Toledo Mayor Michael Collins was taken off of a life support and died earlier today at the University of Toledo Medical Center, the Toledo Blade reports.
Collins, 70, suffered cardiac arrest while driving a city-owned vehicle five days ago. He was elected Mayor of Toledo as a political independent and led the city through last year’s harsh winter and the water ban which attended western Lake Erie’s algal bloom.
Collins was a former police detective and police union president. He is the first Toledo Mayor to die in office since 1904.
City Council President Paula Hicks-Hudson, 63, has been serving on an interim basis and will be officially sworn in as Mayor in short order. She will continue serving until the general election in November.
This article appears in Feb 4-10, 2015.
Damn. Condolences to his family.