Can Si promote the sales tax?
Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis is asking the County Prosecutor's Office to investigate whether he was within his rights when he promoted the sales tax increase.
The tax increase would fund a new jail and public safety programs.
The Cincinnati Beacon reported that pro-jail signs were posted on sheriff's vehicles during the Harvest Home parade and that Leis sent an e-mail to sheriff's employees encouraging them to vote for the sales tax.
Leis (through spokesman Steve Barnett) defended his actions.
"He as the sheriff of Hamilton County is in the business of public safety and it's his obligation and duty to encourage people to support a public safety issue that is beneficial to all the citizens of this county," said Barnett. "He will continue to do what is necessary to encourage people to support the comprehensive safety plan also known as the new jail. He feels very strongly about that.
"This isn’t a political issue it’s a public safety issue," Barnett continued, "and he will do what he thinks he should do as sheriff of this county an that’s continue to provide the citizens of Hamilton County the quality of public safety they deserve, and we need jail space."
Barnett noted that no county funds were used for the signs on the vehicles.
This issue was raised at a Monday commission meeting at which Steve Capell, a COAST member (the group is at odds with the sheriff and Democratic Commissioners David Pepper and Todd Portune about the jail issue) cited the Beacon articles and asked the commissioners to investigate Leis' "unethical" behavior.
It led to an exchange of words with the sheriff outside the meeting in which Leis threatened to sue Capell for calling him unethical. (read the Enquirer story).
Beacon writer Michael Earl Patton raised the issue again at Wednesday commission meeting and again, asked that the commissioners look into Leis' behavior.
Commissioner Portune then informed Patton that the sheriff had already taken it upon himself to ask the prosecutor's office to look at the issue.
"He’s turned the (e-mail) letter over to prosecutor’s office to tend to the matter. I think it speaks highly of the sheriff and his integrity that he has voluntarily done this," Portune said.
We also asked the commissioners to comment on the Leis/Capell exchange in the hallway. Did Leis cross the line?
Commissioner Todd Portune: "I didn't hear it. It seems it is a distraction to the real issue of public safety and corrections. Those opposed to (the sales tax for the safety plan) have had every opportunity to propose a better plan and they don't have one."
Commissioner David Pepper: He said he had not heard the exchange and had not received a complaint about it so he couldn't really weigh in.
Commissioner Pat DeWine: "I don't think it's appropriate to engage in that kind of behavior with citizens who have come down to exercise their right to speak at a public meeting. Everyone has a right to respond, but from the accounts I've heard I think the sheriff crossed the line."
2 Comments:
at 8:01 PM, September 12, 2007 
Mark Miller said...
-
-
at 9:06 PM, September 13, 2007 
Anonymous said...
-
-
Post a Comment*The law is crystal clear about using public money or the power of office to wage a political campaign. It is flat-out illegal, and for good reason. It’s the people’s job (via elections) to tell the government what to do and how to do it, not the other way around.
Imagine your boss emailing all staff to vote for the presidential candidate you hate. Would that create a certain amount of discomfort in the workplace since he signs your check? It’s rude, intimidating, and divisive. It might not rise to the level of a crime, but it’s an appalling management practice, and absolutely none of the boss’s business. The parallel to Leis’ letter is obvious.
Suppose the sheriff believes his opponent in the next election can’t properly protect us. Is he within his rights to station his armed deputies at the polls, to persuade voters entering the booth to re-elect him? Of course not; and using his office and his arsenal to advance this November’s tax proposal is equally ridiculous.
The real shock is Leis’ behavior when confronted with these facts.
For the last forty years Leis has been doing his duty to keep our city and county clean and safe. He took on larger than life figures like Springer, Goodin, and Flynt, and was unflappable throughout the epic struggles. Now here he is flapped by the likes of Ed Rothenburg and Jeff Capell. It’s sad really.
Back then he was a scrappy fighter too; that’s one of the things I and other voters have always admired about him. But he was never ungentlemanly. And he always treated the voting public with respect. He was there to serve us, and he did so honorably.
Now he is treating the voting public as an obstacle to be overcome, an adversary to be defeated, in his crusade to achieve his jail. He seems miffed that our goals might differ from his. He needs to be reminded that the job of a public servant is to carry out the will of the people, not thwart it.
As a graduate student accros the river who has followed this issue closely the past six months, it is clear that "will of people" is being formed by the blatant lies of DeWine, Patton, Dapper, Rothenburg, and Miller. Thanks a lot; my dissertation now reads like a political blog.
These characters know the facts, they know the figures, but they choose to continue the lies. This will all come out in my thesis.
For example, the latest "We need a better plan" handout from DeWine implies that 42% of inmates in jail are traffic offenders. He cites the county's jail study. In fact, the 42% refers the persons booked into the jail...of which most traffic offenders are relaesed without being addimited to the jail. Either he does not understand the report he commissioned or he is misleading the public.
Example two, Dapper repeatedly says in public meetings he was jailed becuase of building code violations. Ney, ney...he was jailed for stalking and menancing his neighbors who complianed about his house with raw sewage on the front lawn. Check his criminal record somebody.
Example three, Patton always prefaces his public comments on the jail that he is an engineer. If he is half the engineer he claims to be he would read the enginnering assessments of the Queensgate facility (public documents) and offer his professional assessment.
Example four, Rothenburg says its about a person's right ot vote. But ask him about the solution offered Mr. Pepper and Mr. Portune or any alternatives he can offer and watch his eyes dim-out.
Example five, check the COAST website. It cites DeWine's proposed budget reductions to keep Butler County going. The COAST leadership was at the County Commission meeting where the county budget employees provided their reveiw of the cuts (a public document). The facts on the savings resulted in a much smaller number. This has been pointed out to COAST, but thier website remains unchanged.
It is clear these folks do not have a solution and servive on shallow sound bites and lies.
I could have never imaged that this is how government works and how good public policy is made on such an important issue.
* Our online blogs currently are hosted and operated by a third party, namely, Blogger.com. You are now leaving the Cincinnati.Com website and will be linked to Blogger.com's registration page. The Blogger.com site and its associated services are not controlled by Cincinnati.Com and different terms of use and privacy policy will apply to your use of the Blogger.com site and services.
By proceeding and/or registering with Blogger.com you agree and understand that Cincinnati.Com is not responsible for the Blogger.com site you are about to access or for any service you may use while on the Blogger.com site.
<< Home