Portman campaigning up north?

The politics blog at the other end of the state - the Plain Dealer's "Openers" blog - had this tidbit on former Rep/US Trade Rep/Budget Director Rob Portman of Terrace Park

Former White House Budget Director and Cincinnati native Rob Portman made the rounds Sunday at the Browns-Bengals game at Cleveland Stadium, hopping from loge to loge.

Read more here

Oddest story of the political season so far...

Cincinnati City Council candidate Brian Garry Friday won his bid to seal court records related to a 2003 acquittal on a misdemeanor charge of obstructing justice for hitting a police horse.

Sherry Coolidge reports the story here

Lawsuit, complaint...some say just another day in election season

The complaints come and go. Especially when election season heats up.

Nathaniel Livingston Jr. filed a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission accusing Citizens for a Safe Hamilton County (sales tax proponents), the Enquirer and its editorial page editor of printing false information about the sales tax increase.

At a hearing Thursday morning, the elections commission found no probable cause and dismissed the allegations.

County Commissioners David Pepper and Todd Portune had enacted the sales tax in May only to have it stopped and forced onto the November ballot by a citizen referendum. They said Livingston's complaint (he was among those involved in the referendum effort) was nothing but politics. They said the Election Commission's decision proves it is certain sales tax opponents, rather than the supporters, who are throwing around the misinformation.
Read their press release here.

This also came on a day when other sales tax opponents filed a lawsuit against Sheriff Simon Leis for allegedly using county funds to promote the tax increase.

Read the Enquirer story here.

Read the lawsuit here.

View related non-enquirer blogs and video .

Equality Cincinnati PAC Endorsements

The Equality Cincinnati PAC says it works to move gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people "closer to full equality" in Greater Cincinnati.



And these are the City Council candidates members think are most likely to help, according to a release this afternoon from chairman Chris Seelbach:



Incumbents Y. Laketa Cole; John Cranley; David Crowley; Leslie Ghiz; and Roxanne Qualls. Challengers: Brian Garry; Greg Harris; Joan Kaup; and Wendell Young.

Boehner responds to ads

The Democrat-leaning, anti-war group Americans United for Change launched a new ad today that will run in the Cincinnati area TV markets attacking Rep. Jean Schmidt of Miami Township for something Rep. John Boehner of West Chester said.

Say WHAT?!

Tiz true, the group says Schmidt should be held accountable for continuing to support "the president’s costly, irresponsible and failed policy of endless war in Iraq." So they are attacking her for comments Republican Leader Boehner made to Wolf Blitzer on CNN's Situation Room on Sept. 12.

Here is the full text of what Blitzer asked and how Boehner responded:

BLITZER: Mr. Leader, here's the question. How much longer will U.S. taxpayers have to shell out $2 billion a week or $3 billion a week as some now are suggesting the cost is going to endure? The loss in blood, the Americans who are killed every month, how much longer do you think this commitment, this military commitment is going to require?

BOEHNER: I think General Petraeus outlined it pretty clearly. We're making success. We need to firm up those successes. We need to continue our effort here because, Wolf, long term, the investment that we're making today will be a small price if we're able to stop al Qaeda here, if we're able to stabilize the Middle East, it's not only going to be a small price for the near future, but think about the future for our kids and their kids.

This is a very important effort on the part of the United States to secure our national interests and to secure our security interests, especially when it comes to al Qaeda, who has been our number one enemy here in Iraq.

Read the whole transcript of the show HERE.

According to Americans United for Change, the families of the over 3,780 U.S. soldiers that have been killed in Iraq and the tens of thousands of soldiers that have suffered severely debilitating injuries might disagree with Boehner that “a small price” has been paid. The group says that Boehner’s remarks are "emblematic of just how out of touch Republicans are with the real costs of this war."

Schmidt's office declined to comment on the ad.

Boehner's press secretary, Jessica Towhey, had this to say:

“Congressman Boehner’s remark referred to the monetary investment we've made to ensure our security and bring stability to a troubled region. Congressman Boehner deeply appreciates the sacrifices made by our troops and their families. Last week while in Iraq, he met with Ohio soldiers to thanks them for their service.

“On Tuesday Boehner met with five Ohio families whose sons had died in Iraq. These families came to thank Mr. Boehner for his commitment to supporting the effort in Iraq because these families are committed to winning and they want to know that the sacrifice their sons made in Iraq was worth something.”

Get Some Fish From Laketa

Laketa Cole's office announced this afternoon that she'll be among the "celebrity" servers Friday night at McCormick & Schmicks seafood restaurant downtown.



The fund-raiser benefits the Madisonville Education and Assistance Center, which gives food, clothes and money for people in Fairfax, Madisonville, Mariemont, East End, Madison Place, Hyde Park and Oakley.



She'll be serving at 7 p.m.

Retirees On The Warpath

Cincinnati city retirees, fired up about City Manager Milton Dohoney's plan to make them pay more for health care, plan to show up en masse Monday afternoon at council's finance committee to talk about why they think the plan is unfair.

The city administration defends the plan by saying it brings, which an ordinance requires, the retirees' costs into line with what current employees pay. Plus, Dohoney says it would save the city $23 million a year.

He has proposed easing the change in prescription coverage, with a $1,000 cap on out-of-pocket expenses for drugs. That would apply to current and retired employees. That drug benefit change would reduce that projected savings by $800,000 a year.

Dohoney had already started putting the changes in place before finance Chairman John Cranley granted the retirees a public hearing.

Tax proponents launch site

The campaign for the sales tax increase has begun.

Here's the web site of the proponents

http://www.safercommunity.org/Home.html

Portune tries to save tree-UPDATED

UPDATE:Commissioners Monday took action that allows the tree to be saved, but only if the homeowner is willing to pay for it.

Said Commissioner Todd Portune: "I’d be open to adding the preservation of the tree as a 15th condition, but the cost of preserving a tree should be the owners’ responsibility."

Said Commissioner David Pepper: (to tree owner)"If I was in your position I'd do exactly what you're doing. I don’t want these neighbors to come back to us in a few months and say 'I told you so' and we hadn’t done everything we could do."

Said Commissioner Pat DeWine: "I think we all are concerned about the tree. I don’t think it's our place to overturn the (zoning) decision by Green Township. If there is something we can work in that’s reasonable, I think we should do that."

So commissioners added conditions that:1) require there be no construction, grading or impact on the area within the tree's canopy (developers agreed to fence off that area) and 2) During construction the homeowners may hire arborists to "engage in root protection activities." But the homeowners must pay for this.

During the hearing, tree-owner Bridget Reynolds Davis said she consulted three arborists last week who said protecting just the canopy area won't ensure the tree's survival and that "other measures are quite costly" The arborists looked not only at her 100-year-old Silver Maple, but also at a big Norway Spruce belonging to a neighbor (she brought photos of both.)
A landscaping specialist hired by the developer (they said they couldn't get any arborists on such short notice) said if no grading is done near the canopy, the tree has a good chance of surviving.

The homeowners said loss of the trees would hurt their property values, especially now that a credit union is in their back yard. One neighbor (who doesn't have a tree in the fight) urged commissioners to block Kemba completely because there are better spots for it to locate.

It is unclear whether the homeowners will indeed pay for those "root protection activities" or how much they would cost.

All this follows this meeting last week:
Hamilton County Commissoner Todd Portune stepped in Wednesday on behalf of a Green Township resident and her "irreplaceable" tree.

At the County Commmission meeting, Bridget Reynolds Davis asked Portune to look at a photo of a tree in her backyard.

It was apparently a beautiful tree. (Sorry we don't have a copy of the photo.)

Portune was apparently impressed. He looked thoughtfully at the photograph. He commented on the massive 100-year-old tree. And then he acted.

Because of that tree, Portune voted to delay approving a zone change that would have allowed a Kemba Credit Union to be built behind Davis' house. You see, the old tree's roots spread onto the Kemba property. Although Kemba will try to minimize damage to the tree, "We can’t guarantee that every root of the tree would be saved," the developer explained. He technically doesn't have to save the roots, but Kemba wants to be a good neighbor.

And Portune wants to be a good representative for his constituents. And their property, including their trees.

"I’m taking special interest in this because it is a unique situation and that’s just a tremendous asset. I want to make sure we protect that," Portune said.

So he ordered the hearing held until Monday so the resident and developer can hire arborists to assess the tree's situation.

The developer looked frustrated, but didn't let on. (This has been a contentious, long, drawn-out project and Kemba is supposed to close on the property next week).

Davis was thankful. The tree probably is too.

Portune/Pepper officially ask for gov's help

We noted awhile back that Commissioner Todd Portune was seeking Governor Ted Strickland's support on several local projects including the renting of jail space in Kentucky.



Well Wednesday he and Commissioner David Pepper put those requests in writing in the form of a resolution.


In it, the pair ask for Strickland's help on the Comprehensive Safety Plan. Specifically they asked for


-help making it legal to house overflow inmates in the cheaper Kentucky jails
-$25 million to help build the new jail


-support for state legislation that would allow minor criminal records to be expunged after seven years in certain cases


-money to support the River City Correctional Facility


-a third Juvenile Court judge.


Read the press release here.


That last item was a little touchy. Commissioner Pat DeWine voted against it because he said the judges weren't asked about it and don't want a third judge, based on his conversations with judges.


"They think it would increase costs. Portune said he's heard differently," DeWine said. "I think before we do something that would cost the county treasury more money. I think we should have at least asked them to weigh in on it."


Portune said he'd had discussions with them in the past and had heard differently.

Anyway, the measure passed. It can't hurt, and who knows, it might even help.

Schmidt attacked in ads - UPDATED

The Democrat-leaning, anti-war group Americans United for Change plans to announce tomorrow that it's launching a more than a quarter of a million dollar effort to hold Republicans like Rep. Jean Schmidt of Miami Township accountable for continuing to support what the group calls "the president’s costly, irresponsible and failed policy of endless war in Iraq."

The ads will begin running in the Cincinnati market tomorrow: WXIX (Fox 19), WLWT (NBC 5), WCPO (ABC 9), WKRC (CBS 12).

Basically, they slam Schmidt over comments that Republican Leader John Boehner made on the Situation Room earlier this month.

Here is the full text of what Blitzer asked and how Boehner responded:

BLITZER: Mr. Leader, here's the question. How much longer will U.S. taxpayers have to shell out $2 billion a week or $3 billion a week as some now are suggesting the cost is going to endure? The loss in blood, the Americans who are killed every month, how much longer do you think this commitment, this military commitment is going to require?

BOEHNER: I think General Petraeus outlined it pretty clearly. We're making success. We need to firm up those successes. We need to continue our effort here because, Wolf, long term, the investment that we're making today will be a small price if we're able to stop al Qaeda here, if we're able to stabilize the Middle East, it's not only going to be a small price for the near future, but think about the future for our kids and their kids.

This is a very important effort on the part of the United States to secure our national interests and to secure our security interests, especially when it comes to al Qaeda, who has been our number one enemy here in Iraq.

Read the whole transcript of the show HERE.

According to Americans United for Change, the families of the over 3,780 U.S. soldiers that have been killed in Iraq and the tens of thousands of soldiers that have suffered severely debilitating injuries might disagree with Boehner that “a small price” has been paid.

The group says that Boehner’s remarks are "emblematic of just how out of touch Republicans are with the real costs of this war."

Schmidt's office did not comment on the ad.

Boehner's press secretary, Jessica Towhey, had this to say:

“Congressman Boehner’s remark referred to the monetary investment we've made to ensure our security and bring stability to a troubled region. Congressman Boehner deeply appreciates the sacrifices made by our troops and their families. Last week while in Iraq, he met with Ohio soldiers to thanks them for their service.

“On Tuesday Boehner met with five Ohio families whose sons had died in Iraq. These families came to thank Mr. Boehner for his commitment to supporting the effort in Iraq because these families are committed to winning and they want to know that the sacrifice their sons made in Iraq was worth something.”

Voinovich Iraq plan gets critic

If you read THIS STORY in today's newspaper about Sen. George Voinovich's new plan for Iraq...



Then you might be interested to hear the following critique of it from Scott McConnell, spokesman for Americans Against Escalation in Iraq:



“Sen. Voinovich’s so-called plan is nothing more than President Bush’s failed stay-the-course strategy. The President has made it clear that he has no intention of ending the war in Iraq, so Sen. Voinovich and his colleagues must. Like all Americans, Ohioans believe it’s time to bring the troops home from Iraq, and they’re not going to stand for their Senator rubberstamping the administration’s failed policy. If Sen. Voinovich really wants to speak for his constituents, he’ll denounce Congressman Boehner’s comments that the sacrifices of our troops are a ‘small price’ to pay and vote to bring our troops safely home from Iraq.”

Craig gets pat on back from Bunning

For what it's worth, CLICK HERE to read Dana Milbank's column on Idaho Sen. Larry Craig in today's Washington Post.


It's by far the most entertaining thing I've read all day, including this dish-worthy nugget:

Craig gave the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, just an hour's notice before returning to the Capitol for the first time since he offered -- then reconsidered -- his resignation after pleading guilty last month to toe-tapping and wide-standing in an airport men's room.

McConnell was not pleased to get the call. When Craig arrived for a vote on the Senate floor just after noon, he sidled up to a threesome of Republican senators: Jim Bunning (Ky.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and McConnell. Bunning patted Craig on the back. Murkowski gave him a hug. McConnell stood still as a statue. The awkward quartet remained in place for a full minute until Craig retreated to a safer spot from which to cast a wary eye at the suddenly crowded press gallery.

Teacher union endorsements

The Cincinnati Federation of Teachers will vote on its endorsements for the November elections at a membership meeting tonight, president Tim Kraus said.



The union, the region's third largest, represents about 2,700 workers in Cincinnati Public Schools. Most of its planned endorsements are standard fare for organized labor, with one notable exception:



For City Council, the CFT intends to endorse all of the Democrats except incumbent Jeff Berding, Kraus said. Instead, Charterite Roxanne Qualls will get the nod in his place.



"Qualls has been a long time friend of education, and we haven't felt that Berding has been as supportive," Kraus said.



For the CPS school board, the union will back former TV reporter Michael Flannery, prevention educator Chris Nelms and teacher Eve Bolton, who's union president in Wyoming City Schools.



The union will also recommend a "yes" vote on every money issue on the ballot, including CPS' 9.95-mill levy.

Clean hands in Ohio. Hot meals in Kentucky.

Thinking about committing a crime, but just can't decide whether to do it in Ohio or Kentucky?You might want to think about where you'll be spending your time.

Interestingly enough, each state has its own sets of rules for their jails. These standards regulate everything from building size to food preparation.

Here's a couple examples of how the two states stack up.

Eating:
Both states require inmates be fed three meals a day.

Kentucky further says the meals must contain a total of 2,400 calories and one must be hot. No such temperature specifications are on Ohio’s books.
Ohio does however, require that food handlers wash their hands when reporting for duty or returning from the toilet. Kentucky standards don’t include that rule (perhaps it goes without saying.)

Housing:
In dormitory-style settings, Ohio requires room sizes of 50-square-feet per inmate. Kentucky mandates 40.

In Ohio, temperatures must be kept between 66 and 80 degrees. In Kentucky: between 65 and 85 degrees.

In Ohio, noise levels musn’t exceed 70 decibels in the day or 45 decibels at night. No such ear-protecting rules were immediately found in on Kentucky’s books.

Inmates in the Buckeye state get one toilet and shower for every 12 people. The Bluegrass state’s jails are a little more liberal with their toilets -- allowing one commode, lavatory and drinking fountain for every 10 prisoners --- but less so with their showers: One shower per 20 prisoners.

KY inmate issue fuels tax debate

Everyone wants credit for the idea of housing inmates in Kentucky (read Enquirer story.) And although the sales tax campaign hasn’t officially started….it kinda has.

Pat DeWine, the lone Republican county commissioner, held a press conference Tuesday with State Rep. Tom Brinkman Jr. (aka the founder of COAST and opponant of the jail sales tax plan). The pair shared the podium as they proposed legislation that could allow Hamilton County to ship its overflow inmates to the Bluegrass state.

Problem is, DeWine’s Democratic colleagues on county commission said they’d already been working on this. They just hadn’t been as loud about it.

Commissioner Todd Portune discussed the issue with Governor Ted Strickland two weeks ago. Portune and Pepper were already planning to introduce a resolution Wednesday asking the governor to look into it.

So perhaps DeWine stole their thunder a little.

But they aren’t really even upset about that. What they’re upset about is the fact that DeWine is saying this law will negate the need for a new jail.

“These are the kinds of solutions we should actively be looking into,” DeWine said in a press release. “This shows that if we have the will, we can increase available jail spaces without saddling the voters with a mammoth tax increase.”

Portune and Pepper balked at this. They said that is absolutely false.

They said DeWine simply used Tuesday’s press conference as an excuse to bash the sales tax. It was another chance to tell the public the tax isn’t needed.

“Announcing it the way it was announced is more politics than policy,” Pepper said.

Added Portune: “They did this as a political stunt to say we don’t need the sales tax. That’s what’s so disingenuous abut it,” he said. “They’re not solving the problem at all. They’re just trying to win an election. Yeah, we’ll save a little money short-term. That’s why I met with the governor. But to tell the public that this will solve the problem is wholly inaccurate.”

(Here's their press release. Note the bolded sentences)

Even State Rep. Bill Seitz, who co-sponsored the legislation, agreed (he didn’t attend the press conference)

“I don’t believe that for a minute,” Seitz said of the idea that the law eliminates the need for a new jail. “Over time both (Campbell and Butler counties) will be booked up with prisoners from their own jurisdictions,” Seitz said. “I support the common-sense bill and I will work for its passage, but I don’t believe that this is a long term solution.”

Liberals vs. Conservatives

A Web site describing itself as the world's first virtual mental gymnasium wants to test who has "superior cognitive function": people who describe themselves as liberals, or those who call themselves conservative.



To play, go here.

Where are these endorsement lists?

Some of the groups issuing endorsements have been slow to release their lists. But they're telling their endorsees.

For example, the Cincinnati Police union, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 69, told at least Jeff Berding, Chris Bortz and John Eby that they get their nod. You might have guessed Berding from the big Berding sign in the union office's front yard on Central Parkway.

The Cincinnati African-American Firefighters Association (CAFA) has told at least Greg Harris and Brian Garry that they get their vote.

The Cincinnati firefighters union, International Association of Firefighters Local 48, said they're waiting until closer to the election to release their list. Berding expects to be on that list, too. If the signs in the union office yard are any indication, these incumbents must be endorsed: Berding; Laketa Cole; Leslie Ghiz; Chris Bortz; David Crowley; Chris Monzel; and Cecil Thomas. Charlie Winburn also has a sign there.

Go here to see who the new Cincinnati Young Professionals PAC likes. Sean Parker writes that Winburn alarmed them because he agreed with everything they asked. Members of the group have until Friday to vote on a final list.

Mallory, Dusseldorfing

UPDATE, for all who have wondered: Expenses for Mallory and Childs are being paid for out of the city's economic development budget. City Manager Milton Dohoney has said repeatedly he thinks it's important for city officials to represent the city on economic development trips. Mallory's bodyguard, Scotty Johnson, did not go.

Mayor Mark Mallory's in Germany this week with Economic Development Director Holly Childs and others as part of a Chamber of Commerce business development trip. After Dusseldorf, the group moves on to Munich, where they'll be for the start of Oktoberfest.

Here, he's on a tour of Dusseldorf:



Here, he's signing the Golden Book of Dusseldorf:

Driehaus gets involved in JFS audit

State Rep. Steve Driehaus is stepping in on behalf of Hamilton County and its pocketbook. He's urging the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to re-consider its infamous audit that said the county JFS owed millions of dollars (county-hired analysts begged to differ.) No word yet on when this issue will be resolved.

Here's the press release:

Rep. Driehaus Asks for Job and Family Services Audit Correction
Independent Examination Exposes Flaws in State’s Criticism of Spending

CINCINNATI – State Representative Steve Driehaus (D-31st District) sent a letter today to Director Helen Jones-Kelley at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), asking her office to reconsider a scathing special audit of Hamilton County Job and Family Services (HCJFS).

The audit done in 2006 by ODJFS’s Office of Research, Assessment and Accountability found $1.761 billion in questioned costs and $223 million in findings for recovery. However, Rep. Driehaus noted that the $1.985 billion in findings more than doubled HCJFS’s $890 million in revenue during that same span.

“It seems obvious to me that the auditors counted the same dollar several times over,” Rep. Driehaus said. “That bad math must be changed for the good of the children and families who depend on the county department, and for the good of the taxpayers who help fund that assistance.”

Crowe and Chizek performed an independent review of the audit and found $111 million in questioned costs and no findings for recovery.

Rep. Driehaus’ letter to Director Jones-Kelley asks for a “swift and just resolution to this issue.”

SORTA plans in works...sorta

Some ambitious plans are in the works to revamp the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA).

But the changes aren't anywhere near to the point of rubber hitting road (pun intended).

In fact, it may be still be quite awhile before the city and the county even agree on exactly far-reaching the overhaul should be, let alone getting the plan ready to present to surrounding counties, and the masses served by mass-transit.

Here's the deal. Hamilton County Commission President Todd Portune is on a small group of city, county and SORTA folk who are working on this re-organization. Last week Portune told the Enquirer about the plans in the works (read Enquirer story). Then, on Monday he outlined in a two-page memo to his colleagues, Commissioners David Pepper and Pat DeWine, exactly what the "SORTA Revision Process" would entail.

Portune said he thinks its "time to test the water" and see if this is what the full city council, county commission and SORTA board were envisioning when they began the re-organization talks six months ago.

But some of Todd's plans (like light rail and a high-speed rail line between Cincinnati and Dayton) may stretch a little beyond what others in the revision group are interested in tackling right now.

Said Councilman John Cranley (he's part of the re-organization group) last week: "If it wasn’t for David and Todd’s approach, this change would never have happened. Hamilton County is willing to be partners with us and they are very progressive."

But....

"My first goal is to make sure we have the highest level of service in the city. I don’t see light rail on the horizon."

SORTA board member Melody Sawyer Richardson (not part of the re-organization group)came to the Monday meeting because she read about it in the paper. She said (speaking as a resident, not on behalf of the board) that the first goal should be to protect the existing system and the people who use it. That said, "regionalism is fabulous," she noted. And she thinks considering different modalities (like trains and trolleys) is important.

So we'll see where how it boils down in a few weeks. City Council will take up the issue at some point. It meets again in two weeks. County Commissioners said they'll schedule a work session in three weeks on the issue.

Read Portune's memo: sorta.pdf

Budget Time Must Be Coming

What do Cincinnatians think about funding human services?

Tuesday at 11 a.m. on the steps of Cincinnati City Hall, Applied Information Resources will say what the research firm's survey of 564 city residents found out about that.

Between 1981 and 2005, the city allocated 1.3 percent of its annual budget to human service agencies. Funding for human services agencies was a central battle in council's heated budgeting last year.

The group's announcement of the press conference says the survey questions, asked by the University of Cincinnati's Institute for Policy Research, were designed to glean whether residents support the city's funding policy and to find out what average citizens know about it.

Rhodes seeks credit for calculations

Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes wants to make sure the public knows that his employees are the ones who calculate how much tax levies will cost the owner of a $100,000 home (the number often referenced in news stories about the tax.)



Here's the blog entry he posted on his Web site.



August 31, 2007

When you read in the paper or hear on the news that a particular tax levy will cost the owner of a $100,000 market value home a certain amount of money in taxes, please know that the Auditor’s Finance Department, Budget and Settlement division, formally prepared those calculations as required by law. Unfortunately, some members of the news media fail to give proper attribution by not naming the true source of this work product, allowing people to believe that the media somehow did the calculations. These are not simple calculations and our office takes great pride in being accurate in this work.

DeWine sounds off on federal inmates, sales tax

Republican Hamilton County Commissioner Pat DeWine recently sent this e-mail out to those on his e-mail list. In it he blasts his Democratic colleagues' decision to keep federal inmates in the county jail and continues to try to drum up opposition to the sales tax increase that would build a new jail and fund safety programs.

DeWine even includes a power point presentation. His colleagues, Commissioners David Pepper and Todd Portune have complained that Pat, though he opposes the sales tax, still hasn't put forth any viable alternative.