Presented to the Toledo Tribune by Bruster’s Way mediation service.
Mediation Rooted in Understanding
It’s a quiet thing, conflict. It starts with a misunderstanding, a raised eyebrow, maybe a misread email. And if left to simmer, it turns into a full boil—letters, lawyers, investigators flown in from somewhere east of understanding. That’s when it gets expensive.
Take a look at Toledo—not the one in Ohio, bless their hearts, but our Toledo here on the coast, with the flowing river and the mill and the good people who mostly mind their own unless something truly stirs the water. In the last year or so, this little town has been home to not one, but several formal city investigations. The kind of things that make a small town feel a little smaller.
And the cost? Well, the going rate for one of those investigations was rumored to be $450 an hour. That’s not the total—that’s the hourly. Multiply that by a several interviews, a legal review, a final report, and a meeting or two to present the findings, and you’re well into five figures before anyone says “lessons learned.”
And for what? An investigation, by design, tells you whether something happened or didn’t. It might confirm suspicion, or clear a name. But it doesn’t mend fences. It doesn’t bring folks back to the table. It ends things—it doesn’t resolve them.
That’s where mediation comes in. It’s not flashy. There’s no stern-faced report or headlines. But it works. Two sides come together with a neutral party—not to win, but to understand. Not to point fingers, but to find a path forward. And the beauty of it is, it’s cheaper—a fraction of the cost of even a basic investigation. Just a table, a few chairs, and a quiet hope that we can figure this out like neighbors.
It’s also confidential—no risk of reputation damage, no “gotcha” moment. Nothing said in mediation can be used in court, which gives folks the freedom to speak honestly without worrying about legal blowback.
The county has a choice to make. Do we follow the pattern we’ve seen unfold in Toledo—a string of investigations with no clear resolution, only mounting bills and deepening divides? Or do we model something better? Do we choose the path that costs less, heals more, and reminds us that even when we disagree, we’re still part of the same community?
Maybe it’s time to treat conflict not as scandal to be rooted out, but as a moment to learn, to grow, to listen.
And maybe, just maybe, the first question we should ask when things go sideways isn’t “Who do we hire to investigate?” but “Who can help us talk this through?”
After all, we live in a place where people still bring soup when you’re sick, and wave from their porch in the rain. Surely we can work things out across a table too.
At Bruster’s Way, we believe conflict can be an opportunity. We offer confidential, affordable mediation designed to build bridges, not walls. Services for individuals, families, organizations, and local governments. Rooted in community values, our process brings people to the table to listen, learn, and move forward—together.
Disclaimer: The opinions of the author are not necessarily those of the Toledo Tribune.
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