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| Home Front: Politix |
| Semper Carty |
| 2008-02-13 |
| Once again - it happens way too often - Mayor Carty Finkbeiner has managed to embarrass himself and the city he so zealously represents. Indeed, with sniping from the ubiquitous Internet blogosphere, Mr. Finkbeiner has made Toledo the subject of national derision by abruptly turning away a detachment of U.S. Marines that had arranged to conduct training exercises in urban warfare in the downtown last weekend. This was a public relations debacle that could have been headed off were it not for inexplicably poor communications inside city government, plus the intransigence of a mayor with a long history of shooting from the lip, who rarely admits mistakes, and who reflexively digs in his heels when challenged. On one level, we understand Mr. Finkbeiner's decision. If he agreed to allow the Marines to train downtown, he would in effect be admitting that Toledo has a central business district that is so devoid of activity that a bunch of folks in camouflage with guns, storming empty buildings, wouldn't bother a soul. But, given the fuss when the same thing happened two years ago, it's unbelievable that responsible officials in the police department and the mayor's office and, especially, the mayor himself, allowed controversy to blow up in their faces again. To begin with, the 200 members of Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, from Grand Rapids, Mich., shouldn't have been given the green light to train in Toledo, given the mayor's after-the-fact opposition in May, 2006, when he contended - somewhat dubiously, we believe - that the presence downtown of troops from the same unit "frightened" people. But once the unit showed up last week, they shouldn't have been so unceremoniously turned away. Never mind that no one bothered to tell the mayor they were coming, or, more likely, that Mr. Finkbeiner wasn't listening, the Marines should have been allowed to complete their training mission here. It's not as if they were going to use live ammunition, and the training had been publicized in The Blade beforehand. As anyone except the mayor might have anticipated, the response to his decision was not pretty. Traitorous, disgusting, and national disgrace are some of the kinder comments about the Mr. Finkbeiner on various Internet blogs. His Honor's response was pure Carty: Rather than graciously admitting his error, he called anyone who questioned his loyalty to the military and love of country a "baboon." Neither Toledo City Council nor the Lucas County commissioners have helped the situation either. The political posturing of some members of Council has been more than a little transparent. And the commissioners' attempt to mend fences by offering gift cards for visits to Toledo by the Marines and their families seemed foolish. What this incident boils down to is yet another example of Carty's "Ready, fire, aim!" approach to management. Like - can it ever be topped?- the idea of moving deaf people out near the airport. Once again, the whole city is made to look the fool because of the mayor's lack of judgment and unhealthy obsession with always being in control. Without thinking, Mr. Finkbeiner treated the Marines as an enemy to be vanquished, with all the patriotic connotations in this post-9/11, war-torn world. He should know by now that sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. Failing that, he needed to remember that the mayor is responsible for everything that happens on his watch. A quick acceptance of responsibility and a sincere apology would have gone a long way toward ameliorating the negative national attention focused on Toledo. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #5 Sorry...Rex has ZERO sympathy. You get what you pay for. Don't like it? Move....or get out the torches n pitch forks. Or how about this....stop electing @$$hOle$ to represent you! |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2008-02-13 23:55 |
| #4 Carty! Carty! Carty! Carty! |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-02-13 18:17 |
| #3 I see a great future for him in day time television. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-02-13 18:10 |
| #2 I'm amazed that he managed to get elected, with a moniker like that. He sounds like one of the slightly villainous henchmen in "Blazing Saddles". |
| Posted by: Sgt. Mom 2008-02-13 18:09 |
| #1 at least now Carty Finkbeiner's famous - as blowhard asshole mayor of a distressed empty downtown. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-02-13 17:46 |