Portune: If the Banks fails, Dems will get blame

It would be easy to dismiss the most recent city-county squabbles over development on the Banks as just so much partisan bickering, except for one thing: Todd Portune, who has become the county's most vocal advocate for the Bill Butler/Rob Smyjunas development plan, is a Democrat. So is the majority of Cincinnati City Council -- including some of the plan's most vocal critics.

So when City Council's Community Development, Education and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee called a special hearing three days after the county's "surprise" announcement of a new developer, the county needed someone who speaks the language of City Hall to smooth things over. Portune, a former four-term councilman, volunteered.

It didn't go well, and the Democratic council leadership -- Mayor Charlie Luken, Vice Mayor Alicia Reece and President Pro Tem Laketa Cole -- were the most blunt in their criticism. "It was about what I expected," Portune said afterward.

Two days later, Portune e-mailed Hamilton County Democratic Party Chairman Timothy M. Burke during the weekly Democratic council caucus meeting. He defended the secrecy of the county's plan, accused City Hall of leaking it the day before the announcement, and chastized Democrats for airing their criticisms of the county in public.

The full e-mail is 1,700 words and, in typical Portune style, mind-numbingly thorough. Read it if you care about CMAQ funding, multi-modal connections and "the 15% guarantee of MBE and WBE participation at GABP."

Otherwise, here are excerpts:

For the past five days my Democratic friends on City Council have made a point to spare few opportunities to criticize Hamilton County. We have been called unprofessional at a public meeting. We have been accused of being unprofessional. Our integrity has been attacked. People have said that our announcement runs the gamut of being a slap in the face to the community to perhaps even being illegal.

For our part, and for the most part, we have not responded in kind, including refusing to get into pitched battle at David Crowley's committee on Monday. We have adopted this posture because the larger issue -- actually advancing this project with an established timetable and with a reasonable possibility of getting it done -- is far more important.

But the facts are important and to the extent we as Democrats can find a posture that allows us to work together the region will be much better served. I needn't have to remind you or anyone on Council that had we been meeting regularly as a Democratic Caucus, city and county together, we might all be on a much better page on this and many other issues. But I digress and that was a proposal long ago dismissed by, or not really taken seriously by, others....

Where it goes from here though is largely up to the city and I would note, the Republicans have been silent, so if it falls apart it will be the Democrats who get the blame. Only Councilman (David) Pepper has been what I would call fully supportive on this.

There remains a lot of work to be done on this project. The fine points of what would be involved in a development agreement have to be worked out, but the development team has consistently said it will abide by the previously approved principles and guidelines. Those features include not only what gets built but how it gets built. We can focus on developing that approach together, or Council members can continue to levy public attacks against me and the others at the county. But I can assure you, from the e-mails I am getting, the general public sees it very clearly and in easy to understand terms.

I apologize if some of my remarks herein are taken personally by any of my colleagues at the city. My intent is to offer them in a constructive manner and, as I hope they appreciate, in a private setting. I can assure you being labeled unprofessional and the many other things that have been said in a public meeting and in a public setting do not sit well personally, especially when there are other ways to communicate a point. I won't dwell on it, but only suggest that there should be other ways for us to move on from here and I hope they are done in ways that also advance the project.

(Photo by Ernest Coleman/The Cincinnati Enquirer)