Article source for : Lucas County commissioners squabble over University of Toledo grant
Excerpts from a Mar 19, 2008 Toledo Blade story titled "Sparks fly over commissioners' denial of UT grant":http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080319/NEWS33/803190415/-1/NEWS - _Konop claims colleagues motivated by politics_
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Tensions continued to rise yesterday among the Lucas County commissioners, as Ben Konop once again clashed with his two fellow board members over economic development in the county. Tina Skeldon Wozniak, president of the commissioners, and Commissioner Pete Gerken voted against a Konop proposal to give $330,000 to the University of Toledo to fund a high-tech business incubator - a vote Mr. Konop claimed was motivated by county politics.
"It's a sad day for the Lucas County citizens," Mr. Konop said after the meeting. He claimed his fellow commissioners were "putting politics above progress." But Ms. Wozniak and Mr. Gerken said the county already provides millions of dollars to the university.
Mr. Gerken said he hoped to use the money for more immediate needs, including low-cost loans to local businesses such as Xunlight, a solar panel manufacturer, and a group of private investors trying to reopen the former Ford Stamping Plant in Maumee. "I'm one that hasn't given up on the manufacturing base," Mr. Gerken said. "I think it's possible to have both."
The dispute comes down to how best to spend $330,000, which the county received when it sold parcels of land to the Toledo Area Metroparks. Mr. Konop proposed that the money, which was placed in the county's economic development fund, be used to help fund UT's business incubator project. The incubator would be in between the Clean and Alternative Energy Incubator and UT's engineering college near Dorr Street and Westwood Avenue. It would foster high-tech businesses and jobs in the county by supporting the development of 20 to 25 businesses that could create 125 to 200 jobs, according to UT.
The university has received $4.5 million for the project - $2 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration, $1 million from the state of Ohio, and a $1.5 million gift from retired engineer Norman Nitschke.
Ms. Wozniak noted that the county has supported the project in the past by helping secure grants for the project, and also has supported UT's "Rocket Ventures," a $22.5 million capital venture fund.
But while Ms. Wozniak and Mr. Gerken said they were looking out for the county's finances, Mr. Konop contended they were playing politics. He implied his votes against the Lucas County Improvement Corp. and *other stances he has taken against his fellow commissioners* may have contributed to their vote against him. "*Sometimes it's hard to go against the +status quo+*," he said.
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h2. Man Alone
So Konop is the new Maggie Thurber, opposing the Woz and the Gerk. I'm all for that.
Mar 5, 2008 Toledo City Paper cover story titled "Man Alone":http://toledocitypaper.com/view_article.php?id=1585
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The normally jovial 32-year old Lucas County Commissioner, who’s youthful energy and perspective resulted in a landslide victory in 2005, *finds himself the odd man out in the area political arena*, in no small part due to his view that the economic development agency Lucas County Improvement Corporation is a failed experiment.
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Of course, Konop is probably called courageous for not following the status quo while Thurber was called negative.
h2. Splintered County
Apr 9, 2008 Toledo Blade story about the previous day's two State of the County *'addresses'* : "Konop skips board event to hold one of his own":http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080409/NEWS33/804090450/0/NEWS09
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"I cannot, in good conscience, pontificate on the State of the County to campaign contributors, recipients of no-bid contracts, and assorted politicians," Mr. Konop said in a statement.
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!http://toimg.sv.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=TO&Date=20080409&Category=NEWS33&ArtNo=804090450&Ref=AR&MaxW=500&title=1!
"chili dog blog posting":http://blog.buckeyepayroll.com/wordpress/?p=1363
h2. More LCIC fighting
Apr 16, 2008 Toledo Blade : "Konop continues criticism of agency":http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080416/NEWS33/804160409/-1/NEWS
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Over the strong objections of Commissioner Ben Konop, the other two Lucas County commissioners yesterday approved an additional $200,000 allocation to the LCIC to fund it for the rest of the year.
The vote came after an argumentative hour-long discussion, during which Mr. Konop, a frequent critic of the LCIC, questioned the organization's efficiency and the credentials of its staff members.
But while Mr. Konop has been adamant in his desire to see the organization disbanded, he is one of its board members and a member of its search committee attempting to find a new director to replace interim Director Matt Sapara.
His fellow commissioners asked why there hasn't been more progress toward a candidate. "He tried mightily to kill the agency, and now he wants to turn around and find a leader for it," Commissioner Pete Gerken said. "We may have to discuss how viable that is."
The LCIC, founded more than 40 years ago, was expanded in 2005 to replace the Lucas County Economic Department and serve as a +regional+ *[unigov]* organization for job creation. Its creators hoped it would serve as an effective advocate for the county and the city of Toledo.
But the agency has been plagued with strife and turnover in staff in the last year. Mr. Konop has called for its disbandment and proposes a more streamlined agency, to be overseen by representatives of the county, the city of Toledo, and the University of Toledo.
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br. DeeDee Liedel "said":http://glasscityjungle.com/wordpress/?p=2943#comment-279869 at Glass City Jungle :
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Toledo is at the LCIC’s table for Toledo only, as evidenced by Mayor Finkbeiner’s position that Toledo will give in-kind support but only for projects that are in Toledo.
Merging the county and city departments, with no ability for the townships to have any input (other than voting for county commissioners every four years) will not be supported by many of the township trustees, including myself. Merging those two departments would, in my opinion, be the equivalent of telling us that we have no business in helping guide and shape our own economic development.
The County Commissioners have already entered in to a water deal with Toledo for water service to rural townships that is detrimental to economic development in those areas (basically giving Toledo veto-power over any commercial development). Does he really think the townships trust them to put economic development in the hands of the City of Toledo?
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br. Here are a couple dimwitted comments by hard core Toledo knuckleheads who were responding to DeeDee Liedel's intelligent defense of other communities, which the hard core Toledo jackasses don't like to hear :
"progressivetoledo":http://glasscityjungle.com/wordpress/?p=2943#comment-279892 : _"I think the most competent suburbs should grow up, stop blaming the city, and take a leadership role. This is where you have failed Ms. Leidel. Everyone in this region could benefit from good leadership. Stand up and do it."_
"Rockets Man":http://glasscityjungle.com/wordpress/?p=2943#comment-279924 : _"Bravo progressivetoledo, Bravo!"_
br. Hard core Toledo pinheads hate the outlying communities. It's evident in Toledo-based politicians and their supporters. What about leadership from Toledo? It doesn't exist. Yeah, like that's news.
The outlying communities are too busy *protecting* themselves from the Toledo jackals. Toledo-based officials give NO reason for the other communities to trust Toledo.
DeeDee nailed it with : _"Toledo is at the LCIC’s table for Toledo only ..."_
I don't call it the LCIC. I call it the Toledo Improvement Corporation, and I don't know why the other communities don't form their own group that excludes Toledo.
Toledo is only interested in protecting Toledo interests. Toledo does not care about the rest of the county nor the region, except for how the other communities can serve Toledo. TARTA for example.
My "sentiment":http://www.toledotalk.com/cgi-bin/tt.pl/article/1613/Toledo_officials_opposed_to_education#Councils_shock_n_awe_stance from June 2007 : _"I believe that Toledo-based public officials view unigov or regionalism as how can other communities serve Toledo, instead of how all communities together can help the region."_
We'll never progress as a [[Lake Erie West|region]] with the current mindset that exists in Toledo public officials and Toledo citizens who support those officials. Although I do believe the region can progress some if it excludes Toledo from the group, especially Toledo officials. A *LEW-minus-Toledo* group that includes only business people from Toledo may work.
Any entity that involves Toledo-based public officials is guaranteed to fail or greatly underachieve at the expense of taxpayers.
When Toledo's crazy mayor falsely "accused Wood County of stealing jobs":http://toledotalk.com/cgi-bin/tt.pl/article/2313/Toledo_mayor_accuses_Wood_County_of_poaching from Toledo, Thomas F. Pounds, President and Publisher of the Toledo Free Press "said":http://toledotalk.com/cgi-bin/tt.pl/article/2313/Toledo_mayor_accuses_Wood_County_of_poaching#In_a_nutshell : _"It seems that if Toledo lands a major company, it benefits the entire region, but if a major company chooses the region, it's not necessarily a boon for Toledo, according to [Toledo] mayoral logic."_
Another spot-on observation about Toledo not giving a damn about the county nor the region.
br. *Related :*
* May 2007 - [[Jack-ass Ford's racial addiction]]
* June 2007 - [[Toledo officials opposed to education]]
* July 2007 - [[Hildo looks to unigov to solve Toledo's problems]]
* August 2007 - [[Here's why other communities laugh at Toledo]]
* January 2008 - [[Toledo won't contribute to LCIC]]
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