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Mayor Carty's dangerous driving caught by police cameras

Hilarious. And this is the guy who presented the text-driving ban to Toledo city council. Way to lead by example on the issue of safe driving.

Oct 8, 2009 - Toledo Blade - Finkbeiner has run 4 red lights in city SUV; 2 tickets dismissed, 2 paid

Entertaining opening paragraph by the reporter.

Mayor Carty Finkbeiner — famous for seeing red like a bull at staff meetings and with city council — apparently has trouble seeing it on Toledo's traffic lights.

Mr. Finkbeiner has a habit of chastising red-light runners but apparently is himself among those people who on occasion go through intersections when the light is not green. The mayor, who is quietly known among city employees as having a heavy foot behind the wheel of his city-leased sport utility vehicle, was photographed four times since taking office in 2006 by the city's red-light cameras.

According to documents obtained by The Blade yesterday from the city, only two of Mr. Finkbeiner's four red-light camera tickets have been paid. A $95 ticket dated Dec. 23, 2006, and a second $120 ticket dated Feb. 26, 2008, were both listed as dismissed and unpaid. "If the ticket was not challenged in the legal fashion, why was it dismissed? How would this be handled if it were another city employee?" Mr. Collins asked.

The picture of the mayor's 2006 silver GMC Envoy shows him going through the red light on a snowy morning. The vehicle is in the right lane and the mayor appears to proceed through the intersection at 39 mph — past another vehicle that was stopped at the red light.


The concern here is not about the mayor's safety nor the safety of other drivers around the mayor. The concern is about the safety of the mayor's dog, Scout. Is Scout riding with Carty when the mayor is driving dangerously? We know the mayor likes to bake Scout on occasion. Is Scout still alive?

created by jr on Oct 08, 2009 at 10:46:47 am
updated by jr on Oct 08, 2009 at 10:50:16 am     Comments: 13

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tags: humor   moronism   

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Comments ... #

For sheer entertainment value, it will be hard to top Carty. Bell and Wilkowski seem so thoughtful, steady, placid, and un-hilarious, in comparison. I would like to see Southwyck Drive renamed "Carleton Circle" as a tribute to the mayor.

posted by viola on Oct 08, 2009 at 07:37:41 pm     #



Vintage jr and his biting dry humor. Thanks for the best - albeit hollow - laugh of the day, jr.

posted by historymike on Oct 08, 2009 at 07:39:47 pm     #



The only thing in Toledo that should be named after Czarty is a deep hole only produces problems. Are there any pit mines around here?

posted by GuestZero on Oct 09, 2009 at 10:16:03 pm     #



The Blade had a follow-up to its Oct 8 story. This one on Oct 9, 2009 titled Finkbeiner denies seeking special treatment for tickets :

Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner said he never asked for special treatment in getting two red-light tickets dismissed, but added he was unaware how that happened.

Mr. Finkbeiner said he had not abused his power and didn't arrange to have the tickets dismissed.

"I did nothing in any way, shape, or form dishonorable whatsoever except pay the bills that were legitimate traffic fines to pay," he said. "I don't play those games. I don't ask for favors. I never have and I never will because I'm the mayor of the city of Toledo."

True, the mayor does not ask for favors. He simply assumes them. He takes them. Good to be the king.

[Carty] added: "If somebody dismissed a ticket because they looked at it and said, 'I don't think the guy went through the red light there,' then that's their business. That's not my business."

The mayor said The Blade's story yesterday about his repeated failure to stop at red lights was nothing more than a "witch hunt."

"Let's just say I recognize a witch hunt when I see a witch hunt and so will everybody else in the community," he said.

It's amazing what a thin-skinned dweeb Czarty is. He has no trouble dishing out unwarranted abuse to others, but he cannot take a little bit of reporting based upon obtained documents, regardless of the Blade's agenda.

More from the Blade story about Czarty vs JRB:

The mayor - a big supporter of red-light cameras and the revenue they provide the city - said he was disappointed with the attention The Blade had placed on the violations and suggested it was because he supports Issue 3 to legalize casinos in four Ohio cities, including one in Toledo. The newspaper printed an editorial yesterday against the issue.

"I would only comment that I hardly think that two traffic violations in four years is something that most people would put on the front page of the daily newspaper if there wasn't another reason for that to be on the front page," he said.

John Robinson Block, publisher and editor-in-chief of The Blade, said Mayor Finkbeiner's attempt to link The Blade's coverage of his red-light violations to the newspaper's editorial stance against casino gambling is "ridiculous" and "a bit paranoid."

"Obviously that was not why we did the story," Mr. Block said. "The story is of some significance because he's the mayor of Toledo."

I wished the Blade had been obtaining documents and pounding the mayor and others in local government a lot sooner.


I think what would be funny is Czarty running for a district city council seat in 2011 and winning. Think of the council meetings with Czarty a member, assuming he attended. But it's not Czarty's style to be simply 1 of 12. He prefers to be the only one. But when Czarty steps down from his mayoral throne, he will get into something. Maybe back on the Port Authority. He got selected to the PA board in 2003.

posted by jr on Oct 09, 2009 at 11:38:46 pm     #



At least he spoke up about Southwyck, Northtown collapsed without much fanfare.

posted by Linecrosser on Oct 10, 2009 at 02:58:15 am     #



ummm jr? Czarty has outlived his usefulness to the almighty JRB. These two have been swiping at each other since the failed endeavour of saving the Stranahan Building.

And seeing JRB now has the failed campaigner Konop and the alleged head of the LCRP in his pocket, Czarty is having a hard time not having clout with the "daily" as he did lo so many years ago when he was relevant.

posted by BrianInFlorida on Oct 10, 2009 at 04:59:58 am     #



Seriously, "from housing for the deaf" to a $10,000 shower, to the highland park confrontation, our mayor has said and done some pretty crazy things over the years. How does this even deserve to make it on the radar? One more for the road?

posted by thetoledowire_com on Oct 10, 2009 at 09:02:29 am     #



"One more for the road?"

One more? Czarty has about three months left in office. He's got plenty of time for more assclown blunders. Sure, let's ignore his hypocritical and possible malfeasance-like ways because after all, it's just Czarty being Czarty, helping to bring down Toledo along the way.

How did the mayor get out of two camera tickets if he never challenged them? Flaw in the system? Since the city is dependent upon revenue from the police cameras to help balance the budget, then fix those flaws to make sure all the money gets collected, right? That way our taxes will not be raised, right?

You don't find it amusing that a mayor who is routinely prone to driving dangerously has submitted an idea to city clowncil that claims to make driving safer. Czarty lives by the motto, "Do as I say, not as I do." In Czarty's mind, the laws, the rules, and basic human decency don't apply to him. He's above all that petty stuff.

Cretin government officials like Czarty need exposed and embarrassed as often as possible. They don't need nor deserve sympathy and forgiveness. They should not be ignored. They deserve disrespect, scorn, and disdain from the public because those politicians have earned it.

If you don't like it, don't read the news. Keep your head in the sand. That's what politicians like. That's how people like Czarty get elected to three terms as mayor.

You're not naive enough to think this jackass will stop embarrassing and harming Toledo when he's done as mayor, are you? He has almost no allies on city clowncil now. That's the way it should be. But what about elsewhere? Any of those Friends of Czarty need rooted out of local government somehow.

posted by jr on Oct 10, 2009 at 11:10:57 am     #



No offense, Linecrosser, but NorthTowne Square collapsed on Carty's watch. I should know - I was a tenant there for six years. It might be intelligently argued that mayors have little control over rapidly changing real estate markets, but Carty was in office 12 of the last 16 years, and he had little to say about NorthTowne's demise.

posted by historymike on Oct 10, 2009 at 02:56:18 pm     #



Mike uh you basically repeated what I wrote. He at least said something about Southwyck, I dont recall him mentioning anything about Northtown.

posted by Linecrosser on Oct 11, 2009 at 12:54:19 am     #



They should just rip out all the internal walls and build a large indoor water park.

posted by Linecrosser on Oct 11, 2009 at 02:42:42 am     #



Sorry, Linecrosser - I misinterpreted your comment as an endorsement of or apologia to Carty, and not as a recognition that he sat idly by and promoted land use policies that allowed NorthTowne to wither on the vine.

posted by historymike on Oct 11, 2009 at 11:34:42 am     #



As I read my previous post, I should also acknowledge that Carty inherited the overbuilt commercial mall situation, which has its roots in favorable tax policies that encouraged over-development of large enclosed malls. Still, his administration actively encouraged the proliferation of big-box and larger strip developments that accelerated the demise of enclosed malls, and the result is a region with far too much vacant retail space and not enough consumers to purchase goods and services.

posted by historymike on Oct 11, 2009 at 11:39:56 am     #