Blogger gets prickly retort from Portsmouth mayor (Dem mayor writes ugly e-mail)

The Columbus Dispatch ^ | October 1, 2009 | Randy Ludlow

[flutters]

Robert Forrey regularly skewers city officials in Portsmouth while pontificating on their perceived sins on his River Vices blog.

The self-styled government watchdog concedes that Mayor Jim Kalb is a favorite target, but he never expected the rant that landed in his in-box at 1:47 a.m. Sunday.

The e-mail was from Kalb, who informed Forrey that he could drop by the mayor's office in the Ohio River city to pick up a public record he had requested.

The mayor went on to write, asterisks and all: "I think that you're a worthless piece of s**t and I wouldn't p**s on you if you were on fire You're a poor, lonely, jealous old man with aspirations of being a writer.

"You write your lies and uneducated opinions on people and issues from behind the safety of your slobber stained keyboard," Kalb wrote, going on to describe Forrey as a "pitiful, broke-down, lizard-looking thing."

The mayor closed: "Get a life old man. On second thought, don't bother With little respect for you, Mayor James D. Kalb.

"Now that's freedom of speech at its best in my opinion."

Forrey's reaction: Wow.

The 76-year-old retired English professor, who taught at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, wasn't particularly offended. First Amendment. Free speech. Protected opinion. It's all good, he figured.

"It would not have been as unbelievable to me if this was on a personal basis or outside of his official communications, but he wrote this in his capacity as mayor. That's what I find hardest to believe about this," Forrey said.

Kalb acknowledged writing the e-mail, which was sent from his city e-mail account.

Asked if he regretted his language, Kalb replied: "I regret that he made it public. That was between him and me. It's a bit harsh, but it was between him and me."

Kalb went on to denounce Forrey as a crank who has used his blog to personally attack him and his family and spread lies about his conduct in office.

Forrey agreed that he has been tough on the mayor. "I have called him a lap dog for subservience to some of the influential people in this town."

Forrey has been known to use colorful language on his blog, such as "political whores and pimps." But Forrey said that he doesn't resort to profanity. (A review of his blog, however, reveals some vulgarisms.)

Kalb, a Democrat who became mayor after residents threw the previous one out of office in a 2004 recall vote, is seeking election to another term on Nov. 3.

"I don't think this is going to win him the senior citizens vote," Forrey said. "This is absolutely not the way a public official should conduct public business."

Forrey threw the mayor's e-mail on his blog under the heading, "Mayor Kalb: Burning the Midnight Oil." It's been a local hit, attracting the most hits of any blog item he has ever posted.

Robert Forrey's blog is at rivervices.blogspot.com.

[flutters]

From: rforr1@roadrunner.com
Subject: Freedom of Information
To: portsmouthmayor@yahoo.com
Date: Thursday, September 24, 2009, 3:30 PM
To: James Kalb, Mayor

Under Ohio’s Open Public Records Law, I am requesting a copy of the written agreement between the city and the Portsmouth Kiwanis Club for a playground in Tracy Park. A week ago, on Sept. 18th, 2009, at a public meeting in Tracy Park,in response to a question, Rick Morgan of Kiwanis publicly acknowledged that such a written agreement existed, but neither he nor you have yet made that agreement public. Please notify me by email when I can pick up a copy of that agreement.

Thank you.

Robert Forrey

[flutters]

From: City of Portsmouth
To: rforr1@roadrunner.com
Subject: Re: Freedom of Information
Priority: Normal. Date: Sunday, September 27, 2009 1:47 AM
To: Robert Forrey

Per your public records request;

You are correct in stating that at the meeting in the park the fact was “acknowledged that such a written agreement existed”. What I don’t understand is why you feel that a confirmation of this fact would necessitate a publication or distribution of the mentioned document.

As you requested, a copy of the document has been prepared for you to pick up at my office. Our regular office hours are from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday.

If there is anything else that I can do for you, which is required by law, don’t hesitate to call my office. If it isn’t required by law then don’t bother asking, because I think that you’re a worthless piece of s**t and I wouldn’t p**s on you if you were on fire (my opinion). You’re a poor, lonely, jealous, old man with aspirations of being a writer. You write your lies and uneducated opinions on people and issues from behind the safety of your slobber stained keyboard with the hope that somebody will read them that doesn’t know you and believe that you’re more than the pitiful, broke-down, lizard-looking thing that you are, in my opinion. Get a life old man. On second thought, don’t bother..............

I do have a question for you. Do you have family and if so do they even like you?

Looking forward to your next Internet issue of “FORREY’S FOLLIES”.....NOOOTTTTTT

With little respect for you,
Mayor James D. Kalb

Now that’s freedom of speech at its best, in my opinion.

[Slings and Arrows]

Class, thy name is “Democrat.”

[hometoroost]

"I regret that he made it public. That was between him and me. It's a bit harsh, but it was between him and me."

Not when you write it from a city-owned email account skippy. This one's on you Mr. Mayor. I wonder if the city has standards of conduct for the use of it's email and computers?

[a fool in paradise]

At LEAST he didn’t say Macaca.

[domenad]

You know you hit a nerve when they scream the loudest.

[KarlInOhio]

You are correct in stating that at the meeting in the park the fact was “acknowledged that such a written agreement existed”. What I don’t understand is why you feel that a confirmation of this fact would necessitate a publication or distribution of the mentioned document.

More likely is that the public admission that this document existed prevented the mayor from the usual "No such document exists" or even "I'm not sure what document you're talking about" that is often the reply to any request for inconvenient public records.

[fieldmarshaldj]

This Mayor sounds like a psychotic.

[Notary Sojac]

If I were a columnist I would LOVE getting a letter like this from the mayor.

In fact I'd reprint it once a month and start signing my columns "From the slobber-stained keyboard of 'The Lizard""

[Phantom Lord]

Without a picture I can not tell if the blogger is infact a lizard looking thing.