Deep Thoughts with Jeff Pastor: "Taxation Is Theft" Edition

 

 

these are the people running our city

On 9/9/2019 at 6:32 PM, Ram23 said:

 Plus, with 20 council members we're likely to get at least 3 or 4 total clowns which would be entertaining.

 

I think we easily reach those numbers with nine elected members.  With 20 we'd have a full-blast circus. 

Budget and Finance Committee voted today on a motion to study a potential surface parking lot tax. It failed to advance after a 3-3 vote (Seelbach/Young/Mann supported, Sittenfeld/Landsman/Pastor opposed.) This would have been literally the easiest thing City Council could do to encourage parking lot owners to do something useful with their land.

I would encourage city residents to write to (at least) Landsman and Sittenfeld, encouraging them to rethink this. And maybe to Seelbach to thank him for bringing it up and to not just let it go.

did they give reasonings? I'm surprised by that result.

My guess is they figured lot owners would just raise prices to cover the tax.

Many of the parking lots downtown are owned by powerful families and powerful organizations that donate a lot of money to political campaigns. (Parking Company of America donated nearly $32,000 to Cranley's campaign in 2017.) Sittenfeld and Landsman have higher political ambitions so they don't want to get blacklisted by these donors. Pastor probably opposed because, as I posted earlier in this thread, he believes taxation is theft.

12 hours ago, taestell said:

Pastor probably opposed because, as I posted earlier in this thread, he believes taxation is theft.

He emphasized that his tweet was "specifically about income tax," fwiw.

Council bans hairstyle-based discrimination

 

Cincinnati City Council voted on Wednesday to bar discrimination based on natural hairstyles, an ordinance that would ban employers from insisting that African Americans straighten their hair or not wear dreadlocks.

 

The ordinance carries a $100-per-day fine for violations.

...

Councilwoman Amy Murray voted against the ordinance, saying she believes such discrimination is race-based and already barred by federal law.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/10/09/council-bans-hairstyle-based-discrimination.html

^ Time to grow that mohawk I've always wanted.

Over councilwoman’s objection, apartment project in blighted building set to get tax breaks

 

 

Cincinnati Councilwoman Tamaya Dennard continues to stand alone in opposing property tax breaks for apartment projects in downtown and Over-the-Rhine that don’t include some kind of affordable component.

 

Dennard voted against a property tax abatement for a six-unit apartment building at 222-226 Mohawk in Over-the-Rhine at Monday’s budget committee meeting. City Council is expected to approve the tax breaks on Wednesday.

 

Rents at the Over-the-Rhine building are expected to range from $1,000 per month for a three-bedroom unit and bigger, two-bedroom units will rent for $1,400 per month.

 

Dennard and Councilman Chris Seelbach, both Democrats, debated whether the urban core had been gentrified. Data indicates that the 45202 area code was the most-expensive rental ZIP code in Ohio, Dennard noted.

 

"Rent is high in Cincinnati,” Dennard said. “There is nuance to this conversation. How do we welcome the growth? My saying no doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate you (developers). It just means I’m not willing to help you oust people. If you want to have $1,500 rent, have at it, just don’t come to the city asking for that to be subsidized.”

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/12/03/over-councilwoman-s-objection-apartment-project-in.html

She is the worst

City Council considers amnesty for parking tickets

 

Cincinnati City Council is considering an amnesty program to forgive late fees and storage fees for towed vehicles that are related to parking tickets.

 

Council members Tamaya Dennard and Wendell Young requested the program, which the city administration said it generally opposes.

 

The amnesty would forgive parking late fees and towing/storage fees accrued on or before Dec. 31, 2016, if people pay the original ticket(s).

 

Dennard told council on Monday that she hopes to initiate the program in later March or early April. The program is designed to recognize the major financial hardships of such fines on the working poor and low-income households. The base ticket for not paying the parking fee at a meter is $45, and it can double to $90 if not paid by the three-week deadline.

 

More below:
https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/12/04/city-council-considers-amnesty-for-parking-tickets.html

Another stupid idea by Dennard.  If you don't want to get a parking ticket then abide by the laws.  It's really not that hard.  

^It's peanut politics.  Lax enforcement = people increasingly break the law.  

I moved the discussion about the insurance-in-lieu-of-security deposit policy to a new thread dedicated to tenants' rights so that we can keep this thread focused on City Council.

Five City Council members referred for prosecution

 

Ohio Auditor Keith Faber is referring five Cincinnati City Council members who were fined in March for violating the state’s Open Meetings Act for criminal prosecution, the Business Courier has learned from sources with knowledge of the plans.

 

Faber, a Republican, has suggested council members P.G. Sittenfeld, Chris Seelbach, Wendell Young, Greg Landsman and Tamaya Dennard could be prosecuted under the state’s dereliction of duty statute.

 

Sittenfeld, Seelbach, Young, Landsman and Dennard discussed by text message the city’s 2018 political crisis over then-City Manager Harry Black. Mayor John Cranley wanted Black to either resign or for council to agree to fire him, but the five Democrats resisted for six weeks until Landsman switched his vote. Black resigned just minutes before council was set to vote on April 21, 2018. The city paid Black $644,000 in severance and to settle a potential lawsuit against it.

 

Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Robert Ruehlman fined the city $1,000, and awarded attorney Brian Shrive $100,000 in legal fees to settle a lawsuit brought against the city stemming from the council members private meeting.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/12/19/five-city-council-members-referred-for-prosecution.html

 

^Nope.  But it does force them to spend money on their legal defense (which doesn't materially affect Sittenfeld, his being the son of a trust fund manager), + throw meat to talk radio.  

Facing a possible 90 day jail sentence for "dereliction of duty" isn't exactly a great way to get a mayoral election campaign off the ground.

Is this a felony or misdemeanor? It would be ironic for them to be convicted and run for election and not be able to even vote for themselves.

1 hour ago, Ram23 said:

Facing a possible 90 day jail sentence for "dereliction of duty" isn't exactly a great way to get a mayoral election campaign off the ground.

 

Communicating via text message is really, really stupid.  I can't believe how prevalent it is amongst politicians at all levels.  As I believe I posted somewhere earlier on this thread, Bill Clinton has never used email in his life.  He's done all sorts of other dumb stuff but at least he's smart enough to not leave any tracks.  

22 hours ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

Is this a felony or misdemeanor? It would be ironic for them to be convicted and run for election and not be able to even vote for themselves.

 

It's a second degree misdemeanor - they'd face a maximum $750 fine and/or 90 days in jail. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out if there's a grand jury investigation resulting in charges filed. Would they plead out and pay a fine? Or would admitting guilt for dereliction of duty be a career ending move? If they fight it and are found guilty in a jury trial - they might actually end up in jail like Tracy Hunter.

 

21 hours ago, jmecklenborg said:

Communicating via text message is really, really stupid.  I can't believe how prevalent it is amongst politicians at all levels.  As I believe I posted somewhere earlier on this thread, Bill Clinton has never used email in his life.  He's done all sorts of other dumb stuff but at least he's smart enough to not leave any tracks.  

 

It's is especially dumb when there could have just used WhatsApp or any of a number of apps that allow encrypted messaging and/or messages that expire automatically.

 

People like Bill Clinton are smart enough to have their people handle the shady business for them. These council members could have just had their interns go on a coffee run and cover all this business for them and they would have been completely in the clear.

On 12/20/2019 at 3:53 PM, Ram23 said:

would admitting guilt for dereliction of duty be a career ending move?

 

Really unlikely because most people don't see something nefarious here. It's literally a normal group text that happened to be illegal because one too many people was on it. The fact they didn't use WhatsApp just further shows they didn't realize they were doing anything illegal.

^ Yep, despite the "outrage" from the WLW crowd, i really doubt that many voters will care about a group of Democratic council members having a group text legal or not. 

On 12/20/2019 at 3:53 PM, Ram23 said:

 

It's is especially dumb when there could have just used WhatsApp or any of a number of apps that allow encrypted messaging and/or messages that expire automatically.

 

People like Bill Clinton are smart enough to have their people handle the shady business for them. These council members could have just had their interns go on a coffee run and cover all this business for them and they would have been completely in the clear.

 

If it had come out that they actually were using WhatsApp THEN I would be more outraged. But they weren't. Because they weren't doing anything nefarious and none of them thought it was a big deal. That's kind of the whole point. They weren't trying to cover their tracks, which would've actually been a big deal. 

The special prosecutor will somehow make this drag out until October 2021.

10 minutes ago, brian korte said:

The special prosecutor will somehow make this drag out until October 2021.

 

You can bet on that. 

21 hours ago, DEPACincy said:

If it had come out that they actually were using WhatsApp THEN I would be more outraged. But they weren't. Because they weren't doing anything nefarious and none of them thought

it was a big deal. That's kind of the whole point. They weren't trying to cover their tracks, which would've actually been a big deal. 

 

Committing a second degree misdemeanor is fairly nefarious. They were meeting as a majority, via text, to conduct official business - they came to a consensus on votes, discussed council business, confirmed they were all "on the same page," etc. In that regard, it's a fairly open and shut case. There's no legal requirement that they have to try to "cover their tracks" (which, by the way, Young did do), or that they had to think our sunshine laws are a "big deal."

 

Luckily a few of these folks are term limited. For the others, even if you want to vote a straight ticket for Democrats, remember there will probably be about 15 other Democrats on the ballot who haven't completely betrayed the people of Cincinnati.

Proposal to change how Cincinnati City Council members are elected gets delayed

 

A proposal to change how Cincinnati City Council members are elected will not go on the March ballot after supporters failed to gather enough signatures, but the group is not giving up.

 

Four city residents, including three former City Council candidates, want to designate five of the nine council seats for members who represent districts, with four continuing to be elected at large in a field race.

 

Former council candidates Lesley Jones, Tamie Sullivan and Henry Frondorf as well as business owner Matt Woods are pushing what they’re calling the Fair Cincy plan. It would elect a majority of council members from districts for the first time since 1925 when the Charter Committee reformed city government after the corrupt era of Boss George Cox.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/12/24/proposal-to-change-how-cincinnati-city-council.html

5 hours ago, Ram23 said:

 

Committing a second degree misdemeanor is fairly nefarious. 

 

You're a riot with your fake indignation.

 

Shoplifting is a second degree misdemeanor.

 

DUI is a first degree misdemeanor.

 

We have a president who has committed multiple felonies.

 

But please tell us some more about how these text messages are an affront to all that is moral and good.

Facing $7 million deficit, here's when City Council could set property tax rate

 

Cincinnati City Council is expected to vote next week on setting the city’s property tax rate for 2021, with City Manager Patrick Duhaney recommending an increase to deal with the city’s general fund deficit that's expected to be $7 million for the 2021 fiscal year, which begins in July.

 

Duhaney recommended the city set its property tax rate for operations at 6.1 mills, the maximum approved by voters decades ago. For 2020, the rate is 5.19 mills, the level necessary to collect $29 million under the city’s 21-year-old “rollback” policy. Under the rollback, the city has collected roughly the same amount in property taxes since 1999, which has contributed to the city's annual deficits. Successive city managers have recommended ending the policy.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2020/01/03/facing-7-million-deficit-heres-when-city-council.html

22 minutes ago, ColDayMan said:

Facing $7 million deficit, here's when City Council could set property tax rate

 

Cincinnati City Council is expected to vote next week on setting the city’s property tax rate for 2021, with City Manager Patrick Duhaney recommending an increase to deal with the city’s general fund deficit that's expected to be $7 million for the 2021 fiscal year, which begins in July.

 

Duhaney recommended the city set its property tax rate for operations at 6.1 mills, the maximum approved by voters decades ago. For 2020, the rate is 5.19 mills, the level necessary to collect $29 million under the city’s 21-year-old “rollback” policy. Under the rollback, the city has collected roughly the same amount in property taxes since 1999, which has contributed to the city's annual deficits. Successive city managers have recommended ending the policy.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2020/01/03/facing-7-million-deficit-heres-when-city-council.html

 

JASON WILLIAMS TOLD ME THAT CRANLEY STRUCTURALLY BALANCED THE BUDGET.  

 

 

 

It's the streetcar's fault. 

Smitherman is now claiming that the text message "scandal" has put our city into a ConsTITUTIOnAl cRIsIS

 

 

^Smitherman is always a victim, according to  Smitherman.  

cant wait till he somehow gets elected mayor

Somehow? He probably will, actually.

Seelbach wants to cancel the Capitoline Wolf statue in Eden Park:

 

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2020/01/06/should-statue-gift-mussolini-removed-eden-park-cincinnati/2829704001/

 

Of all the recent big stretches people have been making to seek out things to be offended by, this seems like the biggest. I've always thought this statue and its history were among the best hidden gems in Cincinnati.

Edited January 7, 20205 yr by Ram23

2 minutes ago, Ram23 said:

Seelbach wants to cancel the Capitoline Wolf statue in Eden Park:

 

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2020/01/06/should-statue-gift-mussolini-removed-eden-park-cincinnati/2829704001/

 

Of all the recent big stretches people have been making to seek out things to be offended by, this seems like the biggest. I've always thought this statue and its history were among the best hidden gems in Cincinnati.

 

It's a bad idea. 1) It wasn't gifted by Mussolini. 2) It's not a statue OF Mussolini. 

Let's chop down the cherry trees in Washington.   

I like Chris Seelbach ...but this is the stupidest motion I have ever heard of.  I love that statue and the history behind it.  

 

In no way does the sculpture celebrate Mussolini.

2 hours ago, Jimmy Skinner said:

I like Chris Seelbach ...but this is the stupidest motion I have ever heard of.  I love that statue and the history behind it.  

 

In no way does the sculpture celebrate Mussolini.

 

It's not a symbol of fascism and it's not a celebration of Mussolini. Hopefully the rest of council is reasonable about this.

Hey City Council... how about making DOTE follow through with the Liberty Street Road Diet? Or start implementing the bike plan? Or pass Vision Zero legislation with actual substance that is more than a symbolic "we support Vision Zero" statement? Or fix the big, obvious problems with the streetcar so that it runs on time and gains more ridership? Or come up with a new tax abatement policy that encourages development in areas where it is needed instead of mostly benefiting rich people that were already going to build a home anyway? Or get to work on the next block of The Banks? Or...

 

More symbolic legislation from both the left (statue removal) and the right (renaming McMicken Street, more text message drama) that accomplishes nothing for people living in Cincinnati? Okay then.

3 hours ago, Jimmy Skinner said:

I like Chris Seelbach ...but this is the stupidest motion I have ever heard of.  I love that statue and the history behind it.  

 

In no way does the sculpture celebrate Mussolini.

 

Seelbach is one of the biggest jerks around. Glad he cant run again.

 

This was such a dumb idea and also again shows what an a$$hole the guy is. He was essentially trying to steal Pastor's thunder as the most woke on council and therefore had to find this statue to get attention. I think what Pastor is doing is silly too, but at least he has sincerity about his plan. Seelbach is again just looking for a press release and to steal the spotlight from Pastor. It fits his personality as a giant a$$

4 hours ago, brian korte said:

 

It's a bad idea. 1) It wasn't gifted by Mussolini. 2) It's not a statue OF Mussolini. 

And it is not a symbol of fascism. Even if it was hand delivered by Mussolini, it should stay.

Even though I don't agree with removing some of the old civil war statues and such, at least those were in memorium of actual people and civil war generals who represented the South. Those, you can argue are honoring people who may not deserve such honorarium. A statue of a wolf and two Roman child gods sucking at the wolf has zero to do with fascism and even less to do with Mussolini. 

 

8 minutes ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

He was essentially trying to steal Pastor's thunder as the most woke on council and therefore had to find this statue to get attention. I think what Pastor is doing is silly too, but at least he has sincerity about his plan. Seelbach is again just looking for a press release and to steal the spotlight from Pastor. It fits his personality as a giant a$$

 

So Pastor cancelling something is sincere but Seelbach cancelling something is just pandering? Okay.

3 minutes ago, taestell said:

 

So Pastor cancelling something is sincere but Seelbach cancelling something is just pandering? Okay.

Pastor should not be wasting his time on this either, but at least if you look at his positions and background he is at least sincere in his position.

 

Seelbach likes to pride himself on being the voice on these issues and now has Pastor usurping his "territory" in a sense. So he has to scramble for something that is even potentially bigger than some guy who owned slaves, no matter how absurd his position is.

Seelbach has tabled the idea after hearing from constituents.

After Evans conviction, councilwoman moves to ban convicted contractors from city work

 

Cincinnati Councilwoman Tamaya Dennard introduced a proposal Wednesday aimed at beefing up the city’s regulations when it comes to contractors that have defrauded it.

 

Dennard’s motion would permanently ban “any person, company or organization from doing business with the city if they are convicted of misrepresentation and/or fraud in order to secure contracts with local, state or federal government for which they wouldn’t ordinarily qualify.”

 

Evans Landscaping and its founder, Doug Evans, were convicted of such offenses in 2018 and sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett on Tuesday. Evans and his company created a fake minority-owned company to secure $13 million in city and state demolition contracts earmarked for minority businesses, federal prosecutors said.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2020/01/09/after-evans-conviction-councilwoman-moves-to-ban.html