Posted May 6, 200718 yr From the 2/23/07 Cincinnati Business Courier: Council comeback Five black former members might try to regain seats Cincinnati Business Courier - February 23, 2007 by Lucy May and Dan Monk Senior Staff Reporters As many as five former Cincinnati City Council members - including two squeezed out of office by term limits - could campaign this fall to reclaim the seats they once held. Click on link for article. http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/02/26/story1.html
May 6, 200718 yr Author Link contains a photo. From the 3/27/07 Enquirer: Bates runs for council on safety issue BY JANE PRENDERGAST | [email protected] Widowed by homicide, Cincinnati school board member Melanie Bates has blasted city officials for not doing more to fight violent crime. Now she wants to work from the inside. Click on link for article. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070327/NEWS01/703270392/
May 6, 200718 yr Author Link contains a photo. From the 4/18/07 Enquirer: Dems have Berding's back Party backs five incumbents, four challengers for City Council BY HOWARD WILKINSON | [email protected] EVANSTON - A move to take away Cincinnati Councilman Jeff Berding's Democratic Party endorsement fizzled Tuesday night, as the Cincinnati Democratic Committee voted to back a slate of five incumbents - including Berding - and four challengers. Berding had drawn the wrath of some in the party because, since taking office in December 2005, he has joined with Republicans Chris Monzel and Leslie Ghiz, Charterite Chris Bortz and Democrat Laketa Cole to form a majority on the nine-member Council for what they call fiscal belt-tightening. Click on link for article. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070418/NEWS01/704180422/1077/COL02
May 7, 200718 yr How many members does Cincinnati have? I am sure not as many as Cleveland (21)...that is most likely why Cincy is able to get things done better than Cleveland...IMO
July 2, 200717 yr Author Link contains a photo. From the 7/1/07 Enquirer: Smitherman eyes council BY BEN FISCHER | [email protected] Local NAACP president Christopher Smitherman will run for city council in hopes of regaining the seat he lost in 2005 and he says he will not give up his position with the civil rights organization if elected. Click on link for article. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070701/NEWS01/307010009/
July 3, 200717 yr Smitherman registered as a member with the statewide Green Party last week, Krekeler said. Hmmm...Didn't we read that Smitherman is in league with the COAST folks i.e. the guys that helped put the kibosh on the Metro Move light rail initiative. That can't be very Green!
July 3, 200717 yr ^ It is a bizarre alliance and most everybody involved is claiming responsibility for forming it. Smithermann and Finney are both self serving opportunists.
July 10, 200717 yr Bortz leads pack in fund raising BY JOE WESSELS | CINCINNATI POST July 10, 2007 CINCINNATI - A one-term Charterite incumbent and a Republican newcomer were tops in money-raising as Cincinnati City Council hopefuls filed their first campaign finance reports Monday. Leading the pack was Chris Bortz, who raised $165,081 in his bid to win a second term on Council. A distant second was Republican Pat Fischer with $135,730. Click on link for article.
July 10, 200717 yr Fundng doesn't necessarily matter. Mallory raised like 250k whereas Pepper had over a million thanks to all his corporate cronies. The way I look at it, is the more funding they recieve, the more likely decision-making will be in the best interest of other people that supported them.
July 10, 200717 yr Jeff Berding has my full support. The fact that he came to the Segoe lecture on smart growth, defending Cincinnati and asking what local policy-makers can do to support sustainable development, it says a lot about him... VOTE FOR THIS MAN.
July 10, 200717 yr I've worked with Berding personally, and found him to be a douchebag. Though he's intelligent. I'd be skeptical of his development policies, if he really even has any. Remember, this guy works for Mike Brown. If anyone can get Brown to agree to help the city/county on the Banks project, it is this man. That will be his real test.
July 11, 200717 yr He was Brown's boy for brokering the Bengals stadium deal with the county. His work to "streamline" the lawmaking process by limiting debate seems sorta undemocratic, too.
July 11, 200717 yr Author Here are the totals that were in the Enquirer: CINCINNATI CITY COUNCIL FUNDRAISING TOTALS Candidate Money raised Money on hand June 30 Melanie Bates $29,502 $21,817 Jeff Berding $133,335 $100,368 Chris Bortz $165,081 $86,932 John Cranley $120,966 $84,600 David Crowley $122,752 $41,110 John Eby $23,510 $15,329 Pat Fischer $135,730 $129,026 Leslie Ghiz $103,590 $88,747 Greg Harris $18,846 $7,533 Joan Kaup $29,754 $29,008 Sean Lackey $501 $501 Sam Malone $15,925 $14,615 Chris Monzel $78,785 $55,993 Christopher Smitherman $16,150 $25,913 Jim Tarbell $450 $30 Cecil Thomas $18,950 $12,417 Curtis Wells $155 $26 Charlie Winburn $119,680 $88,661 Wendell Young $1,010 $585 George Zamary $500 $418
July 11, 200717 yr He was Brown's boy for brokering the Bengals stadium deal with the county. His work to "streamline" the lawmaking process by limiting debate seems sorta undemocratic, too. I doubt Berding was involved in any negotiations between the Bengals and the County, vis-a-vis the stadium deal. He did organize and run the campaign to get the stadium sales tax passed. That's why he has his job with the Bengals. Handicapping the current race: 1- Bortz © 2- Cranley (D) 3- Cole (D) 4- Cooper (D) 5- Winburn ® 6- Ghiz/Fischer ® 7- Thomas (D) 8- Berding (D) 9- Crowley/Harris (D) The above order is just a guess, though I'm pretty confident I will win and place with those picks. I don't think the Republicans are able to hold more than two spots on council anymore. Winburn's presence will bump the milquetoast Monzel off council. Ghiz is an egotistical, grandstanding moron- I'd love to see her go. This Fischer character looks like the return of Pat DeWine. Let's hope he's more intelligent than DeWine was, and that he replaces Ghiz on council. Cooper doesn't bring anything new to the table, but she was a pretty impressive vote-getter on old councils, which is why I ranked her as high as I did. If we end up with this council, the mayoral-aligned majority will most likely be: Bortz-Thomas-Cole-Crowley/Harris-Cooper, with Cranley and Berding as potential alternates or a 6th vote.
July 12, 200717 yr This actually looks like one of the weaker council elections in a while. I'm sure LK is basically right. Though the specter of Winburn and Cooper back on Council doesn't excite me, I guess it could be worse - Reese and Malone. Fischer is representing for the PRidge money (I know most don't even know it exists and unfortunately a lot of it lives across the border in Amberley Village). The Muethings of KMK are long time PRidge folk. John Muething spent some time on School Board back in the mid-90s. A lot of their influence came from working as Uncle Carl's lawyers. Actually once upon a time Neyer money was centered in PRidge but that has not been the case for a while, though I think the redevelopment of the old Kmart on Ridge is Neyer driven. A fun debate for another day would be to imagine where Cincy should annex if it ever had the power again. I put forth the Montgomery Road corridor before the Vine Street corridor. Grab Norwood, Columbia Twp., Silverton, and Amberley Village. A good middle class mix that are already in the Cincy Public school system (save for Norwood), but have a hard time with supporting decent services since they are nearly all residential. I wouldn't count Bates out quite yet, though the general decrease in crime seems to have sapped some of the strength out of her campaign. If there is a spike at the end of summer, she could ride that onto council. She does have some name rec from School Board.
July 17, 200717 yr Amberly Village happily pays high property taxes. They fought against sidewalks because of its potential for increased crime; trust me, they won't go for annexation.
August 8, 200717 yr 'Mr. Cincinnati' to leave council Tarbell unsure what he'll do next BY HOWARD WILKINSON & JANE PRENDERGAST | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER August 8, 2007 CINCINNATI - Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jim Tarbell - the most recognizable council member for his bald head, tuxedo on Opening Day and Oktoberfest lederhosen - said Tuesday he is resigning. The arts supporter and longtime restaurateur - called "Mr. Cincinnati" by the mayor - said he'll step down effective Sept. 3, Labor Day, three months before his term would have ended. That move makes way for a new Charterite appointee to take advantage of some incumbency leading into the November election. He said he knows who will replace him but that he agreed not to reveal the person's name. Click on link for article.
August 8, 200717 yr "The mayor has not yet decided who will replace Tarbell as vice mayor." doesn't look so good... We owe a lot to Jim Tarbell, he has been GREAT for Cincinnati... :clap: :clap: :clap:
August 8, 200717 yr "The mayor has not yet decided who will replace Tarbell as vice mayor." doesn't look so good... I hear Roxanne Qualls
August 8, 200717 yr Qualls to replace Tarbell BY JANE PRENDERGAST | [email protected] Former Cincinnati Mayor Roxanne Qualls will be named this afternoon to replace Jim Tarbell. Qualls, 54, was mayor from 1993 to 1999 after two years on City Council. She then left Cincinnati to pursue a master’s degree at Harvard University, returning in 2003 as an administrator and teacher at Northern Kentucky University. No link available for article.
August 8, 200717 yr Was there any mention at the announcement if she was going to run in the fall? I'd presume so, since part of the idea from the party's perspective is to protect a seat with the advantage of incumbency, not that Qualls needs that advantage.
August 8, 200717 yr Was there any mention at the announcement if she was going to run in the fall? Yes
August 9, 200717 yr I bet she finishes in the top 3. It's sort of a strange decision on the part of Charter; Qualls doesn't need the incumbent boost. I suppose it makes a big splash for the party and lends some credibility. Every few cycles, there's a crisis of succession in Charter, and talk of their demise. This should put them on solid ground for another 4 terms, or however long before Qualls calls it quits.
August 9, 200717 yr Love for city lures Qualls BY JANE PRENDERGAST & HOWARD WILKINSON | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER August 9, 2007 CINCINNATI - In Cincinnati, for most of the 1990s, nobody got more votes than Roxanne Qualls. Click on link for article.
August 9, 200717 yr Bates is not pleased. I wish the story delved a bit deeper into this line: "Her being there, it may be just fine for me. How it happened is a different story." Obviously, she's pissed about not getting the appointment, but she might want to bite her lip and not insult her own party. If she really thinks that she can ride Qualls' coattails, now is not the time to be complaining about her appointment.
August 9, 200717 yr ^Of course she's pissed, because this effectively destroys her chances to win. Who's going to vote for Melanie who isn't going to vote for Qualls? In addition, Melanie's one issue, crime, is going to be much less of an issue come November. There's still time to go in the summer, but what we are going to see for this election is essentially a battle between previous fame and who can be a valuable addition to Team Mallory. That's why Qualls spoke so highly of the mayor and Bates is pissed because her strategy was to go after the mayor on crime. Not going to work. And with some Democrats perturbed over Melanie's disloyalty to the party (I include yours truly in this group) there's no way she's going to have a broad appeal. No blacks, no progressive dems. It's the candidates who seem like they will be able to work with the mayor (excepting possibly the loose cannon Winburn; Berding will position himself as a team player) who will win in November. Belie 'dat (read as spoken by Martin Lawrence).
August 10, 200717 yr I'm currently mostly out of radio contact, but WOW. This really changes the dynamics of the race. I also think Qualls may have seen the winds shifting leftward and she is in a much better position to make a play for a higher position than she was during the first half of this decade. I don't know if Cincinnati can handle this many adults serving on city council. At least Winburn will provide some excitement.
August 10, 200717 yr I really like Joan Kaup! She is Pro-Streetcar and transit unlike ghiz who goes out of her way to keep "bus-people" from walking up the public stairway thru her rich friends neighborhood. :-P
August 10, 200717 yr ^Well then you are out of luck, because I don't think Ms. Kaup will make it on this round. But don't worry, the streetcar should proceed apace. New predictions, in no particular order: Handicapping the current race: 1- Qualls © 2- Bortz © 3- Cranley (D) 4- Cole (D) 5- Cooper (D) 6- Winburn ® 7- Fischer/Ghiz ® 8- Thomas (D) 9- Berding (D) No way more than two Charterites and two Republicans make it on. Berding probably thinks a five four split like this will give him leverage to divide and conquer, but Mallory is more adroit, particularly with the advent of the "adults".
August 10, 200717 yr I also think Qualls may have seen the winds shifting leftward and she is in a much better position to make a play for a higher position than she was during the first half of this decade. I was kinda thinking the same thing. Do you know which congressional district she is in ?
August 10, 200717 yr If she's downtown, she's in the 1st, Chabot's district. And that's the seat she ran for and lost to Chabot in 1998...
August 10, 200717 yr Well, Steve Driehaus (D) of Cheviot is going to be running against Chabot in 2008. As Pete Witte of the Price Hill Club for Growth or whatever said in the newspaper article about Qualls running, he and his group consider Qualls' West Side credentials to be insufficient. I don't think she'll run for that office again. This is an exciting time in local politics. We have some real consensus here, something we really haven't seen since the early 70s. Recall the contentious city councils of the 1990s and the stadium issue which devoured its fathers (Bob Bedinghaus and Tom Neyer). And yet the beneficiaries of that particular issue, Phil Heimlich and John Dowlin, are gone. Another, Pat DeWine, is a virtual non-entity. Their philosophy of so-called limited government doesn't work when the government is the only entity with the power and the resources to make the sort of large-scale improvements necessary to rework large areas of town (like the West End with City West, or the riverfront with the stadiums and the Banks, or Fountain Square). Even if most of the money invested in these types of projects isn't actually funded by the government, the government, county or city, has to guarantee the private investors in some way. Heimlich's ridiculous performance in the year before he was ousted best exemplified the hollowness of his governing philosophy, how it amounted to little more than P.R. Swoop in with Corporex and Vandecar to build something called the Banks. Build a new jail (but ignore the reasons why we need one. The difference between the Heimlich "jail tax" plan and the current one proposed by Pepper and Portune is profound, for those who care about the details.) Things are looking up. The streetcar seems to have no serious opposition, and all the serious city politicians are for it. One of the benefits of having different levels of government that converge and diverge in a loose and haphazard fashion is that when a pressing social need may fail at one level (like public transit in the county in 2002 or national health care in the nation circa now) it can move forward on another (like the city, or the states). I am worried about the presence of to many big personalities on council in December. Qualls, Bortz, Berding, Cole, Cooper, Cranley and Winburn represent a lot of ego. More than any local politician in recent memory, however, Mark Mallory speaks softly and carries a big stick (supress the giggles, Cramer). I also think there is a general popular will of the moment to punish those who seem to be against progress, compared to the nineties, when guys like Tom Luken, Phil Heimlich, Dwight Tillery and others were rewarded by local constituencies when they blocked progress. As long as certain louder interest groups, specifically west side whites and black-empowerment types feel that their concerns are represented and seriously addressed, then the relatively chill popular majority will be able to govern well. And a lot of this ability has to do with personality. As much as I may personally dislike him, Jeff Berding is a much better and more responsible representative of the west side concern than Tom Luken ever was. Likewise, Laketa Cole is a much better Alicia Reese than Alicia ever was. I think if we see Pat Fischer replace Leslie Ghiz as one of the Republicans on council we start to see a real flourishing of this consensus.
August 11, 200717 yr Campaign gear: http://www.cafepress.com/wacksack/3457347?click=true&CMP=CJ-CLICK-10463747
August 11, 200717 yr I really like Joan Kaup! She is Pro-Streetcar and transit unlike ghiz who goes out of her way to keep "bus-people" from walking up the public stairway thru her rich friends neighborhood. :-P I actually like her too but she's going to have to work to get in.
August 12, 200717 yr Despite my generally GOP-leanings, I could never understand how Heimlich and Dewine and that bunch thought that the small government rhetoric would actually do something good for the city and the region. Furthermore, other than managed competition which should have included the entirety of the CRC rather than just the Golf section, a good federalist conservative would argue that local government is best able to provide for the common good. It is one thing to argue that education is simply not helped by a national approach, but to try to argue that city and county government should be 'smaller' just seemed lame. By the same token, I'd much rather see arguments that revolve around fiscal responsibility and the need to make hard decisions about what to fund than to lay out the poorly thought out second hand Contract with America stuff that Heimlich so often used. Stephen Goldsmith should be the GOP model for urban politicians not W. Anyway, I think the best part about getting some adults around is that it is clear that a renewed focus on fiscal responsibility may in order. There may be a need to deal with serious cuts in service or raising taxes. Doing so in a rational and thoughtful manner (like the jail tax) would seem to be ascendant with the crowd likely to serve on council.
August 13, 200717 yr Anyway, I think the best part about getting some adults around is that it is clear that a renewed focus on fiscal responsibility may in order. There may be a need to deal with serious cuts in service or raising taxes. Doing so in a rational and thoughtful manner (like the jail tax) would seem to be ascendant with the crowd likely to serve on council. ^But isn't the whole fiscal responsibility argument a bit of a smoke screen, especially when most, if not all local governments are required to have balanced budgets? What besides a good bond rating would your definition of fiscal responsibility entail? Why do you think cuts in services are necessary at this point? The real necessity for government fiscal responsibility isn't simply about cutting taxes and services, it is for making sound investments, investments that effect the local economy and infrastructure as broadly as possible. A perfect example is the stadiums built in the late 90s versus the present streetcar plan. The stadiums were built to keep an existing product, two privately owned professional sports teams, which were considered important parts of the local economy (and culture, though this imperative was not discussed as much). The football stadium was finished in 2000 and the baseball stadium in 2003. They were packaged as investments to revitalize a relatively derelict area (the riverfront) but come 4 to 7 years later no additional investment, not even government investment, has occured in said area. On the other hand, the streetcar is moving forward in order to meet the needs of a growing "industry" (downtown living) that is primarily driven by private investment. This contrasts strongly with the stadiums which were all about keeping an existing product. In addition, the streetcar will help its primary goal will several ongoing and seperate government investments, in particular Findlay Market and Fountain Square, while in addition, provide an added resource for the city's primary source of revenue, corporate workers. The above is perhaps an inelegant and obvious contrast. It is one thing to argue that education is simply not helped by a national approach, but to try to argue that city and county government should be 'smaller' just seemed lame. By the same token, I'd much rather see arguments that revolve around fiscal responsibility and the need to make hard decisions about what to fund than to lay out the poorly thought out second hand Contract with America stuff that Heimlich so often used. I never quite understood what small-government types wanted to be involved in local government for, since they seemed to want to do nothing. Perhaps Heimlich et. al. were just looking to draw an extra paycheck.
August 13, 200717 yr From Joe Wessel's Blog: Democrats looking for quitter Got in touch with Wendell Young, retired Cincinnati police officer and second time candidate for Cincinnati City Council. He confirmed that he was asked “about three weeks ago” to step aside so Cincinnati Democrats could endorse another candidate. He was not told who the new candidate would be, and was told he should run - and would be supported - for the Cincinnati School Board instead. But he had some news for Dem party leaders: Wendell Young isn’t a quitter. He said that it isn’t that he doesn’t support education or cares for the Cincinnati Public Schools - his wife is a teacher - but that he is serious about winning Nov. 6. He was bothered that two other candidates, both running for the first time - Brian Garry and Greg Harris - were not asked before him. “I am very upset with (party leaders) right now,” he said. He said he is also upset that he was not told that is was Roxanne Qualls he was being asked to make room for. Though that was a consideration, he said, in the end it would not have changed his mind. He added that he feels the field needs a strong black male candidate and that he represents that. Party officials apparently expressed concern that he would “play the race card” if he was asked - or forced - to not run. That is something he said he neither considered nor would ever do. Young does not know if any other candidates have been approached about withdrawing from the race since his refusal. But Young’s contention that he was asked three weeks ago certainly raises some major red flags with the truthiness of some of my sources. http://joewessels.net/2007/08/13/democrats-looking-for-a-quitter/
August 13, 200717 yr Is Young even mounting a serious campaign? He didn't last go round, and that really undercuts his argument. Also, it's not clear from Wessels's post, but Garry is a first time endorsed Dem, not a first time candidate.
August 14, 200717 yr ^If the Dems are asking Young to step aside from the list of endorsed candidates, it means that they don't think he is going to work as hard as this Garry kid to actually get elected. How many votes did Young get last time, 4,000+?
August 14, 200717 yr Actually, he did much, much better than I recalled. 21,505 votes to finish 13th. I'm surprised the Dems would just toss him overboard.
August 14, 200717 yr From the DRC's weekly newsletter: MEET THE CANDIDATES NIGHTS BEGIN THURSDAY, AUGUST 23! INFORMAL EVENTS HOSTED DOWNTOWN @ CITY CELLARS ATTENTION DOWNTOWN RESIDENTS: You are Invited to meet the City Council candidates @ City Cellars, located at 908 Race Street. There are 32 people running for Nine seats on City Council. City Cellars is hosting Meet The Candidates nights starting August 23rd. These will continue until all interested candidates have had the opportunity to present their solutions for the many difficult problems facing our City. AUGUST 23 CANDIDATES INCLUDE: David Crowley - Minette Cooper - Greg Harris - Mitch Painter There are representatives from all sectors of our diverse community interested in attending this event. DRCers ARE ENCOURAGED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY! The format will be informal, and our moderator, Melanie Sheridan, will introduce each candidate and read a brief bio. The candidates will have five minutes to make his/her presentation. When all have been heard, the floor will be open for questions. The dates for the Meet The Candidates Night are August 23, September 13, September 20 and September 27. Each event starts promptly @ 5:30pm. This is an opportunity to meet and talk with the people who are actively interested in the well-being of our City. For additional information, please contact Andy @ 621-9463 or visit www.citycellars.biz
August 14, 200717 yr This note was part of an email I received from "Kaup for Council": Keep the drama in the theaters. This past week was filled with surprises. Thank you for your numerous emails, phone calls and words of encouragement. I AM the only arts advocate running for City Council who has held a position on the leadership team of a Cincinnati arts organization. I AM the only candidate running for City Council with an MBA. I have the knowledge, experience and ability to support small business and arts organizations in our city. I AM going to win a seat on Cincinnati City Council on Nov. 6th and bring some mature reasoning to the business of governance. My ONLY goal is to be a terrific, accessible and effective Cincinnati City Councilmember. I am NOT posturing for another position or my next political move. Rally, my good friends. We have much to do before the fat lady sings. Joan
August 15, 200717 yr I basically agree with LK. When I think of discourse of fiscal responsibility I am thinking of politicians that don't promise the moon and try to get there and then put the next generation in a place where the mess prevents any investment. In particular, I'm thinking about the need to continue to fund the upkeep of the physical plant after the initial investment. It also about not committing to spending plans and hiring workers that the tax base can support without driving businesses into the suburbs or other metro areas.
