Gaining Voter Trust to Push Projects Forward
Successful funding is built on trust. Metroparks Toledo gained the trust of voters who approved a levy to reimagine a 5-mile stretch of the downtown riverfront.
The Challenge
After thoughtful planning of how to transform Toledo’s downtown waterfront, the project could only move forward with voter support.
The Outcome
Voter support exceeded expectations with 61% approval to pass a 10-year, $160M levy with an immediate match of $24M in federal grants.
Cities around the country are experiencing a revitalization of their downtown riverfronts and Toledo is no exception. Metroparks Toledo presented their vision to turn the area into 300 acres of new and revitalized greenspace connected by five miles of multi-use trails spanning both sides of the river; bridging new connections between the neighboring communities. Such a bold vision would come with a hefty price tag and Everwild was engaged to lead the campaign creative strategy.
Knowing the voter base was composed of several socioeconomic sectors, Everwild conducted a series of interviews with community stakeholders to determine what would drive each of them to support the project. We took what we learned and created a look and feel for the Riverfront to get people excited about how the vision would come to life.
Because Metroparks is a public entity it cannot actively appeal for voter support. How did they get the message out to voters? Our recommended strategy included a two-pronged approach. We wanted to re-energize the Metroparks’s image campaign with an updated tagline to reflect the challenges faced in 2020. Knowing how many people turned to the parks for solace during the pandemic, we adopted the mantra “For You. For Us. Forever.” emphasizing that the parks will always be there for us and are worthy of continued support.
Getting information about the vision for the project was more challenging during the pandemic. Normally, there would be several community meetings to get voters excited to support the funding. Our solution was to create a microsite dedicated to the project that clearly defined the features and benefits along with the proposed funding plan. A series of billboards, print ads and social posts all pointed voters to the site to learn more.
As a result of all efforts, the voters of Lucas County approved the levy with 61% in favor of the project. Additional federal funding has been granted as part of a matching program and several private corporations have committed funding to support additional elements of the project.