Back on July 6th, 2007, I started a message thread on the Toledo area political message board, SwampBubbles, attempting to stir up some serious conversation about the next Mayoral election that was more than two years down the road; that is this year's election. While my posting resulted in quite a few comments, there was very little serious dialogue by the so-called self-proclaimed political activists, bloggers, commentators.
It was soon after that message thread that some people began to circulate a rumor that I, Roland Hansen, was going to be a candidate for Mayor of Toledo and posted some negative commentary along those lines on various political blogs and internet message boards. I guess these folks just had to practice their art of political predictions and character assassination.
Regardless of that bit about me, here we are today in the heat of the initial stages of the primary election battle to determine the next Mayor of the City of Toledo, Ohio in which many people are bemoaning the choices being proffered to date. I guess the electorate will always remain the same, a bunch of crybabies who sit on the sidelines complaining about "bad" government and "dirty" politicians. For reference sake, I suggest you take a look at that message thread: Toledo Mayor in 2009.
(Oh, incidentally, did you read my prediction back then about the recall effort of the Mayor? Such useless and wasted energy as is today's Take Back Toledo push!)
Now, what has all that got to do with the Roland Hansen Commentary of today? Okay, if you went to the aforementioned message thread and read it, you will understand more fully what I am now addressing.
Here goes ...
All right, I know we haven't even elected the Mayor of the City of Toledo, Ohio yet this year, let alone chosen the two candidates for Toledo Mayor in the primary election that is still just short of three months away. Heck, the general election is still five months off into the future from this entry of Roland Hansen Commentary.
None-the-less, one of the candidates for Toledo Mayor is Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop who was elected to a four-year term back in 2006 and who has broken his 2006 campaign pledge to complete his full term if he were to be elected a Lucas County Commissioner.
I suspect that Ben Konop will not even survive the September 2009 municipal primary election to be a candidate for Mayor of Toledo in the November 2009 general election. In the unlikely possibility that he does survive the primary election to be a candidate in the general election, he should be soundly defeated.
All of that brings me to my main focus today. The seat on the Board of Lucas County Commissioners currently held by Ben Konop is up for election in 2010. I'm going to assume Benny Konop will fall flat on his face in his Toledo mayoral quest and seek re-election as a Lucas County Commissioner, that is, of course, providing Benny-boy doesn't find some other political elective office that suits his political opportunistic fancy and go for it instead. In the event that Ben Konop does seek re-election as a Lucas County Commissioner, he should be tossed out on his ear. My previous entries here on Roland Hansen Commentary about Ben Konop provide the information as to why I have such thoughts. Just plug his name in up there in the blog search box and you can read them all if you so desire.
Onward.....
I have heard and read that some people are dissatisfied with the current political faces on the Board of Lucas County Commissioners and want change. Some have said the heck with the political parties. Some clamor for an independent. Whatever!
The reality is if you truly want something different in the 2010 election for the Board of Lucas County Commissioners, it is necessary to start now in order to offset the advantage of incumbency and political party affiliation.
That long-winded introductory statement is the lead in to a question. Here is the question:
Who do you suggest run for Lucas County Commissioner in 2010?
3 comments:
Roland,
The list of people that I would like to suggest is likely also a list of those who want nothing to do with running for office in this area owing to the treatment often given in the local 'daily' newspaper, in the rest of the mainstream media, and in the blogosphere.
You might even be surprised to find that some of them are people who would not consider themselves Conservatives, but are at least common sense liberals (an endangered species, by the way).
As for the current office holder, I hope to have a little fun with that in a new Fractured Fairy Tale on Wednesday.
Roland,
"Who do you suggest run for Lucas County Commissioner in 2010?"
I suspect that with 28 or more running for Toledo City Council and my top two choices for Mayor, some interesting and refreshing people will turn up.
That said, I fully expect a crowded field seeking to become Lucas County Commissioners in 2010; perhaps one or two of these might dhow some promise, but this is for a COUNTY position, so the potential field is even wider .
That said, I too favor pro business candidates and they usually have to be coaxed into running, so we had better start beating the bushes in preparation for 2010.
Surely there are some proven, qualified candidates, perhaps among the retired, who could be convinced that their talents are sorely needed for a term or two...
I for one, will start looking around for such talent within the County and perhaps in the City, although maybe it's time for a non Toledo candidate.
There are plenty of others who could represent the County from outside of Toledo. . .
And Tim, I can hardly wait to read your Wednesday post ;-)
FYI:
I have received a telephone call from a person, age mid-30s with both private business and government service employment history, who is considering the possibility of a 2010 run for Lucas County Commissioner.
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