March 23, 201114 yr Hats off to those who continue to fight the good fight. Times always change. Gas prices are rising. Kasich's poll numbers are falling.
March 23, 201114 yr Too bad there isnt a way to impeach a Governor. haha As John has pointed out, these things repeatedly get built up and knocked down. I just hope that this project can survive this level of beat down. What frustrates me the most about this, is that there is no oversight. This is being orchestrated by a small amount of people without any sort of say. What about taxpayers who *gasp* want this type of investment? Where is the equality in funding for different modes? So disappointing.
March 23, 201114 yr City Blights, if you think this is somehow a Cincinnati issue or even an Ohio issue you're seriously mistaken. This assault on reason is hitting the entire country in full force right now. Hell, I should know...I just moved from Wisconsin to Cincinnati two days ago. Our governor is even more polarizing (although not as much of a jack@ss) as Gov Kasich. The point is that Cincinnati has made many great strides in the past few years. So much so that people, including myself, are beginning to move back to the city. (It'll take a little bit for the change to show up in the census.) Don't let one powerful spoiled little brat ruin all that. Right now, the biggest obstacle Cincinnati (and Ohio) is facing is NOT Governor Kasich...it's the low self-esteem of its people. Keep your head high. The city, particularly downtown, has come a long way in the last five years, there's no denying that. If we want to single out the 3C project and the streetcar, I'm not sold that the rest of the nation is as delusional as Ohio is about change considering Cincinnati is the largest city without an inch of rail transit and Ohio is a large state with very few Amtrak lines. If Houston, in the backdrop of big oil can get rail rolling, why is Ohio so resistant?
March 23, 201114 yr I'm wondering if the city can build a scaled-down line (say just a downtown/Findlay Market area loop, without state/fed money? If not y'all might have to outwait Kasich....but then the legislature is usually controlled by the GOP (one or both houses), so it would still be a fight.' If the there is a legal fight the state house and senate could just "change the law" and what was once illegal becomes legal, so I think y'all might be screwed. Don't really see this as a knock against Cincy per-se, as the city has been quite supportive of this streetcar concept....including a sucessfull referendum that essentially said "yes" to the concept.
March 23, 201114 yr Right now, the biggest obstacle Cincinnati (and Ohio) is facing is NOT Governor Kasich...it's the low self-esteem of its people. Keep your head high. Couldn't agree more.
March 23, 201114 yr ^^As I see it, there is a danger to the Republican legislature changing the TRAC process. It was implemented to take the politics out of the funding process...its repeal will be seen (or at least should be...who knows with the papers in this state) as a power grab, poor public policy and a backwards step. Of course the way the Republicans have been acting since they took over both houses and the governorship, they could probably care less or are just not bright enough to recognize the possible political repercussions.
March 23, 201114 yr http://allaboardohio.org/2011/03/23/the-future-of-ohios-cities-is-at-stake/ The future of Ohio’s cities is at stake FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — March 23, 2011 CORRECTED Contact: Ken Prendergast, All Aboard Ohio, [email protected] (216) 288-4883 Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jerry Wray recommended to the Transportation Review Advisory Council today that the state’s top-ranked project should bear the brunt of “fiscal balancing.” TRAC will vote on the recommendations April 12. In addition to removing the entire $36.8 million in federal construction funds for the Cincinnati Streetcar in 2012, the TRAC committee was urged by Wray’s staff to rescind all $15 million in federal dollars awarded last year to the streetcar. Instead, Wray’s staff urged TRAC to give $36.8 million to multiple road projects throughout the state. The Cincinnati Streetcar is due to start construction this year, is rated more highly by the TRAC, and is projected to create more long-term job growth. TRAC rated the streetcar with an 84 using its scoring criteria to measure a project’s potential to promote economic development, more jobs, cost-effectiveness, safety, and environmental stewardship. And, $15 million awarded last year to the streetcar was recommended by Wray’s staff to be shifted to the Mahoning Road bus transit corridor in Canton. That project was rated a more robust 77.5 by TRAC, but still lower than the electric streetcar. However, several TRAC members said they had concerns about the state’s top-ranked transportation project taking the brunt of ODOT’s proposed “fiscal balancing” to address reductions in federal funds. To preserve the integrity of the TRAC scoring process, and to affirm its unanimous December vote in support of the streetcar, All Aboard Ohio urges the TRAC to reject the recommendations by ODOT staff. “There is no legitimate reason why the TRAC should cut from the top rather than the bottom,” said All Aboard Ohio Executive Director Ken Prendergast. “If the TRAC ignores its own scoring process, then I’m not sure why Director Wray urged the TRAC's creation in 1997 as a useful way to limit political influence on selecting transportation projects for funding.” It should be noted that the Cincinnati Streetcar would be powered by electricity and travel on steel rails which require less energy to move on than rubber tires and pavement. By comparison, petroleum-powered vehicles traveling on petroleum-based asphalt is only getting more expensive to maintain by the day. These also make our nation more dependent on imported oil and vulnerable to oil-price spikes. According to the Pentagon’s 2010 Joint Operating Environment report, global oil supplies by 2015 will fall short of demand at rates more than double that of the brief geo-political shortage in 1973. “Ohio should be building electric rail transit in all of Ohio’s largest cities to save our economy in the coming years,” Prendergast warned. “If the TRAC accepts Wray’s recommendation on April 12, Ohio may lose its best chance at building an attractive alternative example to a future of high gas prices, stretched family budgets, and gasoline shortages.” NOTE: also see next press release on the Cincinnati Streetcar. END "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 23, 201114 yr Of course the way the Republicans have been acting since they took over both houses and the governorship, they could probably care less My hunch is that they could care less....or they can just "change the law", like I said upthread if there is a legal issue. Its a regular Glechschaltung...change the rules to suit the party ideology or policy goals.
March 23, 201114 yr Agency staff: Withhold $52M for streetcars Written by Barry M. Horstman [email protected] 11:18 AM, Mar. 23, 2011| COLUMBUS - The staff of a key Ohio transportation agency today recommended that nearly $52 million in funding for Cincinnati's streetcar be withheld, leaving the $128 million-plus project facing an uncertain future. Reversing decisions that the agency made last year, the staff of the Ohio Transportation Review Advisory Council proposed that $51.8 million tentatively targeted for the streetcar project not be awarded, leaving Cincinnati City Hall facing about a $30 million gap in its budget for the Downtown-to-Uptown line. Read more at: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20110323/NEWS0108/303230076/
March 23, 201114 yr City Blights, if you think this is somehow a Cincinnati issue or even an Ohio issue you're seriously mistaken. This assault on reason is hitting the entire country in full force right now. Hell, I should know...I just moved from Wisconsin to Cincinnati two days ago. Our governor is even more polarizing (although not as much of a jack@ss) as Gov Kasich. The point is that Cincinnati has made many great strides in the past few years. So much so that people, including myself, are beginning to move back to the city. (It'll take a little bit for the change to show up in the census.) Don't let one powerful spoiled little brat ruin all that. Right now, the biggest obstacle Cincinnati (and Ohio) is facing is NOT Governor Kasich...it's the low self-esteem of its people. Keep your head high. As someone who was born and raised in Ohio but left to go to school with the intention to come back, this behavior at the state level is definitely swaying me in the direction of not coming back. I am drawn to Cincinnati not just because it's my home, but because it has all the ingredients to be a really, really cool place. It has awesome architecture, a good cultural and restaurant scene, interesting topography, diverse neighborhoods, and so many other things that could really make the city great. I'm also drawn to Cincinnati because it's a place that is making a come back and is a place that is small enough where one person (or group of people) can honestly make an impact. What the streetcar issue represents for me is a sign that the city is willing to take the next step, to act boldly and think big, and make real progress. I was inspired by Cincinnatians for Progress and their leadership to go out and make a difference in the city, and I saw that as an example of how Cincinnati facilitates individual action. That said, what this whole streetcar fiasco has shown me is that Cincinnati will never fully realize its potential, and is not a place where people can truly make a difference, because when you try to act boldly in this town/state, you are repressed and shut down. Some interruptions are par for the course, and Issue 9 was an odd, but fairly routine setback that was dealt with. However we also have the massive out cry against this project forcing a second vote at the local level, having the state withdraw funding and then put a rule on the books saying that the project cannot receive any state funds, constant bullying by the media, etc. These things are not normal. These things do not happen in progressive, forward moving states and cities, and their actions are bigger than anything a grass roots organization can take on. As much as I love Cincinnati, and I applaud the efforts of those who tried to make the streetcar a reality, I have to agree with CityBlights that Ohio and Cincinnati might just be a lost cause.
March 23, 201114 yr Honestly what company would want to expand in this kinda environment. Reduced transportation options, reduced education, reduced prison capacity. My gawd who would bring a family here to face all of that and more?
March 23, 201114 yr LIVE: Ohio Senate debate on Ohio Transportation Budget Bill Watch them make sausage -- out of Soylent Green -- right now at: http://www.ohiochannel.org/Index.aspx?liveStreamId=2 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 23, 201114 yr Winburn to bring up a "Cease and Desist" streetcar motion on Monday during city council meeting.
March 23, 201114 yr So the oil/highway lobby wins, and Cincinnati loses. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 23, 201114 yr Portune says he'll take the money for Ft Washington Way decks. http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2011/03/23/portune-well-take-your-streetcar-money/#comments Not exactly transportation.....
March 23, 201114 yr Todays events actually have me feeling physically ill. I hope all those fucking morons who fought against the streetcar are happy to see Canton getting the money that was supposed to go to us. That will really help save police jobs and balance the budget. Fucking disgusting to see what is going on in Ohio. Today is the day when I honestly have given up on the state. On to bigger and better things...
March 23, 201114 yr Did TRAC make these recommendations today or Kasich's staff to TRAC? It was the staff of the Ohio Transportation Review Advisory Council. "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
March 23, 201114 yr It was the staff of the Ohio Transportation Review Advisory Council. Close. It was ODOT's staff which made the recommendation to the TRAC, which is an independent review board within ODOT. I believe the TRAC has only one staffperson: a coordinator/scheduler. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 23, 201114 yr Winburn to bring up a "Cease and Desist" streetcar motion on Monday during city council meeting. Why is the Enquirer saying Lippert makes an anti-streetcar majority on council? Is that a 4-4 tie and Qualls would break any ties? Help me out here. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 23, 201114 yr Author Winburn to bring up a "Cease and Desist" streetcar motion on Monday during city council meeting. Why is the Enquirer saying Lippert makes an anti-streetcar majority on council? Is that a 4-4 tie and Qualls would break any ties? Help me out here. Bias, incompetency, or some combination thereof.
March 23, 201114 yr Winburn to bring up a "Cease and Desist" streetcar motion on Monday during city council meeting. Why is the Enquirer saying Lippert makes an anti-streetcar majority on council? Is that a 4-4 tie and Qualls would break any ties? Help me out here. With Bortz abstaining and ties essentially equalling a no vote, council is labeled anti-streetcar. "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
March 23, 201114 yr It was the staff of the Ohio Transportation Review Advisory Council. Close. It was ODOT's staff which made the recommendation to the TRAC, which is an independent review board within ODOT. I believe the TRAC has only one staffperson: a coordinator/scheduler. Thanks for the clarification. There were 2-3 "staffers", just unsure who reported where. "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
March 23, 201114 yr So they can't approve anything, but they can't stop anything either? "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 23, 201114 yr Comments are pouring in. "I'm not a street car supporter and I'm glad to see this thing derailed. BUT, exactly how does the State House pass a law that prohibits a local government from accepting federal dollars as reported in this article? Seems a bit over stepping to me."
March 23, 201114 yr If I might ask....where is Mayor Mallory in all of this? Has he said anything at all?
March 23, 201114 yr If I might ask....where is Mayor Mallory in all of this? Has he said anything at all? Hello UO. If I may: Mallory has proven to not be a hothead. I would think he is letting the state situation play out and working behind the scenes on the council transition. There has been a lot of political drama the past few weeks but the project hasn't been declared dead. You'll have to keep your wits and see how this plays out.
March 23, 201114 yr Where does Horstman get his "atomic bomb" quote? He didn't even attribute it to anyone. I wouldn't even use the Enquirer to wipe my ass.
March 23, 201114 yr What they need to do is continue with building the streetcar. If the project is currently on the re-alignment of public utilities phase, then they should continue to realign public utilities. They should continue to proceed with what they have. Whatever funds the City has for the project, it should proceed with to implement the project. Whatever funds they have received from the feds, they need to continue to cling to for dear life and use. It doesn't matter whether a local politician is raving about it or being chill about it. What these recent decisions have made clear is that certain aspects of the project are not in the hands of the City, they are in the hands of people who want to see this project fail, people who don't care whether the excuses they make are ridiculous on their face. You're not saving any money if you are simply redistributing the money to other projects. We can't control this and we know we can't control this, therefore it is neurotic to be concerned about things you know you can't control. So act where we can control things, or where we have the strategic initiative to form events. There's no wait and see, there is only continuance. We are building the streetcar. If the state doesn't want to help, fine, but we are building it. That's the only strategy for getting it done. Because the people you are up against only respond to power. They've affirmatively demonstrated that. And any refusal to use the power we have for this project is conceding to the power of the opponents.
March 23, 201114 yr TRAC Phone Number anyone? I'm fuming and need someone to call. Contact these people: ODOT Director Jerry Wray: Jerry Wray, Director Ohio Department of Transportation 1980 West Broad Street Columbus Ohio, 43223 Phone: (614) 466-2336 Gov. John Kasich: (614) 466-3555 or http://governor.ohio.gov/ShareYourIdeas.aspx Governor John Kasich Riffe Center, 30th Floor 77 South High Street Columbus, Oh 43215-6117 TRAC: [email protected]
March 23, 201114 yr ^That's a complete waste of your time. Anyone who doesn't realize that by now is kidding themselves. Contact these people: http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/council/pages/-3412-/ They have an election forthcoming.
March 23, 201114 yr See- what I hate about that is that Kasich doesn't care and Wray doesn't care. But they are the only two phone numbers I can get to. It's the other 8 people who matter. Not the two of them. Any way to contact the other TRAC board members?
March 23, 201114 yr ^That's a complete waste of your time. Anyone who doesn't realize that by now is kidding themselves. Contact these people: http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/council/pages/-3412-/ They have an election forthcoming. What does that have to do with state money? The city is tapped out- there is no way they are getting the remainder of the ~30 million needed to begin construction. With regards to winburns vote, Email Thomas and Young. They are the only two who MIGHT change their vote. Qualls and Quinlivan are 100% behind the streetcar, the republicans are all 100% against it, and Bortz isn't allowed to vote.
March 23, 201114 yr Where does Horstman get his "atomic bomb" quote? He didn't even attribute it to anyone. I wouldn't even use the Enquirer to wipe my ass. Where did he use it? I don't see an article with it. I made an off-the-record comment to him. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 23, 201114 yr Where does Horstman get his "atomic bomb" quote? He didn't even attribute it to anyone. I wouldn't even use the Enquirer to wipe my ass. Where did he use it? I don't see an article with it. I made an off-the-record comment to him. Second to last paragraph: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20110323/NEWS0108/303230076/ I've just never heard of anyone referring to Winburn's move as this. Nor, does the quote immediately follow any other quotes or words from a "streetcar supporter" who may have included "atomic bomb" in his conversation with Horstman.
March 23, 201114 yr If I might ask....where is Mayor Mallory in all of this? Has he said anything at all? Hello UO. If I may: Mallory has proven to not be a hothead. I would think he is letting the state situation play out and working behind the scenes on the council transition. There has been a lot of political drama the past few weeks but the project hasn't been declared dead. You'll have to keep your wits and see how this plays out. I agree.
March 23, 201114 yr TRAC Phone Number anyone? I'm fuming and need someone to call. Contact these people: ODOT Director Jerry Wray: Jerry Wray, Director Ohio Department of Transportation 1980 West Broad Street Columbus Ohio, 43223 Phone: (614) 466-2336 Gov. John Kasich: (614) 466-3555 or http://governor.ohio.gov/ShareYourIdeas.aspx Governor John Kasich Riffe Center, 30th Floor 77 South High Street Columbus, Oh 43215-6117 TRAC: [email protected] I wouldn't bother. These guys are killers when it comes to passenger rail. For the next four years, it's the "Ohio Highway Department."
March 24, 201114 yr I wouldn't bother. These guys are killers when it comes to passenger rail. For the next four years, it's the "Ohio Highway Department." I agree. In fact, it's time to be very wary of any other under-handed attempts to stop any and all passenger rail projects in Ohio. There are more than you think. After what I've seen in the last few days, I wouldn't put anything past these highway hypocrites. One in Cincinnati actually got targeted today by ODOT but you probably didn't recognize it (a selfish freight railroad refused it). It's in this excellent list compiled by UrbanCincy...... Summary of ODOT's staff recommendations to the TRAC today • $51.8M taken from state’s highest-rated project in TRAC’s list. o The $51.8M represents 100% of the funding originally recommended for the Cincinnati Streetcar by TRAC. o Elimination of funding from all other projects included rationale. For the Cincinnati Streetcar the only rationale given was “fiscal balancing.” o Of TRAC’s recommended $98M in cuts, a whopping 53% of those cuts came from one single project – The Cincinnati Streetcar. o Of TRAC’s Tier 1 Projects (which includes the Cincinnati Streetcar), $42.13M was cut. This means that money was added to other projects at the expense of the Cincinnati Streetcar…thus eliminating the notion of “fiscal balancing.” • Two projects from John Kasich’s former Congressional district were added to TRAC’s funding list: o $5M for an I-71 interchange in Delaware County o $2.7M for an “east-west connector” in Pickaway County • Removed the $1M preliminary engineering of rail capacity upgrades to the congested Mill Creek rail corridor and Queensgate Yard. CSX dubiously said the the upgrades would only benefit NS which uses CSX's right of way into Queensgate. Amtrak's Cardinal service also uses this rail corridor. • Of the total $98M in TRAC cuts, 82% ($80M) came from Cincinnati region. • Of the 26 projects discussed 15 remain. Of those 15 projects, only 26% (in terms of total funding - $18.23M - and number of projects - 4) can be remotely identified as anything other than highway spending. • Only two transportation projects from Cincinnati region remain: o $500,000 for “GE Parkway” o $1.7M for “I-275/SR 32 Phase 2” upgrades (aka I-74 extension through Hamilton County) ### "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 24, 201114 yr What does that have to do with state money? The city is tapped out- there is no way they are getting the remainder of the ~30 million needed to begin construction. Sweet Lord in heaven. It doesn't have anything to do with state administered money. It has to do with the money that has already been awarded to the City, money that should be used to build the streetcar, that the removal of state administered funds should not impact because the City and their representatives are committed to building the Streetcar. Folks on this thread have already said that you could use the current funds to build between Fountain Square and Uptown, or between the Banks and Findlay. Just start. There are three appointees on council. If you want them to think that beginning and supporting this project are incumbent upon their first actual election, which will be in less than a year, than you should let that be known. There are no other politicians worth your time to contact.
March 24, 201114 yr If this bill in the general assembly passes, and TRAC votes to approve the project, I would hope for a very interesting court battle challenging the bill. I would hope that if somehow the state blocks the funding, Cincinnati will move forward with a route just involving the basin.
March 24, 201114 yr The amendment was add by state Senator Shannon Jones, R-Springboro. Her district does not even cover the city of Cincinnati.
March 24, 201114 yr What does that have to do with state money? The city is tapped out- there is no way they are getting the remainder of the ~30 million needed to begin construction. Sweet Lord in heaven. It doesn't have anything to do with state administered money. It has to do with the money that has already been awarded to the City, money that should be used to build the streetcar, that the removal of state administered funds should not impact because the City and their representatives are committed to building the Streetcar. Folks on this thread have already said that you could use the current funds to build between Fountain Square and Uptown, or between the Banks and Findlay. Just start. There are three appointees on council. If you want them to think that beginning and supporting this project are incumbent upon their first actual election, which will be in less than a year, than you should let that be known. There are no other politicians worth your time to contact. It doesn't work that way. You can't change the route without going through an entirely new environmental impact- funds are tied to the route as was approved. You can't just say- ok we'll do 5th street to findlay market now... That change would add another year of planning to the process. additionally- they can't start because they haven't been given the go ahead from the federal government yet on the environmental impact report.
March 24, 201114 yr The amendment was add by state Senator Shannon Jones, R-Springboro. Her district does not even cover the city of Cincinnati. It's not even greater cincinnati- it's just outside of columbus.
March 24, 201114 yr Been following this from afar, very sad to see the recent turn of events. Indeed, Kasich and the like (Walker, Scott, et al) are a national embarrasment. Keep fighting the good fight.
March 24, 201114 yr The idea of building a shorter route with remaining funds is one option. However as it was pointed out, the regulatory hurdles, or the process, slows this down. This is one area where conservatives and liberals both agree that things need to change. Its ridiculous that this should take so long to go through review upon review upon review. I realize of course WHY, but when something must change rapidly, it can be difficult to do so
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