Cincinnati News

Media Pundit

2006-10-09T00:44:00.000-04:00

Check out Media Pundit for media analysis, current events and political news.

Chris Henry Gives Cincinnati a Bad Name

2006-06-18T17:18:00.000-04:00

Chris Henry has gone way too far, again.

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Bengals receiver Chris Henry pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges accusing him of providing alcohol to three underage females.

Henry, 23, has been arrested four times in the last seven months in three states. He was arraigned on his latest set of charges in northern Kentucky on Thursday morning, then went to Paul Brown Stadium for the team's minicamp.

Henry did not practise with the team because he is still recovering from a knee injury suffered during Cincinnati's playoff loss to Pittsburgh last season. Trainer Paul Sparling said Henry could be cleared to resume practice in a few weeks.

The second-year receiver surrendered to Kenton County authorities Thursday on three misdemeanour counts of unlawful transaction with a minor. If convicted, he could get up to a year in jail and a $500 US fine on each count.

It's his second case in Kenton County, where he was arrested last December on a charge of marijuana possession. He pleaded guilty in March and avoided jail time after completing a drug rehabilitation program.

Henry also faces trial Aug. 21 in Orlando, Fla., on a concealed weapons charge. He is accused of pulling a pistol on a group of revellers in January. Earlier this month, Henry was charged in nearby Clermont County, Ohio, with speeding and drunken driving.

The latest charges grew out of an investigation into an 18-year-old woman's claim that Henry sexually assaulted her at a hotel. She was charged with filing a false police report after police said she changed her story.

Henry is accused of providing alcohol to the woman and two other females 15 and 16 years old. Authorities said more charges could be added.

Henry and the Bengals have declined comment.

Under NFL rules, a player cannot be released by a team while he is hurt. Henry could be subject to suspension without pay under the league's policies on substance abuse.

The team should release him as soon as they are legally able to do so.

Hackett Plaintiff in VA lawsuit

2006-06-18T16:51:00.000-04:00

From WCPO via BSB.

A Cincinnati attorney has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of 26.5 million veterans whose personal information was on a stolen computer disk.

The suit asks the Department of Veterans Affairs to compensate the veterans and pay for credit monitoring.

Paul Hackett filed the suit yesterday in US District Court in nearby Covington, Kentucky.

Hackett is a Marine reservist who served in Iraq and ran unsuccessfully for Congress last year.

The suit asks the VA to pay damages of at least one-thousand dollars per veteran.

VA officials say the disk stolen from a data analyst's home in early May included Social Security numbers and birth dates, and in many cases phone numbers and addresses.

A previous Beacon Journal article included a quote from Hackett on the issue.

"It's a comedy of errors," Hackett said. "Out of 26 million, some identities have been stolen, and that will end up destroying the financial lives of veterans. It's outrageous."

No Luck for Queen City Gaming

2006-06-18T16:37:00.000-04:00

From the Akron Beacon Journal:

A group that was pushing a plan to put slot machines around Ohio because a competitor's gambling campaign does not include Cincinnati has withdrawn its proposal.

Queen City Gaming Entertainment Inc. blamed the decision in part on its rival's hiring of the companies that could gather the 323,000 voter signatures needed by Aug. 9 to get the issue on the Nov. 7 ballot.

"It's become more and more clear that you need a professional firm to do this job, and it's not likely that there is one available at this point," Queen City spokesman Brendon Cull said Thursday.

The state attorney general's office had approved the proposal Monday, authorizing the group to begin circulating petitions.

The other group, Ohio Learn & Earn, has been gathering signatures since May 1 for its plan to put 24-hour slot operations at seven Ohio horse racing tracks and two downtown Cleveland locations.

The Queen City group's proposal included those venues and a Cincinnati location.

Leslie Ghiz, a Cincinnati councilwoman, said she would campaign against the Learn & Earn proposal, should it qualify for the ballot.

"I'll do everything I can to make it fail. They went out and literally hired every firm that collects signatures to conflict them out," she said.

Learn & Earn also had filed challenges to Queen City's petition circulators in several counties, alleging the group had not filed proper documentation that the circulators were Ohio residents.

"We did this because whether it's our (proposal) or theirs, it naturally has controversy attached to it," Learn & Earn spokesman David Hopcraft said. "We are making every effort to comply with the highest standards of state law."

I just have a few quick observations on this.

1. It is pretty sad that initiatives have to be outsourced to private companies in order to succeed. The purpose of this provision is for the community as a whole to propose legislation, not private special interest groups.

2. Learn and Earn is probably the most misleading name possible for an initiative that aims to implement gambling in Ohio. Sure, a small percentage of profits from the slot machines will go to educational grants, but not enough to warrant naming the program after that minor aspect of it.

Harriet Beecher Stowe Lecture: Writing to Change the World

2006-06-05T17:16:00.000-04:00

Saw this in Cin Weekly, thought some of you may be interested.

Dorothy Rabinowitz, reporter, columnist and member of the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal will deliver the 4th annual Harriet Beecher Stowe Lecture.

Wine and hors d' oeuvres will be served.

Evening Sponsor: Hilliard Lyons

Wed, Jun 14th 2006 | 7:00 PM

The Mercantile Library
Reading Room
414 Walnut Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202

$20 members; $25 nonmembers

Swing State Ohio

2005-11-21T01:36:00.000-05:00

For the time being, I'll be blogging primarily at Swing State Ohio. I may bring Cincinnati News back at some point but my current focus is on the 2006 elections.

When you get the chance, you should also check out Andrew Warner's Blog. He covers a lot of Cincinnati issues as well as things of national significance.

Until next time, enjoy!

GOP Officials in Bar-fight

2005-11-04T03:01:00.000-05:00

From WCPO:

Three Butler County republican party officials are accused of starting a brawl at a local bar.

According to police reports, Quentin Nichols, Tim Dearwester and Sean Maloney were at Putters on Cincinnati-Dayton Road in Liberty Township when they attacked a bartender.

Allegedly, one of the men made sexual remarks about the bar owner and when the three were asked to leave, they punched the bartender and hit him with a chair.

The incident is under investigation.

So far, no one has been charged.

This reminds me of going to high school in Butler County. Someone makes an inappropriate sexual comment, they are asked to leave nicely, and they start a fight. I guess some things never change.

Update: Daily Kos and the Enquirer picked the story up this morning.

This Week in City Beat

2005-11-02T22:05:00.000-05:00

This is a new piece that will be posted weekly by Thursday morning. In it I will briefly cover the highlights and (occasionally) lowlights of each issue of the alternative weekly Cincinnati publication, City Beat.

This week is the long awaited "endorsement issue." The front cover lists both their mayoral and council endorsements prominently.

The "World Famous, Who's Endorsing Whom?" charts can be viewed here.

John Fox wrote:

These charts provide a snapshot of the endorsement positions from area media, political action committees, parties and nonprofit groups -- and in the case of the statewide issues, we collect the endorsements of Ohio's major newspapers.

One of the best things about these charts is seeing which candidates have broad appeal (Laketa Cole and Christopher Smitherman) and which don't, which races are fairly evenly split (statewide issues 1-5) and which aren't and which issues have generated a consensus of opinion and which haven't.

We also get a kick out of seeing who's endorsed by opposing organizations, such as who's backed by both the Fraternal Order of Police and the Sentinels Police Association (Jeff Berding and ex-cops Cecil Thomas and Wendell Young) and who's endorsed by both Equality Cincinnati and Right to Life (no one).

In Porkopolis, Greg Flannery offers an interesting piece called "Neither Religious nor Right." In it he gives a good summary of a complaint filed last week against Councilman Sam Malone and Phil Burress of Citizens for Community Values. According to Flannery:

Some of the donors who anonymously contributed money to (unsuccessfully) preserve Cincinnati's anti-gay law and (successfully) pass a statewide ban on gay marriage might finally be dragged into the light.

The complaint, filed by Former Mayor Bobbie Sterne and President of Equality Cincinnati Gary Wright, says that "What we have here is a network of deception with CCV Action at its hub." I will post the hearing date when the Ohio Election Commission sets it.

Best Quote: Ben L. Kaufman in Media, Myself and I.

Be accurate and fair, correct mistakes and move on and remember that, whatever the medium, audiences require reliable, relevant information on which to base their public and private decisions.

This Modern World: How The News Works Now.

Interesting fact: Candidates with paid advertisements in the Endorsement Issue = Gerry Kraus, Jim Tarbell, Leslie Ghiz, Eve Bolton and Wendell Young (shared).

City Beat is distributed to 1450 locations every wednesday throughout Greater Cincinnati.

Cincinnati.com Voter Guide Bias

2005-11-02T14:59:00.000-05:00

The voter guide available on Cincinnati.com is not a very useful tool at all. It seems like a good concept... give customized, specific information on the candidates and issues to people based on where they live. In my opinion it does more harm than good when the information presented is so incomplete.

The site suggests that you, "Try MyBallot, the easy way to an informed vote" and "See side-by-side comparisons on the issues." Unfortuntely, due to the lack of content, you are unable to do so.

On Issue 8, it describes the proposed amendment as "Salary Increases." This, without other information, implies that a yes vote will directly increase salaries. As many of you are aware, that is not the case. When you click on "compare on the issues" the site informs you that pro means yes and con means no.

In the section on council candidates just 13 of the 32 have pictures and and 14 of them have a one sentence description. The Cincinnati dealer pieced together pictures of 26 candidates here. For Wendell Young, the one sentence description reads, "Cincinnati City Council Candidate." The irony is, of course, that this applies to all of the rest of the candidates as well.

On the mayoral comparison page, located at this link, David Pepper's information is available in full. For Mark Mallory it reads, "Biographical information on this candidate is not yet available."

For fun, I decided to see how long it would take me to find the information on Mallory that they list for Pepper.

It took about 1 minute. Three links (provided below) provide the information. Two are on Mallory's campaign site, one is on the enquirer's site.

http://www.electmallory.com/contact.html

http://www.electmallory.com/accomplishments.html

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051016/EDIT03/510160305/1023

Almost all of the information was also in yesterday's enquirer on the front page of a section called "Your Vote '05."

It is possible that Mallory declined the opportunity to respond to questions specifically for the online voter guide. Even if this is the case, cincinnati.com probably should have taken the few extra seconds to include basic information about Mallory that is widely available.

Gannett, either intentionally or through neglect, is painting an incomplete picture of next week's election. They are tipping the scales in favor of the candidates with information provided and taking advantage of their position as a media giant to do so.

I am calling on Cincinnati.com to update this "voter guide" as soon as possible to give voters access to the information they deserve. If they can't do this in the next few days, they should remove the partial and misleading voter guide from their website. At the very least, the guide should include a disclaimer that acknowledges that the information presented is nowhere near complete or representative of the candidates or issues as a whole.

This link has been sent to the helpdesk and editor of Cincinnati.com. If they provide a response, or update/change the voter guide, I'll have it here.

Ohio GOP takes another hit

2005-10-27T16:37:00.000-04:00

From the Toledo Blade

A federal grand jury has indicted Tom Noe, the former Maumee coin dealer suspected of laundering money into President Bush’s reelection campaign, Mr. Noe’s attorney told The Blade today.

A number of people have testified before a federal grand jury impaneled in Toledo, including Toledo City Councilman Betty Shultz, Lucas County Commissioner Maggie Thurber, and Donna Owens, a former Toledo mayor. Each made contributions at a Bush fund-raiser in October, 2003, in Columbus.

Local law-enforcement sources said investigators are looking at contributions made by people from the Toledo area to the Bush campaign at the fund-raiser, at which the campaign raised $1.4 million.

Mr. Noe, who was tagged a Bush “Pioneer” for helping to raise at least $100,000 for Bush campaign, sponsored a table at the event, and invited a number of people to attend.

An individual can give only $2,000 to a presidential candidate in the primary and another $2,000 in the general election, according to federal law. Throughout the 2004 campaign — primary and general — Mr. Noe contributed $2,000. His contribution came in August, 2003.

Prosecutors were trying to determine if Mr. Noe gave people money in order for them to give to the Bush campaign, allowing Mr. Noe to exceed federal spending limits.

Add this to the fact that Dewine has consistently been ranking as one of the top 5 least approved Senators and Bob Taft is among the least popular Governors.

2006 is going to be a long year for the Ohio GOP.

513 Green PAC Endorsements

2005-10-27T00:08:00.000-04:00

The 513 Green PAC supports candidates that support issues that are important to progressive, socially-conscious, responsible Cincinnatians. These issues include but are not limited to: open government, electoral reform, arts and cultural investment, appreciation of diversity, environmental protection, mass transportation, wireless internet proliferation, attracting and retaining the creative class and responsible development.

City Council

Christopher Smitherman - (Charterite, http://christophersmitherman.com)
Key endorsements include the AFL-CIO and the Sierra Club. Christopher has shown a willingness to take controversial positions on issues such as the Fountain Square Development and police community relations, as well as his sensitivity to environmental and GLBT concerns.

Nick Spencer (Charterite, http://www.spencer2005.com/)
Key endorsements include the Equality PAC and the Cinergy PAC. Nick is a proponent of center city development and the creative class. He has also taken progressive stances on GLBT issues and remains a supporter of public transportation and electoral reform.

Laketa Cole (Democrat, http://laketacole.com)
Key endorsements include the AFL-CIO and the Sierra Club. Laketa is an ardent supporter of environmental and homeownership issues. She was also heavily involved in the creation of the one-stop housing center.

Jim Tarbell (Charterite, http://jimtarbell.com)
Key endorsements include the AFL-CIO and AFSCME. As a 3 time council member Tarbell has proven himself to be one of the strongest supporters of the arts community in Cincinnati. He also spearheaded the effort to revitalize Over-the-Rhine.

Samantha Herd (Democrat, http://www.followtheherd.org)
Key endorsements include the AFL-CIO and the Sierra Club. Samantha is widely recognized as one of the strongest voices for labor in this council race. Her proposed community jobs program is an innovative way to put Cincinnatians to work.

Damon Lynch, III (Democrat, http://damonlynch.com/)
Key Endorsements include the Cincinnati Women’s Political Caucus and the Sentinels Police Association. Not only does Damon have the endorsement of labor and police organizations, he is also focusing efforts on improving race-relations and living conditions in Over-the-Rhine.

Mayor
We feel that of the remaining candidates, Mark Mallory is the best suited for the position of mayor.

Issues
1 Yes
2 Yes
3 Yes
4 Yes
5 Yes

8 No
9 No

To contact the 513 Green PAC please email 513greenPAC@gmail.com

We are currently seeking volunteers to help distribute literature on election day.

For more information on the issues we support, visit http://cincinnatigreens.blogspot.com and http://cincinnatinews.blogspot.com.

Race for Dewine's Seat - An October Timeline

2005-10-26T19:19:00.000-04:00

This timeline is a work in progress that will be improved upon until the end of the month. On November 1st it will be posted on other blogs that get more traffic. If anything is missing, or could use more clarification, let me know in the comments.

October 3
Hackett initially announced intentions to run. "Paul Hackett is running for U.S. Senate."

A Brown Spokeswoman tells the AP that Brown is "reviewing his initial decision not to run."

Kos weighs in, criticizes Brown. "He bows out, waits for Hackett to gear up, and then floats a trial balloon about getting back in?"

Zogby poll shows Hackett ahead of Dewine 44%-36%.

October 6th
Brown informally enters race.

October 7
Ad advisor to Hackett says "Sherrod Brown told the candidate three weeks ago that he was not entering the race, so the campaign was surprised at Sherrod's indecisiveness and change of heart."

October 23

Brown changes his large actblue blogads purchase to the Ohio General campaign fund. This is applauded by Atrios, Kos, and others. (Contribute to the ActBlue Ohio General Election Fund.)

October 24th
Hackett formally announces candidacy.

Click here to watch the announcement.

In an interview, Brown says "Paul is new enough to public office that he doesn't understand that no one is entitled to a Senate nomination."

Brown delays official announcement until November. "Speculation is that he wants to see whether Issue 4 passes Nov. 8."

Jerome retires from MyDD to prevent conflict of interest.

Democracyguy commentary on Jerome's decision.

New Ohio First Literature (if you can call it that)

2005-10-26T17:55:00.000-04:00

Tim Tagaris posted this at MyDD.

Did you hear the news?

"Ohio's family values are on the line," and as such, you must "Vote NO on Issues 2, 3, 4, and 5." "Special Interests are attacking our family values!" After all, ""These are the same people who took prayer out of our public schools, fought the defense of marriage act last year, and have attempted to legalize drugs." They are supporting these amendments because, "What radical anti-family activists could not accomplish at the polls, they are trying to accomplish through devious efforts." Ultimately, these devious efforts will, "dilute the power of pro-life supporters to elect pro-life candidates who share our values." We must "Protect our values -- Protect our vote."

That's the new ad campaign created by the opposition to Ohio State Issues 2, 3, 4, and 5 -- better known as the Reform Ohio Now Amendments.

It is a shame that they have stooped to the level of calling RON supporters "radical anti-family activists." It is important that we don't allow opponents of electoral reform to scare voters away from the real issues at stake.

Tim also points out that:

Charitable donors with an eye towards the net have volunteered to match donations received online between now and Friday. If you so choose, you can invest at the Reform Ohio Now website.

If you can, please Donate Now
.

To see the latest Reform Ohio Now advertisements, click here.

COAST Endorsements

2005-10-24T19:36:00.000-04:00

Press Release: COAST announces support for ballot issues and endorsements for Cincinnati City Council.

The Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes announced its endorsement today on the candidates and issues facing City of Cincinnati voters on November 8th. “The issues facing voters are far reaching and their passage or defeat can have a tremendous effect on who is elected in the future”, said COAST President Jim Urling. “Issues include very wasteful spending along with tax payer friendly initiatives. We have endorsed accordingly”, Mr. Ruling continued.

ISSUES
Statewide

Issue 1……….vote NO
Issue 2……….vote NO
Issue 3……….vote NO
Issue 4……….vote NO
Issue 5……….vote NO

Cincinnati only
Issue 8……….vote YES
Issue 9……….vote YES

“The quality of the candidates for Cincinnati City Council leaves much to be desired. Many are running to feather their own and their friends nests and not for the betterment of the City of Cincinnati”, says Mr. Urling. Our best chance to make Cincinnati a better place is to elect the following whom COAST endorsed.”

CANDIDATES

Chris Monzel
John Eby
Michael Earl Patton
Paul McGhee
Rob Wilking

COAST is more than happy to supply a copy of the survey and cover letter upon request.

(Hat tip: Dean of Cincinnati)

I'll be posting the text of the survey when I recieve my copy.

As far as the ballot issues are concerned, it comes as no surprise that COAST endorses a "no" vote on the Reform Ohio Now amendments. If you support COAST or any of their candidates you should ask yourself why they want to protect pay-to-play politics in Ohio. What do they have to gain from maintaining the status quo here?

For the council endorsements, to my estimation, none of the five deserves my vote. I guess my values are not very closely alligned to those of a group that is interested only in lowering taxes.

Eminent Domain Abuse Amendment 2006

2005-10-03T18:50:00.000-04:00

From The Blue Chip Review

Dr. Bill Peirce, Libertarian candidate for Governor has launched the "Save Our Homes" Committee to promote an Ohio Constitutional amendment protecting homeowners from eminent domain abuse.

In the recent US Supreme Court decision, Kelo v. New London, the justices decided that homes can be taken by the government and given to private developers if they expect to earn higher property taxes.

Here in Ohio, residents of Norwood have been forced from their homes to build a shopping center. The residents are in Columbus Wednesday for oral arguments at the Supreme Court of Ohio. In Ohio, "blight" has been used as a pretext for taking homes in neighborhoods planned for commercial development."We're here today to stand with the residents of Norwood who have been forced from their homes by their city to make room for a shopping mall," declares Peirce. "We can not allow this to continue. That is why we are forming the Save Our Homes Committee, to protect all Ohioans from eminent domain abuse. Issues arising from the Kelo decision and "bogus blight" will be addressed in this new amendment."

"The proposed amendment would limit eminent domain to its original purpose," notes Libertarian State Chair Jason Hallmark. "Highways and utilities are truly public purposes, shopping malls and new residential development is not."

Save Our Homes will obtain approval from the Attorney General to circulate the amendment petition in the coming weeks and then begin to gather signatures to place the amendment on the 2006 ballot.

"The citizens from Ohio need this protection and they will support it", states Robert Butler, the new director of Save Our Homes. "But we expect a lot of resistance from the local government officials and private developers who want to continue business as usual."

"There will be scare tactics from government officials," agrees Hallmark.

"But the voting public will see through it."
.
Contact: Robert Butler
Peirce For Ohio
30628 Detroit Rd. #174
Westlake, OH 44145
(614) 547-0290

This will be interesting to watch as it develops.

Bill Bennett to speak at UC

2005-10-01T17:49:00.000-04:00

From the UC College Republicans

Tuesday, Oct 4th 2005, Dr. William Bennett will be speaking at the University of Cincinnati in the Tangeman University Center Great Hall at 7:30pm. Sponsored by the University of Cincinnati College Republicans, Dr. Bennett will speak on issues currently facing the country.

Dr. Bennett was recently named by the New York Times, “the leading spokesman of the Traditional Values wing of the Republican Party.” The event is free and open to the public. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

This is the same Bill Bennett (Former Secretary of Education and Drug Czar) who told his radio audience that "you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down."

Even Bush knew this was going too far. In a press conference on Friday, when asked about the comments, Scott Mcllellan said ""The president believes the comments were not appropriate."

Aside from the fact that this reflects poorly on UC, Hamilton County Commissioner Phil Heimlich is holding a private reception for Bennett immediately prior to the UC event.

The Dean of Cincinnati, appalled by this wrote an open letter to Heimlich in which he asked, "Why not cancel the upcoming meeting in the name of racial reconciliation?" In the comment section of the post, Erich Streckfuss, UC College Dems President noted that "the UC College Democrats will be protesting Bennett's appearance. More details later." I'll post more info on this if I can find any.

If you'd like to contact the UC College Republicans to tell them how you feel about their upcoming speaker, please do so via BennettInfo@UCRepbulicans.com

Also, to see Bennett explaining that his wife has "done more for inner city black girls than the entire black caucus," click here.

Justin Jeffre: Issue Blogs and Upcoming Events

2005-08-29T19:29:00.000-04:00

Issue Blogs

www.neighborhoodrescue.blogspot.com
www.accountabletouinput.blogspot.com
www.sustainablefutureinput.blogspot.com
www.fountainsquareinput.blogspot.com
www.mastersofdeceit.blogspot.com

Upcoming Events

Friday September 2nd - 1st Friday Party -1420 Main Street
Music, Open Mic, Poetry, Food and Drinks. I have been at one of these and it is a good time as well as a great opportunity to chat with Justin one-on-one for those who are interested.

Saturday September 3rd, 4pm Requiem for a Fountain - Fountain Square
A candlelight vigil will be held for the Fountain. More information to be announced.

Saturday September 3rd, 10pm 98 Degrees Reunion Party - Club Purgatory

I hope to see some of you at the upcoming events. E-mail me if you want me to send you all of the details.

Contribute to the Jeffre campaign.

What Will Become of Taft?

2005-08-28T19:47:00.000-04:00

Ohio News Network reported today that

Taft says he won't resign because of the violations and leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature say they will not initiate impeachment proceedings based on the ethics convictions.

However, the word on the street is leaning the other way.

Polls

Mason-Dixon Polling and Research found that 46% of Ohioans say Governor Bob Taft should resign. 44% indicated he should not resign, 10% were unsure.

Blogs

David Palmer at Independent Media TV wrote:

On behalf of all Ohioans, I implore you to exhibit a modicum of integrity and fortitude and resign.

and

He has spent his entire life dedicated to porking out at public expense.

Largebill Pontificates wrote:

Taft is the first Ohio governor to be charged and convicted of a crime. Now, he needs to be the seventh Ohio governor to resign the office.

Nixguy wrote:

If he resigns, fine. If he doesn't fine. He's pretty much made himself into a cipher and stands as a ready example of the uselessness of moderate stand-for-nothing politics.

Bizzy Blog wrote:

Bob Taft should resign. Someone convicted of crimes while in office should not be serving as Ohio's governor.

The Open End wrote:

Taft's disregard for individual rights and Ohio's economy is what is really unethical about his tenure as governor...Resignation papers please, Mr. Taft.

News

According to The Advocate:

Ohio can't afford another 16 months of failed leadership by a convicted lame-duck governor.

The Toledo Blade reported:

"I'm just mad as hell, if you want to know the truth," said Jim Westfall, a retired agribusiness executive who chairs Union County's Republican Party. "I think it will hurt us. I don't think [a] resignation will clean it up."

Elected Officials

Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman said:

It is time for him to do the honorable thing for the state of Ohio and resign from office. I was fully prepared to accept his apology, but revelations about what the governor knew or when he knew it are crippling the state's ability to get to the bottom of the larger scandal.

From ONN:

At least three Republicans have publicly called for Taft's resignation: state Rep. Jim Trakas of Independence, Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann and state Sen. Jay Hottinger of Newark.

Lt. Gov. Bruce E. Johnson said:

The governor is going to serve out his term. But if something were to happen, I’m prepared to serve as governor.

Other Opinions

David Zanotti of The American Policy Roundtable said

The only honorable way to respect the Constitution, the office, and the people of Ohio is to resign.

What do you think?

New local Blog and Anti-war Discussion

2005-08-26T17:38:00.000-04:00

The International Socialist Organization Cincinnati branch has a new blog, Cincinnati ISO. I'm hoping they stick around and are able to focus on issues of importance to Cincinnati.

They have already posted something I found interesting.

Cincinnati ISO is sponsoring a community forum to discuss the current state and the future of the anti-war movement in Cincinnati and the rest of the country.

We will also talk about the upcoming March on Washington on September 24 and about plans for busing as many Cincinnatians to DC for this important and history-making protest.

Here's the info about the meeting:

When? Saturday, August 27, 2005 at 3PM
Where? Mt. Auburn Presbyterian
How? See directions on the flyer here.
Who? Gulf War Veteran and local activist Scott LeCates, Vietnam veteran Bob Sheward (followed by a group discussion)
Why? TO END THE OCCUPATION AND BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!!

Gambling in Ohio

2005-08-26T15:36:00.000-04:00

The Enquirer has the story.

The Business Courier covered it first but focused on Ohio as a whole rather than Cincinnati.

Legalizing casinos in Ohio would generate $4 billion in annual revenue but also create more than 100,000 new problem gamblers, according to an economic and social impact study released Wednesday.

The model used to make the economic projections included two land-based casinos in Greater Cincinnati along with sites at Southwest Ohio's two horse racetracks, which the study said would generate $718 million in annual revenue. The four operations' total annual economic impact would be $858 million, including almost 7,900 jobs and $300 million in wages, salaries and benefits.

The study was backed by a "coalition of business interests from Cincinnati and Cleveland" and included Carl Lindner of American Financial and father of City Council Candidate Chris Bortz, Neil Bortz.

According to the story

even factoring in the costs of a potential surge in "problem or pathological gamblers," casinos could generate a $600 million annual boost in state and local tax revenues.

Charlie Luken has been "pushing for gambling on the city's riverfront" since at least June 2004. He stressed that it was an economic issue rather than a moral one.

"I think the people have seen the moral question is not if they can gamble in Cincinnati. All I'm suggesting is that there are jobs and a tax base [with the gambling boats]," Luken said.

Opposition to legalized gambling by Governor Bob Taft and other State officials haven't made things any easier.

In order to make it happen

Ohio's horse track owners aim to collect signatures to place the issue on next year's ballot as a constitutional amendment. About 322,000 valid signatures will be needed. A majority of state voters then would have to approve it.

A constitutional amendment to allow gambling could be placed before voters by the General Assembly. In the state legislature, a three-fifths majority of each chamber - 60 votes in the House, 20 in the Senate - would be needed.

In May 2004 the Ohio House of Representatives voted not to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would have allowed video slot machines at the state's race tracks.

Ohio needs to get with the times before it is left behind.

Indiana has riverboat casinos (including three on the Ohio River in Southeast Indiana), West Virginia has slots at racetracks, and Pennsylvania expects legalized slots to be operational as soon as early 2006.

Cincinnati could certainly use the jobs and economic boost. Large casinos would encourage restaraunt and hotel development in the immediate area and could be used to invigorate parts of town that need commerce. A spike in crime, however, is the last thing the city needs. Legalizing gambling would probably be worthwhile if a percentage of profits are used to ensure that they do not cause an increase in crime. Hopefully such a provision is included when all is said and done.

City Beat Reports, You Decide

2005-08-25T03:52:00.000-04:00

First of all I'd like to say that I've been reading City Beat for years and have always enjoyed it. The same goes for Stephanie Dunlap's articles, as far as I remember. This week's City Beat, however, has an artcle that blatantly misleads readers on the status of Independent candidate Justin Jeffre.

To be fair, the article is clear from the outset that any candidates other than the "top four contenders" will not be treated with respect.

$75 and 500 Signatures

And you, too, could be the next mayor of Cincinnati

Dunlap explains in the second paragraph that "CityBeat and other local media outlets have narrowed their coverage..." This was a refreshing change from the typical boy band jokes that take the place of what should be meaningful coverage. Unfortunately, the short article still contained three such jokes.

After listing the names of the "top contenders" Dunlap attempted to justify the "lack of recognition" by explaining that it

doesn't diminish those candidates' presence on the non-partisan primary ballot and their ideas for improving their home town.

The irony in this, of course, is that the lack of recognition does diminish their presence on the ballot. In a small media market like Cincinnati people count on alternative newspapers like City Beat to provide the side of the story not available in The Enquirer or The Post. By continuing to diminish candidates not supported by the mainstream media City Beat is shirking this responsibility.

After referring to Jeffre as an "invisible man," Dunlap goes on to claim that he

crashed the stage during an Aug. 13 mayoral debate among the top four contenders at The Greenwich in Walnut Hills.

The Cincinnati Herald reported in early August that Jeffre would be included in the debate. Apparently he was originally invited, then uninvited. According to an article by the Dean, the owner of the Greenwich justified not inviting Jeffre by saying "...his website was most uninformative, to say the least, and featured no contact information whatsoever. Naturally, we had initial concerns regarding the credibility of his candidacy." As pointed out by the Dean, Jeffre's site was no worse than Alicia Reese's at the time.

Nate Livingston, who was blogging live from the Greenwich during the debate mentioned that "Jeffre gets props from me for fighting to stay in the debate."

Dunlap continues misportraying Jeffre by claiming that his "passion seems to outpace his ideas." This is justified by claiming that two general statements on Jeffre's site are "about the closest thing to a platform his Web site has to offer." Apparently she didn't click on the link called "On The Issues" where Jeffre concisely addresses diverse issues such as crime, economic development, electoral reform, government transparency, inclusion, vacant buildings, wireless internet proliferation, tourism, and mass transit.

Near the end of the article it becomes more clear why they stooped to a new low in their attempt to discredit Jeffre's candidacy. Dunlap wrote

That's about the closest thing to a platform his Web site has to offer. And the closest CityBeat will get to an interview, as Jeffre -- perhaps emboldened when he shared the stage at The Greenwich -- declined to speak to a reporter unless CityBeat wrote a long profile on him as it's done with other mayoral candidates.

So let me get this straight, an Independent candidate is supposed to be in the wrong for refusing to be treated as a second class candidate by Cincinnati's only well-read independent publication? That doesn't seem right to me. There are two more Wednesday's before the September 13th primary. In my opinion, the readers of City Beat deserve more.

A link to this entry has been sent to Stephanie Dunlap and Gregory Flannery (news editor), in case they would like to comment.

Taft charged with 4 misdemeanors

2005-08-17T16:51:00.000-04:00

Remember Governor, "we won't let the special interests stand in our way."

Taft or his attorney, William Meeks, will appear in Franklin County Municipal Court on the charges Thursday or Friday.

According to an Enquirer article

Taft is the first Ohio governor ever charged with a crime. Each charge carries a maximum fine of $1,000 or six months in jail. Prosecutors said it is unlikely Taft would go to jail.

Yesterday Taft said "I will be held to the same high standards as everybody else."

A majority of the state legislature and 2/3 of the Ohio Senate would be neccessary for Taft's impeachment.

Cincinnati Greens Blog

2005-08-15T18:57:00.000-04:00

Andrew Warner's new blog is located at http://cincinnatigreens.blogspot.com.

In the introductory post, Andrew wrote

Recently I have announced that I am no longer a candidate for City Council. In that decision I listed many points as to why I was no longer going to run. One issue that I have not yet discussed is that of the Green Party's weakness.

The Green Party does not have a strong presence in Cincinnati right now. What we have are a few dedicated members, but we are preparing to grow to new heights.

Hopefully in the next few weeks the Greens presence in Cincinnati will grow. We will have a strong political agenda and will work as a party to accomplish the goals we are going to set. Hopefully people who are sitting on the fence in politics will get involved with this improved Green Party.

As of now we are setting a conference for the weekend of August 28th in which the goals for the party will be clearly stated and our work will begin to achieve these goals.

I (and several others) have been invited to contribute to the blog. Whether or not you are interested in Green politics (but especially if you are), please check out this addition to the Cincinnati Blogosphere.

Where is the mainstream media?

2005-08-15T15:04:00.000-04:00

Saturday's mayoral debate in Walnut Hills was an excellent opportunity for Cincinnati voters to get more information on 5 of the 7 candidates in the September 13th primary election. Unfortunately, at the time of this entry, none of the major newspapers have bothered to give their take on the debate. Perhaps City Beat will offer an analysis on Wednesday.

As usual, several local bloggers have stepped up and filled the void left by the mainstream media sources:

Black Cincinnati

Dean of Cincinnati

Robert Wilson

As a concerned citizen who was unable to attend on Saturday, I'm thankful to the bloggers for covering the debate and offering some insight into how it went down.

If you are as disgusted as I am by the apathy of our local newspapers, you can contact the editor of the Enquirer here or email the editor of the Post at postedits@cincypost.com.

Cincinnati improves in Forbes ratings

2005-08-10T20:42:00.000-04:00

The 2005 Forbes ratings for "best city for singles" show an improvement for Cincinnati from 39th to 30th of the top 40 metropolitan areas in the United States. The breakdowns by categories are as follows:

Singles 28
Nightlife 27
Culture 27
Coolness 34
Job Growth 27
Cost of Living 9

Although 30th out of 40 isn't anything to brag about, it is far better than being ranked 39th (second to last) in this annual national report.

First Mayoral Debate to be held August 13th

2005-08-09T05:33:00.000-04:00

From The Cincinnati Herald:

The Greenwich Tavern in Walnut Hills will be hosting a mayoral debate on Saturday, Aug. 13, at 8:00pm. All mayoral candidates have agreed to participate in the first debate that promises to bring home issues that concern citizens of all backgrounds in Cincinnati.

“It was my idea,” said Mark Yates, co -owner of The Greenwich Tavern.

“Kathy and I were having a conversation about politics and what better place for the future city leaders to go and discuss neighborhoods than Pebbles Corner here in Walnut Hills.”

Yates wants the candidates to step in the heart Walnut Hills and see first hand the people and the issues that are facing the community.

He has secured State Senator Mark Mallory (Dem.), Vice Mayor Alicia Reece (Dem.), Council member David Pepper (Dem.), Charlie Winburn (Rep.), and independent runner Justin Jeffre.

Kathy Y. Wilson will moderate the debate and reporters and editors from major media outlets such as The Cincinnati Herald, The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Cincinnati Post, and Cincinnati Citybeat, will serve as panelists. WDBZ 1230 “The Buzz” will broadcast live from the event.

The debate will present a combination of questions from community leaders, journalists, and emailed questions. The organizers are asking for questions to be emailed to walnuthillsmayordebate@yahoo.com. Yates stated he wanted community input to increase the dialogue in the upcoming race.

“All the candidates have agreed to come and I am looking forward to the turn out,” said Yates.

A pre-debate public reception begins at 6:30pm.

The Greenwich Tavern is located 2442 Gilbert Ave.

in Walnut Hills. For more information contact (513) 221-1151

I'm emailing a few questions for this now and I plan to be in attendance.

New hope for Cincinnati light rail

2005-08-08T20:27:00.000-04:00

The Business Courier has the story.

Ohio and Hamilton County officials are working to parlay $24.5 million in federal money earmarked for riverfront parking into funding for what would be the region's first light rail line. Planning is in the early stages. But the potential is so strong that Ohio Department of Transportation Director Gordon Proctor recently declared the project the region's best shot at building light rail.

"The tracks are there," he said after an Aug. 1 meeting of the Hamilton County Transportation Improvement District. "And it appears there will be even more of a destination on the riverfront."

The whole plan hinges on the success of The Banks, the riverfront development that will consist of as much as 1.4 million square feet of retail, residential and office space between Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ball Park.

County officials and their development team, The Banks Development Co., need the federal money to help build the $55 million in parking garages planned to lift the development out of the flood plain and replace the surface parking lots that are there now.

Hamilton County, the Reds and the Bengals all share in the revenue generated by the parking lots between the football stadium and ballpark. And county officials don't want to give up that revenue, which helps pay down the debt that Hamilton County issued to build the sports facilities.

But under federal rules, the county and teams cannot keep any revenue generated by garages built with the federal funds.

So county and state officials are working on a plan that would segregate a percentage of revenue generated by the garages, based on the percentage of the total project cost that is paid for using the federal dollars.

That revenue could then be used to help fund a $450 million light rail line that eventually could stretch 18 miles -- from The Banks all the way to Milford.

A light rail system is exactly what this city needs. I'll have my fingers crossed on this one.

Swing State Project - Play of the Week

2005-08-08T01:31:00.000-04:00

CNN's play of the week goes to Swing State Project for their work on publicizing the Hackett campaign.

Click on the image to view the video.

Justin Jeffre Fundraiser Tonight

2005-08-05T14:50:00.000-04:00

JJ2K5 First Friday Fundraiser

*every first Friday of the month!*

Come this Friday to the Justin For Mayor headquarters for some snacks and drinks to support the campaign!

Where: Headquarters (1420 Main St., corner of Orchard St.)
When: Friday, August 5th from 6:30pm-10:00pm
$5 donation requested (or more!)

I should be there around 8:30 or so.

Warner joins Spencer

2005-08-05T12:34:00.000-04:00

Among all of the media attention City Council Candidate Nick Spencer has gotten in the past few days (here and here), local media have so far failed to mention a major development in the Spencer campaign. Andrew Warner has recently decided to drop out of the Cincinnati City Council race in order to be Nick Spencer's Field Director. Warner's Blog explains

After having this period of reflection I have come to the determination that I am no longer to continue my run for a seat on council. I have determined that there are better ways to help the city of Cincinnati than to run this campaign in 2005. The city is in a sensitive state right now and sometimes a sacrifice such as this is better for everyone in the end.

In lieu of running my own campaign, I have decided to join in the effort to elect Nick Spencer. I have on many occasions had the chance to sit and talk with Mr. Spencer and feel that he most represents what I am trying to accomplish. We share similar stances on many important issues that I was attempting to address with my campaign. These include:

Instant Run-Off Voting
Publicly Funded Elections
Nurturing the growth of small businesses
Helping Cincinnati’s Environments with ideas such as Hybrid Engines in Metro buses
Advancing the rights of the homosexual community

Although I was initially disappointed to see Warner drop out of the race, I am glad to know that he has found a way to be involved that he is happy with. I caught up with Andrew Warner today and was able to ask him how he views his contribution to the Spencer campaign. Warner responded by saying

"Nick has the great ideas. I am just hoping to bring some new contacts and new energy to his team. Hopefully I can help reach out to college students and young people to take an interest in his campaign. "

I also hope that they are able to reach out to college students and young people. Given the fact that Spencer is 27 and Warner is 21, they have a great opportunity to tap into a typically ignored segment of Cincinnati's voting population (the 18-28 year old crowd.) It is refreshing to see young Cincinnatians taking the initiative to participate in local politics. I'll have details on the developments of this campaign as they become available.

Aftermath

2005-08-04T04:32:00.000-04:00

8.3.05 - Jean Schmidt finally removed the false press release from her site, despite the fact that Kirk asked her to early in the day Tuesday.

8.2.05 - Links from throughout the blogosphere as a result of this entry:

Annatopia credited me with "the debunking of this smear." The Daily Kos then linked to her and helped spread the word. Annatopia is currently down, I assume from heavy traffic.

OH-02 was the first to link to me and credit me with debunking the smear. The site got too many hits and crashed early in the day.

Eric Minamyer admits that the press release was "in error" just hours after defending it on my comments and elsewhere.

Atrios exposed the issue to a lot of people. Someone reposted my version in the comments.

The Democratic Congressional Committee Blog picked up on the story just six hours after it broke at 9 a.m. According to the DCCC,

And yes, this is a real press release, and yes putting that out on the last day of the campaign so that nobody has a chance to blast you for it is one of the most pathetically cowardly things I've seen. Sounds a lot like Rove, not much like Paul Hacke

Apparently they weren't aware of how fast the debunking of the press release was spreading at that point.

Others that linked here include:
Mass Discussion
The Benquirer
Wirecan
NewLeftBlogs

Roundtable with David Pepper

2005-08-03T21:38:00.000-04:00

Local bloggers, independent journalists, candidates, and "concerned citizens" attended a round-table event tonight and had a chance to discuss the future of Cincinnati with councilmen and mayoral candidate David Pepper. This event was hosted by the Dean and Steve Novotni. Those in attendance included Justin Jeffre (and 3 volunteers), Andrew Warner, Robert Wilson, Spacetropic, Funnelcake, myself and several others who weren't introduced in detail.

One of the topics that Pepper emphasized was his belief in the importance of a strong mayor that can set the agenda for city council. With City Council perpetually in disarray, I agree that a strong mayor is needed to keep Council efficient and on task.

The issue of campaign finance reform caused some disagreement between Jeffre and Pepper. Jeffre criticized Pepper's belief that $1000 maximum campaign donations was suitable for local campaigns and went on the suggest a $10 maximum in order to level the playing field.

Another interesting topic that Pepper mentioned in passing is that the state legislature has a tendency to pass legislation that makes it difficult for city leaders to do their jobs. He did not give much detail on this but I am interested to find out more. I'll email Pepper to ask for specific examples of such legislation and update here.

I enjoyed this round-table session with David Pepper. I left seeing him as a person who cares about this city rather than as the politician I saw him as prior. The Dean had a similar finding

Sitting in a roundtable, intimate format with a politician is inherently in the interest of the politician. This is just as true with Mark Mallory and Justin Jeffre as with David Pepper. After meeting each of these folks in person for extended talk, I walk away with favorable impressions.

I'm looking forward to the next blogger meeting with a mayoral candidate. I hope to see more people in attendance next time.

Schmidt wins by 3500 votes (less than 4%)

2005-08-03T03:20:00.000-04:00

Kos at the Daily Kos wrote

From the looks of it, the margin was under 4 percent, or per Cook's analysis, a "very serious warning sign" for the state GOP. Indeed, this is probably the only district in Ohio in which Paul would've lost.

So the state GOP avoids a "devastating blow", but only by the hair on their chinny chin chin. OH-02 saw the resurgance of the Democratic Party, the GOP had to spend $500K they hadn't otherwise planned on spending, and a Democratic star is born (next stop for Hackett -- statewide elected office). So much for "burying" Hackett...

The post-mortems will come in the coming days, but for now, I'm happy with what everyone accomplished in Ohio. It's a new day for the Democratic Party, one in which no Republican district is safe.

I agree. Post election analysis coming soon.

Paul Hackett might just do the impossible

2005-08-02T21:26:00.000-04:00

US HOUSE Ohio 2nd Dist
305 precincts of 753 reporting

PAUL HACKETT 23,957 51%
JEAN SCHMIDT 22,846 49%

Unfortunately, Clermont County hasn't reported yet. Schmidt is from Clermont and is expected to be up several thousand votes there. Regardless, the final results are going to be much closer than anyone would have guessed a few weeks ago.

It should be settled in a few hours.

Looks like Clermont just reported.

580 precincts of 753 reporting
JEAN SCHMIDT 45,134 52%
PAUL HACKETT 42,342 48%

This race is going right down to the wire.

662 precincts of 753 reporting
JEAN SCHMIDT 49,681 50%
PAUL HACKETT 48,811 50%

Schmidt Press Release Backfires

2005-08-02T14:56:00.000-04:00

Much respect to national bloggers Kos and Annatopia, as well as MANY other liberal bloggers for picking up and fully developing the story I broke last night about Jean Schmidt's failed last minute smear attempt.

According to a comment on Atrios, "Kirk's office has asked the Schmidt campaign to correct their press release." Yet, at the time of this posting, the original press release is still available for download on Schmidt's campaign site.

It is important that bloggers pick up where the mainstream media leaves off when it comes to keeping unscrupulous politicians in check.

Regardless of the outcome of the special election in the 2nd district today, the coverage of this campaign marks a change in the way politics are conducted in this country. I am proud to have been a part of it.

Speaking of the outcome, results will be showing up here as they become available.

Keep checking back at Cincinnati News for the latest information on this exciting race.

Schmidt's final attempt to discredit Hackett fails

2005-08-02T02:33:00.000-04:00

The Schmidt Campaign released a press release Monday alleging that Paul Hackett has been misleading voters by "touting that he will be the first Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran to serve in Congress." According to the press release, "that is untrue."

The release goes on to explain that

Republican Congressman Mark Steven Kirk of Illinois served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Kirk is a Naval Reserve intelligence officer who is the only member of Congress to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Kirk's official website, as listed in the press release, repeats the claim that "he is the only member of Congress to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom."

Confused by this last minute development, I decided to dig deeper. As it turns out, Kirk has been a member of Congress since before Operation Iraqi Freedom began. How could he, I wondered, serve in an overseas conflict as an active member of The United States Congress.

The answer came in a USA Today candidate profile from the 2004 election. According to the profile, Kirk

continues to serve one weekend a month in the Pentagon, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff war room during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Without discounting from Kirk's previous combat experience, I would hardly consider a politician spending "one weekend a month" in the Pentagon to be a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Most definitions of veteran include the phrase "active duty status." Active duty status refers to "full-time duty in the active military service of the United States." Given these criteria, the situation becomes much more clear. Mark Steven Kirk was a politican in D.C. when the conflict began, and he was a politician in D.C. when he spent one weekend a month at the Pentagon during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Despite Jean Schmidt's attempts to make the issue cloudy, if elected later today, Paul Hackett will be the first veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom to serve in Congress.

UPDATE

August 2nd - GOTV for Hackett

2005-08-01T23:43:00.000-04:00

Canvass:

Adams County
Tues. 7am - 8pm, 1 Courthouse Square at Roy Gabbert's Law Office
Brown County
Tues. 7am - 8pm, 707 Mt. Orab Pike, Bail Bonds Office (Cut-N-Up Barber Shop)
Clermont County
Tues. 7am - 8pm, Clermont County Democratic Party North 2nd Street, Batavia OH (next to Hackett's HQ)
Hamilton County
Tues. 7am - 8pm, Old Kerry Headquarters Park ing Lot, 1523 Madison Rd., 45206
Pike County
Tues. 7am - 8pm, Boilermakers Hall on US 23 in Piketon, OH and parking lot of Waverly Police Dept., 202 S. Market St.
Scioto County
Tues. 7am - 8pm, New Boston Community Center, 3980 Rhodes Ave., New Boston 45662
Warren County
Tues. 7am - 8pm, 6775 Park Lake Dr, Mason 45040, in Village Lakes subdivision AND 228 S. Mechanic St, Lebanon, 45036

Phone Bank:

Hamilton County Democratic Party HQ
615 Main St., Downtown Cincinnati, Tues, 9-7
Hackett HQ
27 N. Second St., Batavia, Tues, 9-7
Crowley HQ
1523 Madison Rd., East Walnut Hills, Tues, 9-7
Warren County Democratic Party HQ
8 East 5th St., Franklin, Tues, 9-7
Zimmeran CPA, 1080 Nimitzview Dr.
Suite 400, Anderson, Tues 9-7

Please get this information out however possible throughout the district, thanks.

City OK's blatant misuse of taxpayer money

2005-07-29T20:37:00.000-04:00

The image above, of a partial 2005 Cincinnati Reds schedule, apparently doesn't advocate Chris Monzel despite the picture of him and the text "Councilmen Chris Monzel." The Cincinnati Elections Commission decided Thursday to let Monzel slide. This situation has been well documented at the sources available below.

The complaint

Kevin Osborne of the Post wrote this story yesterday before the hearing

Korte's take on the hearing

Dean's response to findings

The citizens of Cincinnati deserve better than this. No one other than Chris Monzel and his campaign team want to see Monzel's name on the Reds schedule. It clearly serves no purpose other than to increase Monzel's name/face recognition with an eye toward successfully holding his council seat in the upcoming election.

Sad day for Downtown Cincinnati

2005-07-25T15:11:00.000-04:00

This article was in today's Cincinnati Post.

The Maisonette, America's longest-running five-star restaurant and a downtown Cincinnati institution for more than a half century, closed today as its owners decided to refocus their attention on a planned relocation to Sycamore Township.

Although third-generation owner Nat Comisar had hoped to keep the classic French restaurant open at its current Sixth Street location until the new location opens in the fall of 2006, he said today that operating one five-star restaurant while planning another proved problematic.

"We came to the difficult business decision that continued operation downtown would not be feasible," Comisar said. "Our efforts now focus on the relocation."

La Normandie, the Maisonette's sister restaurant, located in the basement of its downtown site, also closed today.

The new Maisonette is scheduled to open in the fall of 2006 on Montgomery Road, about a quarter mile south of Kenwood Town Centre.

"Today is a sad day for our employees and our families," Comisar said. "While we remain optimistic about the future, we have to be realistic about the present." One of only about a dozen Mobile Five Star restaurants in the country, the Maisonette won the prestigious award an unprecedented 41 consecutive years.

In recent years, Comisar unsuccessfully tried to convince Cincinnati City Hall to offer incentives that would make it easier for the Maisonette, located downtown for 56 years, to survive in an inner city that seems to be losing the battle with the suburbs for high-end retail and entertainment attractions.

Mayoral and City Council Candidates

2005-07-24T18:13:00.000-04:00

I just put together this list of cincinnati city council and mayoral candidates with links to their websites. If I am missing anyone or if any that don't have a link actually have a campaign website, please let me know.

Justin Jeffre

Alicia Reese

David Pepper

Mark Mallory

Charlie Winburn

Sylvan Grisco

Cecil Thomas

John Eby

Eve Bolton

Nick Spencer

Robert Wilson

Andrew Warner

Samantha Herd

John Cranley

David Crowley

Laketa Cole

Jeff Berding

Damon Lynch

Paul McGhee

Chris Monzel

Leslie Ghiz

Jim Tarbell

Chris Bortz

Bill Barron

Robert Wilking

Chris Smitherman

Gerry Kraus

Wendell Young

Curtis Wells

Sam Malone

UPDATE: An interesting discussion about candidate campaign websites is developing on the Dean's site.

86 Government Accountability

2005-07-24T02:54:00.001-04:00

Interesting story on Governor Bob Taft's visit to the Cincinnati Museum Center on Friday.

Question of the Day:

whether he has played golf with Thomas Noe, the former Taft campaign contributor who now stands accused of stealing millions from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

Answer of the summer:

That's under investigation

This reminds me of the Bush administration response to any and all questions about Karl Rove. Check out this six minute video clip of White House Press Secretary Scott Mclellan employing the same tactic.

These examples show politicians on the local and national level using a technicality to avoid being held accountable for their actions. Comedian Louis Black touched on this in his HBO special Black on Broadway when he explained that he doesn't consider either Bush or Clinton to be leaders because neither of them ever admit to doing anything wrong.

Cincinnati Blog has an interesting take on it here.

Local developers finding success in Walnut Hills

2005-07-23T05:26:00.000-04:00

This article explains how two Cincinnati-native developers turned their desire to keep people in the city into a successful business model. Mike Boyer of the Enquirer writes

WALNUT HILLS - Sales at The Gates of Eden Park condominium-conversion project have been so brisk lately that developers are moving ahead on a second, larger phase. Developers Ed Horgan and Al Merritt expect to acquire buildings on the east side of Eden Park in August for phase two, which calls for 150 units selling from $99,000 to $350,000.

The proximity to downtown, Eden Park and Mount Adams are among their selling points. Horgan and Merritt, Cincinnati natives, said they began doing condo conversions when they kept losing the best tenants from their apartment buildings. "We wanted to do something that would keep people in the city,'' said Horgan.

This is a fine example of the kind of community-conscious development that is good for neighborhoods and good for the economy.

"African area" on Elm Street downtown?

2005-07-22T20:46:00.000-04:00

Joe Wessels of the Enquirer ran this story yesterday on a plan by Rev. Damon Lynch to turn part of downtown into a distinctly ethnic community.

OVER-THE-RHINE - A proposal is being floated to turn an area near Findlay Market along Elm Street into an African Quarters - a themed shopping and residential area similar to ethnic neighborhoods found in such cities as San Francisco.

The Rev. Damon Lynch III and Peter Block - a Mount Adams author of several best-selling books and an international organizational development consultant to several Fortune 500 companies - have partnered with community leaders to realize the project.

This would be the first African-themed neighborhood project started in the country, Lynch said. Detroit is considering a similar project, but it has not launched, he said.

The six Elm Street buildings that would hold the project are owned by New Prospect Baptist Church, where Lynch is pastor. Lynch hopes to have the first visible signs of the new undertaking by this fall.

Block and Lynch would not discuss the costs associated with the project but said that because the church already owns the buildings, little additional money would be needed.

Lynch says there's a need to bring disparate parts of the black community into one place to support one another.

Block said the area would have a distinctly "African" feel - with retailers focusing on food, clothing and music with an African flare - but the area won't be for black people only.

He calls the project "an alternative to gentrification - it's for the people who live there."

Living spaces above stores would be turned into condos and apartments, with storefronts below.

James Clingman, a Cincinnatian and author of the nationally syndicated "Blackonomics" newspaper column, said he sees the plan as a step in the right direction.

"I think it's important not only for the economic benefit but for the symbolic role-model effect our youth must have in order to select alternative behaviors," he said.

This looks like an interesting development and I am looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

Rampant crime continues

2005-07-22T20:41:00.000-04:00

This information came from the 700 WLW website

Cincinnati Police are investigating a series of armed robberies that took place in College Hill, Northside, and Clifton. Overnight, there were at least seven aggravated robberies. Two of the robberies happened within 15 minutes of each other in the 5700 block of Hamilton Avenue. The other robbery reports came from Cedar Avenue, Chase Avenue, Resor Avenue, McAlpin Avenue, and Gray Road. Police say at least four of the robberies happened so close to each other they believe the same person may be responsible for all the robberies. If you have any information that may help police, please call Crimestoppers at (513) 352-3040.

Welcome to Wednesday night in the Queen City!

Reason # 203,943 why citizens don't trust the police

2005-07-22T20:35:00.000-04:00

This AP article explains how a local police officer died while off-duty last Friday.

A suburban Cincinnati police officer who was killed in a car crash while off duty had a blood-alcohol content higher than the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle, the Hamilton County coroner said Thursday.

My condolences go to the officer's friends and family.

Golf Manor police Chief Stephen Tilley

had said that he would be very surprised if toxicology tests showed that alcohol was involved.

We were very surpised as well Chief Tilley.

Lemmie out... Rager in?

2005-07-21T02:50:00.000-04:00

Following Tuesday's resignation of cincinnati city manager Valerie Lemmie Mayor Luken has appointed David E. Rager to the position. An article in the enquirer explains,

Rager’s appointment will be sent to City Council at its Aug. 3 recess meeting. The exact terms of his compensation were not released, but the mayor said they would be similar to Lemmie, who made $192,302 plus benefits last year.

Luken has also made it clear that Rager would be a short-term appointment, allowing the next mayor the opportunity to hire his or her own city manager. Luken is not running for re-election, and leaves office Dec. 1.

Dave Rager is one of the most qualified public servants I have ever worked with,” Luken said in a statement. He touted Rager’s diverse experience in city government.

Rager has led the Water Works, a city department, since 1993. Before that, he was Safety Director. He has also worked in the Finance and Planning departments, and in the city’s Regional Computer Center.

He was the acting assistant city manager under Timothy H. Riordan in 2001 and 2002, in the transition period between city managers when Luken began his term.

So far so good.

However, an enquirer article from 2002 portrayed Rager in a different light. According to the article

The city of Cincinnati paid $2.3 million in overtime last year for management employees exempt from overtime under federal labor law, and Councilman Pat DeWine wants to put a stop to it

A supervisor in the sewer department received $31,251 in overtime on top of a $55,741 salary — an increase of 56 percent.

City agencies with the most exempt overtime were Water Distribution Maintenance, with $230,709, and the Regional Computer Center, with $227,169.

As the Water Works Director (as well as interim city manager), David Rager was the city official directly responsible for $31,251 the supervisor was paid, as well as the $230,709 in Water Distribution Maintenance overtime. Rager reportedly

said much of that overtime was unavoidable. When repair crews work 100-hour weeks fixing water mains, the field supervisors who oversee them also get overtime.

To this, Dewine

said he can't find any city with a policy as liberal as Cincinnati's. “And it's almost unheard of in the private sector to pay management-level employees overtime,” he said.

It is interesting how this was characterized as a liberal vs. conservative issue. I find it hard to believe that any reasonable liberal would support such overtly gratuitous misuse of millions of taxpayer dollars. If anyone has other relevant information on Rager's tenure either as Interim City Manager or as Water Works Director be sure to drop me an email or, better yet, leave a comment.

Hackett campaign picks up steam

2005-07-20T20:52:00.000-04:00

This enquirer article, by Howard Wilkinson gives an update of some of the recent developments in Paul Hackett's campaign for Ohio's 2nd Congressional District seat. Stumping from James Carville (former Clinton strategist) and Max Cleland (former Senator) is sure to give Hackett a boost in the August 2nd special election.

The article also makes reference to the role played by the DCCC.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee helped the Hackett campaign secure Carville's appearance and provided some fund-raising assistance that allowed the Hackett campaign to begin a TV ad campaign this week. That made Hackett the first Democratic candidate in decades who could afford TV ads in the 2nd District.

Unfortunately the Committee's website doesn't even mention Hackett's campaign.

A few Hackett events of interest
Thursday July 21st - Noon
Military Event w/ Max Cleland, Blue Ash, OH
Veterans Park in Downtown Blue Ash adjacent to Towne Square at the southwest corner of Hunt and Cooper Roads.

Friday July 22nd - 12:30pm
Al Franken Radio Show

Saturday July 23rd - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Meet PAUL HACKETT
With Special Guest Speaker: Congressman Tim Ryan
At the Katkin’s, 7420 S. Mingo Lane, Cincinnati, Ohio 45243

Suggested Contribution: $20 per person
Please RSVP to info@hackettforcongress.com or (513) 735-4310

Check out Ohio 2nd for more info on the race.

UPDATE:
Ohio Watch just informed me that the commercial is now available here as a .wmv file.

Crime shaping up to be major issue in mayoral campaigns

2005-07-20T16:51:00.000-04:00

This article from the Enquirer, penned by Greg Korte gives a decent overview of actions and statements made by several mayoral candidates on Tuesday.

It became clear Tuesday - about two months before the Sept. 13 primary - that crime has become the major issue of the 2005 campaign for Cincinnati mayor.

While this may be true, it doesn't strike me as a revelation that is particularly poignant. I have not lived in the city for long but after a close friend was carjacked and my own car was broken into with a brick last year I knew that crime reduction would be a primary political issue.

The article does mention one interesting tidbit about David Pepper's slash and burn style of campaigning.

Pepper sent a volunteer to walk into Mallory's news conference - inside Mallory's College Hill campaign headquarters - to distribute a news release. The headline: "Mallory Opposed Anti-Crime Legislation in Columbus."

Maybe I am naive about the extent to which this kind of thing happens on the local level but that is not the type of campaign that I want to see in Cincinnati. Perhaps Pepper would be better off distributing his attack messages somewhere with a higher percentage of undecided voters, rather than at a competitor's headquarters.

Also from Korte, an article that highlights Mark Mallory's interesting-to-say-the-least strategy for capturing the growing latino vote.

The Mallory campaign also may have coined a new word for Spanish-speaking Cincinnatians: "Cincinnatianos," the web site calls them.

For some reason I doubt that he "coined a new word." It appears to be some sort of misguided combination of the words "Cincinnatian" and "Latino." While I am glad the Mallory campaign has stepped up by offering part of their website in Spanish, I feel that the attempt to coin a term for a population he is not a part of comes off as silly at best, and patronizing at worst.

Meeting with Justin Jeffre, The Candidate Grill-Out Tour, and More

2005-07-20T16:33:00.000-04:00

From Independent Eye and the Dean.

INDEPENDENT MEDIA NETWORK MAYORAL CANDIDATE SERIES #2- July 27

Please join us at an open meeting with Mayoral candidate Justin Jeffre on July 27th, 6:30 pm at InkTank World Headquarters, 1311 Main Street.

Cincinnati’s Independent Media Network, in association with InkTank, invites you to its Mayoral Series…

Mark Mallory was the first mayoral candidate to meet with local bloggers on June 23rd, and we are pleased to continue this series
with independent candidate Justin Jeffre.

Bloggers, members of independent press, and even just interested citizens, are invited to participate in an open meeting with
candidate Justin Jeffre on July 27th, 6:30 pm at InkTank World Headquarters, 1311 Main Street.

This is an opportunity for area bloggers to sit down one-on-one with candidates. Ask whatever you like. Talk about issues facing our City.
Feel free to report on the event at your web site.

More on Inktank at http://www.inktank.org

CINCINNATI CANDIDATES GRILL OUT TOUR

At the idea stage for now - we need volunteers Any candidates are welcome. There has been council candidate interest in the concept. In short, we will mount a “tour” of target neighborhoods, say places like Avondale and Bond Hill, and we will find a public space with grills.
Each candidate will bring hot dogs and pop. The candidates will host a free picnic to the neighborhood, giving everyone a chance to talk one-on-one with the people.

The event could probably get positive press coverage, and it would surely become rather popular after the first or second one. It’s non-partisan spirit will also encourage citizens.

We need to figure out how to get this arranged. I think we should look at Saturdays in August.

To Do List:
*Find a place
*Verify candidates who can attend
*Make sure the food list is adequate
*Press Releases

If any of you want to be directly involved in planning, please let me know, or if you have a staff/volunteer who would like to help.

NEW YEARS EVE PARTY AT THE MOCKBEE

We’re sponsoring a new year’s party at the Mockbee and need some help planning. The tentative theme is Willie Wonka. Anyone want to volunteer?–

Steve Novotni
IMN Coordinator
1746 Mills Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45212
vox/fax: 513.841.9729
steve@goxray.com

Behind Every Candidate...

2005-07-19T18:03:00.000-04:00

First of all, nothing but respect for Queen City Forum for doing this weekly(???) segment about City Council candidates.

The segment on Damon Lynch III, however, left a lot to be desired. It reads like a campaign advertisement without the clever wordplay. I can just picture a volunteer staffer typing late at night "People who really know Damon Lynch III love him."

Isn't that wonderful!

The "guest columnist" continues

The City of Cincinnati is in a state of emergency where our youth and crime are concerned. The system is failing them. Jobs are lacking, the school system needs substancial improvement, and unfortunately, once they get into trouble, it’s terribly difficult for them to integrate back into society. Our young people are dying and their families and community are in despair.

Unfortunately, Lynch's strategy for dealing with this is to put them in "Curfew Centers" in an atempt to "get these children off the street and out of harms way."

This would be news if it was accurate

2005-07-18T12:59:00.000-04:00

Cincinnatinews.net ran this story today about a Union dispute at Nutone in Madisonville. The article mentions that

Hundreds of local workers are taking to the picket lines Monday morning after they were locked out from their jobs.

However, the accompanying video clearly shows just TWO people, um, yanno, "taking to the picket lines."

DOJ denies DNC claim in Ohio

2005-07-18T12:29:00.000-04:00

This article from the Cincinnati Post provides the Offical Department of Justice response to claims of irregularities in voting procedures in Franklin County

Aside from the claim that there were no irregularities found, the DOJ didn't even address the questions raised by the DNC.

The DNC claims that twice as many black voters reported problems as white voters. The problems included long lines and intimidation from poll workers.

Without so much as mentioning the issue of poll workers intimidating voters the Justice Department

pointed to high numbers of first-time black voters and unanticipated spikes in overall turnout as factors in those election problems.

If you are a number person, have microsoft excel (and a way to open a .zip file), and want to see for yourself, download the election results for Franklin County.

Words of praise for Justin Jeffre

2005-07-18T00:27:00.000-04:00

The Dean of Cincinnati wrote an article about last week's "Candidate night" at Mcfaddens downtown. In the article the Dean was astute enough to see Justin Jeffre for the capable candidate that he is. The Dean wrote,

Justin Jeffre continues to rise to the occasion at public forums. Despite the sarcastic local press concerning his music career, Jeffre is articulate and confident in talking about Cincinnati issues.

Also from The Dean, this press release announcing an open meeting between Jeffre and members of the independent media.

Mark Mallory was the first mayoral candidate to meet with local bloggers on June 23rd, and we are pleased to continue this series with independent candidate Justin Jeffre.

Bloggers, members of independent press, and even just interested citizens, are invited to participate in an open meeting with candidate Justin Jeffre on July 27th, 6:30 pm at InkTank World Headquarters, 1311 Main Street.

This is an opportunity for area bloggers to sit down one-on-one with candidates. Ask whatever you like. Talk about issues facing our City. Feel free to report on the event at your web site.

InkTank is "... a grassroots collective of writers committed to connecting people through the power of words," so it was only natural to hold this meeting at their facility. They do not sell drinks, but we are invited to bring our own, or to share. If you have not had a chance to visit InkTank, they have a wonderful space and it will be fun to meet there.

So mark your calendars for July 27th. We look forward to seeing you at this second installment of bloggers meeting mayoral candidates, and we look forward to talking with Justin Jeffre!

I plan on being there and look forward to participating in the event.

County Prosecutor speaks his mind

2005-07-17T22:53:00.000-04:00

Image courtesy of City Beat

In a recent Cincinnati Enquirer Article Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters gave his opinions of the City leadership as well as criminals downtown and in over-the-rhine. Of the City leaders, Deters said they lack

the background, training and experience to dictate how the police can do their job.

According to The Enquirer Article, Deters declined to name any names whatsoever.

Of the criminals Deter said,

The time has come for the city to realize what we are dealing with - lawless vermin.

This is exactly the type of talk that makes law-abiding citizens of crime-plagued Cincinnati communities afraid to participate in a relationship with local police.

City bans employee access to blogs

2005-07-17T22:39:00.001-04:00

Although this may be old news to some it is new to me and I thought it was interesting. Wirearchy posted this article which explains the city's decision to restrict employee access to weblogs. Just wait, it gets better. According to the post

Brendon Cull, the press secretary for Mayor Charlie Luken, was granted an exception to the rule and allowed access to two local blogs, Cincinnati Blog and Black Cincinnati Blog.

Apparently only some city employees need access to timely and relevant political information.

House bill could block local Wi-Fi

2005-07-17T22:10:00.000-04:00

According to an article in this week's Citybeat

As it stands, municipal Wi-Fi is banned in 11 states. Eleven others, including Ohio, have bills pending in their legislatures. Ohio House Bill 188, introduced in April, would force a municipality that already has two Internet providers -- the cable and phone companies -- to go through such a lengthy process of public evaluation that it would essentially block any such project before it got off the ground.

State Senator Mark Mallory (D-West end) commented on the bill by saying "I see a real need for community Wi-Fi. I just think we need to find a fair and balanced way to do this."

I applaud Mallory on his ability to see the important issue in this, the "real need" for citizens of Cincinnati to have affordable wireless Internet access.

Governor Taft failing Ohio

2005-07-17T21:52:00.000-04:00

Governor Bob Taft's approval rating has dipped below 20% for the second time in three months according to a survey recently released by SurveyUSA. Even more telling is the 13% approval rating he was given from citizens over the age of 55 and the 14% rating from males in ohio.

Of local interest, Taft was most popular (24% approval) in the "West region" of Ohio, which includes his hometown of Cincinnati.

It looks like the former Hamilton County Commissioner has his work cut out for him.

Welcome

2005-07-17T21:16:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Cincinnati News Blog. On this site I will highlight the news that goes virtually unmentioned by the mainstream media in the Queen City of Cincinnati, Ohio. Additional emphasis will be placed on issues of politics, entertainment, and crime within the city.

Site Updates

2005-01-25T19:51:00.000-05:00

8.5.05 Linked under "Enemies List" on Made 4 the Internet

8.3.05 - Jean Schmidt finally removed the false press release from her site, despite the fact that Kirk asked her to early in the day Tuesday.

8.2.05 - Links from throughout the blogosphere as a result of this entry:

Annatopia credited me with "the debunking of this smear." The Daily Kos then linked to her and helped spread the word. Annatopia is currently down, I assume from heavy traffic.

OH-02 was the first to link to me. The site got too many hits and crashed early in the day.

Eric Minamyer admits that the press release was "in error" just hours after defending it on my comments and elsewhere.

Atrios exposed the issue to a lot of people. Someone reposted my version in the comments.

The Democratic Congressional Committee Blog picked up on the story just six hours after it broke at 9 a.m. According to the DCCC,

And yes, this is a real press release, and yes putting that out on the last day of the campaign so that nobody has a chance to blast you for it is one of the most pathetically cowardly things I've seen. Sounds a lot like Rove, not much like Paul Hacke

Apparently they weren't aware of how fast the debunking of the press release was spreading at that point.

Others that linked here include:
Mass Discussion
The Benquirer
Wirecan

7.30.05 - Link from New Left Blogs

7.26.05 - Link from Nix Guy.

7.25.05 - Added Forums and a Chat Room to the site. The forums will be used to store political information, opinions, and commentary in a meaningful way. The forums are a work-in-progress and will be updated daily for the time being. The Chat Room will be used in the near future to facilitate digital open discussions between candidates and voters. More information on these discussions will be available soon.

7.24.05 - Added first poll on types of content readers would like to see.

7.24.05 - Link and thumbnail from
Blog Explosion

7.24.05 - Link from Red-State.com.

7.24.05 - Link from Cincinnati Advance.

7.24.05 - Link from Planet Cincinnati. Was also added to the feed for the blog.

7.23.05 - Added candidate campaign links on right side.

7.23.05 - Link from Cincinnati TV News. Interestingly enough, Cincinnati TV News showed up just a few days after Cincinnati News, had a very similar URL, and added me to their blogroll immediately. Regardless, I'm glad to see another soldier in the battle.

7.23.05 - Link from BizzyBlog.

7.19.05 - Link from Mark Mallory campaign blog.

7.19.05 - Listed at the top of Dean of Cincinnati. RSS feed syndicated at the site as well.

7.17.05 - An idea turned into a website. Site went live Sunday AM.