This seems totally unfortunate, and totally unnecessary.

A company of Marine Corps Reservists received a cold send-off from downtown Toledo yesterday by order of Mayor Carty Finkbeiner.

The 200 members of Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., planned to spend their weekend engaged in urban patrol exercises on the streets of downtown as well as inside the mostly vacant Madison Building, 607 Madison Ave.

Toledo police knew days in advance about their plans for a three-day exercise. Yet somehow the memo never made it to Mayor Finkbeiner, who ordered the Marines out yesterday afternoon just minutes before their buses were to arrive.

“The mayor asked them to leave because they frighten people,” said Brian Schwartz, the mayor’s spokesman.

Sounds like the military gave the city plenty of notice, but the Mayor’s office decided to be petulant about it.  As for citizens being “scared,” that certainly could have been alleviated by timely notices in the local media.  Heck, a few curious citizens might have even liked to have observed.

By the way, anyone want to guess which political party this stinker Finkbeiner belongs to?  Here’s a hint: The party mascot is, fittingly, a jackass.