Pepper: Kickin' butt will pay for jail

Hamilton County commissioner-elect David Pepper (pictured) attended a meeting today to look at ways to solve the county's jail overcrowding problem. The meeting came as Commissioner Pat DeWine was kidded by Commissioner Todd Portune about an altercation DeWine was in Monday in an upscale restaurant. (Portune jokingly presented DeWine with red, white and blue boxing gloves at today's commission meeting.)

Pepper combined the events to come up with an idea -- albeit totally sarcastic -- to solve the jail problem.

"Maybe we should have a Meanest Man competition (among commissioners). Maybe we can raise money for the jail that way," Pepper said.

He noted that Portune was a football player and track athlete at Oberlin College and DeWine is a "world-class" runner and marathoner -- who apparently isn't afraid to mix it up.

DeWine took umbrage with comments a nearby diner made about DeWine's father, U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, and berated the man -- Dr. Christopher Bolling -- about it. DeWine said there was no physical altercation but Bolling's glasses wound up knocked to the table.

Pepper shamelessly notes that after he was mugged and abducted a gunpoint a few years ago, he began lifting weights to stay in better shape. He also reluctantly admitted to playing a "hack game of tennis."

"I'm probably the least athletic (of the group)," Pepper said.

Still, he suggested they participate in a free-for-all -- he didn't say who would be in charge of ticket sales -- among the group to raise money for a new jail.

The dark horse could be Commissioner Phil Heimlich, who works out and lifts weights almost daily.

Pepper, though, already beat Heimlich once in the public arena.