up resources to devote to our most pressing needs: safer neighborhoods and taking care of our streets and city infrastructure. Everything should be on the table but our initial focus will be on the consolidation of Economic Development, Building Inspection, payroll and other finance functions, Human Resources, and IT departments. Other smart cities have done this, Toledo and Lucas County taxpayers deserve better. We’re also going to work with our neighbors to develop a regional water system that is fair, and that helps keep rates affordable. If we don’t, water rates will double — maybe even triple. We’re going to implement priority based budgeting – not hide from it. We’re going to declare Lake Erie impaired, because it is. We’re going to join the lawsuit against the US EPA to ensure we get our fair share to make sure our Great Lake is clean. We’re going to be a cleaner city by continuing the work of the Land Bank to fight blight and strengthen neighborhoods. We’re going to be a safer city by giving our police and fire fighters the tools they need to succeed. We’re going to be a more beautiful city by embracing the arts and planting more trees. We’re going to be a healthier city by celebrating our park system and expanding our network of bicycle and walking paths.[5][6] |
” |
| —Wade Kapszukiewicz (2017) | ||
Noteworthy events
Events and activity following the death of George Floyd
Kapszukiewicz was mayor of Toledo during the weekend of May 29-31, 2020, when events and activity took place in cities across the U.S. following the death of George Floyd. Events in Toledo, Ohio, began on Saturday, May 30, 2020.[7] The same day, Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz (D) issued a curfew.[8] The national guard was not deployed.
| To read more about the death of George Floyd and subsequent events, click [show] to the right. | |||
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See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Lucas County Board of Elections, "Elected Officials List," June 27, 2017
- ↑ Lucas County, Ohio, "About Wade," accessed July 31, 2017
- ↑ Nick Katers, "Email exchange with LaVera Scott," July 14, 2017
- ↑ Lucas County Board of Elections, "Historic Election Results," accessed September 16, 2021
- ↑ Friends of Kapszukiewicz, "Vision," accessed July 31, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Toledo Blade, "Peaceful protest turns violent Saturday," May 30, 2020
- ↑ ABC 13, "Protests in downtown Toledo turn violent Saturday night," May 30, 2020
- ↑ Washington Post, "The death of George Floyd: What video and other records show about his final minutes," May 30, 2020
- ↑ The New York Times, "8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody," May 31, 2020
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 USA Today, "Medical examiner and family-commissioned autopsy agree: George Floyd's death was a homicide," June 1, 2020
- ↑ Associated Press, "Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death," April 20, 2021
- ↑ CNN, "Protests across America after George Floyd's death," accessed June 2, 2020
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Mayor of Toledo 2018-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Lucas County Treasurer 2005-2017 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Toledo City Council 1999-2005 |
Succeeded by - |
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