And Ben Konop embarrasses Toledo and Lucas County too.
A couple days ago, Konop suggested Toledo trash collectors double as crime fighters, like something out of a comic book.
And now Konop goes begging for more funny stimulus money.
Excerpts from an Apr 22, 2009 Toledo Blade story titled We'll take the money, Konop tells Ohioans who spurned stimulus cash
Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop made a statement of his own yesterday: "Simply put, if Warren County doesn't want or need the help, Lucas County will take it," Mr. Konop wrote in a letter faxed yesterday to the Warren County commissioners. Mr. Konop read "with dismay but also a sense of opportunity for our residents," he wrote, "that your county rejected $373,400 and would like to return another $1.8 million."
Mr. Konop, in his letter, ticked off his county's plight - high unemployment, "an economy near collapse" because of the crisis in the auto industry, and a home foreclosure rate among the nation's worst. "We here in Lucas County welcome every available dollar to put people back to work," Mr. Konop wrote. "The federal stimulus funds come from tax dollars paid by our citizens and I am confident they want to see that money returned to the community when so offered," Mr. Konop said. He thanked Warren County commissioners for their consideration, "and should you decide to award us with the funds you don't want and we need, then I thank you for your generosity."
Warren County also wants to return $1.8 million in stimulus funding for energy-efficient windows and roofs on government buildings. "We're in the minority; I know that," said Commissioner C. Michael Kilburn. "If we need things, we'll write the check and pay for it."
Warren County Commissioner David G. Young said he doesn't blame counties that accepted the money. "Desperate times call for desperate measures," Commissioner Young said. "However, I do blame politicians in Washington who are playing up to their constituencies by throwing money out like candy," Mr. Young said. Commissioners did allow the Warren County Sheriff's Office to apply for $237,400 in stimulus money over three years. That would pay for an officer at Kings High School in Mason.
Excerpts from an Apr 21, 2009 Cincinnati Enquirer story
"This is bad, filthy money, folks," Commissioner Mike Kilburn said March 17, when the commissioners voted unanimously not to accept transit dollars. "This is money we don't have."
Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop faxed a letter Tuesday to his counterparts in Warren County, saying he read of their decision with dismay but also a sense of opportunity.
Kilburn today told Konop he's not getting a penny.
"I can appreciate your request to receive our share of stimulus funding but that would, in my opinion, defeat the purpose of us not accepting the money,'' Kilburn wrote Konop. "I want our portion of the funding to be utilized to reduce the national debt and to send a message to Washington D.C. that says enough is enough.''
Kilburn went further: "Stop spending money you don't have and start being accountable to the taxpayers. God only asked for 10%, why do the politicians in Washington D.C. think they deserve more than 40%?"
Warren County was the only rural Ohio county to decline the transit money, said Scott Varner, ODOT spokesman. "If we want it that bad, we'll do it on our own," Warren County Commissioner David Young said Tuesday. "I don't think people understand how much money we are talking about here."
But the general view of the all-Republican commission has been that stimulus dollars should be used only to pay for crumbling infrastructure, he said. "Our vans are fine - we'll keep them for a while," Young said.
What's less clear are the facts surrounding the $1.8 million that has officials say has been offered to pay for energy projects in Warren County. According to Young, a representative from Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown's office called the Warren County's clerk of commissioners about a month ago and announced: "Congrats, you get $1.8 million."
"I told her (the clerk) to call them back and tell them we don't want it; we didn't apply for it; is there any way of literally not borrowing this money?" Young said. It's unclear what the next step will be relating to this money, because no formal vote has been taken on the issue.
Not only should Warren County avoid spending the money, Young wants to stipulate that the money not be given to any other local government to spend either. Instead the amount should be subtracted from the increased national debt created by the stimulus.
"Our goal will not likely be accepted by the federal government," Young said. "They won't simply say, 'Ok, we'll reduce the amount of national debt.'" So what happens if they say "no"? "Who knows, if it's going to be spent, we want it spent here," Young said. "But we are really trying to practice what we preach."
Konop is a dimwit and an embarrassment to the Toledo area. Konop acts like a stammering, punk, brat kid, demanding more candy even though his pockets are already overflowing with sweets. Konop made Lucas County residents look like a bunch of destitute people.
Young and Kilburn are intelligent, which is rare among politicians. These two pols easily flogged Konop on a mental argument. But then again, a good sneeze would outsmart anything Konop spewed.
Konop must be "Son of Carty." What a horrifying movie sequel. Konop may be angling to be an embarrassing question on a Trivial Pursuit card some day like his mentor Carty Finkbeiner.
I wonder why Lucas County, in Konop's own words, has "an economy near collapse?" Blame the auto industry? No way. That worn-out crutch of an excuse died at least 15 years ago. If you're still blaming your failures on the auto industry, you are part of the problem.
Create or die.
Adapt or die.
Konop's Deranged Response
Konop clearly thrives on making himself look foolish.
Excerpts from an Apr 22, 2009 Glass City Jungle posting :
Konop Presses On for Eschewed Stimulus Funds
Warren County rejects Konop's request to redirect unwanted federal money to Lucas County
TOLEDO, Ohio - Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop has continued his quest to obtain for his community Warren County's returned and rejected federal stimulus dollars.
On Wednesday, while Warren County Commissioner C. Michael Kilburn rejected the local commissioner's request, Commissioner Konop sought answers from the departments of transportation and development, as well as advice from elected federal officials about getting those unwanted stimulus dollars re-directed to Lucas County.
Below are Commissioner Konop's statement and Commissioner Kilburn's original rejection letter.
Statement from Commissioner Konop
"During this period of economic uncertainty and struggle for our citizens, I will not get into a right-wing-radio-fueled, Rush Limbaugh-esque debate about taxes. Now is not the time for political posturing. Our job losses are real. Our home foreclosures are real. Our challenges are real. Despite Mr. Kilburn's objections and rejection, I will continue to fight for every dollar out there to provide the services our taxpayers deserve. Also, I will not apologize for, nor will I stop, pursuing every angle to put our citizens back to work. I thank Mr. Kilburn for his response, but I will continue to seek any stimulus funds Warren County returns or rejects for Lucas County."
Commissioner Kilburn's rejection
Mr. Konop,
I am emailing in reply to your letter received yesterday, April 21, 2009, relative to our refusal to accept stimulus funding for our Warren
County Transit Service.
First, let me say that I take exception to your comment that this money comes from tax dollars paid for by our citizens. In fact, this money is NOT tax dollars that our citizens have paid but rather additional debt which will become the responsibility of our future generation to pay. I also question the source of this money. Is it newly printed money from Washington D.C. or more China dollars? Also, what happens when China calls their notes on us?
Secondly, the Warren County Transit Service was being offered funding for the replacement of three vehicles which did not need to be replaced. They were also offering to “give” us funding for new computers and a software program that the grant would fund for the first year but would cost $2400 per month to our taxpayers thereafter. The software that we utilize now works just fine and doesn't cost us $2400 per month.
I can appreciate your request to receive our share of stimulus funding but that would, in my opinion, defeat the purpose of us not accepting the money. I want our portion of the funding to be utilized to reduce the national debt and to send a message to Washington D.C. that says enough is enough. Stop spending money you don't have and start being accountable to the taxpayers. God only asked for 10%, why do the politicians in Washington D.C. think they deserve more than 40%?
I respectfully decline your offer to receive our share of the stimulus funds.
Sincerely,
C. Michael KilburnWarren County Commissioner
Konop said, "I will not get into a right-wing-radio-fueled, Rush Limbaugh-esque debate about taxes. Now is not the time for political posturing."
Konop knows he got mentally thrashed, so now he is resorting to name-calling, which is the action of a loser. Konop is trying to deflect from the issue, which is as Kilburn stated, "Stop spending money you don't have and start being accountable to the taxpayers."
Konop is way in over his head here. Konop is woefully unqualified to be any kind of politician. "... Rush Limbaugh-esque debate about taxes." What is that? Where is that coming from? What was the point of that statement?
Konop is acting childish. I guess when Konop knows that he has been defeated in the arena of political ideas, Konop desperately starts lobbing Rush bombs, which have nothing to do with the topic being discussed.
The only political posturing here is coming from Ben "Son of Carty" Konop.
88 counties in Ohio. At least one county refuses some or most of the stimulus money. So out of the other 87 counties, it ends up being a Lucas County commissioner who stupidly goes begging for that money. What a shock that it's a Toledoan who is running for mayor.
Konop's TV Show
How does Konop have time to run for mayor of Toledo when he is a part-time law professor at the University of Toledo, a Lucas County Commissioner, and a star on the TV show Chuck ?
