Mayor Jim Kalb To Blogger: "You're A Worthless Piece Of S**t"

Mayor James (Jim) D. Kalb of Portsmouth, Ohio called blogger Robert Forrey a "worthless piece of s**t" and a "lonely, jealous old man" in an email response to Forrey's public record request.

Kalb told Forrey, a retired English professor who runs a blog called, RiverVices, "I wouldn't p**s on you if you were on fire."

Forrey had emailed Kalb with a public records request concerning a controversial park project.

Here is Kalb's response to the blogger, sent at 1:47AM from the mayor's city e-mail address:

From: City of Portsmouth To: r****@r*********.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..............

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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

The Columbus Dispatch reports Kalb was unrepentant about his message:

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.

Read the entire email exchange at Forrey's blog.

Comments

[morefromLA]

He spoke his mind. A tad harsh, somewhat of an overreaction but he made it clear it was his personal opinion. Next.

[madisonhack]

And when he put his opinion on the City letterhead, it became public information open to all the scrutiny that it's getting here and elsewhere.

[morefromLA]

No disagreement there. Go Badgers!

[cliffhammond]

All on the city's email system! And just think how few signatures it takes in a small town to have a recall.

[kinnycut]

The Mayor's response was stupid and childish in the least.

[KayJay90]

Too f'rickin' bad if hopefully-­to-be-form­er Mayor Kalb doesn't like it that Robert Forrey posted the e-mail exchange on his blog.

Small-minded nasty neocons like Kalb don't mind doing things like Mike Doogan, legislator from Alaska, did to one of the Alaska bloggers who preferred to go by her pseudonym in deference to possible repercussions to her husband's job by her husband's employer. Doogan used state equipment, time and funds to "out" the blogger, but all's well that ends well in that instance -- the blogger, Jeanne Devon, is now a featured interview subject on MSNBC -- and Doogan is still wallowing in relative anonymity.

Now Mayor Kalb is revealed for the j@ckass that he is, and Robert Forrey probably will become as popular as Margaret and Helen, the lovely and extremely humorous and topical 70-80 somethings that post regularly at their blog by that name.

[ZenBastard]

Hate to burst your bubble KJ, but Kalb isn't a neocon. He's a Democrat.

[hypnotoad72]

Or a Blue Dog.

[jhamm1]

Give that man a twitter!

[manndan]

Keep it classy mayor.

[Durango]

Wow, Open Records Law. Something near and dear to my heart.

It is quite remarkable how many public officials think that obeying the law is some kind of hindrance.­I have even seen briefs in court complaining how fulfilling the legal obligation to make records public or meeting open is such a waste of time and resources.

To insult someone who has made a legal request under the law is absolutely despicable. But not that unusual.

The Mayor needs to realize that the citizens/taxpayers pay for EVERYTHING he does. And as the employee of the citizens he is responsible to each and every one of them.

His personal feelings are irrelevant.

How many of us would get away with telling our Boss to P!$$ Off?

Nobody.

[AngelaQuattrano]

To insult them in an official communication and then say it was private is absurd. He wrote as the Mayor. He is the news.

[cliffhammond]

I agree. You said that very succinctly.

[macchugsid]

I get the impression that the Mayor does not think he has to answer to any of his citizens. It looks like there was some incompetence on the part of both he and Kiwanis in the run up to the playground fiasco and the Mayor finds himself in an embarrassing situation. Due to his lack of due diligence he finds himself in an awkward position. Rather than come clean and admit it he starts calling names when someone points it out. He does work for the people of Portsmouth does he not? That includes the blogger. Very arrogant on the part of the Mayor, regardless of his personal feelings for the blogger.

[Professorofdesire]

This kind of language from a public official, elected or non-elected, feeds right into the anti-government feelings that are growing on the right and the left. Whatever his feelings, the mayor erred in not keeping them to himself. He made it even worse by putting them in writing. Odds are that this lapse will grow into a very big headache for Kalb, and he brought it on himself.

[RickO]

What this low-functioning mayor apparently does not understand is a) never say anything in an email you would not want to see in the headlines and b) if you use your official email, it's the same as if you'd used official letterhead.

There should be a category of Darwin awards for self-imposed term limits and Kamikaze career moves.

[Rog49Thomas]

Where he's from it may enhance his career.

[greyshaf]

This is my hometown. And it's as sad as it seems. This mayor was elected when they city had a recall election a few years ago. I'd recommend you check out the blog in question. It gives a good glimpse into what's been going on there.

[Rog49Thomas]

I'm not from Ohio and don't know the folkways there so I'm appealing for enlightenment.

Are there valuable pieces of sh**t in Ohio?

And if so, just what are they?

Or whose are they?

[Nagarjuna]

-- That would be Rep. Boehner

[kinnycut]

So True

[Nagarjuna]

The mayor is DEAD WRONG. Forrey's request was perfectly lawful, and perfectly courteous. The mayor's response was peevish, juvenile, irrational and mean.

[Rog49Thomas]

I suppose then in Ohio "The Great Vehicle" is a Hummer and "Sanlun" is a fast food restaurant.

Not that I'm particularly attached to either!

[larry278]

Ohio politicians often are boluses of feces. It takes 1 to call 1. Oh Ohio, on to infamy.

[FrTown]

If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen [public office]

[godfroi]

I love this! I went to Forrey's blog and enjoyed it. He is educated and articulate, clearly liberal and civic minded. Hahahahahahaha - that is so funny that the mayor published his own demise!