Ben Konop
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| Ben Konop | |
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Lucas County Commissioner, Ohio
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| Preceded by | Maggie Thurber |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | March 1, 1976 Sylvania, Ohio |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Visiting Professor, University of Toledo Law School |
Ben Konop was the Democratic candidate in Ohio's Fourth Congressional District for the United States House of Representatives in 2004, and received the highest percentage vote total of any House challenger in congressional races in Ohio that year: 41 percent. His opponent, Representative Mike Oxley, announced his retirement a year later. Presently, Ben Konop is serving as a Lucas County Commissioner.
Konop was born and raised in Lucas County, attending Ottawa Hills public schools. At age 17 he became a page in the U.S. Congress. He received his B.A. in history from Emory University and attended Oxford University in England, studying history and literature. He received his Law Degree from the University of Michigan School of Law.
Konop, in his race against Mike Oxley, was named one of the Kos Dozen, a group of progressive Democratic politicians endorsed by the website Daily Kos in 2004.[1] Despite being outspent approximately $1.9 million to $175,000, Konop held Oxley to his lowest percentage since being first elected in 1981. Mike Oxley defeated Konop 59% to 41%. Konop also outperformed Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, who received only 34 percent of the vote in the heavily Republican district.
After the 2004 election, Konop returned to Lucas County, where he defeated two challengers in a Democratic primary for Lucas County Commissioner on May 2, 2006. Konop received 47 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary. His opponents, Tim Wagener, the mayor of Maumee, and Phil Copeland, a Toledo City Councilman, received 27% and 26% respectively. In a landslide, he defeated Toledo City Councilman George Sarantou in the general election on November 7, 2006.
Konop's campaign for County Commissioner was notable for his calls for Lucas County to use open-source software,[2] and for greater transparency in county government by posting county budget and campaign finance records online.[3] At a news conference in late January, 2007, he announced he would create an online finance archive as promised, as well as other ethics programs.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ "Donate, get Lakoff's book," Daily Kos, October 7, 2004, [1].
- ^ "Konop urges county to use free software," Toledo Blade, June 30, 2006, online version.
- ^ "Konop urges more online data," Toledo Blade, July 18, 2006, online version.
- ^ "Konop introduces trio of initiatives on ethics," Toledo Blade, January 30, 2007, online version.
