Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner (right)
Posted on 02/09/2008 12:17:48 PM PST by bimboeruption
Mayor kicks Marines out of Toledo 1-24th Marines were scheduled for weekend urban warfare training in downtown Toledo, when Carty gave them the boot
By Darsha Philips Posted: Saturday, February 09, 2008 at 2:05 p.m.
TOLEDO, OH -- Mayor Carty Finkbeiner on Friday ordered some 200 members of Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines from Grand Rapids, Michigan, out of Toledo just before the unit was suppose to start a weekend of urban warfare training downtown.
The mayor’s spokesperson Brian Schwartz said, “the mayor asked them to leave because they frighten people. He did not want them practicing and drilling in a highly visible area."
Toledo police said they knew about the training and had approved the unit’s use of the Madison Building and the Promenade Park area. The training was scheduled to start Friday afternoon and last until Sunday. Police said the unit’s presence would have a minimal impact on the city. Police issued a press release earlier in the week saying the marines would be wearing green camouflage uniforms, operate military vehicles, carry rifles, perform foot patrols, and fire blank ammunitiion during the exercise.
Schwartz said there was a breakdown in communication between police and the Finkbeiner administration that led to the mayor’s action.
“The marines drilled here three times during the Ford administration and once under the Finkbeiner administration. After the last visit, the mayor told then police chief Jack Smith, that he did not want the marines back. Smith failed to inform the current police administration of the mayor’s feelings,” Schwartz said.
NBC24 spoke to Jack Smith who recalled that after the marines last visit, he and the mayor had a heated exchange about the training.
“He told me he did not want them, as he put it, “playing war in Toledo’”, Smith recalled. I told him, as a former marine, “that if one young marine’s life is saved because of training he or she received in Toledo, Ohio, then it was worth the inconvenience.”
Smith said if the mayor objected, then he should have been the one to convey those feelings to police. Smith took his run-in with the mayor as an objection to that last visit, and not future training in Toledo.
As a result, the Toledo police went ahead, granting approval to the 1-24th Marines to conduct the routine exercise. The police notified members of the Finkbeiner administration, who were not aware that the mayor objected to unit’s training in Toledo.
When the mayor found out, he sent a member of his staff to tell marines they could not conduct urban operations in Toledo.
The unit was notified about 3:30 p.m. after an advance team arrived in Toledo. Five buses carrying some 200 marines traveled four hours from Grand Rapids, only to find out the training had been shot down.
The unit briefly stopped at a another 1-24th marine base in Perryburg Township, then returned back to Grand Rapids where training was expected to be held this weekend.
A spokesperson for the marines said they were disappointed by the mayor’s decision especially after the city had been so helpful in the past.
Comments Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; they are not reflective of the views or opinions of Barrington Broadcasting, NBC24, its directors or employees.
If you believe a comment violates the Barrington Terms of Use, please report it here.
Submit a comment about this story
No comments yet.
Please go to NBC Channel 24's site and post your opinion.
Perhaps the voters of Toledo will get a chance to frighten the Mayor.
So how will he feel when war, in the form of terrorists, comes to Toledo for real? I’ll bet he’ll want the Marines around then.
I think Mayor Finkbeiner is anti american and should go away on a long long one way boat cruise
“the mayor asked them to leave because they frighten people.”
WTF?
For their sake, I hope Toledo never gets attacked...
Here’s the phone number for Mayor Finkbeiner’s office: (419) 245-1001.
Give him a call.
Who cares. Let’s get this out. Make Finkbeiner famous.
Granted, I don't think they are, I think the mayor is just an idiot who insults his people.
Carty is an idiot and that’s just for starters. Not so odd that he did this on a weekend so WPSD couldn’t go after his butt.
I don’t have enough words to describe Carleton Finkbeiner. The Toledo Gestapo is also going to put up more cameras at the lights to raise money. Makes me want to shop there...
It’s a pretty sad state of affairs when some asshat named Finkbeiner can order America’s Finest to get TFO.
WastedYears typing
He’d be frightened, alright.
Toledo is a port city.
It’s difficult to know what’s loaded on those cargo ships.
Democrat.
The part of cut n run. The Clinton/Obama party retreat and surrender.
Just think what will happen if McCain loses, because some number of conservatives can’t find strength and importance in his support for the military.
We lose. They win. The damage will go on for each and every day of the next four years.
Toledo’s a French word?
Toledo is just another Democrat parasite nest ("city"), right?
Heh, what do those people know or care? They'll re-elect that scumbag mayor in a landslide.
man, quite frankly watching MARINES practice would put me at ease not frighten me. I guess military folk frighten liberals.
Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner (right)
At a minimum the city of Toledo should reimburse the Marines for their time and expense.
“So how will he feel when war, in the form of terrorists, comes to Toledo for real?”
The mayor probably made a deal with the terrorists thinking that they will leave the city of Toledo alone. Judging by the mayor’s name, Al-Qaeda would love to get a hold of him.
GEEZE WHAT A JERK THAT GUY IS.
MARINES MAKE MY HEART SWELL WITH PRIDE, AWE & GRATITUDE.
Rat Finkbeiner
Toledo is a Spanish word.
Lancey, what’s that thing with the glasses?
It's French now! /s
the mayor is asking for suggestions: http://www.ci.toledo.oh.us/MayorsOffice/Suggestions/tabid/195/Default.aspx
Thanks Bill! I’ll give him one now.
I know some of the Marines in Alpha Company and they truly did some terrific things in Iraq that we should all be proud of. If you want to see some of their heroes go to www.alphaheroes.org
Having been to Toledo, I don’t remember it as the kind of place anyone would have to kick me out of to get me to leave.
I’ve never been there, but it sounds like Toledo must be a real leftist, pro-Marxist, anti-American city.
It was the ‘Toledo Blade’ that did a hit piece on so called “atrocities” committed by US forces in Viet Nam a few years ago. And the Lefties at the Pulitzer Prize committee awarded the paper a Pulitzer Prize for their “investigative” reporting.
As far as I’m concerned, the terrorists can hit all cities like Toledo, San Francisco, Berkley, and all other cities full of pro-terrorist anti-American left-wingers.
“As far as I’m concerned, the terrorists can hit all cities like Toledo, San Francisco, Berkley, and all other cities full of pro-terrorist anti-American left-wingers.”
HEY!!! ...I live in toledo you prick...
Wish death on some other fellow American would ya...
I just called this number. A real person answered the phone and I was able to leave a message for the mayor. This poor guy is ex-Navy and said he was astounded at the mayor also. Call the number and leave a personal message, but be kind the person you are leaving the message with.
Whoa fella......I live in Ohio so I’ve been to Toledo and if I lived in toledo I wouldn’t tell people.
Upside, they are getting slammed from across the country. Downside, the putz of a Mayor just won reelection. she said they tried to impeach him but failed buy 15,000 votes.
Perhaps the jarheads sang this on the way home:
Saturday Night In Toledo, Ohio
Lyrics by John Denver
Saturday night in Toledo, Ohio is like being nowhere at all.
All through the day how the hours rush by, you sit in the park and you watch the grass die.
Ah, but after the sunset, the dusk and the twilight, when shadows of night start to fall.
They roll back the sidewalk precisely at ten and people who live there are not seen again.
Just two lonely truckers from Great Falls, Montana and a salesman from places unknown
all huddled together in downtown, Toledo to spend their big night all alone.
You ask how I know of Toledo, Ohio? Well I spent a week there one day.
They’ve got entertainment to dazzle your eyes: go visit the bakery and watch the buns rise.
Ah, but let’s not forget that the folks of Toledo unselfishly gave us the scale.
No springs, honest weight, that’s the promise they made,
so smile and be thankful next time you get weighed.
And “live and wet live”, let this be our motto, let’s let the sleeping dogs lie.
And here’s to the dogs of Toledo, Ohio, ladies, we bid you goodbye.
I just called the number to Finkbeiner’s office (419-245-1001) and talked with a very nice guy who agreed with my comments.
He said he’s getting calls chastising Finkbeiner from across the country.
I asked if Finkbeiner would get these messages. He said that all calls to the city are recorded.
Is that the missus beside him?
I don’t know if that’s the missus beside Finkbeiner or not.
All I know is that IT isn’t a Marine.
His name is Ben Brooks and he is the 15-year-old son of a liberal blogger from Toledo, Mike Brooks.
” Whoa fella......I live in Ohio so I’ve been to Toledo and if I lived in toledo I wouldn’t tell people.”
While I appreciate the joke...I take slight offense at someone saying they are square with my city geting nuked...
“As far as I’m concerned, the terrorists can hit all cities like Toledo, San Francisco, Berkley, and all other cities full of pro-terrorist anti-American left-wingers.”
Besides an idiot mayor..we have a national guard airwing and a few ground units as well out of toledo....and many active service men and women muster out of toledo and the area...leaving their families here....while Ffranko makes idiotic statements about them getting nuked...
Sorry...not funny...
Thank your son for his service please...
You guys should dump the dumbass as soon as you can. Dayton had the 26th MEU do what they call TRUEX (true exercise) a few years back and the town really rolled out the red carpet for them.
Thanks for the good thoughts for my son. We had his homecoming at Camp Lejeune last week and this weekend he flew home for a few days so we are all happy around here.
[So how will he feel when war, in the form of terrorists, comes to Toledo for real?]
Well, at least the islamist pig terrorists will know where they can set up terror training ops. They should be welcome there and maybe they can start shariah law on the women of Toledo. Let the beatings begin.
Good luck, Mayor.
One would think that the people of Toledo would have a monument to such a distinguished group of men and honor them. Not quite, they are too busy being politically correct and sucking up to the likes of Marty Frankel and the minorities that live there. Toledo has become a place to avoid, a barren desert within a myriad of buildings. Toledo sucks, no way about it.
Look again, it’s a completely different article.
Max Klinger should run against this fool.
That's OK Toledo, just keep voting the dems in sooner or later they are going to make things better, trust them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.