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 ForreyPer 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
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.