By Colette Cόrdova, October 12, 2026
Sylvania voters will decide on Issue 14 which is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Issue 14, The Sylvania Resource Conservation Equal Access Ordinance, will ensure city resources will be spent on city services and not for federal immigration enforcement. (https://issue14voteyes.org/)
In March of 2026, Mary Westpahl (R), Chair of Sylvania City Council refused to put the initiative on the agenda for a vote. Doug Haynam (R), council member for 23 years, said it was the first time he was not able to get an issue on the agenda. He decided to take it to the streets to secure enough signatures letting the citizens decide. He put together a group to discuss the issue including past council members.
Katie Cappellini (I), former city council member in Sylvania, Ohio, sat next to current councilman, Doug Haynam (R), for 14 years. “I sat next to Doug… in the beginning agreeing more with Republican issues and we had a lot in common,” she said. “We were both financially conservative; I was more progressive.” After the Sylvania City Council Chair failed to put his initiative on the agenda for a vote, Mr. Haynam proceeded to secure enough signatures to get Issue 14 on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Mr. Haynam explained they needed 10% of the votes cast in the last final election to get the ordinance on the ballot which is about 295 signatures; they secured over 400 which is 15% of the population in Sylvania.
Ms. Cappellini said Mr. Haynam approached her about the ordinance to see how other community people felt about it across the parties. She said, “He created a group to touch all communities. The Sylvania City Council just jumped to the far-right position and were not open to it – just so set in their ways.” When asked why this initiative was important to her, she explained that, “While watching things go so wrong in this country, it is important to do it locally to make our values better, instead of the terrible things that are going on and hard to just sit and watch…like what happened in Minneapolis [e.g., ICE killings of US citizens]-we could prevent that here. If everybody did just the smallest thing, we would be in a better position.”
When asked if she thought most people agreed with it, Ms. Cappellini stated, “I think most people do; we got 400 signatures to get it on the ballot. Three past city council members along with Doug supported it. It was rainy and cold in April when we talked to people to sign it. Most people opened their doors and talked to us. The ones we talked to were appreciative and said thank you so much for doing this.” Ms. Cappellini has lived in Sylvania since 2001 and chose to live there.
Ms. Cappellini had not seen the police video of the 911 medical call on September 2, 2026 where the Toledo Police Department (TPD) showed up, and the subsequent arrest of Nazario Vázquez in South Toledo who ended up in ICE custody. She did say that in Sylvania police do NOT show up with calls for medical assistance stating, “No, not in Sylvania, only for a crime do police show up. It is not cheap to send out police. It makes no sense to send police to a medical emergency.” She added regarding the vote on Issue 14, “I feel like… I hope that in Sylvania they are voting for a fair Sylvania and there is kindness in their heart by doing what is fair and right in our community. And, keep our tax dollars where they belong in Sylvania, no matter who they are, and spend it on people who live in Sylvania. We are asking to stay the same and not do anything extreme.”
Jason Mishka (D), also a former City Council Member, was also part of the group Mr. Haynam pulled together to get the initiative on the ballot. Mr. Mishka stated that he had kept in contact with him so when Mr. Hayman reached out to him, he told him he thought it was a good idea. When asked why he thought Issue 14 was important, he said, “First and foremost, Sylvania has limited funds so they get used on projects where there are no other funds like for leaf pickup or police protection.” He added, the roads in his neighborhood are 60 years old. Mr. Mishka stated, “Funds should be used where other funds are not available.” Additionally, when asked if he thought the people of Sylvania agreed with the initiative, he said, “I do. When we started this idea, we talked to a lot of people and got 400 signatures in just a couple of days. People thanked us for doing this.” Mr. Mishka had not heard about the 911 call and subsequent arrest of Nazario Vásquez by Toledo Police, so he was unable to comment on the situation. Nor was he aware if the Sylvania police show up at 911 medical calls. However, Mr. Haynam, an attorney, stated in regards to the arrest of Mr. Vásquez, “It’s pretty clear that this 51-year-old father got abused by the Toledo police and then by ICE. And the story is not being told very clearly. Bits and pieces just don’t fit together. I know this, I am more convinced than ever that the immigration programs of this administration are cruel and should be very unpopular with the American people.”
Additionally, Mr. Haynam, the author of Issue 14, said passing it is important to him, “because when Renee Good got shot, I thought, this is unacceptable; we have to fix this.” He added, “I could make sure our city wasn’t part of it. America does not support our current immigration policy. I know that to be the case. Sylvania residents would choose to have the city funds go to pick up garbage on time than fund ICE.”
When asked if he thought Issue 14 would pass, he stated, “I hope it passes…it’s a crowded ballot. It matters a lot who the new, next senator and governor in Ohio, and the Representative in Sylvania are. In the middle of this, we are trying to talk about this [Issue 14]. If the voter doesn’t know about an Issue, they vote no. If they don’t know what Issue 14 is, they will vote no. I genuinely believe the people of Sylvania will support this, but not sure we can get the message out. If it were a stand-alone issue, I’m confident this will pass. But that is not how elections work. I think my neighbors support it philosophically.”
Mr. Haynam explained that the major challenges have been, “Getting people’s attention about it and understand what’s at issue. The time to invest in in it and to get my neighbors to understand what we are doing. There are a small core group of MAGA Republicans who see this as an attack on the administration. The long-term Republicans worry about how we spend our resources. We are not going to spend our limited resources on money for federal government programs. They are spending billions on immigration. I am a true fiscal conservative, but I don’t want my city to be part of enforcing immigration the way ICE is doing it today. I don’t want to send them money either.”
When Baldemar Valásquez, elected President of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), was asked about his opinion this week regarding Issue 14, he stated, ” I testified on this matter at Sylvania City Council meeting and the comments against the ordinance, for the most part, were terribly misguided. With the exception of Federal Authorities having a proper warrant or Federal claim for a local immigrant, painting all immigrants as ‘criminal’ is unwise local policing. As the case that FLOC made with TPD and LCSD enforcement of local laws should be their priority because immigrants need to report crimes committed against them also. Using local law enforcement to act as ICE agents in any degree will weaken their ability to win favor with residents in enforcing local crimes. ”
You are encouraged to vote YES on ISSUE 14 at your Sylvania polling location, early voting, or by mail. See details below:
Lucas County Voting Information
In-Person Early Voting is underway. This is an easy and secure way to make sure your vote is counted. You can cast your ballot at the Lucas County Shared Offices Facility at 3737 W. Sylvania Ave, Toledo Ohio 43263 – Entrance C. from 8am-5pm Monday-Friday. There is also Saturday voting on October 24 and 31 from 8am-4 pm and also Sunday voting on November 1 from 1pm-5pm. You can learn more about early voting: www.voteohio.gov or www.lucascountyohiovotes.gov/.
You can also vote on election day at your polling location. If you need a ride to the polls, you can call 419-VoteNow. Toledo Jobs with Justice will provide the rides to the polls.
If you vote by mail, remember your ballot has to be received by election day, November 3, 2026. It is suggested that you mail by October 24 to ensure it arrives on time. If you live in Lucas County, you can also use the drop box at the Lucas County Board of Elections to drop off your ballot. You can track your ballot at www.ohiosos.gov/directories/ballot-tracking.
Newly, naturalized citizens should vote early, if possible, to allow time for resolving problems.
The Sylvania Resource Conservation Equal Access Ordinance Will
- Ensure City resources will be spent on City services and not for federal immigration enforcement.
- Ensure City police and other services will be equally available to everyone in the City.
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The US Constitution and federal law establish sole responsibility for immigration enforcement in the United States federal government. Issue 14, The Sylvania Resource Conservation and Equal Access Ordinance WILL NOT weaken or impede the Federal government’s authority and ability to enforce immigration laws in the City of Sylvania.
- Limit the City to spending its resources on key City services, including police protection, road repair and maintenance, snow and leaf removal, and providing water and sewer services to the residents of Sylvania.
- Clarify that police and other City departments will not require proof of immigration status prior to receiving services from the City, including emergency services.
- Will require the City to comply with any valid judicial warrant or court order and with all applicable federal and state laws that mandate local government participation with federal law enforcement.
VOTE YES ON ISSUE 14
https://issue14voteyes.org/
The city has limited finances. The federal government has sufficient resources to enforce federal immigration laws. Issue 14 will keep Local dollars for Local services.