If they dont get that state money y'all can just cut scope and have the line loop in the basin, instead of going uptown, correct? 

As for the referendum, I find it difficult to believe that this will pass since the past anti-streetcar referendum failed. 

^Sometimes I wish Cincinnati really wasn't in Ohio as many Ohioans believe.  The first local quote the Enquirer uses is some lady out in Mariemont.  Mariemont???  Her opinion is extremely valuable of course, seeing how she lives downtown and not in one of the wealthiest and whitest suburbs in Ohio. 

 

what does wealthiest and whites have to do with it?

 

i'm from Mariemont.  i'm not wealthy.  and i do support the streetcar, 100%.

^  I believe the argument is that Mariemont is not within the City of Cincinnati, so this woman's opinion is not really all that relevant.  No one is building a streetcar in the Village of Mariemont, and she is not paying Cincinnati taxes, so what is her gripe?

http://allaboardohio.org/2011/03/10/gov-kasich-is-mistaken-cutting-the-cincinnati-streetcar-funding-only-transfers-federal-money-to-a-lower-ranked-road-project/

 

Gov. Kasich is mistaken! Cutting the Cincinnati Streetcar funding only transfers federal money to a lower-ranked road project

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — March 10, 2011

 

Contacts:

Jack Shaner, Ohio Environmental Council, [email protected] (614) 446-1693

Ken Prendergast, All Aboard Ohio, [email protected] (216) 288-4883

 

CINCINNATI – Two nonprofit organizations contend that Gov. John Kasich and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) are making an ill-informed mistake by reportedly denying federal funds to the Cincinnati Streetcar – ODOT’s highest-ranking proposed transportation project. Cincinnati city officials relayed to local media yesterday that Gov. Kasich would likely not approve state funding for Cincinnati's streetcar project due to “shortfalls in state funds.”

 

However, All Aboard Ohio and the Ohio Environmental Council said the funds in question are not state funds – they are federal pass-through funds, most likely Federal Highway Administration dollars such as Surface Transportation Program (STP) and Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) funds administered by ODOT. Under federal law, these funds must pay for transportation projects or transportation programs only. They cannot be used for education, health care, prisons or other programs unrelated to transportation.

 

Earlier this month, the Kasich administration proposed a $5.5 billion transportation budget that includes a substantial amount of flexible federal CMAQ and STP funds.

 

The Ohio House of Representatives is expected to vote on the measure next week. The transportation budget is separate from the state operating budget, which the governor is planning to unveil next Tuesday.

 

 

“Our governor is making a false argument that pulling back this federal money will save the state money,” said Ken Prendergast, executive director of All Aboard Ohio. “The streetcar funding has nothing to do with the state's deficit. If it is not used for the streetcar, it will go to a lower-ranked Ohio road project.”

 

Funding applications to ODOT’s Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) are ranked using a scoring process by whether a project will achieve a more balanced and integrated multi-modal transportation system, embrace environmental stewardship, promote community economic growth and development, and leverage state transportation investment. These goals are aligned with federal transportation investment programs.

 

All Aboard Ohio and the Ohio Environmental Council believe that a project may not be denied these funds if the project has met all existing scoring criteria established by and if there are sufficient federal funds available.

 

Ohio receives about $50 million in federal CMAQ funds each year and many times more in flexible STP funds. The streetcar is seeking $36.8 million in new federal funding.

 

The first phase of the $129.8 million Cincinnati streetcar earned the highest score (84) of any transportation project, existing or new, anywhere in Ohio being considered by the TRAC (100 is the highest possible score). The second phase, extending the streetcar to the Uptown area for $58.6 million, achieved a very high score of 71.5. The streetcar will be powered by electricity – a clean, affordable and domestically produced energy source.

 

“Why is our governor against redeveloping Cincinnati’s downtown and Over-the-Rhine areas with the streetcar? Steel rails offer a far superior path to jobs and growth and clean air than yet another asphalt road pitted with potholes,” said Jack Shaner, deputy director of the Ohio Environmental Council.

 

By comparison, Ohio’s half of the $2 billion Brent Spence Bridge achieved a TRAC score of only 44. And the three components of the $632.2 million project to convert State Route 32 into an expressway in Greater Cincinnati's Eastern Corridor achieved scores of only 34, 39 and 48 (SOURCE: 

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/trac/Documents/2011%20Draft%20TRAC%20List%20(December%209,%202010).pdf).

 

“The Brent Spence Bridge and State Route 32 are costly, taxpayer-funded projects that will not create more long-term job growth for the region than the streetcar,” Prendergast noted. “In the case of Route 32, it will use taxpayer money only to disperse existing jobs and residents farther out, while weakening the city of Cincinnati's tax base, increasing our dependence on cars and foreign oil and making the region's traffic and pollution worse, not better.”

 

Two studies estimate that the streetcar will stimulate new Downtown/Over-The-Rhine development worth $1.5 billion, or roughly 15 times the cost of the streetcar.

 

“The related study results are loud and clear: The streetcar project will grow jobs and investment, raise property values, broaden the tax base, increase mobility, relieve congestion and reduce tailpipe emissions,” Shaner added. “That’s a formula for success, not derailment.”

 

The TRAC last December recommended awarding $36.8 million of ODOT’s share of federal funds to two phases of the streetcar project. The first phase is slated to receive $35 million of the state’s allocation of federal funding in 2012, on top of $15 million already awarded for 2011. The Uptown phase was recommended to receive $1.8 million.

 

 

END

So this Governor do before thinking??  Don't he have a staff that helps on what's best to do???

^  I believe the argument is that Mariemont is not within the City of Cincinnati, so this woman's opinion is not really all that relevant.  No one is building a streetcar in the Village of Mariemont, and she is not paying Cincinnati taxes, so what is her gripe?

 

cincySAL, osogato understood exactly what I was saying.  The streetcar downtown-uptown is intended to reinvigorate an area long neglected and increase access to Cincinnati jobs and entertainment.  Mariemont is anything but neglected.  The areas that the streetcar will serve are populated by an overwhelmingly African-American majority that has endured economic disenfranchisement time and time again.  The streetcar is supposed to be an economic catalyst for two of the nation's poorest neighborhoods, OTR/West End and Uptown.  Mariemont is the farthest thing from that. 

 

I want to be clear - being white doesn't make you anything but a white person, same for blacks, hispanics, Asians, etc...

 

...but when the city newspaper is backing up their bias against the streetcar (and urban core for that matter, see coverage of the Banks) with commentary from a community that one could safely assume will not benefit immediately nor will form a sizeable group eligible to patronize the streetcar and its intentions, the media paints themselves as virulent opponents to the city core and the people who live there.

So this Governor do before thinking??  Don't he have a staff that helps on what's best to do???

 

Any leader that has come off as this clueless in such a short time has to be bullish and driven by allegiance to someone other than their constituents.

^  I believe the argument is that Mariemont is not within the City of Cincinnati, so this woman's opinion is not really all that relevant.  No one is building a streetcar in the Village of Mariemont, and she is not paying Cincinnati taxes, so what is her gripe?

 

i understand him now that he clarified it, but if she works downtown, like me, she becomes relevant (for the record i used to live in the city limits until recently).  also, if it uses state funding that adds to her relevancy.

 

but in any event, the Enquirer does suck and interviewing someone from Mariemont wouldn't be my first choice.  they also probably interviewed a dozen people until they found a person who would support their case.

Note: These weren't interviews, these were letters to TRAC.

So if they can't legally take the funds away from the streetcar project and give it to the Brent Spence Bridge project due to its lower ranking, what is Kasich going to do?  Twist the arms of ODOT's TRAC to voting how he wants them to vote?  Or have them conduct new rankings that put the Brent Spence Bridge higher than the Streetcar project?

Anti-Streetcar Effort Purposely Misleads Voters

By Kevin Osborne - Wednesday, March 9,2011

 

In all likelihood, Cincinnati residents this fall might once again be casting their votes on a streetcar-related ballot item.

 

The same groups that tried — and failed — to block the city’s planned $128 million streetcar system through a ballot issue in November 2009 are busy collecting signatures on a petition for another try.

 

Back then, the effort was known as Issue 9. If approved, it would’ve required a public vote before taxpayer money was used for any rail-related project, not just the streetcar. The groups behind that effort, the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) and the NAACP’s local chapter, had said they specifically crafted the broadly written wording in case city officials tried to rename the streetcar project and call it something else to skirt the restriction on a technicality.

 

No matter: Voters soundly rejected the issue, 56 percent to 44 percent.

 

Now, COAST and the NAACP are trying again. This time, they’re joined by the police and firefighters unions, who are under the mistaken impression that canceling the project might somehow prevent possible future layoffs. (We’ll get to why that’s not true in a moment.)

 

cont

Things are starting to move along a little faster now ...

Wish we had shovels in the ground before the election this past November.

Things are starting to move along a little faster now ...

 

Clarification please...

Opposition to the Streetcar?  Support for the Streetcar?  Action/ Eminent construction?

And the Bacon responds:

 

Pro-Streetcar Effort Purposely Misleads Voters

 

http://www.cincinnatibeacon.com/index.php?/contents/comments/pro-streetcar_effort_purposely_misleads_voters/

New article.  Kasich is attempting to strong arm TRAC

 

"I'm told that the TRAC board rarely goes against the director," Kasich said.

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110311/NEWS0108/103120343/Kasich-Can-t-justify-streetcar-money?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

 

 

Things are starting to move along a little faster now ...

 

Clarification please...

Opposition to the Streetcar?  Support for the Streetcar?  Action/ Eminent construction?

 

Politics aside, things are coming together, getting resolved with respect to the real project that's been underway for some time now. It's easy to forget about that.

What recourse can Cincinnati do? If i lived in the city i would be so so pissed if the funding was canceled but the money goes to a lower ranked project. I mean wasn't these panels made so not one person couldn't nitpick on what should and shouldn't be funded??

What recourse can Cincinnati do? If i lived in the city i would be so so pissed if the funding was canceled but the money goes to a lower ranked project. I mean wasn't these panels made so not one person couldn't nitpick on what should and shouldn't be funded??

 

If this same TRAC board with the same people, which voted 8-0 in favor of it not too long ago, reverses its decision out of nowhere, then there is something else going on behind the scenes.  Hopefully there is legal action teh city can take

New article.  Kasich is attempting to strong arm TRAC

 

"I'm told that the TRAC board rarely goes against the director," Kasich said.

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110311/NEWS0108/103120343/Kasich-Can-t-justify-streetcar-money?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

 

 

This guy is acting like a dictator. What does he know about the merits of this project? Does he know that people who know more about transportation than him (oh, how I am resisting make jokes about that!) rate this project more highly than anything else ODOT is considering for funding?

 

The purpose of the TRAC, set forth in law, is to remove as much political whim, corruption and emotion out of transportation investment decision-making and instead make it based on the cold, clear facts. That was the purpose of the TRAC law when the Ohio General Assembly passed it in 1997 or 98. If the TRAC is going to ignore its own scoring process under strong-arm pressure from the governor, then the TRAC needs to turn out the lights and go home forever. It has no reason to exist. I hope it does follow its own purpose.

 

What ever happened to the rule of law, fairness and consideration for those who have not made large campaign contributions to the governor? We are taking so many steps backward in this country. Is this really what they teach you in your Bible study class Guv? How can a man whose parents were killed by a drunk driver make decisions like this?? Don't you realize how many drunk drivers this Cincinnati streetcar is going to take off the roads? Maybe you should think about this project in that way, dear Guv. Your own narrow selfishness seems to be the only guidance you have.

New article.  Kasich is attempting to strong arm TRAC

 

"I'm told that the TRAC board rarely goes against the director," Kasich said.

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110311/NEWS0108/103120343/Kasich-Can-t-justify-streetcar-money?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

 

 

This guy is acting like a dictator. What does he know about the merits of this project? Does he know that people who know more about transportation than him (oh, how I am resisting make jokes about that!) rate this project more highly than anything else ODOT is considering for funding?

 

The purpose of the TRAC, set forth in law, is to remove as much political whim, corruption and emotion out of transportation investment decision-making and instead make it based on the cold, clear facts. That was the purpose of the TRAC law when the Ohio General Assembly passed it in 1997 or 98. If the TRAC is going to ignore its own scoring process under strong-arm pressure from the governor, then the TRAC needs to turn out the lights and go home forever. It has no reason to exist. I hope it does follow its own purpose.

 

What ever happened to the rule of law, fairness and consideration for those who have not made large campaign contributions to the governor? We are taking so many steps backward in this country. Is this really what they teach you in your Bible study class Guv? How can a man whose parents were killed by a drunk driver make decisions like this?? Don't you realize how many drunk drivers this Cincinnati streetcar is going to take off the roads? Maybe you should think about this project in that way, dear Guv. Your own narrow selfishness seems to be the only guidance you have.

 

Dialed-down about 20% and minus the Bible-class reference, this would be a terrific LTE.

Can this be abuse of power? Has he talked to the AG about this and other things he plans to cut?

Can this be abuse of power? Has he talked to the AG about this and other things he plans to cut?

DeWine? I believe he's suing the president.

In today's opinion section:

 

Streetcar is an investment in our future

 

Your Voice: Bobby Maly

6:49 PM, Mar. 11, 2011

 

Speculation that the State may take away funds tentatively awarded to the Cincinnati Streetcar project and the announcement that Cincinnati lost population again last decade are more connected than some may think. And if Cincinnati and the State of Ohio want to reverse the population trend in the next census, then halting the best rail transit initiative the State has right now may, in fact, be the worst idea.

 

Nearly everyone agrees that losing population is a bad thing, particularly the young demographic. In fact, the regional Agenda 360 action plan calls for 150,000 additional 25-34 years olds by 2020. Yet we lost 34,000 people from the last census. When those young residents form families and start shopping for larger homes with yards, they will be buying in Westwood, College Hill, and Mt. Washington. They are our best hope for the future.

 

New article.  Kasich is attempting to strong arm TRAC

 

"I'm told that the TRAC board rarely goes against the director," Kasich said.

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110311/NEWS0108/103120343/Kasich-Can-t-justify-streetcar-money?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

 

 

This guy is acting like a dictator. What does he know about the merits of this project? Does he know that people who know more about transportation than him (oh, how I am resisting make jokes about that!) rate this project more highly than anything else ODOT is considering for funding?

 

The purpose of the TRAC, set forth in law, is to remove as much political whim, corruption and emotion out of transportation investment decision-making and instead make it based on the cold, clear facts. That was the purpose of the TRAC law when the Ohio General Assembly passed it in 1997 or 98. If the TRAC is going to ignore its own scoring process under strong-arm pressure from the governor, then the TRAC needs to turn out the lights and go home forever. It has no reason to exist. I hope it does follow its own purpose.

 

What ever happened to the rule of law, fairness and consideration for those who have not made large campaign contributions to the governor? We are taking so many steps backward in this country. Is this really what they teach you in your Bible study class Guv? How can a man whose parents were killed by a drunk driver make decisions like this?? Don't you realize how many drunk drivers this Cincinnati streetcar is going to take off the roads? Maybe you should think about this project in that way, dear Guv. Your own narrow selfishness seems to be the only guidance you have.

 

Smokin'

Kasich's threat disgusts me. I hope Cincy sues and can claim some sort of damages.

 

Kasich, moving young Ohioans out of Ohio by reverting time to 1990.

People who are serious about this and are formally involved in advocacy organizations should get their ducks in a row to be ready to sue.  It's pretty clear that Kasich is interested only in the letter of the law and not the spirit of it, which is why he's willing to spend $8 million dollars to move Bob Evans within the state but not spend any money on high speed rail (the state's contribution being somewhere in the ballpark of 4 more Bob Evans "successes").

Kasich on Cunningham's show today at 12:30: 700wlw.com

 

I'm sure they will spend a minute or two trashing the streetcar.

seriously pay for a flight for kasich to go out to san francisco and ride from fishermans wharf to the ferry building. In the 1980's, this stretch of the city now called the Embarcadero was a 2 level freeway that ate up valuable bay frontage. Now, they got rid of the freeway (well, the 1989 earthquake did!), and added a historic streetcar which is one of the most frequented tourist destinations in the country. I ride this every day to work (only for a few more days now, I am on co-op from UC), and even at 7:30-8am on WEEKDAYS this thing is FULL of TOURISTS. Economic goldmines for cities. Sure, this thing sucks as a daily commute, because its loud, slow, and uncomfortable.. but these people LOVE the thing. I dont understand how there aren't numbers to justify this thing economically.

Scav: There are tons of numbers that justify this project, but the enquirer and the opposition ignore these facts and tell their own lies about it to get more people behind them.  Its incredibly frustrating.

Scav: There are tons of numbers that justify this project, but the enquirer and the opposition ignore these facts and tell their own lies about it to get more people behind them.  Its incredibly frustrating.

 

We've known the gameplan of the opponents for years now.  They use the traditional monopolistic media in this town as their mouthpiece.

 

The new editor of the Enquirer HATES the streetcar project and of course we've known 700 is encouraging their personalities to speak out against it.  The gameplan is exactly identical to the last ballot initiative and the supporters won overwhelmingly.  The ballot initiative is very similar but I still hate reading and hearing the clear bias.  I don't mind someone disagreeing and making a counter argument, in fact I encourage it because it addresses all aspects constructively, but withholding information, lying, and misrepresenting the project is simply propaganda.

 

We need this Kasich funds situation resolved ASAP so Cincinnati can move forward on the project with or without the funds.  If he indeed strongarms TRAC into voting how he wants them to vote, I think the city should make a big public PR tour and sue.  The longer construction is delayed gives more opportunity to the opponents to derail it permanently. 

Scav: There are tons of numbers that justify this project, but the enquirer and the opposition ignore these facts and tell their own lies about it to get more people behind them.  Its incredibly frustrating.

 

I see. I admittedly havent paid much attention so I'm sorry if I'm beating a dead horse.. but FWIW.. go streetcar!

 

 

WLW radio aired comments today that were made by Gov. Kasich about the streetcar several days ago. They said these exact comments were made TODAY on the Bill Cunningham  show. I don't know what Kadich said today on the show; but it appears that WLW wants you to believe  that this statement was something new. 

Kadich? :D

sorry... should be Kasich

Scav: There are tons of numbers that justify this project, but the enquirer and the opposition ignore these facts and tell their own lies about it to get more people behind them.  Its incredibly frustrating.

 

We've known the gameplan of the opponents for years now.  They use the traditional monopolistic media in this town as their mouthpiece.

 

The new editor of the Enquirer HATES the streetcar project and of course we've known 700 is encouraging their personalities to speak out against it.  The gameplan is exactly identical to the last ballot initiative and the supporters won overwhelmingly.  The ballot initiative is very similar but I still hate reading and hearing the clear bias.  I don't mind someone disagreeing and making a counter argument, in fact I encourage it because it addresses all aspects constructively, but withholding information, lying, and misrepresenting the project is simply propaganda.

 

We need this Kasich funds situation resolved ASAP so Cincinnati can move forward on the project with or without the funds.  If he indeed strongarms TRAC into voting how he wants them to vote, I think the city should make a big public PR tour and sue.  The longer construction is delayed gives more opportunity to the opponents to derail it permanently. 

I agree.  Does anyone know when we'll find out final word from Trac?

^April 12 will be when they finalize their project funding list. 

This new Governor is screwing up years of work by people trying to get funding for these projects. That's ALOT of hard work and time to let goto waste, because of someone's ego.

This clown doesn't care! He's making his asphalt cronies rich.

I just heard that Jerry Wray's asphalt lobbying organization Flexible Pavements has a new name....

 

People 4 Potholes

 

;-)

Bad news...

 

Berding officially flip flopped on his support of the project...

 

This is getting disastrous

Berding U-turns on streetcar

By Barry M. Horstman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12:02 AM, Mar. 18, 2011

 

Saying Cincinnati’s “current streetcar plan no longer works” due to the expected loss of nearly $52 million in state funds, City Councilman Jeff Berding, a longtime streetcar supporter, has asked Mayor Mark Mallory to put the project on hold indefinitely.

 

Although Berding plans to step down from council, perhaps as early as next week, to devote more time to his job with the Cincinnati Bengals, his decision could block majority council support for the $128 million Downtown-to-Uptown streetcar for months – or longer.

His quotes sounded so personal, like this is more about his dislike of Mallory than dislike of the streetcar.

Nail meet coffin

Kasich is killing the two most progressive projects this state had come up with in decades in the 3C project and the streetcar.  Things changed so fast, but change for the worse is the only time change comes quickly in Ohio so I don't know why I'm surprised.

His quotes sounded so personal, like this is more about his dislike of Mallory than dislike of the streetcar.

 

Maybe because of this?

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20110317/NEWS0108/103180336/

Bortz now needs to go. Before, it didn't really matter that he couldn't vote on one of the most important, and recurring (in terms of votes), issues in the city. Now it does.

^ Good point.

Keep the faith.  We'll get through this one too.  Berding is resigning sometime soon and the rumor is that Bortz will either not run again or resign early. State funding for the streetcar isn't in Kasich's hands anyway.