[1] His career in Public Service began in 1980 when he joined the Toledo Department of Fire and Rescue as a firefighter and later became a certified paramedic/EMT.

[2] He is a member of the International Fire Chief's Association and received the President's Award for his efforts for diversification.

[3] In 2007, he was appointed as State Fire Marshal by Ohio Governor Ted Strickland.

Bell defeated Wilkowski on the November 3 election by a margin of only 2% and was sworn in on January 4, 2010.

[4] Bell officially ended his term as Mayor of Toledo on January 4, 2014.