Still a Hometown Boy

Ok, I will keep this brief, because most of you aren't from Toledo and likely won't care. However, the current mayor of the city of Toledo, OH, Carty Finkbeiner, (D), a white man who unseated the city's first black mayor, Jack Ford, (D), last November, recently called the Fire Chief, a black man "King Kong" in a staff meeting. The comment leaked to the press, creating a fiasco because of Mr. Carleton Finkbeiner's previous verbal and physical blunders as the mayor from 1993-2001.

Some might know the Trivial Pursuit board game and be aware of the mayor's former comment suggesting deaf people be moved to the airport?

The Fire Chief made a plea that people not make an issue of it, saying he did not think the mayor meant anything of it. He agreed with the mayor's statement to the press that he meant the comment to refer to his strength and stature as a man.

But, to me, this is another example of blacks being complacent about implicit racial behavior of white public officials and choosing to do nothing about it. I wrote a editorial that was printed in The Blade. See the web address:

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060604/OPINION03/606040350&SearchID=73251045005445

You will also notice a woman's letter on the same page whose opinions are contrary to mine on this issue, and in my opinion, her examples are irrelevant. Also, most noticeably is the Mayor's own response -- a great political answer that does not acknowledge fault for the comment.

What do you think?