CPS beat notes

Some notes from the Cincinnati Public Schools beat about 14 hours before polls open:

A single piece of campaign literature for the team of school board challengers Michael Flannery, Chris Nelms and Eve Bolton sat on a table inside CPS' district offices today. Those three enjoy the strong support of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers.

Its placement was a clear violation of district policy, confirmed district spokeswoman Janet Walsh. According to elections laws, the district would probably be required to give equal time to Rick Williams, the incumbent candidate trying to win another term tomorrow. (Williams did not immediately return a phone call today.)

"We don't allow any kind of campaign materials, be they be candidates or issues on CPS property," Walsh said. "Occasionally something gets by our notice; we remove them."

Walsh said it would be difficult to determine who placed the document there.

The 8.5-by-11 piece of paper read "Dear Supporters: Please assist "The Team" via e-mail by forwarding the following message to family, friends and colleagues. Encourage them to do the following: Vote for the Team: Bolton (Eve), Nelms (Chris), Flannery (Michael).

The document sat in public view on a table in the district's front hallway for at least three hours on Monday, from at least 12:45 p.m. to about 3:45 p.m., when public relations employee Dawn Grady confiscated the document after the Enquirer asked about it.

Also, Fairview German Language School in University Heights took down a pro-tax levy item on its Web site today after the Enquirer asked about it. Principal Karen Mulligan said she was unaware of the item until today, and promptly removed it. Here's a screen shot of the Web site before the item was removed. The school-run Web site advocated a "yes" vote on Issue 22, in violation of state laws and a 2002 out-of-court agreement with Citizens Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes that prevent public resources from being used for political purposes.

Meanwhile, the Pro-Issue 22 people are in the midst of a last-minute campaign blitz, holding a Honk-In today at about 10 intersections across the city during rush hour. This weekend, CPS board member John Gilligan lent his voice to 65,000 robocalls advocating a "yes" vote as well, said campaign manager Theresa Lubic, following up 45,000 from Superintendent Rosa Blackwell. Lubic said the campaign is expecting another $20,000 in last-minute contributions from businesses.