More of what commissioners said about the sales tax

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Well, here's some more of what county commissioners said about their sales tax vote Wednesday. In case you coudn't tell, Todd Portune and David Pepper voted to enact the tax. Pat DeWine voted against it. Still want to hear more? Call them.

Todd Portune
513-946-4401; todd.portune@hamilton-co.org
-“It’s time now to end the debate and end the posturing and act now to solve this problem. We have the authority, duty and responsibility legally and morally, to solve it. The studies have been done, the hearings have been held and it is time to act.”
-“No one is afraid of a vote, but the reality is it is our job to solve this problem.”
-“If there was another plan that didn’t cost the public any money that would solve these issues and deal with this problem comprehensively, it would have come forward. We can’t just print new money to cover this initiative. If we don’t act today, if we pass this on to other people, this problem doesn’t go away.”
-“The plan we have put forward today is a good plan, a comprehensive plan, it will work. There are no other alternatives. It’s my recommendation that we adopt resolution No. 2, to enact the tax on its own.”

Pat DeWine
513-946-4405; pat.dewine@hamilton-co.org
-“Today, this board has taken steps that will burden Hamilton County taxpayers with some of the highest taxes in the state, forcing an even greater loss of population from this county and discouraging economic growth. The action taken by the commission majority is too expensive, fiscally irresponsible, and 2.5 times more costly than the one rejected by voters just last year. I cannot support this misguided proposal.”
-“Perhaps the most disturbing of all is the determination of the commission majority to avoid a vote by an informed majority of the electorate. This is a democracy after all. If the majority has a good proposal they shouldn’t be afraid of a full public airing.”

David Pepper
513-946-4409; david.pepper@hamilton-co.org
-“Public safety is my No. 1 priority. Band aid solutions have cost us a lot and gotten us nowhere.”
-“I hope people see there is a good faith effort to incorporate the ideas we heard.”
-“We are talking about lives. If we think we have a solution to solve that problem, why would we sit and wait for months and months to allow the further erosion of these lives being lost?”
-“I take it as our responsibility. We are elected to make some of these decisions. We’ll get the criticisms that we know we’re going to get. If we have a solution to this No. 1 priority issue that will save this county untold millions and will get people out of jail that don’t need to be in it and will reduce crime, I think in the end it is the right thing to do. The time to act is now. Waiting costs us in too many ways.”