Dayton City Commissioner Tony Capizzi comes on strong, sometimes even too strong, both friends and critics say.
Tony talks fast. Tony walks fast. Tony bounces around a room. He jogs door to door when campaigning. One colleague described him as a mass of kinetic energy.
"Sometimes people are a little overtaken by it," said Mark Owens, Dayton clerk of courts and Capizzi's close political adviser.
Capizzi is up every morning at 5:30 and in his law office by 6:45. From there, it's nonstop.
At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last summer, Capizzi kept his fellow Democrats' heads spinning as he worked sources, friends and strangers to get a credential for the convention floor. Eventually, his persistence paid off, and Capizzi wound up sitting next to Ohio Party Chairman David Leland.
Capizzi's success against the odds didn't surprise those who know him.
"Extremely energetic - like a pit bull," said Montgomery County Democratic Party Chairman Dennis Lieberman. "He'll hang on to an issue or situation until the bitter end to make sure it is resolved the right way."
Still, Capizzi, 43, admits his pace can be a flaw - one he has been working on.
"In the last four years, I've tried to think a little more before I talk," he said. "I think I started about four years ago in becoming more of a consensus builder and slower in my presentations and analysis because it wasn't coming from the mayor."
Capizzi, who is running against Republican incumbent Mike Turner for mayor, has been trying to craft himself into mayoral material for years. He maintains that now, after 12 years on the commission, he has the experience and maturity for the job.
"I believe that the city needs to come together," he said. "I believe the city needs a cheerleader. I believe the region needs a cheerleader."
Capizzi said he can be the bridge between blacks and whites, labor and management, neighborhoods and businesses, the city and suburbs. "I am comfortable in the board room and I'm comfortable in a park in East Dayton or West Dayton," he said.
David Holmes, president and CEO of Reynolds and Reynolds, agreed, saying Capizzi is a team player.
"I think Tony represents a force that can unite the community rather than drive it apart," Holmes told the Dayton Rotary Club recently. "That's a stark difference (with Turner)."
But critics say Capizzi has not distinguished himself on the commission. His 12-year tenure has produced gun control legislation and the possibility of a $22.7 million minor league baseball stadium.
Turner said Capizzi hasn't shown leadership and shouldn't be mayor.
"He's been a commissioner for 12 years. I would think there would be greater examples of his leadership," Turner said. "I don't think he does very much. I don't think he has been very active in a broad range of issues."
Not so, said Capizzi. "My critics would say that, but I believe I've accomplished a number of projects - quietly."
It is inappropriate to upstage the mayor, Capizzi said, so he has worked behind the scenes on the expansion of the U.S. Air and Trade Show, getting Dayton more than its fair share of Montgomery County Economic Development/Government Equity grant money and making sure the Dayton Human Rehabilitation Center's 440 beds are full. It just so happens that most of the media attention focused on his work on gun control and baseball, he said.
His fellow Democrats on the commission find Capizzi to be agreeable.
While she doesn't always agree with him, Commissioner Idotha Bootsie Neal said Capizzi is more likely to seek input on his proposals from fellow commissioners. "Tony is more approachable," she said.
Commissioner Dean Lovelace said Capizzi is respected by City Hall staff and that helps him get things done. But Capizzi is also seen as the commissioner backing baseball, and he has to break out into other dimensions, Lovelace said.
Last winter, it looked like Lovelace was going to run for mayor against Capizzi and Turner. But Lovelace backed down when faced with family issues and the fact that he would likely run without Democratic Party support.
Lovelace's decision probably saved Capizzi a lot of grief.
"Well, we will see how grateful he is," Lovelace said.
Lovelace is proposing a "living wage ordinance" that would require the city and its large contractors to pay employees at least $8.50 an hour. It is an ordinance that business leaders have vowed to oppose.
Capizzi said he only promised Lovelace that he would look at the legislation with an open mind. But when asked about the hot topic recently, Capizzi said he has yet to read the draft legislation. He added that although he believes in the intent of the living wage ordinance, he personally believes the answer is in creating jobs, not legislating wages.
This campaign season, Capizzi's name has been largely associated with efforts to bring a minor league baseball team to Dayton. Major League Baseball may decide about the team this week. Approval may bolster Capizzi's campaign, although controversy over stadium funding has clouded the issue.
Capizzi moved to Dayton from upstate New York to attend the University of Dayton Law School. He and his wife, Ginny, have one son, Daniel, who turns 15 next month. He is a freshman at Alter High School, and on the swim team. Capizzi attended Catholic schools from elementary to law school and said he always intended to send his son to parochial schools.
Capizzi said he spends his free time taking Daniel to swim meets, working out at a health club and watching TV late in the evening. "I dread phone calls between 10 and 11 o'clock at night because that's the only time I have in peace," he said.
Ginny Capizzi said her husband does manage to relax at home, but at work his pace is so brisk and brusque that she doesn't like to go into the office with him.
Capizzi admits that he can be emotional. He cries at funerals and movies and openly wept during the final commission meeting presided over by former Democratic Mayor Richard Clay Dixon.
"I cried during Princess Di's funeral. I watched it on TV," he said. "I'm a pretty emotional person."
* STAFF WRITER David Mendell contributed to this report. Contact Laura Bischoff at 225-2446; or e-mail her at laura_bischoff@coxohio.com