JohnClevesSymmes

^That is a good way to run afoul of elections law for whoever put that up. That is, if they are affiliated with a campaign.

This is not the first time I have heard retailers struggle in their dealings with 3CDC. Can they really command double the rent? I can't imagine another high-end furniture store coming in and being able to afford something more than JWH. Is some other kind of high-end boutique willing and able to swing that? 3CDC needs to engage with the neighborhood better, because I am not seeing any strategy when it comes to non-food/drink retail in OTR.

That is a pretty serious allegation. Do you expect a primary opponent for him next year?

^It got started when they were opposing the red light cameras, and subsequently the jail tax.

^Dude you tainted the study!

^Signs disappear every year. In the past it was often Leslie Ghiz signs because her name is so funny. Is there any evidence suggesting a specific perpetrator?

Elisa Hoffman also got a charter endorsement. I believe she works or has worked for Teach for America.

I believe that Bates is the only incumbent and there are three additional open seats. Did not know Martha Good was running. What is her streak up to now?

Oh wow. Yea a house shows up when I type into google maps but the same house when I type other numbers.

It showed up for me on google maps. Am I missing something?

You're right. I didn't read carefully. It does seem like the pro-Qualls line is that she is the one true Democrat in the race. My point is they are both Democrats with different viewpoints on certain issues. I could see if one candidate was an outsider who happens to be a registered D, the party might endorse. However, since there is no partisan primary, I just couldn't see the precinct reps and the endorsement committee justifying it to themselves in this circumstance.

^ Your point of view was pretty clear to me. subocincy - i suggest you reread.

But this is our system. We don't have a partisan primary. Just because YOU favor Qualls doesn't mean that the party that includes her and Cranley needs to endorse her. Aside from essentially backing away from the non-partisan primary concept we have in Cincinnati, the down side of picking one to endorse is that you piss off loyal democrat volunteers and donors that are backing Cranley - in addition to alienating Cranley himself who could be a viable candidate for other offices in the future. Exactly, and it didn't damage the party then and it won't damage the party now.

Did you mean Qualls? http://wvxu.org/post/thomases-not-endorsing-mayors-race

You are operating under the assumption that the leadership in the Hamilton County Democratic Party sees Qualls as the one true Democrat and Cranley as some sort of Republican trojan horse. Simply not the case. Plenty of longtime Democrat donors and grassroots volunteers have lined up for Cranley. Tim Burke is staying neutral and rightly so. After this race the party will come back together and unite for the statewide candidates in 2014.

^Smart move putting the holtman's donuts offer in bold. It was the first thing that caught my eye and my brain/stomach immediately ordered me to figure out how I get the donuts.

Do we know they asked everyone that? Perhaps they only asked Moroski in order to get more of a read on a newcomer. Also, I would bet PG, Thomas, and perhaps a couple others gave non-answers if they were asked.

FOP endorsements: Sittenfeld Smitherman Thomas Winburn Flynn Johnson Malone Mann Murray Interesting to see Kevin Johnson on there. Got to respect his campaign. Not a lot of flash, but he is out there connecting with voters.

I disagree that it is their responsibility to know the potential impact of choosing that location. It is a beautiful park in a beautiful neighborhood. It is available to rent. They rented it. It was a fancy picnic that required some kind of advanced registration and fees. I get why the optics look bad to some people, but it really wasn't that bad.

Not a chance.

Charter Committee endorses Qualls.

Yea... but walk down 12th from Vine toward Washington Park. Plenty of trash on the ground.

And they looked foolish doing so. It seems like they are picking their battles for now.

This is worth a read: http://www.satellitemagazine.ca/2013/09/over-the-rhine/ ... Despite my intimate familiarity with the gentrification process, however, when I visit my hometown of Cincinnati I’m always taken aback by the extremes of race and class on display in one of the city’s fastest-changing neighborhoods, Over-the-Rhine. Located directly adjacent to the city’s central business district, OTR, as it is often called, offers a somewhat surreal refresher in the architectural, economic, and racial history of American cities. On one block, rows of boarded-up buildings abut a tidy, suburban-style townhouse serving homeless veterans, while a renovated single-family row house a few streets away is on offer for $650,000. Ground-level retail in the storefronts of ornate nineteenth-century structures ranges from a men’s clothing store covered with jaunty hand-painted signs advertising check-cashing services to a design shop selling $125 tote bags. ...

^I agree almost 100% with your assessment. However, I think the tossup spot will go to either Moroski, Murray, Thomas, or Mann. I just don't think the others have the right ratio of funds, shoe-leather and a message. Edit: I also think you can't count out Kevin Flynn. He has come close 2 elections in a row, and the 3rd time has historically been the charm for several other candidates.