The following transcript was sent to media March 30 by Thomas Morrissey:

Today, Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop officially started his campaign for Mayor of Toledo, ending the months of speculation that Konop has incurred over his run for mayor. There’s only one problem – ETHICS. Mr. Konop signed an ethics pledge in which he promised to serve the full duration of his term. He signed this pledge twice, and this phrase was important to him as he used it to browbeat his opponent, asserting that his opponent would use the seat of county commissioner as a springboard to Toledo mayor. Now Mr. Konop is doing exactly what he opposed in using his elected seat as a springboard for mayor and breaking his important pledge.

Ben Konop seems to think the pledge he made to serve his entire term is not a big deal. He has said that times have changed, and now the times are calling for Ben Konop to break his word. Mr. Konop apparently has not been awake during his time on earth, because if one thing in life is certain, it’s change. Things change. All the time. And change is a pathetic excuse for you, Mr. Konop, to break your word and run for mayor.

As a matter of fact, Ben Konop represents the past and broken promises while promising something new. Konop is nothing new; politicians who break their word are a dime a dozen. It’s in the little things that character and integrity is exposed, and Konop is showing Toledo he cannot be trusted. The most important qualification for mayor is character, and by running for Mayor, Ben Konop is proving to Toledo he is the least qualified.

Since Ben Konop has willfully disregarded a pledge he voluntarily authored and signed twice, he should bow out of the mayor’s race. However this will probably not happen, so I would like to call on Ben Konop to either resign his seat as County Commissioner or return his salary to Lucas County as he campaigns for mayor. Mr. Konop did pledge to serve as a full-time public servant, and campaigning for Mayor is contradictory.

Because of broken-promise-politicians like Ben Konop, which are more of the same, we are signing this voter’s pledge. We promise to stand against politicians who blatantly break their word.

ETHICS PLEDGE TEXT:

As a concerned voter, I pledge to hold all politician’s feet to the fire. Ben Konop is just one in a line of many, and if the change Ben Konop speaks of is ever to come, it will not be with politicians like Mr. Konop in office. I promise to vote against Ben Konop, and I promise to encourage my friends and family to vote against Mr. Konop as well.

Ethics pledges matter, and for no reason will I cast my vote for Ben Konop for mayor. I will keep the terms of this ethics pledge despite the change that happens.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 30th, 2009 at 12:55 pm and is filed under 2009 Race for Mayor, Community.
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