Cranley's bad week — will it matter?

Chris Wetterich - Staff reporter - Cincinnati Business Courier

 

John Cranley has not had a very good week, the last full one in the 2013 Cincinnati mayoral campaign.

 

Cont

 

Best line from the article:

"Since TV news has all but ignored the mayoral race in favor of its usual, steady diet of out-of-context murder, mayhem and teachers having sex with students, it seems to me Qualls will have to buy TV ads pointing out these stories for voter awareness to reach critical mass."

The Enquirer endorses John Cranley yet comes out in favor of the Parking Lease and now the new Trash Policy, two things he wants to undo.

 

 

OPINION: Don’t throw away city’s new trash policy

 

Julie Zimmerman of the Enquirer’s Editorial Board, offers this opinion:

 

 

Many people want cost-cutting measures, as long as the cuts don’t affect them personally.

 

Case in point: the City of Cincinnati’s new garbage cans.

 

City workers were being injured from the old system of manually loading garbage into trucks, which led to workers’ compensation costs, and the trucks required two workers: one to drive and one to load. The new system uses 65-gallon cans distributed by the city that can be automatically loaded into the trucks.

 

That makes it safer for workers and lowers costs from injuries. The trucks can also be operated by just one person, which will lower personnel costs. Savings are estimated at $2.5 million a year. There are trash amnesties around the holidays, and residents can arrange for a pickup of extra garbage by calling the Public Works Department.

 

Cont

So.... The Enquirer's logic is as follows:

 

We agree with Roxanne all of the issues including garbage collection, streetcar, parking, etc.

We like the cut of John's jib. We endorse John.

They know that the suburban and exurban subscriber base likes Cranley. They're afraid they'll sell fewer papers to those people if they endorse who they actually agree with on the issues.

So.... The Enquirer's logic is as follows:

 

We agree with Roxanne all of the issues including garbage collection, streetcar, parking, etc.

We like the cut of John's jib. We endorse John.

 

One of the editors was interviewed on WVXU yesterday regarding the Enquirer endorsement.  His responses to questions about the reasoning behind the endorsement were filled with long pauses, "um...", and "well..." as he tried to find a way to justify the paper's position.  It basically boiled down to the paper not liking the current administration and viewing Qualls as an extension of that administration, so they just picked Cranley because he's different.  The major strength they cited was that he's "energetic", for whatever that's worth.  He also said that the opinion split in the Enquirer office over the Cranley/Qualls endorsement "wasn't even close", so that should tell you how out of touch that paper is with its readers.  The interview is probably online, but I can't access wvxu.org from the office.

So.... The Enquirer's logic is as follows:

 

We agree with Roxanne all of the issues including garbage collection, streetcar, parking, etc.

We like the cut of John's jib. We endorse John.

 

One of the editors was interviewed on WVXU yesterday regarding the Enquirer endorsement.  His responses to questions about the reasoning behind the endorsement were filled with long pauses, "um...", and "well..." as he tried to find a way to justify the paper's position.  It basically boiled down to the paper not liking the current administration and viewing Qualls as an extension of that administration, so they just picked Cranley because he's different.  The major strength they cited was that he's "energetic", for whatever that's worth.  He also said that the opinion split in the Enquirer office over the Cranley/Qualls endorsement "wasn't even close", so that should tell you how out of touch that paper is with its readers.  The interview is probably online, but I can't access wvxu.org from the office.

The Enquirer is Republican - Cranley is the Republican choice.

it's really simple.

 

"Qualls' realty violated state ethics law: can't take fee from someone who does business with city"

 

Except that this violation dated to 1986. How far back do folks go to find dirt on people? And the original poster - derek_bauman - who had only one post, deleted his account. (Apparently he is a strong Qualls supporter.)

 

The COASTies love making fake accounts in my name. Those Keyboard Cowards wouldn't say boo to me if they saw me on the street. The account in question was deleted by moderators. This weekend I will be out personally knocking on over 100 doors for Roxanne and all of the candidates for progress. Please join me! Meeting at Qualls HQ 2718 Woodburn at 1pm today and tomorrow. Please say hi if you see me.

 

Also please click on going and then click on invite friends to this event! Looking to get to 10k event invitations out now. We need to drive turnout! https://www.facebook.com/events/439849836121325/440626936043615/?notif_t=like

Yet Another tea party group has come out in support of John Cranley. 

 

This one is called

 

"Citizens For Informed Voters" . 

 

If they sound familiar, its probably because they are the ones that circulated that anti-streetcar flyer with wild misinformation earlier in the campaign

 

Bill Collins ‏@BCollinsSignMan 4m

Right-wing "Citizens 4 Informed Voters" (CIV) mailer mailed 2 "CINCINNATI REPUBLICANS" endorses @JohnCranley, PG, Murray, Winburn, Smithermn

 

Here's the photographic evidence

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8lgH08Xi1PsMGROOXI1YURJc3c/edit?usp=sharing&pli=1

Here's the link to WVXU's interview with Enquirer editorial page editor Dave Holthaus.  The interview begins at 16:30.  In my opinion, he was not at all convincing:

 

http://wvxu.org/post/cincinnati-election-just-days-away-0

Has everyone on here volunteered or donated? And I mean everyone. This is down to the wire.

I have.  Twice.  Let's make it easy for everyone.  Contributing money takes less than 2 minutes via these links.  If you care about the streetcar project (and about not having the city's momentum in general reversed), put your money where your mouth is:

 

      http://www.roxannequalls.com/home/contribution.html

 

      https://secure.pledgeconnect.com/donation.aspx?cincinnatiansforprogress

 

It doesn't have to be a lot.  Skip a night out and contribute $25 or $50.  And make sure that you actually GO OUT AND VOTE on Tuesday!

Here's the link to WVXU's interview with Enquirer editorial page editor Dave Holthaus.  The interview begins at 16:30.  In my opinion, he was not at all convincing:

http://wvxu.org/post/cincinnati-election-just-days-away-0

holy crap, for a man of words, his use of "uh" & "um" is pretty amazing

I think the notion of Cranky "shooting from the hip" is very important. He would have a lot more entertainment value.

^I thought the same thing.  Maybe he's just not a great public speaker, but it came across like he didn't really believe what he was saying and was trying to remember what he was told to say. 

http://blackcincinnati.blogspot.com/2013/11/fbi-public-corruption-squad-asked-to.html?m=1

Don't know if this is true or not but these are some shocking allegations against alicia Reece. He touches on Cranley and his campaign finance report along with some other interesting allegations about Cranley and reece

 

^WOW. That could be big. Interesting...

http://blackcincinnati.blogspot.com/2013/11/fbi-public-corruption-squad-asked-to.html?m=1

Don't know if this is true or not but these are some shocking allegations against alicia Reece. He touches on Cranley and his campaign finance report along with some other interesting allegations about Cranley and reece

It's hard to tell with Livingston. He was also adamant that his boss, Ken Lawson, didn't do dope. Lawson later admitted he was doped to the gills for years.

That said, I've never understood why the local Dems fawn over this family so much. I think it was Livingston who argued Alicia never really lived in Cincinnati while on council - that she just used a room in her dad's motel to qualify as a resident.

When it comes to corruption in the 2 major parties in Hamilton County, nothing would surprise me.

OK, everybody! It's crunch time. I'm a Butler County resident who can't vote for this election, so I want all the Cincinnati residents here to vote for these candidates. Just a friendly reminder.

 

Mayor - Roxanne Qualls

 

Council -

 

Yvette Simpson

Chris Seelbach

Laure Quinlivan

Wendell Young

Greg Landsman

Michelle Dillingham

Mike Moroski

Shawn Butler

Kevin Johnson

 

All these people do not oppose the streetcar...and support generally progressive policies. This is the streetcar ticket, for better or for worse.

Quimbob knocks this one out of the park:

 

We Can't Afford John Cranley

http://quimbob.blogspot.com/2013/11/we-cant-afford-john-cranley.html

Anywhere online that election results can be viewed in real time? I have to work tomorrow night till 9 and it'd be great to see results on my phone periodically. I guess there's Twitter, but I'd rather just see data than opinions until it's all over.

http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/OH/Hamilton/49399/120196/Web01/en/summary.html

 

This is the link the Hamilton County BoE has for live results. Not sure if there is one that will update faster. You can choose which races you watch with the "customize my search" at the top right side of the page.

^You're the man Ryan, thanks so much! Hopefully I'm seeing good news and Amy Murray at the bottom of the list.

Quimbob knocks this one out of the park:

 

We Can't Afford John Cranley

http://quimbob.blogspot.com/2013/11/we-cant-afford-john-cranley.html

I always knock it out of the park. & then never find the ball again...

I tried to submit it to the Enquirer but it was too long.

(also posted in the mass transit subforum)

 

Atlantic Cities features the streetcar-politics connection in Cincy:

 

The Streetcar at the Heart of the Cincinnati Mayoral Race

 

Of the many vital civic matters that might decide a local election, you wouldn't expect a streetcar to be at the top of the list. But that's exactly what's happening in Cincinnati, Ohio. Whether or not city residents vote for John Cranley and Roxanne Qualls — both very qualified candidates from the same party — may well come down to how they feel about the city's streetcar plan....

 

 

http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/OH/Hamilton/49399/120196/Web01/en/summary.html

 

Wow, that's a great new feature. I take it this is the first time they've done this.

^ They used it for the primary.

Early turnout was half of what it was for the 2009 mayoral election.  Not a good indication for Qualls

Don't forget that the polls are open until 7:30 PM.  So if you're reading this at work, you can still vote on your way home.  Make sure you get to the polls today.  We can't stress enough how crucial every single vote is this time.

 

Early turnout was half of what it was for the 2009 mayoral election.  Not a good indication for Qualls

 

In the 2009 mayoral election they mailed absentee ballots to every registered voter whether they requested or not. They didn't do it this time.

Rumors spreading that Tom Luken is driving around to polling locations and essentially stealing Qualls volunteers' literature. Not sure about the accuracy of these allegations.

 

Also, the Enquirer is set up outside of a precinct in a heavily pro-Cranley stronghold to report on the election: http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2013/11/05/observing-the-vote-a-day-at-25-g-d-k/

Rumors spreading that Tom Luken is driving around to polling locations and essentially stealing Qualls volunteers' literature. Not sure about the accuracy of these allegations.

yeah, I imagine he can be pretty stealthy.

2 more hours.  If you haven't voted yet, GO NOW!!!

It's over. Cincinnati has set itself back years.

There was a long discussion going on about the 4-year council terms. Moved them to the City Council topic. I'm sure you'll find it.

Some Monday Morning Quarterbacking:

 

-The last anti-streetcar ballot initiative won by only about 1000 votes, a narrower margin than the previous one.  This gave Qualls less wiggle room.

 

-As an incumbent, her record was more timely and in many ways more pertinent than Cranley's previous record on council.

 

-She surely lost erstwhile supporters because of the parking deal.  And she never effectively explained her support for it but IMO spoke about it [sorry to say] rather imperiously.  Voters may not care about or quite understand leveraging an asset but they unquestionably care about increased parking rates.  Apparently, revisions were made to the original deal to address complaints about hours of enforcement, etc., but any relief those changes may have resulted in were never spelled out whenever I heard Qualls speak about it.  Plus, did the City really need to do this deal in an election year, or could it have been delayed after further review and input from citizens?

 

-The change in garbage collection, right before the election, was yet another example of political tone deafness.

 

 

 

 

It's over. Cincinnati has set itself back years.

 

I am waffling on giving up or fighting harder. If progressives can fight for the streetcar and win now, that should be a good sign that all is not lost. If the streetcar is canceled, I will probably have my pessimistic side take over.

 

The sad thing is suburban Republicans flexed their muscles and got the government they wanted. But they won't be moving back into the city as a result. A progressive government keeps actual city residents happy (residents who might move out of the region if they are unhappy) and allows them to boast about Cincinnati to people they know who might up and move to the city.

 

Edit: I boast about the city incessantly to people who have never been there. I have honed the art of getting people to listen attentively to this, and have gotten the city on the radar of young professionals looking for where they are going to make their next career move. I don't think I have influenced anyone to move to Cincinnati, but I have definitely gotten people to think about it who never would have otherwise. Get more ambassadors like me out in the world and you can get a domino effect. Right now, I don't feel very boastful. I may very well have to stop the practice.

^I'm in the same situation. If Cranley dismantles the streetcar, enacts the stupid "Hop On" plan, and uses the parking lease revenue to simply plug budget holes, I'm not going to be a huge Cincinnati booster until things get better. The people on the west side aren't going anywhere. The people on the east side aren't going to move because the streetcar goes forward. The people who will move are the recent college grads who are looking for jobs. If it weren't for the progressive politics and elections of recent years, I would not have thought about staying in Cincinnati after graduation.

 

Also, check out Santa Ono's facebook page (President of UC). Some of the students have expressed interest in staying in Cincinnati but are second-guessing themselves now. There are more people like that who were starting to see Cincinnati as a place to stay and invest. Really sad. https://www.facebook.com/santa.ono.1

Some Monday Morning Quarterbacking:

 

-The last anti-streetcar ballot initiative won by only about 1000 votes, a narrower margin than the previous one.  This gave Qualls less wiggle room.

 

-As an incumbent, her record was more timely and in many ways more pertinent than Cranley's previous record on council.

 

-She surely lost erstwhile supporters because of the parking deal.  And she never effectively explained her support for it but IMO spoke about it [sorry to say] rather imperiously.  Voters may not care about or quite understand leveraging an asset but they unquestionably care about increased parking rates.  Apparently, revisions were made to the original deal to address complaints about hours of enforcement, etc., but any relief those changes may have resulted in were never spelled out whenever I heard Qualls speak about it.  Plus, did the City really need to do this deal in an election year, or could it have been delayed after further review and input from citizens?

 

-The change in garbage collection, right before the election, was yet another example of political tone deafness.

 

Not saying any of that is wrong but consider this: 28% of eligible voters voted.  Cranley got 58% of that; Qualls 42%.  That means Cranley became mayor with the support of 16% of eligible voters.

 

Qualls has been a politician in this town for a long time.  I know she took a ten year break there, but she managed to get votes from a lot of eligible voters.  I'm sorry, but if you've been as big a deal as long as she has and you run such a terrible campaign there are no excuses.  If she wasn't going to run a different campaign for a different race she should have just stayed on council.  That way she'd be on and Flynn or Murray would be off, and there'd be at least a 5-4 split.  She really did her supporters a disservice.

^I'm in the same situation. If Cranley dismantles the streetcar, enacts the stupid "Hop On" plan, and uses the parking lease revenue to simply plug budget holes, I'm not going to be a huge Cincinnati booster until things get better. The people on the west side aren't going anywhere. The people on the east side aren't going to move because the streetcar goes forward. The people who will move are the recent college grads who are looking for jobs. If it weren't for the progressive politics and elections of recent years, I would not have thought about staying in Cincinnati after graduation.

 

Also, check out Santa Ono's facebook page (President of UC). Some of the students have expressed interest in staying in Cincinnati but are second-guessing themselves now. There are more people like that who were starting to see Cincinnati as a place to stay and invest. Really sad. https://www.facebook.com/santa.ono.1

 

Where was the press from the likes of Ono about what the students he is educating want in the city they choose after graduation?  If there was any, I don't think the average voter heard about it. 

There were no big local corporate voices of reason either?

All the local voter heard was "when I'm elected Mayor, I will stop the wasteful streetcar".

To bring it all full circle will an emergency clause be added to any cancelation votes? Referendums and TRO time as more and more construction is underway.  Also as Dahoney will still be there for a minute or two what's a realistic time line that they could start shutting things down?

If she wasn't going to run a different campaign for a different race she should have just stayed on council.  That way she'd be on and Flynn or Murray would be off, and there'd be at least a 5-4 split.  She really did her supporters a disservice.

 

Pretty sure she was term-limited anyway.

^She was appointed in 2007 and elected.  2009, 2011.  I think 2013 would have been her fourth term, but in this case it would have been a 4 year term (or at least 2 years of those 4).

^you're right. Had 2005 in my head for some reason.

LOL, just saw some guy, Freeman McNeal, on local access saying "black folk shouldn't vote for Roxanne Qualls because she's not even a Democrat"

So he supported the Tea Party candidate....

gotta love it

LOL, just saw some guy, Freeman McNeal, on local access saying "black folk shouldn't vote for Roxanne Qualls because she's not even a Democrat"

So he supported the Tea Party candidate....

gotta love it

 

Clowns like that are the ones who show up to vote. I'm surprised half the people that show up to vote in this city can manage to tie their geriatric shoes in the morning, let alone fill out a ballot.

Damon Zex should have moved down there when Columbus lost public access. He would have goaded people into thinking.

Damon Zex should have moved down there when Columbus lost public access. He would have goaded people into thinking.

 

Haha, yes. I don't know if many Cincinnatians know who that is, but he would have fit perfectly in the time slot after Smitherman's show.

One guy voted for Cranley because "Cranley believes in God"

 

I heard that on the Buzz yesterday or monday...I can't remember

Damon Zex should have moved down there when Columbus lost public access. He would have goaded people into thinking.

 

Haha, yes. I don't know if many Cincinnatians know who that is, but he would have fit perfectly in the time slot after Smitherman's show.

 

They don't need to... they'd find out soon enough.

I was fortunate to spend enough time w/ high school friends who went to OSU to be exposed to Damon Zex. I wouldn't know how deprived I was without such exposure.

The Enquirer talks to people who didn't vote and asks them why: http://cin.ci/190N7H9

 

Their responses are absolutely infuriating. So much ignorance and apathy.

 

Kind of makes you want to move into a log cabin somewhere far away from civilization.