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Thursday, January 25, 2007

City Council's work

Upon being elected last fall, the new members of Cincinnati city council declared they were committed to working together and ending what many considered petty bickering at City Hall. Council members, along with Mayor Mark Mallory, said they were going to “end the chaos.”

So how’s that going?

Here’s an indication: the in-fighting is so bad that when Mallory tried to re-appoint John Cranley to the board of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments Wednesday, two council members circulated Cranley’s attendance record to that board over the past four years.

This fight came a day after David Crowley asked Mallory to withdraw his name from consideration from the Transportation Improvement District, because Jeff Berding was trying to block the appointment. In his letter, Crowley said he just wanted to end the fight so council would concentrate on more important issues.

There have been at least three other nasty political fights in the past couple of weeks. The thing they all have in common: they involve members who supported different budgets in December, in what turned out to be one of the most divisive budget debates in memory – Berding, Leslie Ghiz, Chris Bortz, Chris Monzel, and Laketa Cole on one side; Cranley, Crowley, Jim Tarbell and Cecil Thomas on the other.

“I thought the action I took, withdrawing my name (from TID), it might set a tone of cooperation,” Crowley said Wednesday. “Obviously, that didn’t happen.”

Cranley’s record is pretty bad at OKI. He has missed 29 of 37 meetings since October 2002.

“To me, I was troubled by his attendance record,” Monzel said. “When we’re called on to represent the city of Cincinnati, we need to show up.”

Cranley was quick to point out that he almost always sends an aide from his office when he can’t attend a meeting, circulating his own attendance sheet with “R” (for “represented”) on the dates he missed.

Cranley said he’s worked hard on the board, concentrating on getting a study for a new Interstate 71 interchange at Martin Luther King for the Uptown Consortium, a grouping of the five largest employers in the Uptown area – Avondale, Clifton, Clifton Heights, Corryville, Fairview, Mt. Auburn and University Heights. The employers are Children’s Hospital, the Cincinnati Zoo, The Health Alliance, TriHealth and UC.

Mark Policinski, OKI’s executive director, thinks Cranley has done a bang-up job. He wrote a note of thanks to Cranley earlier this month.

“Put directly, there would not have been an Uptown study without you,” Policinski said. “You initiated the idea of the study, you secured the financing from the city which leveraged all other investment in the study and you did the heavy lifting on making sure that the interchange recommendation was going to get a fair hearing.”

A couple other issues council has been dealing with in the past two weeks:

On Monday, in Jeff Berding’s Rules Committee, he made a move to have an important quarterly report called the Quality of Life Index, introduced to council though the Rules Committee, instead of through Thomas’ Law and Public Safety Committee. The index deals with a lot of issues, most prominent policing matters, and has been introduced through the Law committee since before this board was elected.

Berding abandoned that effort Wednesday after a long, private discussion with Thomas before the meeting.

And last week, when Thomas had a national law enforcement expert in his committee, Berding read – over Thomas’ shoulder – the motion of support Thomas drafted of the expert’s ideas and quickly circulated his own version of the motion.

“There’s a lot of craziness going on,” Thomas said Wednesday. “This isn’t why I'm here."


27 Comments:

at 2:35 PM, January 25, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Infighting on City Council.

Whodathunkit?

 
at 4:03 PM, January 25, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Berding is such a despicable guy....he's so "used car salesman" like

 
at 4:21 PM, January 25, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Didn't Cranley miss most of the city pension board meeting's too? What's his excuse on that one?

 
at 5:43 PM, January 25, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Notes to the council members of the City of Cincinnati

1) You may watch the news but do not make judgments based on what the media might think or believe.

2) Remember to treat others the way you would like to be treated.

3) Only God knows who we are, who you are, why we are here.

4) If you get hungry… eat salt.

5) Wish in one hand and then spit in the other.

6) You gotta do what you gotta do.

7) Go see a Ballet… Sleeping Beauty is coming into town and so is Bolero.

8) Say a prayer in the morning… pray for each other.

9) Always say “please” when you need something.

10) “Thank you” when that need is filled.

11) Don’t chew on toenails.

12) Eat a few times a year at Tuckers, Café Paris, and Bettas.

13) Visit the Base Art Gallery on Main Street (Do a Final Friday).

14) Be not afraid.

15) Make sure your shoe laces are always tied.

16) If you can’t make a meeting because your out in the neighborhood with the people
send a delegate in your place.

17) Never make the interest of your outside employment ever outweigh the interest of the people and employees of the City of Cincinnati. Help make Cincinnati work as a center of a community should.

18) Make known all your intentions before any surprises. That way a final agreement can be reached in truth and with public knowledge. Let the people help give advice on what they need and what they see and what they see coming.

19) Take a walk together through California Woods in Cincinnati at least once every three months. Walk together... talk about your dreams for Cincinnati. I’ll walk with you if you need me. I know of a couple good paths to take.

20) A man from Cincinnati asked a question today. I believe it to be for everyone in Cincinnati -- everyone in Hamilton County or the world too for that matter.

He asked, “So do we go on in trust, which is so full of light!”

and after some thought -- a reply now comes,

“Yes. So we do go on in trust, which is so full of light!”

 
at 5:51 PM, January 25, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Berding is a Democrat's Democrat.

 
at 6:08 PM, January 25, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

"... Berding is such a despicable guy....he's so "used car salesman" like..."

Agreed !

bird-ing is acting like a wRong wingnut whacko by taking someone's work and making it their own !

mad brad bird-ing's grand-standing is making even the elephant dung smell sweet !

PATHETIC !

HAD ENOUGH, VOTE, for a real, DEMOCRAT 2007 !

 
at 7:14 PM, January 25, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Could someone tell me what Berding is up to? I'm serious. What exactly is he trying to accomplish? He seems to think he is the mayor.

 
at 7:21 PM, January 25, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Didn't Cranley miss most of the city pension board meeting's too? What's his excuse on that one?"

This starched up dandy of a do-nothing Mayor also squats on the City's Pension Board. He's missed way too many meetings. Not sure what the track record is so far of the pudgy City Manager, seeing he just blew into town in August.

With that said, we had plenty of choices to pick from during the elections. Voters have to live with their mistakes.

 
at 7:32 PM, January 25, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Berding is a cheat. Glad you documented it.

 
at 8:13 PM, January 25, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

"...Could someone tell me what Berding is up to? I'm serious. What exactly is he trying to accomplish? He seems to think he is the mayor...."

Shameless self promotion !

PATHETIC !

HAD ENOUGH, VOTE, for a real, DEMOCRAT 2007 !

 
at 8:37 PM, January 25, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

John Cranley has abandoned the city in every way possible. He started running for Congress within a day of being sworn in to this term. He misses most of his transportation board meetings then thinks he should be reappointed?

Cranley has abandoned the voters, and if the voters are smart they'll abandon him.

 
at 11:16 PM, January 25, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anon 5:51- surely you're being facetious- Berding is a DINO of the worst kind, and his rude self-serving behavior needs to be publicized all over, not just this blog. To steal Thomas's ideas and try to take credit for them is truly pathetic, on top of his slimy behavior ever since he got on council.

 
at 12:16 AM, January 26, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

gees... You would think that some of the people out there think there is an election going on.

Enough of the mud slingin'. It gets old and worn out. This is boring. Don't show me what you think the cause is. Show me what you are doing to make this hub city work like it should.

More jobs?

Less violence?

Free Peacemakers?



The Banks changes it's name to Freedom Park? Just a great big park? At least we are doing something without it being risky.

This can at the least clean up that area and we can really have a downtown that is for the outdoors. And the politicians will be able to take credit for making Cincinnati more beautiful.

Ohio Senator Yates proposed months ago. And it would have only cost us a fraction of the cost. The ice rink on fountain square seemed to work great. People need a downtown where people can also go to relax among the hustle and bustle. It brings a character of life to a city. The more green the better. Why don't we just do this. I believe the answer to the Banks will be for our children but who knows they may never want to get rid of the park because it keeps downtown a place to spend your day outside doing whatever... like going shopping, a meal, or just to hang out and people watch at the park.

A great rehab facility for nonviolent offenders in a rehabbed building somewhere where they can find work?

As we are finding answers, Cincinnati can, at the same time, look at the funding for a secure building to rehab. We need to separate the violent offenders from the non-violent. The Spring Grove area is where labor jobs can be found much easier then in downtown Cincinnati.

Incentives for businesses that help our non-violent offenders get back on their feet, feels at it would be a good fit... and stay that way.

Violence? Just say no?

O yea, and never arrest non-violent peacemakers that seek to merely question elected officials on what they think of sending sons and daughters into a violence that was made by our own hands.

One more thing... politics must come to a halt. This is not a time to be slinging. The people of this community need answers and we need to do this right and with as much agreement as possible.

P.S. C'mon we are first in something in this county but it is so sad I hate to speak about it. Portune has spoken about it but nobody seems to listen.

I'll say that it concerns the youngest and most vulnerable of Hamilton County. Do you know what I'm talking about?

Sad, that nobody wants to talk about it.

By the way how is the lead removal of residential properties coming along?

So much to do and some people want us to sling away. That's sad in itself too.

 
at 8:23 AM, January 26, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

How good it is to see in print what alot of folks have seen Jeff Berding do for years. He thinks he is Karl Rove.

 
at 9:22 AM, January 26, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

"....Anon 5:51- surely you're being facetious- Berding is a DINO of the worst kind, and his rude self-serving behavior needs to be publicized all over, not just this blog. To steal Thomas's ideas and try to take credit for them is truly pathetic, on top of his slimy behavior ever since he got on council...."

Fact Checker you hit the elephant bulls eye with that one !

Agreed, and the voters will remember !

PATHETIC !

HAD ENOUGH, VOTE, for a real, DEMOCRAT 2007 !

 
at 12:30 PM, January 26, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is a funny city. When someone like Berding really leads, we get all upset. When someone like Mallory sits on his duff and poses for cameras, we like it.


Cincinnati always says it wants strong leaders, but the wimps seem to prosper in our city.

 
at 4:39 PM, January 26, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've been away for a while so I don't even know what y'all are talking about. But I just had to laugh at the phrase "starched up dandy of a do-nothing mayor." (7:25pm Jan 25)

I'm going to jot that down in a book of rhetoric for the next time I have to write a speech or something.

I'd been visiting a town where politics at the city level goes completely un-reported (exception: son of councilmember detained for disorderly conduct at Bar. Council Member calls City Manager at home at 2am to get his kid released...etc.)

Nothing remotely "policy" oriented is ever reported. Council members are usually elected and then go several 3-year terms or more without an opponent: hence they are automatically re-elected without their names ever appearing on a ballot.

At the last Municipal election, voter turn-out was 9.75 percent.

So I say "Infighting on City Council" type stories are fine. At least some portion of the general public is aware of one or more of the issues pending before its Council.

 
at 9:43 PM, January 26, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would rather have a "starched up dandy of a do-nothing mayor" leading this city than a fascist freak. Someone needs to put a stop to Brazen Berding - and it better be the Democratic party.

 
at 9:49 PM, January 26, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would rather have a starched up dandy of a do nothing mayor leading this city than a fascist freak. Someone must put a stop to Brazen Berding- and it better be the Democratic Party.

 
at 10:37 PM, January 26, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

"...When someone like Berding really leads,..."

bird-ing is no leader, he is a FOLLOWER !

Especially when he shamelessly tries to steal someone's motion, period !

He has his nose wRapped around that elephant lend-her and bun-gal tail !

PATHETIC !

HAD ENOUGH, VOTE, for a real, DEMOCRAT 2007 !

 
at 9:59 AM, January 27, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

"...Nothing remotely "policy" oriented is ever reported. Council members are usually elected and then go several 3-year terms or more without an opponent: hence they are automatically re-elected without their names ever appearing on a ballot...."

It is reported because the fishwRap is wRong wingnut whacko controlled and they will do anything to ding their perceived opposition.

Politicians and the local newspaper must be controlled by the wRong wingnut whackos, in your town !

So mums the word !

Sounds like the same old tune to me !

PATHETIC !

HAD ENOUGH, VOTE DEMOCRAT 2007 !

 
at 10:54 AM, January 27, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

it's funny that you think Berding is a strong leader.

it's probably berding himself that wrote that comment.

 
at 9:44 PM, January 27, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wonder where Johnny was during all those meetings.

 
at 5:45 AM, January 29, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Who cares what Berding does? As long as the dwarf leaves town...

 
at 5:18 PM, January 30, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Put me down in the "starched-up dandy of a do-nothing mayor" is the funniest thing I've ever heard camp. I laughed for an hour!!!

 
at 9:49 PM, January 30, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

That's why this whole thing is idiotic. They are drunk on power. Period.

 
at 9:31 AM, February 02, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

The FIVE are tearing this city apart, again in the name of making a name for themselves as obstructionist. These people are using the City Council position as political stepping stones.
Remember this come re-election time.
They pledged to work together but they are more known for tearing tearing council apart.

 
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