November 18, 201014 yr Too bad we have a "news" paper that has chosen to keep itself alive by appealing to the lowest common denominator with cheap sensationalism and fake outrage, rather than informing people with actual facts.
November 18, 201014 yr The administration continues to say that none of the money being spent on the streetcar could be used to pay officers and firefighters. Opponents of the project just don’t believe it. Typical "he said / she said" bullshit from the Enquirer, without any actual fact-checking. The story may as well be, "Scientists continue to insist the sun rises in the east, but some people refuse to believe it. We report, you decide."
November 18, 201014 yr The general public doesnt really understand the difference between a capital budget and operating budget, or they just dont care. In their mind, taxpayer money is taxpayer money. THe police and fire union leaders are trying to stir up the populist anger. Most people understand the difference, but they also understand that the two are set by the city and an amendment could easily change the percentages of tax dollars that go into each, or change it so that the percentages aren't set in stone and could rotate each year. I'm not saying it should be done, but it could be. Every dollar spent is a tax dollar, and it all comes from the same taxpayers. The city decides how to spend it, and the charter is the tool that dictates what percentage is capital and what is operating. As far as police and fire goes, the unions exist to whine and complain like this. The truth is Cincinnati has a massive police force for its size and population, and an inefficient fire department/dispatch technique. Saving jobs there is nowhere near cause enough to try and amend the charter to alter spending percentages.
November 18, 201014 yr Just imagine how many cops and firefighters Cincinnati could hire if we had never bothered to build all those expensive sewers, bridges, water mains, and paved streets.
November 18, 201014 yr Make no mistake about it, the Enquirer and 700 are launching an all out/last ditch effort assault against the streetcar projects in the hopes it can stop it at the last second.
November 18, 201014 yr The general public doesnt really understand the difference between a capital budget and operating budget, or they just dont care. In their mind, taxpayer money is taxpayer money. THe police and fire union leaders are trying to stir up the populist anger. Most people understand the difference, but they also understand that the two are set by the city and an amendment could easily change the percentages of tax dollars that go into each, or change it so that the percentages aren't set in stone and could rotate each year. I'm not saying it should be done, but it could be. Just to give you an idea that amendment would have to be made directly to the Charter of the City. So basically we would be changing the bedrock document of the city based upon a singular recession and subsequent "media outrage" about a police force cut that seems to resemble the restructuring that needs to happen in the cincy force anyhow. (hint those fired are not going to be your officer standing on the corner... its going to be a desk jockey who should have been released a while ago... and who knows maybe the force will actually start to focus on the tech/organizational modernizations that Greg Harris suggested two years ago.) (please pardon the rant)
November 18, 201014 yr Maybe the Enquirer should launch an investigation into how much the unions are paying Jane Prendergast.
November 18, 201014 yr Kevin Osborne at CityBeat has a great piece that includes, you know, actual research: Council Avoids Tough Decisions, While Some Grandstand Rather than discussing the issue rationally, two of council’s Republicans — Leslie Ghiz and Charlie Winburn — tried to score some cheap political points by publicizing that cops were paid overtime to guard a streetcar recently kept on display at Fountain Square for a few days. As it turns out, the grand total was $303. Not exactly an amount that matters much, in the larger scheme of things. The Cincinnati Fire Department has had similar problems with overtime that it hasn’t addressed. It spent about $2.5 million in overtime in 2009, with 29 firefighters making more than $10,000 each in OT costs. Because the department has routinely exceeded its budget for overtime in recent years, it’s had to resort to brownouts — taking certain pieces of equipment offline at some fire stations — to keep in the black.
November 18, 201014 yr I really don't think most people understand the difference between capital and general funds. I honestly think more than 15% of the city/county(i include them since many of the most vocal opponents live outside the city) are aware of the difference. I think this is where the city administration is losing the message war. All you hear is "cops to lose jobs while streetcar is built!" And people assume the streetcar could pay for the cops instead. I really wish government had better PR. There's no reason they should be barred from PR and marketing while traditional media (enquirer) can lie/not explain the truth whenever they feel like it. Remember how well they explained capital fund vs. general fund when Winburn found 750,000 to buy the Gamble house. What does Leslie Ghiz have to say about that?!
November 18, 201014 yr The frustrating thing is that the City HAS been disseminating the facts and has been active in PR. The problem comes from the Enquirer choosing to manipulate and hide those facts against the City or relegate the truth to the bottom paragraph. Supporters have been battling this for over 3 years for the streetcar and even longer for light rail but they (the local media & C0AST) still use the same old fallacious arguments. It's not going to change until the streetcar is built and perceptions change. “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
November 18, 201014 yr Looks like C0AST is marshaling fire and police officers against the streetcar now. Good grief, first they forget the difference between general and capital expenses, and now they are soliciting for anonymous examples of general fund expenditures on the streetcar. Ugh! Police, fire say their jobs should come before streetcar Posted by jprendergast November 18th, 2010, 8:24 am Streetcar opponents mainly COAST, police officers and firefighters, in this case have started CASS, Citizens Against Streetcar Swindle. Theyre on Facebook asking people to submit to them anonymously examples of where the city has spent general fund dollars on the streetcar project. Marc Monahan, president of the firefighters union, says those examples will help the groups lawyers. Police and fire are trying to protect their jobs. City Manager Milton Dohoneys proposed budget, which might be out by next week, is expected to suggest layoffs. The police chief has recommended cutting 144 of his people. It's interesting to read the comments on that blog post, it's different than most streetcar articles. Most commenters are streetcar supporters and the ones who aren't are blasting the Enquirer, COAST and police/fire for such a silly, silly article...
November 18, 201014 yr The Fort Worth Transportation Authority and two other agencies spent a combined $25,000 to ship a streetcar from Portland, Ore to downtown Fort Worth, where the car will be displayed while city officials debate whether to commit millions of future tax dollars to electrified rail. Click here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/11/17/2640816/model-streetcar-goes-on-display.html
November 18, 201014 yr Looks like C0AST is marshaling fire and police officers against the streetcar now. Good grief, first they forget the difference between general and capital expenses, and now they are soliciting for anonymous examples of general fund expenditures on the streetcar. Ugh! Police, fire say their jobs should come before streetcar Posted by jprendergast November 18th, 2010, 8:24 am Streetcar opponents mainly COAST, police officers and firefighters, in this case have started CASS, Citizens Against Streetcar Swindle. Theyre on Facebook asking people to submit to them anonymously examples of where the city has spent general fund dollars on the streetcar project. Marc Monahan, president of the firefighters union, says those examples will help the groups lawyers. Police and fire are trying to protect their jobs. City Manager Milton Dohoneys proposed budget, which might be out by next week, is expected to suggest layoffs. The police chief has recommended cutting 144 of his people. It's interesting to read the comments on that blog post, it's different than most streetcar articles. Most commenters are streetcar supporters and the ones who aren't are blasting the Enquirer, COAST and police/fire for such a silly, silly article... That is absolutely pathetic. Quoting their Mr. Rodgers song and linking to their facebook page all while never seeking the other side of the issue or seeking a divergent opinion. Am I really reading an article from a major newspaper or is that this "journalist's" myspace?
November 18, 201014 yr Two Enquirer gems in one day! “That train is dead,” but should all rail be? Opinionati Posted by kwellesley November 18th, 2010, 2:14 pm ... Cincinnati had streetcars once, and they were popular. They traversed the city from Price Hill to Milford, and the residents enjoyed them. But they also saw the impracticality of them. According to the documentary “Cincinnati’s Abandoned Subway,” a commuter from Norwood to downtown would need 30-45 minutes to complete a one-way journey, but a rapid rail system could get the commuter there in less than half the time. ... "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
November 18, 201014 yr Author The Enquirer is also apparently unaware that Cleveland has rail: "And who are all of these passengers that are clamoring to travel between Cincinnati and Cleveland anyway, and how were they going to get around their destination city once they arrived? No city on the planned route has anything other than intra-city bus service as their means of public transportation, and making your way around an unknown city using the bus can be tricky at best"
November 18, 201014 yr Author http://www.kypost.com/dpps/news/local_news/city-names-manager-for-streetcar-project_5530167 So Eilerman will be paid out of the streetcar fund. Presumably he was paid out of the City Manager's budget, so assuming he is not replaced, that represents a savings of $71,258 to the City's General fund in 2011
November 18, 201014 yr And bus service on High St. in Columbus is actually really good. I appreciate that they have a restricted bus lane, which is actually enforced. The only place I can see that happening in Cincinnati is Reading Road because of the number of #4 buses that run through there.
November 18, 201014 yr Author ^Reading Road has the 43, 45, 47 trunk/branch line. I think it is the busiest corridor in the system and where the artics are typically deployed
November 18, 201014 yr Sent this to Calllinan a week ago but never recieved a response: I am writing to commend your journalist Cliff Radel for his display of civic knowledge in his article, "Winburn finds 750k for Gamble House". His knowledge of the discrepancies between the capital and operating budgets is a prime example of what I look for when I choose a publication to help educate myself. Journalistic competence and exceptional research, I believe, is the key to an educated and informed public, and I hope you would agree. I would like to see a similar integrity exemplified in other articles such as the streetcar. These budget differences are a vital part of the debate and one I wish could be brought to the foreground. Currently, your articles on the streetcar seem to be aimed at propagating division between public services and this project. I do not believe this is an intentional or surreptitious act on the part of the Enquirer, as that would have an extremely devastating effect on my opinion of journalistic motives and objectivity. However, it would allay any fear I may have if more information could be brought to the debate and a healthy discourse can take place. Thank you for your audience.
November 19, 201014 yr ^Reading Road has the 43, 45, 47 trunk/branch line. I think it is the busiest corridor in the system and where the artics are typically deployed Thanks for that. I wonder if they have looked at putting in a restricted bus lane. There is no on-street parking for the most part, and restricting the lane to buses would improve the flow much more.
November 19, 201014 yr The enquirer has really gotten out of control with its reporting on the streetcar lately. I mean they REALLY HATE this project. They are doing everything they can to get everyone as pissed off about it as possible. Can't something be done about this?
November 19, 201014 yr Make that 3 anti-streetcar articles online today! Unbelievable! http://cincinnati.com/blogs/letters/2010/11/18/disappointed-in-berdings-support-of-streetcar/
November 19, 201014 yr Agree with you. Quit giving them the hits. You find better journalism on the blogs anyway.
November 19, 201014 yr Make that 3 anti-streetcar articles online today! Unbelievable! http://cincinnati.com/blogs/letters/2010/11/18/disappointed-in-berdings-support-of-streetcar/ It's the final stretch. Construction, if all goes well, starts very soon. So that means desperation from COAST, Luken, the Enquirer, and 700 Wlw. I would expect an all out blitz of anti streetcar messages/articles/shows/editorials/letters/opinion pieces etc.
November 19, 201014 yr Author ^Reading Road has the 43, 45, 47 trunk/branch line. I think it is the busiest corridor in the system and where the artics are typically deployed Thanks for that. I wonder if they have looked at putting in a restricted bus lane. There is no on-street parking for the most part, and restricting the lane to buses would improve the flow much more. They are looking at making improvements to that corridor
November 19, 201014 yr Look at that Channel 9 report. They are using footage of a real modern streetcar in Cincinnati. I'm guessing all of the news channels were there. So finally we probably won't see anymore San Francisco cable cars, etc.
November 19, 201014 yr Make that 3 anti-streetcar articles online today! Unbelievable! http://cincinnati.com/blogs/letters/2010/11/18/disappointed-in-berdings-support-of-streetcar/ It's the final stretch. Construction, if all goes well, starts very soon. So that means desperation from COAST, Luken, the Enquirer, and 700 Wlw. I would expect an all out blitz of anti streetcar messages/articles/shows/editorials/letters/opinion pieces etc. Oh, gee, I hope they don't lie down in front of construction equipment or anything like that.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 19, 201014 yr Donny: Are these the Nazis, Walter? Walter Sobchak: No, Donny, these men are nihilists, there's nothing to be afraid of.
November 19, 201014 yr "I was going to pick up an Enquirer today but I decided not to...you see, it was impossible to read because it is completely transparent."
November 19, 201014 yr Alright- I'm going to try for the next week to only get my cincy news from CityBeat, the Business Courier and Soapbox (and an assortment of personal Cincy blogs). I know I won't get all the same info, but at least it won't be so far skewed to the right that I feel like I'm falling over. Anyone else want to join? Let's see if we feel just as informed but half as irritated. I just can't stand the incredibly biased anti-streetcar stance that the enquirer has. Part of me thinks this goes way beyond the streetcar- it's simply the Enquirer trying to take down the mayor/most of council to feel as though they have some power left (declining readership is leaving them feeling impotent). Until next Saturday, I declare this No Enquirer week!
November 19, 201014 yr What the hell? Cincinnati's streetcar utility estimate way off mark Relocating utilities to make way for Cincinnati’s proposed streetcar could cost four times as much as the city has budgeted, raising questions about who will pay the millions of additional dollars that could be needed to complete the project. I don't have a subscription to the Business Courrier so I can't access the whole article. Is this a case of somebody at Duke Energy trying to throw a monkey wrench into the streetcar project, or did the city really screw up this badly?
November 19, 201014 yr Do you at least have an account with them? Earlier this month they offered a week of complimentary access to premium content. They have extended this access through 11/21... "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
November 19, 201014 yr I was able to view the whole article by doing a Google search on the article's exact title. I opened the article and then clicked "more" at the bottom of it. Voila! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 19, 201014 yr In a nutshell, it seems Duke Energy wants more clearance between the streetcar tracks and their utilities than what Parsons feels is necessary. Obviously, more clearance will cost more money. Negotiations are ongoing, and are described as "cordial". The article notes that Duke Energy has been a strong supporter of the streetcar project, and has already contributed $7M toward it. Hopefully this will turn into a mere case of "move along, nothing to see here."
November 19, 201014 yr Hopefully this will turn into a mere case of "move along, nothing to see here." Nope. The Disquieter will turn it into the streetcar's deathknell. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 19, 201014 yr Hopefully this will turn into a mere case of "move along, nothing to see here." Nope. The Disquieter will turn it into the streetcar's deathknell. Exactly. Expect to see it on the front page of the Enquirer today
November 19, 201014 yr ^ Actually, this is something that was mentioned in the forum earlier by eighth and state and I completely agreed at the time. Like I mentioned earlier, there are over 30 manholes just along Vine (between mcmicken and calhoun) that would all need to be moved. Thats probably at least above a million dollars right there. I think this was a huge mistake in the budgeting. We'll see what happens- Hopefully I'm wrong!
November 19, 201014 yr ^ Yep, Eighth and State definitely mentioned this. I believe he also predicted it would be a big boost for proponents of the Main & Walnut route. We'll see where this goes.
November 19, 201014 yr why dont we send kasich a letter like he sent obama asking if we can use our road funding for other things since our roads are already built and its a waste to keep expanding them when we know we could just paint a line through some fields and it would serve the same purpose lol
November 19, 201014 yr The enquirer has really gotten out of control with its reporting on the streetcar lately. I mean they REALLY HATE this project. They are doing everything they can to get everyone as pissed off about it as possible. Can't something be done about this? Unfortunately, I think that's the point. Hardly anyone is buying print journalism these days. Lets face it, the Enquirer had been on a huge downward slide ever since the guy was caught faking the Chiquita fiasco. The only reason they ever went up in readership recently was because they absorbed some of the Post's former subscribers. It seems to me like the people running the Enquirer aren't very creative. They ran out of original, thought-provoking and investigative stuff to do and kind of took the Network News "Troubleshooter" approach. I.E. Find a minor problem, but report on it with a spin that promotes fear or controversy and watch everyone get riled up. I bet they're loving this streetcar nonsense, because it keeps people fired up and they come to the website to argue and bicker. The biggest downside to that is that it empowers people like Luken and CASS into thinking people actually give a s**t about what they have to say. When they don't realize that the majority of streetcar opponents don't live within the city. It's a shame, I follow USA Today, NYT, Washington Post and a few other real papers on facebook and Twitter and some of the feature stuff they put out is great. The Cincinnati Enquirer though is an embarasment, it feels more like a local town newspaper written by the gossip queen. They have some excellent talent too, unfortuately they've forced those people to blogs and given the front pages to AP re-hash articles and morons.
November 19, 201014 yr From the biz journal today... Does anyone think this PAC will have any ability to do anything at this point? Should we be nervous? http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2010/11/new-pac-seeks-to-defeat-cincinnati.html
November 19, 201014 yr Is this issue with Duke the reason why we haven't heard a groundbreaking date yet?
November 19, 201014 yr "Harrell accused city budget writers of playing a “shell game” with restricted funds, which they say can’t be used to solve the projected shortfall in the city’s general operating fund. Money from the sale of Blue Ash Airport and tax revenue from a casino scheduled to open in 2013, she said, could be transferred to the general fund instead of the streetcar project." Pardon me if I'm wrong, but aren't those funds capital funds? And I believe we've been over this, but capital funds can't be used for the operating budget. Now, how does someone like Cool Kat Kathy who used to enforce law, not understand it?
November 19, 201014 yr The longer construction keeps becoming delayed, the better the chance gets for opponents to kill the project. I thought construction was supposed to start this month? Now its early 2011?
November 19, 201014 yr Duke had to know all along, along with the city. No way that price can be so high for just a couple of miles of replacement. Will the Streetcar run right down the middle of the road? Will it run curb side? Is there a minimum height that streetcars can run with live wires above? Find competent engineers to fix these problems. Can't believe this is even comes up, AFTER we get the 65 million from the feds.
November 19, 201014 yr ^ These things come up in just about every city I've known of that has built rail. And they get resolved. I wouldn't wory about it too much.
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