The downside to the format of the Toledo City Paper is they don't have a way to archive letters. So I'll post the letter in full in the comments rather than take up front page space so it will be "preserved".
Part of Jack's letter to the editor:
It is interesting that your paper's commentator on "City Politics" and the Democratic Party, Johnny Hildo, is not a registered Democrat; nor even a registered voter in Lucas County. His writing style — disingenuous, facts skewed, morally fraudulent — is similar to the Blade's former political writer, Fritz the Weasel.
Johnny doesn't seem to be in the mood to retract, pointing out spelling errors in Jack's letter. (I gotta admit Jack spelling McCloskey's name wrong was probably too hard for Johnny to resist.) Then Hildo drops this bombshell, which I can't verify. The Lucas County Dem site google cache doesn't show it and they use a robot script that some websites use so that it can't be archived by one of the various "way back machine" type services out there.
Little white lies by Johnny Hildo
According to the Toledo Blade (3/1/06), Bob McCloskey has begun shaking down local businessmen to help pay for his legal defense against charges that he shook down local businessmen for City Council votes. He is also "considering" a legal defense fund-raiser. "I probably will do something," McCloskey was quoted. "We haven’t discussed it yet. My attorney’s putting it together."Surprisingly, the following was posted on the calendar on the Dem Web site that same day: "March 24 Bob McCloskey Defense Fund Fundraiser, The Chop House, Maumee, 7 p.m. Contact: Bob McCloskey: (419) 691-8292"We guess McCloskey hasn’t discussed this fund-raiser with himself. Perhaps he finally did, because the posting has now disappeared from the calendar.
There's been some speculation as to who "Johnny Hildo" is, I don't think it's Fritz, but after this column? I am starting to have some good ideas as to who our mystery writer is, more of course when I have something solid.
:-)
UPDATE 3/14: McCloskey's defense fund fundraider on March 24 at the Chop House in Maumee postponed because of questions concerning state ethics laws.
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2 comments:
Jack Wilson's letter in full as promised:
Get it together, Hildo
It is interesting that your paper's commentator on "City Politics" and the Democratic Party, Johnny Hildo, is not a registered Democrat; nor even a registered voter in Lucas County. His writing style — disingenuous, facts skewed, morally fraudulent — is similar to the Blade's former political writer, Fritz the Weasel.
In the January 18 column, Hildo criticized the Lucas County Democratic Party for losing three seats on Toledo Municipal Court. The missing facts, however, are that two of the three seats were held by incumbents. Incumbent judges are rarely challenged, and almost never defeated. The third seat was won by Judge Robert Christiansen who had been on a judge on both the Toledo Municipal Court and the Lucas County Common Pleas Court for 25 years. He was a near-incumbent. The fact that the Lucas County Democratic Party had nine attorneys screen for the chance to challenge the incumbents, and near incumbent, is a tribute to the party's vitality; yet Hildo left that part out of his screed.
Also, Hildo was wrong when he wrote that the Party's screening committee, chaired by John Irish, recommended the endorsement of Paula Hicks-Hudson as one of its judicial candidates. The screening committee recommended a different attorney, but the Chairman of the Democratic Party overruled the screening committee's recommendation and put Paula Hick-Hudson in his stead.
Hildo ends his rant by stating that the Democratic Party is "totally dysfunctual." The facts prove otherwise. The B-team of the Democratic Party, despite the desertion of the A-team Democrats, elected three new people and one somewhat new person: Carty. The A-team lost three incumbents, two of which were in field races which favor the incumbents. Also, Hildo omits the fact that the Lucas County Democratic Party took a judgeship from the Republicans in Oregon in 2005. The A-team spokesman, Frank Szollosi, ran such a pathetic campaign that he finished in sixth of six spots; behind Phil Copeland and Mark Sobszak — first-timers on the ballot; behind Robert McClusky and Betty Shultz — both under huge legal clouds; and behind George Sarantou, a Republican. If Hildo was intellectually honest he would praise the Lucas County Democratic Party — "B-team" — for being resilient and successful despite adversity; and, conversely, criticize the "A-team" for being whining losers.
Jack Wilson
Chair, Lucas County Democratic Party
Johnny Hildo responds: Your pathetic whining aside, thanks for setting the record straight regarding why Paula Hicks-Hudson made John Irish’s "enemies" list. And it’s spelled ‘McCLOSKEY.’ He was on your endorsed ticket while under that "legal cloud," so you should at least know how to spell his name. County prosecutors do.
Too funny, Lisa.
Personally, I am not even sure Johnny Hildo is a "he."
I am disinclined to think Hildo is Fritz Wenzel; the rhetoric sounds much more like an "A"-Teamer than a GOP shill like Fritz.
My guess? Paula Ross, but that is only a hunch.
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