EastWalnutHillz

At this point we have to say we lost the fight of stopping this but how can we either limit the damage or use it as a tool to stop future social services. Bottom line, and I know this flies in the face of the rhetoric that was coming out of the anti-Citylink group, this will absorb some, not all, social services in OTR. Look at who is part of this, some are groups who are here in OTR. If they are being pressured to relocate, which many have now for a couple of years this could give them a way out. Others who are asking to expand when arguing need, will have this to 'compete' with. Every social service here that goes to the city, or is fighting for donations now will hear a giant sucking sound emanating from the West End. We now have the task of backing out of our own rhetoric and saying that the West End and OTR by extension, is not doomed because this is being built. The realities of Citylink will have to be accepted and hedged in other ways. I am afraid that over the next few days or weeks we are going to hear horror story scenerios put out there that will only make things worse. Lets everyone try and take a different route and say that this does give other social services a reason to relocate or be absorbed by this social service mall. I say hit the blogs, write to the papers etc, put this scenario out and put pressure on the existing social services. I don't see any “rhetoric” coming out of the NoToCityLink.com group. By "rhetoric" I'm assuming that you imply that the NoToCityLink.com group is playing a game of politics vs. CityLink ??? In reality, it's the other way around. CityLink, a so-called "christian charity..." CityLink has played a dirty, nasty political game on West Enders. There’s nothing Christian about how CityLink has behaved in this never ending game. • CityLink tried to secretly infiltrate The West End Community Council meetings with Dale Mallory, who turned out to be a major CityLink backer. THIS IN ITSELF IS AN ACT OF FRAUD. http://www.notocitylink.com/ • CityLink literally hid from West Enders for quite some time, refusing direct dialogue with West End residents in any meaningful capacity. And now CityLink claims that they plan to work with the city and work with West End residents to come to an agreement? PLEASE. The time to come to the table and be forthright, honest and CHRISTIAN was 2+ years ago. • While CityLink hid from West End property owners, backers of CityLink wrote flowery editorials to the Enquirer in support of CityLink. (The editorials I’m speaking of are oddly no longer available on the Enquirer’s website.) • Probably the most pathetic piece of rhetoric out of CityLink in response to West Ender’s concern about neighborhood rehabilitation… CityLink claims “that they plan to focus on rehabilitating people’s lives…” PUHHHHHLEEEEEZZE. (or how about DUH). This lame line does not constitute an answer to the concerns of West Enders. It’s called a diversion from the real issue at hand. Which leads to the next major point of CityLink rhetoric… • CityLink has attempted to paint this issue of a “Good Christians vs. The Anti-Poor” issue. I think West Enders of all people know very well that there is a problem with poverty in Cincinnati. I mean it’s in their face every time they walk outside their homes. • CityLink has played a dirty, backhanded, nasty game of politics on the West End, and now we’re simply supposed to go forward and “make lemonade?” How can anyone in the West End trust these CityLink people ??? The NoToCityLink.com crowd is doing what anyone else in Cincinnati would and should do in this case... They're defending their neighborhood from being a dumping ground for the poor. They're defending their neighborhood from a bunch of suburbanites / non West Enders who think they know what's better for the West End than the tax paying property owners in the West End. They’re defending their right as West End property owners to model their own destiny as a neighborhood. Unlike all of the religious groups pushing for CityLink, the West End residents actually pay the property taxes in this city and they have every right to oppose CityLink and similar projects from being built on their doorstep. They have every right to insist that their own Mayor Mallory would advocate on behalf of the neighborhood… …not on behalf of Mayor Mallory’s brother Dale and a group of non-Cincinnati residents. I will agree that there is a need for CityLink, and I give the backers of CityLink credit for their bold plan (even if I don’t agree that under qualified volunteers and unqualified pastors should be treating people who are seriously screwed up). Every bit of charity helps. But there are also more appropriate places for CityLink, and the way this has been handled by CityLink and the city is just all out disturbing. The way that CityLink has handled this "game" only furthers my opinion that religious charities can use their tax exempt status to play dirty games on tax paying Cincinnatians. And the way Mayor Mallory has pretended to play both sides of the dirty game gives me no faith that he advocates for Cincinnati residents.

Considering that CityLink's own Dale Mallory is Mayor Mark Mallory's brother... ...and Mark Mallory PRETENDS not to understand why anyone in the West End would have a problem with CityLink... It wouldn't surprise me if The Enquirer was inadvertently supporting CityLink in some backroom kinda way. The Enquirer does have a reputation for catering to the city's powerbrokers, and the only news outlet reporting anything substantive about CityLink is CityBeat.