natininja

Yes, signatures would be collected against a "pause" ordinance. I think "the language" is only chosen for initiatives (in a referendum, the language is the language of the ordinance council passed). But it might not be a bad idea to collect signatures for an initiative simultaneously with the referendum. Easier to ask people to sign two things once than ask them to sign one thing twice. If we go that route, we need a lawyer working on the language pronto.

Would it possibly make sense not to use the Central Parkway tunnel immediately, but save it for a future phase? I'm thinking something that would get to 75 from Elm but also be good to continue as streetcar service later, like on Ezzard Charles to Union Terminal. Or something else activating TOD in the West End, like on Findlay (yeah, it's narrow) or maybe McMicken>Mohawk>Bank St (yeah, it's kinda indirect). Another possibility: With minimal eminent domain trickery, it would be possible to get from Elm&Henry to Stark>Central Ave>75 (could ultimately become a streetcar over the Western Hills Viaduct to the west side). Just throwing stuff out there... The tunnel will be expensive to update (especially bringing stations to code), and may not be the most prudent way to get LRT off the ground.

You should have asked him for a tomato plant.

They act like Mallory & Qualls are able to directly talk to the people. They aren't. The Enquirer and other media have persistently ignored Mallory & Qualls's positions, and the facts that support them, in favor of one-sided reporting and omission of facts. You are 100% right, Quimbob. It is appalling that they would blame Mallory & Qualls for the Enquirer's own dereliction and utter lack of responsibility in informing the public.

What a small man. I have to think many of the people who voted for him are regretting their choice.

Early in the season w/ a new coach...that's the only explanation I can come up with, other than "any given Saturday." The USF loss was obviously more detrimental. Otherwise UCF wouldn't be sitting so pretty. It's beyond frustrating UCF is likely to get the BCS nod without having to prove themselves against UC. Munchie went down in the middle of the Illinois game, and then a controversial call (that the Big 10 later admitted to being incorrect) took away a TD and any chance at gaining momentum disappeared, not to mention a fumble recovery that UC should have had that the Big 10 also admitted to calling incorrectly at the time. That, and being on the road seems to hurt UC - which explains the loss to USF and several games that were closer than they should have been. I almost believe that the Big 10 officiating crew was a bit angry UC beat up on Purdue earlier in the season and fudged a few calls. Good points. My memory was a little fuzzy on the game. That bad call on Munchie's TD was devastating, then a few minutes later he injured his leg...which was REALLY devastating. Those few minutes were incredibly painful to watch. I even mentioned that earlier in this thread:

Sorry, I somehow missed that taestell posted a new article, and I responded w/o reading it first. The new info seems to be that the track is capable of handling much higher capacity vehicles than the streetcars intended to run in the initial phase. Mr Sparkle is right that this should have been known previously, but I guess it fell through the crack between the engineers/contractors and the planning/policy people working on the project. Now that it's known, let's shout it from the mountaintops. And certainly bring it up when people say they favor LRT but oppose the streetcar -- that's now more clearly a contradiction than ever. "The streetcar" is in fact Downtown's north-south portion of the light rail system these people say they want. I have a hard time picturing five- and seven-section vehicles running in mixed traffic, but I'm sure there is a solution (perhaps barring personal autos from the LRT lane and phasing intersections so LR vehicles have their own time to move).

By the way, I think developing such a signature collection machine should be a huge priority right now. 8 years of Mallory left a lot of people complacent (leading to such a low turnout in the last election), but there is no auto-pilot option for progress at this point. We need an initiative & referendum machine stronger than the NAATP alliance to push things forward over the next 4 years. I have no doubt this is a possibility. If CO can mobilize and wreak havoc on the city from the suburbs, it should be a relative cakewalk to exert influence from the urban core. By persistently putting progressive issues on the ballot, it also works to keep voter morale high and prevent disasters like 2013. How cool would it be if we could get the streetcar up to UC, amid active opposition from council and the mayor? Unlikely, but it would be awesome.

Each one would have its own independent "clock." They would all be subject to referendum, and the November 2014 ballot could be a really interesting one, with multiple streetcar issues on it. I have to think this would get some embarrassing national coverage. We already seem to be an innovator in obstruction. I could see this seriously backfiring for Cranley & the council majority, as it could result in a very efficient pro-streetcar, pro-progress signature collection machine, where progressives would be able to collect 8700 signatures for anything they want on the ballot, at the drop of a hat. It would also entrench PG in the pro-streetcar camp, as it violates the principles he espouses.

Early in the season w/ a new coach...that's the only explanation I can come up with, other than "any given Saturday." The USF loss was obviously more detrimental. Otherwise UCF wouldn't be sitting so pretty. It's beyond frustrating UCF is likely to get the BCS nod without having to prove themselves against UC.

^ I think there won't be enough zealots on council willing to do that. That is too risky for them politically. If emergency ordinances are controversial because they are anti-democratic, this tactic is way beyond the pale. I think it also has the potential to set in motion a flurry of attempts to recall council members, etc. People would respond with ballot initiatives intended to subvert council. CO 's tactics would seem like child play. There would be protesting in the street and a major revolt.

Alex Triantafilou sez, "This is Burke and the Democrats playing politics." So, when a Democrat goes challenges one person's voter registration, it's playing politics. But when Tea Party groups like the "Voter Integrity Project" target hundreds of ordinary citizens, they're doing their patriotic duty. Got it. Not just one person, but a public official. They are usually held to higher standards than private citizens.

Who did not know this? The streetcar IS in fact light rail, in the most technical sense. So of course the tracks are light rail tracks.

^Ha, somehow I missed the 6 in 2016. Anyone know how sure it is the OTR portion will operate prior to the whole system?

Test track & MOF substantial completion: March 1, 2015. Substantial completion of all work: March 15, 2016. That's just for the OTR portion, right?

Sittenfeld is going to support the streetcar. He's going to champion a tax district, owning the issue like it was his own great & innovative idea. He'll hold the banner of pragmatism, compromise, cool- and clear-headedness. He wants to be seen as the savior of the project, and the one who brought the perceived pie-in-the-sky financial plan (where the streetcar, especially operating expenses, could potentially eat into other budget items) into something sensible, where businesses along the line (direct beneficiaries of the project) pay for a bulk of the financing. He aims to retain the support of people who were ambivalent or mildly against the project, and become a hero to those who support the streetcar (look for him to actually starting to use our language when talking about the project and its benefits). He wants a signature accomplishment, a sign of his great leadership qualities, his problem-solving skills, his willingness to change his mind in the face of new facts/situations. Get ready, this is his way to set himself apart and try to become a hero. And, frankly, I welcome it. However cynical it might be.

PG and Cranley both have eyes on higher office. PG is inhabiting a bigger fishbowl, looking at how his position would play statewide and nationally. Cranley is looking at the county/House districts. PG is thinking Senate and beyond. Cranley is thinking House. Sound about right?

Cranley is supposed to announce his Vice Mayor today. Word is it's not PG (who says he hasn't even spoken to Cranley about the possibility). And he said previously he won't pick Smitherman. My money is on Mann. Edit: Annnd...looks like I was right. The press conference is being held at Mann's law office.

Done and done.

Chris Wetterich lays the smackdown on Cranley. This article is chock-full of great quotes. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/morning_call/2013/11/commentary-cranley-doubles-down-on.html?page=all

You are ignoring the context of the second referendum being on that same ballot.

Here's how to look at it: Spend $8m to get a 45-to-1 ROI

It's the equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and going "LALALALALALALALALA"

If Sittenfeld isn't there, to me that says his vote has been swayed in favor of completion (by his meeting earlier in the week). He is not someone who would take the appearance of being rude or closed-minded lightly. Edit: Nevermind, I realized his personal meeting must have been set up because he couldn't make it to this one.

Sadly, we are seeing more of this as newly elected officials come to office. It used to be that a newly elected official, even if he/she disagreed with the policies or actions of his predecessors did not seek to undo them. They may have sought to "improve" or "refine" those actions, but they didn't tear down the house after moving into it. A lack of continuity is a mild way of saying "political instability" which is what we're really talking about here. This country was a good investment for businesses because of its stability. Yes, and "political instability" is a mild way of saying "economic instability." There's no reliable bedrock on which to make investment decisions. Any amenity, service, subsidy, construction project, etc. the local government has any control over is liable to go up in smoke after any given election. The business community has to speak up, because the media won't without being prodded by those with money and power. And if the media won't serve as a voice of objectivity and cool-headed rationality, schizophrenic and, at times, extremist populism will rule the day. And that's bad for business and quality of life. The media has decided that stirring up pitchfork populism is the best way to stay alive, in these tumultuous times for establishment journalism. And, as part of the vicious cycle, politicians have discovered that exploiting this media meta-narrative is a great way to get voters to turn out. This is why we need business leaders to stand up and say "enough is enough," regarding relentless streetcar opposition. Only they can get the message out of the true weight of this issue, because only they can break through the "he said, she said" false-equivalence narrative perpetuated by the mainstream media and the nihilistic anti-urban cynicism of talk radio.