Local Government in Toledo and Northwest Ohio
The city and county: Toledo city government including the charter, council, agenda and departments. The Police Department.  The Lucas County Commissioners and Department of Jobs and Family Services. The Toledo Lucas County Public Library and the zoo serve both. The city and county have a combined Port Authority, planning commission and the  Regional Growth Partnership of Northwest Ohio.

Citifest organizes concerts along the river during the summer. Toledo Sister Cities, Inc., handles relations with the eight sister cities of Toledo including Spain.  The Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Museum of Art and the Metroparks  

The city is unusual in having multiple school districts. Toledo Public Schools enroll about three quarters of the pupils within the city limits and the Washington Local School District enrolls about a fifth. The Anthony Wayne School district serves the southwest portion of the city. Three suburban districts of Sylvania, Maumee and Springfield enroll the remaining city pupils.

Suburban cities and villages are Maumee, Sylvania, Perrysburg, Holland, Waterville, Rossford, Springfield, Oregon  and Ottawa Hills. Wood County government and its Board of Elections. The Toledo Metropolitan Council of Governments (TMACOG) coordinates environmental projects and transportation.
Ohio government has offices for the departments of Development and Jobs and Family Services in Toledo. The regional offices for the OEPA and the Department of Transportation are in Bowling Green. Maumee Bay State Park is nearby. The Ohio Lake Erie Office. 
Michigan state line forms the northern boundary of the city and county. Bedford Township is an important suburb and the City of Monroe is ten miles to the north; both are in Monroe County. The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) coordinates environmental projects and transportation.
Politics: The Republican Party for the state and for Lucas County and the Democratic Party for the state and for Lucas County. 
National government local and regional offices: The US Coast Guard has a unit here. According to the system of standard Federal Regions, Ohio is in Region 5, with offices in Chicago. The US EPA and the Social Security Administration are examples. The actual facilities are found scattered about. The Department of Veterans Affairs treats Toledo patients in its hospital in Ann Arbor.

Congress: Senators Voinovich and Brown. Congresswoman Kaptur. Adjoining the city limits on the north, the 16th district of Michigan is represented by Congressman Dingell.

History: Toledo government has often blazed the trail for reform, racial harmony, economic development and beautification. The Public Library maintains a local  history collection The 1794 Battle of  Fallen Timbers opened the midwest to white settlement. At the turn of the century two Progressive mayors, Samuel "Golden Rule" Jones and Brand Whitlock, made the city famous for its good government.
Link to The Blade, the University of Toledo, the UT Department of Political Science, and the Urban Affairs Center.