Exorbitant expectations are greeting Finkbeiner

11/13/2005

Nine molasses-coated Lemmon Drops to nibble on while counting down to the March 28, 2007, opening of the Shops at Fallen Timbers:

Are we there yet?

Oh, sorry. I was just prepping Carty Finkbeiner for his first month on the job.

The landslide victory over Toledo Mayor Jack Ford on Tuesday was a clear mandate for Mr. Finkbeiner's pedal-to-the-metal style. (Never mind this agent of change is 66 and had quadruple bypass surgery last year.)

The expectations are so high for Mr. Finkbeiner that he can't "underpromise and overdeliver."

He has left himself with little wiggle room.

I don't know how he's going to do it I mean, does anyone really believe Southwyck Shopping Center will be revitalized within 365 days? but it's going to be fun to watch.

I can't see Mr. Ford making a Finkbeiner-like comeback in the 2009 mayoral race.

I suppose it could happen if he follows the same path as Mr. Finkbeiner and becomes a television commentator, which would keep him in the public eye.

But that seems unlikely.

For one thing, I question whether he would be interested in that type of role. For another, I doubt TV stations will pursue him. The common thread in both angles, of course, is Mr. Ford's demeanor.

Whether politics or television, charisma is a key ingredient for success.

For Mr. Finkbeiner, it comes naturally. For Mr. Ford, it doesn't.

The Lucas County Board of Elections is the Los Angeles Clippers of the state's election boards. (That is, year after year, despite a steady infusion of talented individuals, they struggle as a team.)

Voters booting Karyn McConnell Hancock from Toledo City Council might be the mother of all knee-jerk reactions.

Yes, she tried to name-drop her way out of a parking ticket. Then, she exasperated the situation by being so arrogant.

But is it fair for a seemingly promising political career among other things, she brings a much-needed youthful perspective to council to effectively end because of something so innocuous?

According to the Web site wiseoldsayings.com, "don't cut off your nose to spite your face" is a French proverb that originated in the 14th century.

Seven centuries later, voters in the Lake Local School District seem oblivious to the ramifications of rejecting six levies in a row.

In my 37 years of following politics (it all started with the 1968 presidential election), "Carty Gets Results" ranks among the best slogans I've come across.

I came home from watching Good Night, and Good Luck the movie, set in the 1950s, about famed broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow and thought my clothes were going to reek of cigarette smoke. Man, there was a whole lotta workplace puffin' going on in that film.

Apparently, there's no Lewis "Scooter" Libby effect. The Lucas County auditor's office has issued 107 dog licenses this month, and there's not a Scooter in the bunch. (In case you're wondering, there are about 100 licensed dogs in the county by that name.)

Happy 58th birthday, Toledo Sports Arena.

Too bad the facility that opened with much fanfare on Nov. 13, 1947, now symbolizes Toledo's apathetic nature toward self-improvement. It has become our monument to malaise.