The man who lost to Butler County Commissioner Jim Eckstein in the 2011 election is criticizing his fellow Democrat for not accomplishing anything while in office.

Jerry Johnston of Butler Township said at the commissioners meeting Wednesday that Eckstein has done nothing but verbally attack others.

“In the six months you’ve been in office, you cannot point to one single accomplishment,” he said.

Eckstein, who didn’t respond to Johnston’s comments at the meeting, said in an interview his former opponent is bitter.

“He held a grudge about not winning the election,” Eckstein said.

Eckstein said his efforts to stop the county from constructing a new office building is important.

“I just want to spend people’s money wisely,” Eckstein said. “I’m very proud to control costs.”

Johnston accused Eckstein of evading accountability for his actions.

“Yet you sit here and have the audacity to tell us what a good job you’re doing amid the chaos of a mounting pile of lawsuits and investigations of your alleged wrongdoing,” Johnston said.

Eckstein faces two defamation lawsuits, a sexual discrimination complaint and possible criminal charges for allegedly printing his own political opinions using county equipment and supplies.

He said there’s no validity to any of the lawsuits and complaints against him.

“That’s not proven,” he said.

Johnston said Wednesday Eckstein is wasting time debating small county expenses instead of focusing on important needs such as job growth and economic development.

Eckstein refuted the accusation, saying he is focusing on problems costing taxpayers money.

He pointed to travel expenses as being relevant.

Eckstein said total travel costs rose 22 percent, or $50,000, from 2010 to 2011, with the commissioners office rising 33 percent during the same period.

He said that 33 percent exceeded the 2011 budget according to county records.

“It was considerable,” Eckstein said. “Over a third. How can we withstand that?”

Chief county clerk Bill O’Donnell disagreed the increase in expenses exceeded the budget.

According to county reports generated in the commissioners office, the commissioners in 2011 spent a total of $21,000, or 99.2 percent of the revised budget for the year.

The $21,000 was an increase from the $15,773 spent in 2010.

Those reports also show total travel expenses dropped from $86,140 in 2010 to $68,517 in 2011.

During the meeting, Johnston compared Eckstein’s behavior to that of a fifth-grader and summed up his tenure with a quote from “Macbeth,” a play by Shakespeare: “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, yet signifying nothing.”

Eckstein criticized Johnston’s approach.

“I thought he was belligerent,” Eckstein said.

Larry Swartzwelder of Monaca in Beaver County defended Eckstein, saying people do support what the minority commissioner is doing.

Initially, Swartzwelder identified himself with the last name of Swartz. When asked, he confirmed his name was actually Swartzwelder.

He said after the meeting he shortened his last name because he was running late.

County Commissioner Dale Pinkerton agreed with Johnston that Eckstein isn’t making a positive contribution to the county.

“Mr. Eckstein refuses to work well with anyone,” Pinkerton said.

Eckstein denied being hard to work with.

“It doesn’t make any sense to me,” he said about Pinkerton’s comments. “That’s absolutely false.”

Eckstein conceded he isn’t going to make everyone happy.

“I’m not a schmoozer,” he said. “I polarize people.”