Anti-tax group finds few qualified candidates

The Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes has endorsed five candidates for Cincinnati City Council -- and only two are Republicans.

Endorsed were Republicans John Eby and Chris Monzel, and independents Paul McGhee, Michael Earl Patton and Robert J. Wilking.

"The quality of the candidates for Cincinnati City Council leaves much to be desired," said COAST President Jim Urling in his endorsement statement. "Many are running to feather their own and their friends' nests and not for the betterment of the City of Cincinnati."

The organization usually leans Republican and conservative, but endorsed two socially liberal Charterites -- John Schlagetter and Nick Spencer -- in 2003. This year's list looks a lot like the Cincinnati Right to Life PAC's endorsements, minus Republican Sam Malone.

COAST also advocates a yes vote on the two city ballot issues, Issue 8 and Issue 9. Issue 8 would freeze City Council salaries unless six council members vote to give themselves a cost-of-living raise; Issue 9 would phase out the city's property tax by 2014.

COAST's Tom Brinkman Jr. said the two other Republicans -- Malone and Leslie Ghiz -- did not return endorsement questionnaires, which asked about the two city ballot issues, a property tax rollback, the governor's Third Frontier initiative, and a district system for electing council members.

The anti-tax group did not make an endorsement for mayor. The West Side POWR PAC, which supports David Pepper, threatened to withdraw its support for Issue 9 if COAST endorsed Mark Mallory for mayor.