Civil rights complaint against county commissioners, staff tossed

 

 

The Ohio Civil Rights Commission has dismissed a discrimination complaint filed by Paul Sohi, the chief of staff to Hamilton County Commissioner Stephanie Summerow Dumas, against the other commissioners and their chiefs of staff.

 

A regional supervisor for the commission said in a Sept. 26 decision that there was not enough evidence to support Sohi’s allegations of racial harassment based on his Indian heritage against Commissioner Todd Portune, his chief of staff Victoria Parks, Commissioner Denise Driehaus and her chief of staff, Alex Linser. All three commissioners are Democrats.

 

“I'm gratified by this result and pleased that this distraction is behind us,” Driehaus said.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/10/04/civil-rights-complaint-against-county.html

On 9/12/2019 at 7:08 PM, jmecklenborg said:

 

 

He could resign and hand the seat over to his presumed successor.  I say Laketa "Sassy" Cole.  

 

 

 

I'm not sure he gets to pick his successor.  I think the remaining two commissioners get to choose?

57 minutes ago, Jimmy Skinner said:

I'm not sure he gets to pick his successor.  I think the remaining two commissioners get to choose?

They do, but often at the behest of the incumbent's recommendation, which of course is also blessed by the party.

Hamilton County Republicans say they will seek referendum on sales tax increase

 

Hamilton County Republicans announced Monday that they would gather signatures to hold a referendum on a 0.25% sales tax imposed last week by the county commission, which is controlled by Democrats.

 

“The county commissioners are treating us like we’re serfs. They’re acting like they’re feudal lords,” said Mike Odioso, who chairs the southwest Ohio Trump campaign, at a Monday news conference at Republican headquarters downtown.

 

If the petition gathering is successful, the tax would go on the March 2020 ballot, the same election as the presidential primary. The tax is set to go into effect on April 1, 2020.

 

The Republicans will need 33,969 valid signatures by Nov. 15 to put the tax on the ballot. In 2018, the last time commissioners imposed a sales tax increase, they needed 23,629 and gathered about 38,000. After Republicans gathered the signatures, the commissioners pulled back that 0.2% sales tax in the face of bipartisan opposition.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/10/21/hamilton-county-republicans-say-they-will-seek.html

He’s back: Winburn will run for county office in 2020

 

 

Former Cincinnati Councilman Charlie Winburn, a Republican, is running for something in 2020, and it's probably Hamilton County treasurer.

 

Hamilton County GOP Chairman Alex Triantafilou may have inadvertently pre-empted Winburn’s official announcement, although it has been widely known that he was considering the treasurer’s office, with longtime incumbent Republican Robert Goering expected to run for a Court of Common Pleas judgeship. Triantafilou mentioned Winburn’s treasurer candidacy as he was introducing him at a news conference to announce that the GOP is collecting signatures to put a 0.25% sales tax imposed by the county commissioners last week on the March 2020 ballot.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/10/22/he-s-back-winburn-will-run-for-county-office-in.html

Portune sets departure date

 

Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune, who is battling cancer, will leave office on Dec. 31, he told his colleagues on Thursday.

 

“It is important for people to know what’s going on relative to my ongoing service here. I’ll have a lot more to say about it when the time comes,” Portune said at Thursday’s commission meeting. “My effective last day of employment will be no later than Dec. 31 of this year.”

 

Portune sat farther away from his colleagues on the county’s dais than normal, and at times held a mask to his face. He thanked them for making an accommodation for him.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/10/31/portune-sets-departure-date.html

Reece says she’s in the county commission race to stay

 

 

Former state Rep. Alicia Reece made it official Sunday, saying she is running for the Hamilton County Commission and plans to stay in the race even if another Democrat is appointed to the seat being vacated by Todd Portune by the end of the year.

 

Outside of the Board of Elections, flanked by supporters, Reece pledged to build “a county that’s safe, inclusive and just.”

 

“I’m a fighter for everyone to have a piece of the American dream,” said Reece, who also served on Cincinnati City Council for six years, including a stint as vice mayor.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/11/04/reece-says-she-s-in-the-county-commission-race-to.html

Any other Cincinnati voters get a random text message around 12:30 today? No idea how they got my number...

 

"Election Alert: Please vote for GARY FAVORS for Cincinnati School Board. GARY FAVORS: CPS teacher for 22 years and Gulf War veteran.  Gary will put kids 1st!"

I got it too. I reported it as spam and blocked the number.

1 hour ago, ColDayMan said:

Reece says she’s in the county commission race to stay

 

This is the type of candidate (black, female) I can see continuing to beat strong Republican candidates in Hamilton county.  A lot of the middle-class suburbs are increasingly minority and Cincinnati has a large black population. Hopefully Portune chooses her and avoids pointless in-fighting.  Andy Black will cruise to victory if Democrats don't choose someone that can get out the vote.

Edited November 5, 20195 yr by 10albersa

Hamilton County sales tax will stay in place

 

The sales tax to deal with Hamilton County’s structural deficit passed by commissioners in October will stay in place after Republicans announced Tuesday they would not be able to gather the needed signatures to put it on the ballot.

 

That means that the county’s overall sales tax will stay at 7% in April when the 0.25% Union Terminal tax expires. Commissioners Denise Driehaus, Todd Portune and Stephanie Summerow Dumas approved a new, 0.25% sales tax for county operations.

 

“We came up short,” said Andy Black, a Republican and the former Mariemont council member and 2020 commissioner candidate said in a text message. “I’m very proud of our volunteers that worked the polls and stood outside on weekends, and also incredibly disappointed in the commissioners’ decision to ignore the referendum (effort) last year and move $40 million from (the) icon tax to the  general fund without a vote.”

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/11/12/hamilton-county-sales-tax-will-stay-in-place.html

^From that article:

Quote

The Republicans’ failure to gather the needed signatures means it’s more likely that the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority board will send a 0.8% sales tax to the ballot in March to expand bus service throughout the county and repair roads and bridges. It was unlikely both taxes were going to go on the ballot at the same time. Business groups, including the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, are supporting and helping lead the campaign for the Metro/infrastructure tax.

 

 

What's crazy is that just the .2% infrastructure tax is almost the same sum as the .25% they just passed.  

 

 

Portune’s commission seat: Kearney out, Pillich may be in, Cranley endorses Reece

 

Eric Kearney, the former state senator who was believed to be a leading contender to be appointed to outgoing Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune’s seat, has taken himself out of the running, Portune said Tuesday.

 

Alicia Reece, who served eight years in the Ohio House, received the endorsement of Mayor John Cranley on Tuesday.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/11/12/portune-s-commission-seat-kearney-out-pillich-may.html

15 hours ago, jmecklenborg said:

^From that article:

Quote

 

The Republicans’ failure to gather the needed signatures means it’s more likely that the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority board will send a 0.8% sales tax to the ballot in March to expand bus service throughout the county and repair roads and bridges. It was unlikely both taxes were going to go on the ballot at the same time. Business groups, including the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, are supporting and helping lead the campaign for the Metro/infrastructure tax.

 

 

So now it comes out that they were planning to delay the bus tax vote again.

Despite another election showing overwhelming support for transit funding and Democratic gains in Hamilton county, they are still scared of a few loudmouths that certainly have a diminished grip on the county.  They still won in that they got the streetcar divorce to happen (well, about to happen).

 

WVXU did a piece on Hamilton County post-election last week: https://www.wvxu.org/post/commentary-alex-triantafilou-trying-save-hamilton-county-gop

13 hours ago, ColDayMan said:

Portune’s commission seat: Kearney out, Pillich may be in, Cranley endorses Reece

 

Eric Kearney, the former state senator who was believed to be a leading contender to be appointed to outgoing Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune’s seat, has taken himself out of the running, Portune said Tuesday.

 

Alicia Reece, who served eight years in the Ohio House, received the endorsement of Mayor John Cranley on Tuesday.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/11/12/portune-s-commission-seat-kearney-out-pillich-may.html

 

I wonder how many counties in the state have been run by 3 women commissioners at the same time. Is this a first? What is the resource for looking that up?

^Montgomery County has had 3 women commissioners at the same time for a bit.

Reece won’t take a position on county Democrats’ sales tax increase

 

 

Democratic Hamilton County commission candidate Alicia Reece declined to say whether she favors the 0.25% sales tax imposed by the current commissioners to deal with the county’s structural budget deficit in October.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/11/14/reece-won-t-take-a-position-on-county-democrats.html

Alicia Reece is as crooked as Cranley.  

Pillich believes suburban roots provide advantage in race to succeed Portune

 

 

Democrat Connie Pillich entered the race for Hamilton County commissioner on Tuesday, emphasizing her suburban background, ability to win a once Republican-leaning Ohio House seat and a $544,000 war chest available to spend left over from her 2018 campaign for governor.

 

Pillich, a former three-term Ohio House member, said she wants to continue the legacy of outgoing Commissioner Todd Portune, who is retiring by Dec. 31.

 

“When you look at the county and the influence the commission can have, there is so much good to be done at that level,” Pillich said in an interview. “I want to continue his legacy. He’s just a man of integrity and service and showed collaboration and cooperation are the real way to get things done. I want to continue that.”

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/11/19/pillich-believes-suburban-roots-provide-advantage.html

Portune wants to fully fund property tax rebate before leaving office

 

Hamilton County should find a way to make permanent and enforceable the property tax rebate voters were promised when they approved the 1996 stadium sales tax, Commissioner Todd Portune says.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/11/25/portune-wants-to-fully-fund-property-tax-rebate.html

^Blah, blah, blah.  The rollback is like $38 for the average homeowner.  Who cares!  

Portune asks county Democrats to appoint his chief of staff as replacement

 

 

Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune has asked local Democrats to appoint Victoria Parks, Portune’s chief of staff, as his replacement when he resigns later this month.

 

If the Hamilton County Democratic Central Committee agrees, the commission will be all female and majority African American for the first time. Commissioner Stephanie Summerow Dumas and Parks are black. They would join commissioner Denise Driehaus.

 

More below:
https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/12/20/portune-asks-county-democrats-to-appoint-his-chief.html

Key Democrats back caretaker for Portune commission seat

 

Former state lawmakers Connie Pillich and Alicia Reece, two Democrats running for former Commissioner Todd Portune’s seat on the Hamilton County Commission, said Monday they are in favor of Portune’s chief of staff serving as a caretaker in his seat until the March 17 primary determines who will be the Democratic nominee.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2020/01/06/key-democrats-back-caretaker-for-portune.html

Sheriff Jim Neil is out.  Democrats endorse Charmaine McGuffey:

https://www.wvxu.org/post/hamilton-county-democrats-dump-sheriff-jim-neil-favor-mcguffey-primary?fbclid=IwAR3FQZbvVpfGFs_DZHPX267TYazs6DlcavYy7k6HR3wKcljf9jyupJvPVKM#stream/0

 

 

I think Neil will make waves in the general if he loses the primary. He will not fall on his sword. He will openly endorse the Republican in the field at that point. There is bad blood between him and McGuffey and he strikes me as someone who could care less what the party thinks especially given that they essentially told him to go away. This could get ugly

Don't blame me, I voted for Sean Donovan.

FYI:

 

Quote

Election Boards Move Polling Places Because Of COVID-19 Fears

 

The Hamilton County Board of Elections has moved 30 voting precincts from 24 facilities because of concerns about COVID-19.  An official says all moves were to nearby voting locations.

 

The board made final confirmations Tuesday, and will be mailing notices to all affected voters as soon as possible.  Officials will also have to plan for how people in facilities that no longer have precincts will be able to vote next Tuesday. The statewide order to move voting precincts out of nursing homes and retirement communities came from the Ohio Secretary of State.

 

The article also has the list of the new locations for the affected precincts, which are: Cincinnati 2-A, 2-G, 4-F, 12-D, 23-Q, 24-C, 24-F, 26-D, 26-R, 26-E, 26-M, 26-P; and Deer Park 4-A.

County officials are predicting a 50-80% decline in sales tax revenue during the shut-down.  We are going to see massive layoffs and difficulty in making bond payments. 

 

Watch them intentionally default on the Paul Brown Stadium bonds, for maximum impact. 

On 1/18/2020 at 2:57 PM, jmecklenborg said:

Sheriff Jim Neil is out.  Democrats endorse Charmaine McGuffey:

https://www.wvxu.org/post/hamilton-county-democrats-dump-sheriff-jim-neil-favor-mcguffey-primary?fbclid=IwAR3FQZbvVpfGFs_DZHPX267TYazs6DlcavYy7k6HR3wKcljf9jyupJvPVKM#stream/0

 

McGuffey won the Democratic primary with 70% of the vote.

Reece will most likely become the D commissioner candidate this fall, which is a disaster. 

18 minutes ago, jmecklenborg said:

Reece will most likely become the D commissioner candidate this fall, which is a disaster. 

 

Why?

20 minutes ago, DEPACincy said:

 

Why?

 

Reece and her daddy are as slimy as they get.  They were prime beneficiaries of Cranley's Anthem Demutualization scheme back in 2003. 

1 minute ago, jmecklenborg said:

 

Reece and her daddy are as slimy as they get.  They were prime beneficiaries of Cranley's Anthem Demutualization scheme back in 2003. 

 

You're going to have to elaborate. I didn't live here in 2003. 

Yeah I'm curious too, I voted in this race completely on who I thought had the best chance in the general, which was Reece.

1 hour ago, jmecklenborg said:

Cranley's Anthem Demutualization scheme back in 2003

 

It's really amazing how many big scams and schemes happen in local Cincinnati or Hamilton County politics but are basically not documented, so the only way people know about them is word-of-mouth. I mean, you may be able to dig up an old Enquirer or Post story that explains the Anthem Demutualization itself fairly well, but it definitely doesn't have a lot details about the City Hall politics, why certain council members voted certain ways, and who won/lost from the decisions that were made. (Kеvin Օѕbοrnе did a good job of covering this kind of stuff at CityBeat before he...wait for it...left CityBeat and went to work for John Cranley.) I really didn't start paying close attention to Cincinnati politics until around 2008, and I sorta know the gist of it, but Jake will probably do a much better job of explaining what happened.

41 minutes ago, DEPACincy said:

 

You're going to have to elaborate. I didn't live here in 2003. 

 

Alicia Reece was on council in the early 2000s.  Cranley bought the Reece's allegiance with the Anthem Demutualization payout, which was a $50 million windfall.  Cincinnati's pension fund owned a large amount of Anthem stock when it was mutually owned.  In 2003 the company went public, meaning all of the prior owners experienced a one-time windfall.  It was tested in court repeatedly around the country but over and over again judges ruled that cities were free to spend the windfall however they wished, even though it was generated by the pension funds. 

 

So instead of reinvesting the windfall into the pension fund from whence it came, John Cranley went around to various community organizations (many of them black organizations) and promised then hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.  He did this before the rest of council even knew the $50 million was coming.  So once it became clear that the city was in fact getting this money, Cranley had already told all of these people that they were getting money.  That meant if council debated the matter, the council members who questioned the specific recipients were taking the money away.  This is back when council had 2-year terms, and so council got scared and the damn thing went through. 

 

The pension fund was stripped over slightly over $50 million with the stroke of a pen and Cranley made it rain on the people who built his political machine in black Cincinnati.  Ever wondered how Cranley managed to defeat Yvette Simpson amongst black voters?  Because Cranley is the money-man.  Where do Alicia and Steve Reece fit into this?  Steve Reece was a developer of the hideous early-2000s housing development just south of the former Cincinnati Gardens.  This thing: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1837703,-84.4588947,571m/data=!3m1!1e3.

 

He was already involved in all sorts of slimy real estate development in the Bond Hill area:

https://www.citybeat.com/news/article/13022255/news-more-conflict-for-reece

 

About $10 million of the Anthem Demutualization was directed toward the single-family development and other stuff around Bond Hill.  Steve Reece became a wealthy man at the expense of Cincinnati's pension fund, courtesy of John Cranley. 

 

FFWD to Cranley's 2013 mayoral campaign - aside from THE STREETCAR, the bulk of his campaign effort was to repair the city pension fund.  Yes, the same pension fund he raided a decade earlier. 

I can't just click 'thank' or whatever but I really appreciate that history, thanks for sharing. My high school bus went through that development (it seemed out of place even to me) which is pretty much my only context. More scams and schemes content, preferably with sources, would be welcomed anytime. 

My worry with Reece losing the primary, is that she very well could have run for Mayor of Cincinnati in 2021. I think I would rather have her on the County Commission.

On 1/18/2020 at 2:57 PM, jmecklenborg said:

Sheriff Jim Neil is out.  Democrats endorse Charmaine McGuffey:

https://www.wvxu.org/post/hamilton-county-democrats-dump-sheriff-jim-neil-favor-mcguffey-primary?fbclid=IwAR3FQZbvVpfGFs_DZHPX267TYazs6DlcavYy7k6HR3wKcljf9jyupJvPVKM#stream/0

 

 

 

 

  

Edited June 22, 20204 yr by Dev

Its offensive that she considers his tweet racist. It is one thing to disagree with it and say it is no longer aligned with democratic party politics but to say he is racist and sexist for tweeting in favor of pro-life is an example of what is wrong with dialogue in society today. I do not have a problem with them not supporting his re-election, he has not been in line with the Democratic party for some time now, but she should not have used the racist and sexist language.

 

 

Anti-abortion groups have been trying to push these bizarre "actually, abortion is racist" and "abortion is black genocide" views for a long, long time. However, this is the first time that I have seen an endorsed Democrat attempt to connect his anti-Black Lives Matter views with his anti-abortion views.

 

Hamilton County is changing and there is no reason why the HCDP needs to endorse a DINO. It is time for Dusty to go.

Anytime police violence happens and the BLM movement gains steam, "Abortions are the real killer of black people" comment comes out of the woodwork from one particular political party.  So yes, at this point, Dusty is right in line with today's mainstream R's, no reason to endorse or even call him a member of the Democratic party.  Just a glance at him on Twitter over the years shows just how lock-step he is with the R party's rhetoric.

More on that...

 

Hamilton County Democrats go after Auditor Dusty Rhodes

 

Hamilton County Democratic Chairwoman Gwen McFarlin has reached her breaking point with Dusty Rhodes, the Democrat who has held the county auditor's job for 30 years.

 

McFarlin blasted Rhodes for a tweet he posted on Friday attempting to tie abortions performed at Planned Parenthood in Mount Auburn to the Black Lives Matter movement.

 

"Just wondering when they are going to paint "Black Lives Matter" on Auburn Avenue, you know, in front of that building where they terminate black lives and white ones, too, almost every day of the week," Rhodes wrote.

 

McFarlin called the tweet "racist and sexist," said the party's officers would consider censuring him, a resolution declaring it would not support him for re-election in 2022 and look for a Democratic candidate "who shares our values."

 

"I condemn this comment which I would not expect from an elected official let alone a Democratically endorsed elected official. His offensive comments are aimed at black, brown and other marginalized groups as well as women. The Democratic Party supports the Black Lives Matter movement and women’s reproductive rights," McFarlin said in a statement.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2020/06/22/hamilton-county-democrats-go-after-auditor-dusty.html

McFarland tends to be a bit over the top with her rhetoric sometimes. She is taking county politics to a level of partisanship which should not exist. Unlike Washington, county chairs need to keep things much more civil, because you have to live amongst each other. I have no problem with disagreeing with Rhodes on his stance or even wanting to pull the endorsement from him. He has not been in step with the party for a long time. However, given his position as Auditor, it is pretty much one of the least ideological positions around (same with coroner), so Rhodes conservative politics should not matter much in his role. It does no good to pick a public battle with Rhodes in such a way and force people to try and take sides, especially in such a position as county auditor. If this were Prosecutor or County Commissioner, then maybe it is different. However, I do feel her tone is a bit divisive and not where a county chair should be coming from. 

1 hour ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

McFarland tends to be a bit over the top with her rhetoric sometimes. She is taking county politics to a level of partisanship which should not exist. Unlike Washington, county chairs need to keep things much more civil, because you have to live amongst each other. I have no problem with disagreeing with Rhodes on his stance or even wanting to pull the endorsement from him. He has not been in step with the party for a long time. However, given his position as Auditor, it is pretty much one of the least ideological positions around (same with coroner), so Rhodes conservative politics should not matter much in his role. It does no good to pick a public battle with Rhodes in such a way and force people to try and take sides, especially in such a position as county auditor. If this were Prosecutor or County Commissioner, then maybe it is different. However, I do feel her tone is a bit divisive and not where a county chair should be coming from. 

 

It's funny that you think McFarlin's tone is divisive when Dusty has been the king of divisiveness for YEARS. Republicans do this all the time now. They spew hate and stupidity into the ether and then when they get called out on it they scream about how divisive Democrats are. They constantly call Dems snowflakes and then they melt down over being asked to wear a mask. It's really quite funny. And McFarlin is the one taking county politics to a level of partisanship that shouldn't exist? Have you ever looked at Alex Triantaifilou's tweets? Or Dan Hils? Or the Hamilton County GOP's official account? Give me a break man, you're becoming a parody of yourself.

 

Also, Dusty didn't get called out for being anti-abortion. He got called out for using abortion as a cudgel to criticize the BLM movement and for his constant stream of classless, ignorant comments. He's made hundreds of public statements that should've gotten him kicked out a of the party, but they've been maddeningly patient with him.

Dan Hils is not an elected official or affiliated with any party. He represents his constituents.

 

Alex has his moments where he gets a bit heated too. He is not part of the solution either. McFarland has taken things up a notch recently with some of her tweets and comments against those in the community. She is a far cry from the days of Tim Burke. 

 

Let's call a spade a spade, Dusty was called out for expressing his pro-life views. That he mentioned BLM does not make it a racist comment. He was calling out the BLM hypocrisy. That he is sexist because he expresses pro-life views is also offensive. You are allowed to be pro life. It is a difference of opinion and in many cases a valid opinion. She can respectively disagree with him without resorting to incendiary comments designed to provoke anger in the community. It is irresponsible of someone who calls themselves a leader to act that way.  

3 minutes ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

That he mentioned BLM does not make it a racist comment.

 

A white man telling people protesting police brutality against black people that they should protest abortion instead is definitely racist.

^in what bizzaro world??? He was calling out the hypocrisy of abortion and how it has been used for generations to predominantly kill black babies and that abortion has affected the African American community far more than any other. That was his point. You may disagree with his point but it was not racist.