Biography

Wade Kapszukiewicz was sworn in as Lucas County Treasurer on September 5, 2005, after being elected to the position in November 2004. He was then re-elected in 2008 and 2012.

Wade is a responsible steward of the taxpayers’ money, accurately accounting for and properly handling over $600 million each year. As the county’s chief real estate tax collector and investment officer, he manages a $220 million investment portfolio, which has earned nearly $50 million in interest for the county’s general fund since he took office.

Under Wade’s leadership, the Treasurer’s office has developed a number of programs to help move the community forward. His office purchased bonds from the County Commissioners to provide the initial financing for the construction of Toledo’s Huntington Arena. He created a linked deposit program through which 42 local small businesses have received nearly $5.2 million in low-interest loans, creating or retaining 396 jobs since 2007.

In response to the foreclosure crisis, Wade has worked to create solutions to help citizens fight back and rebuild their neighborhoods. He co-chairs the Lucas County Foreclosure Prevention & Intervention Task Force, and most recently, he helped change state law and create the Lucas County Land Bank, at the time the second of its kind in Ohio. The Land Bank, which Wade chairs, has acquired over 2,000 vacant and abandoned properties since February 2011, and by either demolishing or rehabbing these properties, the Land Bank has helped preserve property values and strengthen neighborhoods.

Wade co-chairs the Greater Toledo Cash Campaign, which seeks to increase tax refunds for working families through participation in the Earned Income Tax Credit program. In tough economic times, Wade has also sought to run the Treasurer’s office like a business, reducing the size of his staff by 25% and cutting his general fund budget by 45%, or $618,547, since he took office.

Prior to becoming Treasurer, Wade served a term on the Lucas County Board of Education and was a member of Toledo City Council for nearly seven years, being first elected in 1999 and then re-elected in 2001 and 2003. When he began his service on Toledo City Council, at age 26, Wade had the distinction of being the youngest person to serve on that body in 25 years.

Wade’s service to the community extends beyond his work as an elected official. He is also involved in a number of neighborhood, civic, and political causes.  A long-time reading tutor and mentor, Wade is currently a Read for Literacy volunteer.  He also serves on the Friendship Community Center Board of Directors.  In 2004, he was chosen to serve on Bishop Leonard Blair’s Education Council, and in 2006 he was named the Ohio Young Democrat of the Year. He received recognition in 2006 as a “20 Under 40” community leader, and in 2010 ESOP gave him its “Above and Beyond” award. In 2012 Wade was again honored by ESOP, this time earning its “Rooted in ESOP” award.

In 2014, Wade was honored by The Toledo City Paper as one of its “Big Idea Toledoans” for his work creating and leading the Lucas County Land Bank.

Wade has twice been a member of the Electoral College, serving as a presidential elector from Ohio during both the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections.

A Roman Catholic, Wade is a parishioner at Gesu Church in Toledo.  He also volunteers as the athletic director at Gesu School, where his children attend.

Wade graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from Marquette University in 1994 and was named the valedictorian of the College of Communication, Journalism and Performing Arts. He received a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Michigan in 1996.

After receiving his master’s degree, Wade worked for two years as the Policy Analysis and Research Director of the New Ohio Institute, a public policy research organization that studied issues affecting Ohio’s urban areas. In April 1998 he accepted the position of Manager of Planning and Development at the Lucas County Mental Health Board, where he worked until he began serving on Toledo City Council. While on City Council, Wade taught a course in American Government at Owens Community College and also worked at COMPASS, a social service agency that works with people with drug and alcohol addictions.

In addition to serving as Treasurer, Wade is also an adjunct professor at Lourdes University, where he teaches a night course in Urban Studies.

A resident of Toledo since 1973, Wade was born in San Diego, California, on October 30, 1972. He and his wife, Sarah, were married on July 14, 2001. They live on Meadowwood Drive in the Old Orchard neighborhood of Toledo and have two children: Emma, 11, and Will, 8.