See How They Run

Private poll has surprises for council race

BY KEVIN OSBORNE | CITY BEAT

August 15, 2007

 

CINCINNATI - Last week's surprise announcement that former Cincinnati Mayor Roxanne Qualls is jumping back into local politics and will replace Jim Tarbell on city council is just the latest wrinkle in a contentious election season that a private poll suggests could be full of surprises -- and see some incumbents booted from office.

 

Click on link for article.

^It's possible that Berding has pissed off enough people to get kicked off council.  Lord knows he's arrogant enough.  But who would vote for Ghiz who wouldn't also be voting for Berding?  I also think the polls placement of Bortz is a little low.

Crowley Appointed Vice Mayor

 

Cool!  this guy is a big supporter of public stairways  unlike ghiz  :-P

this guy is a big supporter of public stairways

So what would his stance be Max on the rape we had about 3 weeks ago on the 29  Steps?  Along with the armed robbery of 6 months ago?  And the multiple breakins from 1 and a half years ago?  Just curious as to whether he will be a supporter in helping us remedy and ongoing problem or not. :wink:. 

I am pretty sure Crowley is a big supporter of rape, armed robbery and break-ins too, Michael.

well then I am all for Crowley!  We can't have too much peace, people will get the wrong idea. (For you homegamers, this was just an inside jab at Max about the steps, I follow him from thread to thread because he sneaks in a step comment here and there)

For anyone interested, and by that I mean dmerkow, notice that Mallory picked Crowley, an old man with no noticeable further political ambitions (similar to Tarbell), to be vice-mayor.  This is a smart move, in my opinion, mostly as it lets all the ambitious youngsters on council know that they aren't getting any favors from the mayor, that he is the first among equals, and also it helps make constant a vote for Mallory and his agenda.

Are the term limit rules the same for the Mayor as they are for council?

 

The other advantage here is that it throws a bone to a vulnerable Dem.

I believe that currently the mayor may serve two consecutive four year terms before he is term-limited.  Council members are eligible for four consecutive two year terms, so both can serve eight straight years.  Whether the mayor has to sit out for two terms to come back, like council members, I don't know.

 

The other advantage here is that it throws a bone to a vulnerable Dem.

 

Exactly.

 

Harris knows how to pay for big plans

BY JESSIE GRIDLEY | DOWNTOWNER

August 21, 2007

 

DOWNTOWN - Talk is cheap, and politicians are rich with it.

 

But when it comes down to City Council candidate Greg Harris implementing his word, he knows how to pay for his ideas. And it does not involve digging deeper into the pockets of Cincinnatians. "You can only tax people so much," says Harris.

 

His plans to free up funds involve cleaning house in the bureaucratic offices, even within City Hall itself. He clarifies that this can be done using "humane tactics" that involve attrition, with options such as early retirement.

 

Harris, a Democrat, says that his ideas for streamlining the regional government are where his beliefs stray the most from his political party.

 

He cites loss of time and patience as reasons to do so, and most importantly the loss of funds, due to bureaucratic hoops and unnecessary positions that create trench warfare within the system itself.

 

According to Hamilton County's Web site, there are currently 49 different political jurisdictions; Franklin County (Columbus, Ohio) has one.

 

"You can't compete in a 21st century world with an 18th century government," says Harris of the county's highly bureaucratic set-up.

 

The City Council candidate with a youthful, Kennedy-like face has no plans to pick up an ax and start hacking at Cincinnati's innards. Instead he proposes the formation of a task force to review City Hall and other bureaucratic breeding grounds.

 

Once the paperwork-locked funds are free, he has an abundance of well-thought out ideas to help the Queen City regain her royalty.

 

"Harris is sure that the most aggressive way to bring new wealth into the city is with streetcars. "Once they define lines, developers come," Harris explains."

 

The environmental and economic advantages are why he is such a strong advocate for the issue. If elected, he promises to vote for the issue if it comes up on his City Council watch.

 

The streetcars, to Harris, would interconnect Cincinnati's assets. This connectivity would then allow the city's strengths, such as the arts, dining and entertainment scene spread out through Downtown, Over-the-Rhine, Northside, Clifton, etc. to flourish and grow.

 

"It's an 'if you build it, they will come' thing. If we don't, it will be pretty tragic," says Harris.

 

Connectivity seems to be a common link found in those issues that Harris is most passionate about. This ranges from building the streetcars to connecting adults with higher-level training to strengthen the workforce and make Cincinnati a place where companies want to call home.

 

Harris, a self-proclaimed environmentalist, also sees many routes to help make Cincinnati cleaner and greener. He proposes covering "the concrete jungle" of Downtown rooftops with vegetation.

 

"Vegetative rooftops cool Downtown and help absorb the soot," says Harris, adding that a cooler and cleaner Downtown saves companies money.

 

If elected, Harris still plans on keeping his day job as a public policy officer with KnowledgeWorks Foundation. He says that his strong public policy background has given him accurate understandings of its inner-workings.

 

"I don't need politics. I have a good job," admits Harris. He says his research and studies of other cities across the nation have filled him with the purpose to run for City Council with the will to improve Cincinnati.

 

For more information, visit www.votegregharris.com

You do know that I posted this exact story one post up from it, right?

 

Harris knows how to pay for big plans

By Jessie Gridley

 

DOWNTOWN Talk is cheap, and politicians are rich with it.

 

But when it comes down to City Council candidate Greg Harris implementing his word, he knows how to pay for his ideas. And it does not involve digging deeper into the pockets of Cincinnatians. "You can only tax people so much," says Harris.

Huh, didn't see it. But I do now.

Qualls, Tarbell to swap seats

BY JANE PRENDERGAST & JESSICA BROWN | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

September 4, 2007

 

CINCINNATI - A familiar face returns to Cincinnati City Hall today - former Mayor Roxanne Qualls, who will be sworn in this afternoon to City Council.

 

Qualls will be appointed to these committees: arts/culture/tourism/marketing; public safety; economic development and finance. She’ll also be appointed to the city planning commission.

 

Click on link for article.

Engineer offers new blueprint for city council

BY ZACHARY PETIT | DOWNTOWNER

September 4, 2007

 

CINCINNATI - What's the Queen City's Achilles heel?

 

For Cincinnati City Council candidate John Eby, his hometown's biggest weakness is all about planning or, lack thereof. After all, as an electrical engineer, Eby likes a good set of blueprints. The problem he says, is that if you ask council if they have done any strategic planning for their turf, the answer would be "no."

 

"And that is sad," he says. "Councils over the past 20 years have lacked a vision for where the city of Cincinnati is going to go."

 

Past council members haven't been able to articulate a plan, and if one does exist, it's not working, Eby says. Now in his second council bid, the lifelong Cincinnatian says it's time to do something different and strike up a plan for the first time since Harry Truman's administration.

 

Before his first run in 2005 where Eby finished 15th out of 31 candidates the Price Hill native earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Cincinnati after seven years of night classes. These days, Eby, 45, works as a consulting electrical engineer for PEDCO Engineering & Architecture Services, where he serves as part of a team to design offices, hospitals or schools. The self-described moderate Republican says his engineering background leaves him qualified for a council seat, as the profession involves collaboration and cooperation to be able to create buildings that will still work 25 years down the line.

 

After serving in the Ohio National Guard and moving to Westwood with his wife in the 1990s, Eby got involved in different community organizations and was eventually appointed to different posts by Mayor Charlie Luken and the Hamilton County commissioners. Eby says he got serious about a council run when he looked at the Hope VI revitalization program Downtown an effort seeking to improve communities in the city and realized that the planning side of it was nonexistent. The project did a great job of demolishing and rebuilding the West End, he says, but there was no plan for what would happen to the old residents of the gentrified areas. As a result, Eby says the people moved "up the hill," and pockets of poverty were created in middle-class locales.

 

To tackle the city's different issues, Eby says he wants to get a specific plan of action in place on council and structure the city's budget around it. Input from residents needs to be included in planning, he says, and officials can look at the top assets they already have, such as the city's parks system or its solid business corridors. Missing assets can then be compared and built upon existing infrastructure.

 

In the process, Eby adds that officials shouldn't be afraid to look at other cities for inspiration, such as St. Louis and its great riverfront community.

 

"They've really planned it, and I think that's what we need to do as a city."

 

Overall, Eby says officials can take residents' most important issues and work on them in meetings to develop clear strategies for how city money will be spent. When combined, he says two factors can prevent government from being successful: politics and money.

 

"Reason goes right out the window," he says. "Somebody has to be the voice of reason."

 

Eby seeks to bring four main issues to City Hall that he says are interconnected: safe and clean streets, affordable housing, education and economic opportunity.

 

"If we can do that successfully, I think we'll have a better Cincinnati in the end," he says. "It sounds a little idealistic, but someone has to implement that."

 

In other issues, Eby supports building The Banks development and connecting it to the city center, utilizing street cars and inclines to hook the city up to surrounding neighborhoods and providing tax incentives for residents who build "green" homes.

 

As for the current election, Eby says it's critical. The city could have a renaissance five years in the future, he says, but it could also go backwards if the wrong people show up at City Hall.

 

For voters looking for a reasoned and intelligent approach to Cincinnati growth, Eby says he's their guy.

"Can you imagine a better Cincinnati?" he asks. "I can."

 

For more about John Eby, visit www.johneby.com

Has anyone else seen Winburn's first ad?

 

It's despicable.

 

Charlie decides to play shit your pants politics. A female voice talks of a picture of Winburn rotating in front of the skyline. After talking some nonsense about how much better things were with Winburn, it ends with some ominous statement about what things will be like if he doesn't get elected.

 

Then the sound of gunshots and muzzle flashes throughout downtown. GABP, Atrium, Carew. All lit up by gunfire.

 

Infuriating.

 

 

Found the ad on the Enquirer's site.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071001/VIDEO09/310010061/-1/newselection

 

I was also repulsed by the ad and have now turned from unfavorable but indifferent about him...to actively telling everyone/anyone why they should NOT vote for him.  What a disgrace.

That ad is pathetic

That "ad" is horrible.

I just saw it during Letterman and I thought it was despicable.  I actually gasped when I saw the ending with the fake gunshots all around the downtown skyline.  I wasn't planning to vote for him to begin with but now I will also be telling others not to vote for him.

brian griffin's predictions from cincinnati.blogspot.com

 

Monday, October 22, 2007

Prediction Monday?

Anyone want to predict council, yet again? I'm thinking the locks are:

 

Cranley, Qualls

 

Almost locks:

 

Cole, Crowley

 

Then the rest are just to close to predict, but those in the running:

 

Bortz, Berding, Ghiz, Monzel, Thomas, Harris, Winburn, Cooper, Fischer

 

Long shots:

 

Kaup, Bates, Eby

 

Who am I missing?

 

Also, shall we do this weekly until election day? Refine the list down a bit by Nov 5th maybe?

Winburn's ad is completely irresponsible, and that's why he should not be elected.  Oh, and the fact that outside of "crime" he has no real platform.

 

From the Enquirer.. This is at least a good list of who is running...  Not that it matters, but I am a little surprised that Qualls didn't make their cut...

 

Our choices for City Council

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071027/EDIT01/710280328/1090/EDIT

 

 

The good news is that Cincinnati voters will have a substantial number of able City Council candidates to choose from on Nov. 6. The dilemma the Enquirer Editorial Board faced in deciding our 2007 endorsements was selecting the best nine-member council from the 25-candidate field.

 

Click on link for article.

^The Enquirer never ceases to lower the bar.  While these endorsements for council aren't nearly as bad as previous Enquirer slates have been, two things bother me about this tepid editorial:

 

1) "The savvy, behind-the-scenes leadership style of Mayor/Chief Cat-Herder Mark Mallory gets some credit for that, too."  While I agree with the gist of this statement, and I feel the reference is pretty disrespectful to the current members of council.  The Enquirer editorial board should know better and act more professional.

 

2) The non-endorsement endorsement of Laketa Cole.  Whatever your opinion of Laketa may be, I found the fact that they brought up the physical altercation she was involved in to be tasteless.  I don't understand why being assaulted should have anything to do with one's competency to serve on city council.  Pepper was robbed at gunpoint once while serving in public office- did The Enquirer mention this when they endorsed him?

Well that was a boring race. I guess Cincinnatians are pretty pleased with the way things going. It is sad that you have to get down to Bates before new blood shows up. Though the crowd from Bates down to Harris could probably see some growth as the next round of term limits kicks in. I can't see Foxy Roxy challenging Mallory this time around mayor, but she clearly has a ton of support around town. I think people underestimate the quiet respectability of Cecil Thomas. I think the votes for him and Winburn/Malone mean Cincy is a better city than it was ten years ago. It should also allow him to raise his profile.

^I'm surprised there were absolutley no changes.  I'm surprised Monzel stayed on.  I'm pleased that Winburn didn't make it.

 

The top vote getters show that there is a solid vision in place that most voters agree with, as dmerkow said.

^I'm surprised there were absolutely no changes.  I'm surprised Monzel stayed on.  I'm pleased that Winburn didn't make it.

 

Exactly my thoughts...although I was also very surprised with Thomas' strong showing.  I wasn't even sure he would make the cut, much less finish as high as he did.  I was also surprised that Cranley was the top vote getter...I was betting on Qualls and/or Bortz.

So when you guys in Cincy vote for Council... you select 9 candidates from a list, correct?  That must be a lot to keep track of when you're making your decision.  Any insights?  (I'm actually studying this for a paper)

It begs the question, "if you can't remember nine names, should you really be voting?"

You can vote for up to 9.  If you think there are only 3 or 4 good candidates, you can just vote for them so as to not support a candidate you don't want to.

Does the city levy an income tax on non-residents who work within city limits (aka commuter tax)? 

Does the city levy an income tax on non-residents who work within city limits (aka commuter tax)?

 

The taxing power mentioned above is the prerogative of all cities in Ohio and villages too, I believe.  Unincorporated areas (i.e. townships) do not have this power, which is one of the reasons companies like to move into these jurisdictions, though most corporations in the area are still headquartered in incorporated communities (Cincinnati, Blue Ash, Mason).  A city is an incorporated community with a population above 5,000 while a village has a population of fewer than 5,000.  I think that is the only difference between the two, although I believe there are fewer members of a village council than a city council.  So for example, when the Village of Indian Hill grew to over 5,000 people recently, and they could not legally call themselves a village anymore, they changed their name to the City of the Village of Indian Hill.  No joke.

 

The payroll tax that you mention falls on both workers and residents- so if you live in the City of Cincinnati but don't work there, you pay the tax to Cincinnati, and if you work in Cincinnati but don't live there, you pay the tax as well.  If you both live and work in Cincinnati you are only taxed once (I believe).  If you live in Cincinnati and work in Milford, like I did for a couple of summers, you pay to both Cincinnati and Milford, though they have different rates.

 

I remember a while back that some bill was mooted in the statehouse about giving townships the right to tax to pay for certain things.  I think the whole idea was to apply a tax on non-residents in the townships, so basically those who worked at all those new businesses.  I don't believe that the bill was passed- it certainly went against the spirit of nearly a millennium of tradition of representative government, but who gives a damn about that in Columbus?

 

if you work in one area with an income tax and live in another, you only pay one of the rates, so if it is 2% your home gets 1% and your work gets the other 1%

if you work in one area with an income tax and live in another, you only pay one of the rates, so if it is 2% your home gets 1% and your work gets the other 1%

 

That is a confusing way to put it. Basically, you first pay the full percentage where you work. If your home city income tax is higher than where your work, you pay the difference to your home city. Some cities don't credit the percentage you pay where you work (income tax credit), but the majority do.

Cranley Out, Harris In?

http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/blog-359-cranley-out-harris-in.html

 

Facing term limits, Cincinnati City Councilman John Cranley announced today that he would resign his seat Thursday to join the Keating Muething & Klekamp law firm and concentrate on development projects in East Price Hill.

 

Click on link for article.

Don't let the door hit ya, where the good lord split ya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I dislike Cranley as much as the next guy but those are pretty lame. Republican humor at it's finest I guess.....

Randy wins!

I mean Harris....

Randy wins!

I mean Harris....

 

The real winner: Cincinnati

Randy wins!

Yes, thank you. UrbanCincy broke the news before anyone else today that Harris was going to be tapped for the vacated council seat. Beat the first report by nearly a half hour (WLWT News 5) and beat the Enquirer by over an hour. I give all credit to those "anonymous sources" of mine. They are the best.

C.Trent Rosecrans, reporter for 1530 Homer, discusses his run in with councilman Berding at a recent Broomball game. From C.Trent's blog:

 

As the first half of a scoreless game was going on, I got on the ground to push away a ball in front of our goal. Well, I clear the ball and as I'm on my knees getting up,  City Councilman Jeff Berding took his stick and hit me right between the legs. Luckily, I had a cup on. The ball was nowhere near me and he hits me in the nuts. He also pushed over several of our girls,, which is a pretty lame move.

 

Yeah, that's the kind of guy we have on the city council, a guy who pushes girls and sticks guys in the nuts.

 

And instead of saying, "sorry" he came up to me at the end and says, "that wasn't intentional." Not, "dude, you OK?  I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hit you in the nuts and keep you from ever passing on your genetic gifts." No, he comes up to me and says, "that wasn't intentional." Jerk.

^Well that's one side of the story.  I would venture to say that Berding would tell it slightly different.

Yeah I'd venture that too. It's just a funny story.

This seems reasonable enough to me...

 

Ghiz proposes eliminating City Council appointees

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/02/16/daily35.html

 

Cincinnati City Councilwoman Leslie Ghiz wants to drop the practice of council appointing a successor when one of its members resigns.

 

Click on link for article.

^ I don't disagree with that. It's always seemed a little shady to me.

It's one of those things that makes sense from the politico pov, but also seems icky and kind of anti-democratic.

Moved the new Harris legislation discussion here:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,3692.0.html

If this goes though, it would probably discourage people from resigning near the end of their last term.

^Agreed.  That's fine by me, since presumably people voted for that councilperson, not someone that councilperson's party endorses.  I like Greg Harris and am happy to have one more streetcar proponent and one less streetcar opponent on the council, but the way it happened just seems wrong.