About that 'Girls Gone Wild' rumor...

We're not the first to report about a Statehouse videotape in which former state Rep. Geoff Smith, a Republican from Upper Arlington, teases state Democratic Reps. Steve Driehaus of Price Hill and Todd Book of Portsmouth.

The Whistleblower newswire published an item on the alleged "Girls Gone Wild" episode in March here:

But to put persistent rumormongering to bed, readers can listen to Smith's rant in December 2006 here. Fair warning that his brief reference to a night out on the town with the "boys," in this case Driehaus and Book, is more than an hour into the Ohio House session, as Smith gives a farewell speech after his November defeat.

Driehaus explained Smith was asking women for kisses one night, while at a bar. According to Driehaus, Smith would tell female patrons that he and his legislative colleagues were "the advance team" for the "Girls Gone Wild" company that shoots video of vacationing college coeds.

During his House floor speech, Smith says who could forget "the little stint'' with Snoop Dogg and the "Girls Gone Wild" episode.

"Those pictures have been destroyed,'' Smith proclaims to howls in the House chamber.

Iran Mobile plans stops in Cincinnati

Democrats drove this "Iran Mobile" outside Barack Obama's rally in Westerville on Sunday.

Monday, they plan to drive the replica of a missile carrying Republican Sen. John McCain past at least two events in Cincinnati as part of a statewide tour sponsored by ProgressOhio.org and NotAnotherWar.org. (That ugly yellow car pulling the "rocket" has green Vermont plates.)

Brian Rothenberg of ProgressOhio said the activist groups want to bring attention to McCain's hawkish misstatements including: "That old Beach Boys' song 'Bomb Iran. Bomb, bomb, bomb'. . .last April here:

Monday's stops include a noon "get-out-the-vote" rally at McMicken Hall, University of Cincinnati, and 4:45 p.m. "honk and wave" event near the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. (Time updated.)

Mallory's busy day no shield against jokes

Between being wooed by Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory managed to sit in on presentations this afternoon at the Chamber of Commerce from organizations seeking state capital bill money. Mallory’s on the committee that will narrow the list of projects before it’s sent to the General Assembly.

“It’s exciting,” he said of the eventful day. His focus during private meetings with Clinton and Obama today, he said, is to lay out Cincinnati’s priorities and discuss how the candidates' agendas would help the city.

“They want my endorsement. People say ‘It’ll really help you’ but I say ‘I’m doing just fine. I’m more worried about Cincinnati.”

Mallory’s status as most-sought-after-endorser-in-the-city, though, didn’t shield him from some razzing this afternoon for his recent not-so-flattering moment in the spotlight. In all fairness, though, Mallory started it.

Sharonville Mayor Virgil Lovitt had just finished a presentation on the expansion of the Sharonville Convention Center and asked if there were any questions.

“I have one,” Mallory said. “Was that you going down a water slide in your suit?” (In a recent event to promote CoCo Key, Sharonville’s new indoor water park, Lovitt went down the slide fully dressed. He hasn’t lived it down)

“Do I dare say this?” responded Lovitt with a gleam in his eye. “I knew no one’s ever going to ask me to throw the first pitch,” he said, and referred to the water slide incident as his “first pitch moment.”

The small crowd cracked up, Mallory included. “That’s it. Thumbs down on this project. Next!” Mallory joked. The mayors had a good chuckle over their respective media moments, shook hands and went back to work.

Legislative Black Caucus endorses Obama

The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus today announced its endorsement of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama for president. The organization voted last week to support and assist the Illinois senator in his effort to win Ohio's Democratic primary election March 4.

The caucus, made up of 17 African-American members of the Ohio General Assembly, believes Obama is highly qualified with a superior educational and public service background, according to a news statement. The caucus called him "a powerful and timely voice for change in America." It cited Sen. Obama’s commitment to fight for the issues important to working class and minority citizens in Ohio, and across the nation. Economic empowerment, better education, reformation of the criminal justice system and expanded health-care coverage are concerns that the caucus shares with Obama.

"Senator Barack Obama has the vision and character to make an excellent president of the United States,'' said state Rep. Tyrone K. Yates. "No one can doubt that he has the background, experience, judgment and skill to lead the American people. . .It's just really, really exciting. He will be president."

Yates, a Democrat from Evanston/East Walnut Hills, is president of the Legislative Black Caucus.

"Senator Obama clearly represents the direction of the future of our nation," Yates said. "For states and cities that have suffered for decades through policy neglect, Senator Obama's deep knowledge and experience as a community organizer with urban issues will advance the (black caucus') urban policy agenda."

The caucus promised to provide its organizational resources and experience to the "Obama for America" campaign to aggressively reach out to Ohio voters. These resources include, but are not limited to, use of mailing and phone lists, volunteers, fundraising and campaign consultation. "It is going to be a very hectic year," Yates said. "It is exciting."

Yates would not disclose the vote tally.

Denise Driehaus officially in

Denise Driehaus officially announced her candidacy today as a Democrat running for the 31st House District seat held by her brother, Steve, who is running for the 1st Congressional District seat.

She filed her candidacy paperwork at the Hamilton County Board of Elections.

Driehaus, a lifelong resident of the West Side, currently resides in West Price Hill where she and her husband, Zeek Childers, co-own two businesses -- the Front Porch Coffeehouse and Philipps Swim Club.

Driehaus is president of the Cincinnati Recreation Commission where she has served as a board member for the past 16 years. She also is on the board of the Price Hill Civic Club and is a founding member and the vice president of the West Price Hill Merchant's Association.

Driehaus, a graduate of Miami University, has two children, Sarah and Andrew Childers.

The 31st District includes about 110,000 residents of western Cincinnati including Camp Washington, Sayler Park, South Fairmount, Price Hill, Westwood, and Addyston, Cheviot, Cleves and North Bend. The annual base salary is $60,584.

Scott Gehring plans to run as a Republican candidate in the 31st District.

Ex-Pepper manager appointed to governor's job

Greg Landsman, campaign manager to David Pepper during the Hamilton County commissioner's 2005 race for Cincinnati mayor, has been appointed to a state job by Gov. Ted Strickland.

Landsman, 30, of Wilmington is the new director of the Governor's Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives, a job that pays $75,000 annually.

Landsman, a native of Cincinnati and one-time congressional aide to Strickland and House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, most recently worked as director of special projects with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

Landsman, a former teacher who got his master's degree from Harvard Divinity School in 2004, replaces Eric McFadden, who took a job as volunteers administrator with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Shortly after McFadden's February appointment as director, he noticed unusual expenditures in the Office of Faith Based Initiatives, which resulted in an audit and Inspector General's investigation.

More details about Landsman can be found here:

"Quick and Decisive Action"

If you follow Cincinnati politics at all, you've probably heard about the letters to George Vincent. He's the chairman of the Hamilton County Republican Party and, if you believe everything you read, his mailbox has been pretty full lately with calls for a thrashing of Chris Monzel because he voted with Democrats to give $800,000 each to the Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati History Museum and Music Hall.

One letter, purportedly from Terry Deters, says the writer is "tired of working for turncoats like Monzel."

Key word here: purportedly. Two of the alleged writers, Westwood activist Mary Kuhl and Price Hill activist Pete Witte, say they wrote no such thing.

"It's a sad forgery," Witte said.

The first giveaway, he said, was that the letter was on "From the Desk of Peter Witte" letterhead. He has no such letterhead.

"I'd be more likely to have a Dilbert cartoon in the corner," he said.

Plus, if he wanted to talk to Vincent, he'd pick up the phone or send him an e-mail. Does he have any suspects?

"I do, but I won't tell you," Witte said. "It's not worth stirring it up."

As for the implication that POWR PAC would withdraw its endorsement of Monzel: "It would be an unbelievable thing to happen. I don't want to speak for everybody, but in my mind Chris Monzel and John Cranley are the most consistent in voting for middle-class values on the West Side."

Others point out that Deters hasn't been active in party politics for some time. They also spotted some handwriting and verbiage similarities, suggesting all the letters came from the same place, and noted that the letters are dated the day after an e-mail from past Blue Chip Young Republicans president Betsy Sunderman that urged members to contact Monzel's office to try to stop him from voting the way he did.

That email contained the sentence "This is not a fiscally responsible."

Two of these letters say that almost that exactly, though corrected to "This vote is not a fiscally responsible vote."

Whoever did write the letters seems to love the phrase "quick and decisive action."

The "Witte letter" says Q&D action "will show the grassroots party activists that you take such egregious abuses seriously."

The "Kuhl letter" says Q&D action "by party leadership will show the community that you care about the concerns of the taxpayer in the neighborhoods."

And again from the letter purported to be from Deters: Q&D action "by party leadership will show the grassroots members of the party that you care about our concerns and you will enforce party discipline."

Party discipline?

Read the whole letters here.

Freedom Center: $$ or Not?

Now that City Council's fight over arts funding has been somewhat settled, there's a new question:


What happens with funding for the Underground Railroad Freedom Center?


The first plan, which supporters say dates back to late last year when council members finalized the budget, called for the center getting $1 million in capital funds, just like the Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati History Museum and Music Hall.


But that plan didn't have a five-vote majority. Jim Tarbell's plan did. But it called for something different - $800,000 for each of the four, plus $600,00 for smaller arts groups to share. That money also would pay for festivals and parades.


But Chris Monzel was clear from the start - he wouldn't support the freedom center, no matter what. So to get Tarbell's plan to pass, the vice mayor had to take the freedom center out of it.


So Wednesday, the Tarbell plan passed. With no other council members expressing non-support for the freedom center, it had been assumed that the center would get its money, just separately and later. The ordinance to give it $800,000 got a first reading at council Wednesday.


But after the meeting, Bortz said he was considering voting against the money for the freedom center - a "principle vote," he called it, because he still wants the center to get the full $1 million he says was discussed during budgeting. Leslie Ghiz said something similar, that she might have to consider voting against it also. "We had a deal," she said, referring to what she said were prior commitments to give the freedom center more than $800,000.


Laketa Cole, who was out of town and missed the meeting, said later she wanted to talk to her colleagues to find out more about what happened at Wednesday's meeting before saying what she might do regarding the center. Jeff Berding left the meeting early to pick up his daughter from school and couldn't be reached later on how he plans to vote.

This morning, Monzel tossed another plan out there - redirecting the $800,000 now pending for the freedom center into a fund to put speed humps on residential streets. The city gets a bunch of request for the humps but has no money to do them anymore.

Bortz called that idea just another example of the kind of reneging he says has gone on ever since all nine council members agreed to the current budget, which called for $4 million for arts facilities, and since six of them - including Tarbell and Cecil Thomas, who later changed their votes - signed a motion agreeing to divide that $4 million four ways, giving $1 million each to the two museums, Music Hall and the freedom center.

An Apology At City Hall?

Vice Mayor Jim Tarbell would like to hear someone say they're sorry. Well, sort of.

Chairman of council's arts committee and generally regarded as one of the biggest supporters of the arts in Cincinnati for decades, he's feeling a little stung by the weeks of debate over his plan to give $3.8 million to arts groups for capital projects.

He said he asked Chris Bortz, a fellow Charterite, for an apology, but said Wednesday he really was looking for more of an explanation from Bortz or any of the rest of the four (Jeff Berding, Leslie Ghiz, and Laketa Cole) who favored their own plan to spend $4 million. That plan did not include anything for smaller arts groups nor for parades and special events.

If you haven't been following the issue, Tarbell's plan originally gave $800,000 each to Music Hall, the Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati History Museum and the Underground Railroad Freedom Center. It also proposed to create a new fund of $600,000 for smaller arts groups to share. That money also would pay for some parades and festivals.

Part of that plan passed Wednesday after a dizzying back-and-forth battle over whether it should have been voted on or not. Tarbell pushed; Mallory said no. Tarbell pushed again; Mallory said it was holding, again. Finally, after aides for Tarbell, Cranley and Crowley buzzed around council chambers consulting with Solicitor Rita McNeil, the vice mayor pulled out Article 54 of some such city rulebook, which allowed him to - and no one could remember this happening in years - appeal the mayor's decision to hold the item. With his vote and four others (from Chris Monzel, John Cranley, David Crowley and Cecil Thomas), the appeal passed. Then the plan passed too.

But back to the apology-type thing. Tarbell says what he really wanted - and still would be interested in hearing - is an explanation of the Bortz/Berding/Ghiz/Cole strategy.

"I'm looking for some kind of sign from them that they knew what they were doing and that they had a reason for it," the vice mayor said after the contentious meeting.

He said he pushed so hard for the vote Wednesday because he knew he had the five votes he needed to give $800,000 each to all but the freedom center and to create the $600,000 fund. Those two issues will be voted on separately. He went ahead for three of his five pieces, he said, because he was afraid minds would change again and then the arts groups would be without any of it.

Cole, who was out of town and missed the meeting, was surprised and disappointed when reached tonight. Last she heard, she said, there was a new deal that everyone planned to agree on.

Mallory in Vegas

If what happened in Vegas this week stays in Vegas, Mayor Mark Mallory won’t be happy.

He’s hoping the retailers, developers and restaurant representatives he met with this week at a convention of the International Council on Shopping Centers convention will visit here soon in a second step toward getting them to invest here. Mallory went to the annual meeting of 50,000 people with a team of brokers, new economic development director Holly Childs and others to try to show Cincinnati is all about attracting new development.

“We’ve sort of been on people’s radar screens for the wrong reason,” he said Tuesday. “We’re making a pitch to change that.”

By “pitch,” he’s referring to his tossing out 200 baseballs to people at the convention, as a takeoff on the Opening Day pitch for which he gained national attention. Some people got the joke, he said, some didn’t.

He had 15 meetings set up with businesses he hopes to attract here, but said it was too soon to say what businesses those were. His staff already has started following up with the people he met, however, and will be scheduling visits here for the representatives. A couple of them, he said, are close to making final decisions about locating here, so he hopes his personal appeal might help them choose Cincinnati.

He also ended up giving an impromptu talk during a panel discussion about underserved retail markets.

Fischer Campaign Gears Up

If you live in Cincinnati, you might soon find Patrick Fischer on your stoop.



His term as president of the Cincinnati Bar Association ended last week, and now he's taking his campaign for city council door-to-door.



Check him out at www.patfischer.org.

Lots of Support For Cincinnati Billboards

Councilman Chris Monzel's proposal to keep any new billboards at least 200 feet outside a residential boundary drew a lot of opposition today from some popular local businesses.



He spoke very passionately about this being a quality of life issue. He said he understands that billboard companies do good things for the community in terms of donated advertising, "but they also hurt in some ways...I mean, how many times have we gone in a neighborhood and seen a billboard that says, We Buy Ugly Houses'?"



But of the 14 speakers at economic development committee today, a dozen spoke against the change. Among them: officials of Cappel's, Busken and John Nolan Ford.



Rob Nolan, who also owns a Harley-Davidson store, said he is concerned that limiting billboards will just make advertising cost more on the existing ones. Richard Cappel, co-owner, said his family company has used billboards almost exclusively for the past decade to help Cappel's compete with national chains.



Dennis Smith, president of Paper Products Co. in South Fairmount, said the income he gets from the billboard on his property helps him keep the property in good shape. As a provider of boxes for Busken and Graeter's, he said he thinks "the city needs to develop a pro-business attitude."



After an hour of talk, the issue - on council's agenda for almost a year - returns to economic development again in two weeks. That time will allow the solicitor's office to weigh in on any legalities and for more discussion on whether the billboard restriction should be measured by a radius or by linear foot.



Monzel still prefers a 200-foot radius, which is more restrictive than the 100-foot radius or 150-foot linear counter proposals from billboard companies. He did agree to lowering that to 150 feet, but company representatives rejected that, saying it's still too restrictive.



Two options are on the table now - a 200-foot radius and 200 feet, linear.



Chris Bortz, committee chairman, said officials have to strike a balance between protecting residents from having billboards too close to their houses and not hindering local companies from doing business. "We're walking a fine line between the two pressures."



"We've been discussing it for a year because we want to get it right," he said.



Others, like Carl Uebelacker of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Council, believe the issue has dragged on because officials are letting billboard companies have too much control over the debate.



On a related note, Jeff Berding announced that Lamar today had the sign boards taken off the billboard at Delta Avenue and Columbia Parkway, where Neyer is building the Columbia Square development. Now, Neyer's free, he said, to take down the poles and proceed.

The List of 1,500

The jury's still out on whether The List of 1,500 potential killers exists. When council candidates Melanie Bates and Charlie Winburn pitched it last month, Bates said she had a copy of the list of those living in her neighborhood. But after news broke about their list, they and supporter Todd Portune started saying the list didn't actually exist yet. They've declined requests from The Enquirer to produce it.



Yet, Winburn still wants to talk about it. In a letter to Mark Mallory and city council members, he reminds that council, in 1995, passed something called the Registration of Convicted Persons Act.



Here's some of the letter:



"As you may know, I recently developed a website, http://www.thecriminalnextdoor.com/, which uses the most dangerous criminal list model as a framework for encouraging effective community dialogue about public safety issues. In addition, Chris Kearney and I developed a new screening process to track the most violent criminals in Cincinnati. This system will enable citizens, law enforcement and regional governmental leaders to serve as an effective broker in bridging the gap between the law and order and intervention mindsets. It is important that we track violent criminals—not only from the standpoint of where they offend, but also where these persons live—in order that the citizens realize “true community control”, so that law enforcement agencies can have better criminal intelligence, and so that social service agencies may more effectively and efficiently connect these persons with important social services, such as drug and mental health treatment and job training.



When I was on Cincinnati City Council, I strongly supported legislation, along with Mayor Qualls and Council, requiring the most violent and repeat criminals register with the City of Cincinnati so our citizens know who they are and where they live. This rule of law supports the criminal next door concept as well as the so called "Killers List" The Cincinnati Enquirer referred to on April 23, 2007. We passed City of Cincinnati Ordinance No. 291-1995, now codified as Chapter 717 in the Cincinnati Municipal Code (the “Registration of Convicted Persons Act”), which requires repeat felons—as well as persons convicted of aggravated murder, murder, voluntary manslaughter, rape, sexual battery, gross sexual imposition, felonious sexual penetration, kidnapping, abduction, and child stealing—to register with the City. These are some of your most-dangerous criminals in Cincinnati. It's a good place to start effective monitoring and tracking. According to most criminologists those who commit two or more felonies are highly likely to commit another violent crime. Specifically, with respect to sexual offenders, U.S. Department of Justice statistics show sexual offenders are 7.5 times more likely to recommit these crimes.

Pursuant to the Registration of Convicted Persons Act (the “RCPA”), once a violent or repeat felon registers, the City is required to notify the neighborhood where the felon is moving. If properly implemented and executed, the RCPA will assist law enforcement and citizens in tracking the most violent criminals. The RCPA is consistent with our recent efforts on improving public safety through community participation. The RCPA and the tracking system Mr. Kearney and I are proposing do not violate any constitutional rights of violent and repeat criminals. If this is the case then maybe the Council should repeal this Ordinance. If we can effectively implement and execute this Act, our law enforcement will be able to better manage the approximately 1500 most-dangerous criminals in the City."



The item's on the agenda for Tuesday's 2 p.m. law committee meeting.

No new arts funding deal

Rumors of a new deal to end City Council's debate over arts funding are not true, says Vice Mayor Jim Tarbell.



His plan to give $800,000 each to the Cincinnati Art Museum, Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati History Museum and Music Hall should pass Wednesday on third reading and with five votes, he said today. That plan also calls for $600,000 for smaller arts organizations to share. That money also would pay for the Taste of Cincinnati and other festivals and parades.



Arts supporters are doing an e-mail campaign to try to get as many artists and arts activists as possible at Tuesday's finance committee meeting, 4 p.m. in council chambers.



The battle over this money has been the most contentious at City Hall in months, with last week's council meeting full of heated comments, including Leslie Ghiz saying she was fed up with the "blinding" halo over John Cranley.



Those who oppose Tarbell's plan - Jeff Berding, Chris Bortz, Laketa Cole and Ghiz - say it goes against the promise they feel was made when all nine signed the budget late last year. In the budget, it says $4 million goes for arts capital funding - not $3.8 million, and not any money for parades and festivals.

The Mayor's in Vegas

But you can hear him talk in absentia about his Shop 52 plan to bring retail to neighborhoods via his new Web site for the program, www.cincyshop52.com.



In a video, he holds a baseball and refers to his Opening Day pitch, saying Shop 52 is his pitch that Cincinnati is a good place to do business and invest.



The site also shows a map of available downtown properties.

DeWine invites you to meet Harper

Pat DeWine's speaking up for City Council candidate Andre Harper at a Harper fundraiser Tuesday.


DeWine says he's excited about the Republicans' "very strong slate" of candidates this year and says he's been trying to help all of them in hopes of picking up more of the nine seats. (Two of the nine council members are Republicans now - Chris Monzel and Leslie Ghiz)


He credits Harper, whom was on the tax levy review committee, for "adding accountability to the levy process. As a result of the strong review process we had in place, we were able to reduce property taxes by over $100 million below inflation-adjusted levels over the next five years. Andre's efforts were a big part of our success."

The invitation asks for a donation of at least $20. It's Tuesday, 6-8 p.m. at Mr. Pitiful's, 1323 Main St., Over-the-Rhine. RSVP by Sunday to michele@andreharper.com.

Harper's Web site: www.andreharper.com

The Bad Pitch, But For Good

Mayor Mark Mallory's bad Opening Day pitch gets revived, again, this weekend when he takes a load of squishy balls to Vegas for the International Council of Shopping Centers convention. Get it? He's "pitching" the city....

Anyway, on the balls will be the Web site for his Shop 52 effort to attract stores to the city's 52 neighborhoods. The site's not up yet, but it will be soon: www.cincyshop52.com.

He's also taking with him something else to throw at the retailers, shopping center owners, marketing specialists and others at the convention - demographics done by a national not-for-profit group called Social Compact. The numbers say Cincinnati's more populated and richer than the census thinks.

Here's the rest of the data

New Faces on the Third Floor

After two years working for Laketa Cole, aide T.J. White is leaving to finish his master's in public administration. He was supposed to be gone a couple of weeks ago, but stayed around to see Council on Wednesday night unanimously approve something he worked a lot on - the ordinance that gives a 100% real property tax exemption for new construction or rehabs that fit federal green building standards.

Cole's two new aides are Maggie Ardell and Darina Mays.

Guess What City Council Debated Tonight

Update: There were several comments on the original blog that purported to be from Scott Gehring.

They weren't, according to Gehring. They have been deleted.


Arts funding. I know, you're shocked.

For 45 minutes, members talked about Vice Mayor Jim Tarbell and his arts committee's recommendations for grant recipients from the city's capital arts fund. The proposal before council called for giving $6,000 to the American Institute of Architects Cincinnati, $25,000 to the American Sign Museum, $10,000 to Ballet Tech Cincinnati, $50,000 to the Clifton Arts Center, $2,500 to CinStages Web Site, $5,000 to Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, $25,000 to the Madisonville Community Arts Center, $1,500 to the Queen City Concert Band and $6,000 to the New Stage Collective.

This is a different pot of money than the other arts capital funding debate over whether to spend $3.8 million for four major cultural buildings in the city (Cincinnati History Museum, Music Hall, Underground Railroad Freedom Center and Cincinnati Art Museum) plus create a $600,000 fund for smaller arts groups that would also pay for festivals and parades like the Taste of Cincinnati.

The former plan was on for passage by council tonight, which made a perfect chance for those who oppose Tarbell's $3.8 million plan (that would be Councilmen Chris Bortz and Jeff Berding and Councilwoman Laketa Cole and Leslie Ghiz) to grill him about this pot of money, too. Basically, Tarbell, as chairman of council's arts committee, chooses the winners. The four didn't approve.

Some pretty harsh words flowed.

Ghiz and Cole both said they're disgusted. Ghiz tried to get the measure referred back to the arts committee for more discussion, but she and her three colleagues were out-voted.

Still, the debate continued.

John Cranley chimed in with: "Let's cut to the chase. We have several members of council who are angry at Mr. Tarbell." To suggest the process for applying for arts grants was flawed or wrong "is absurd. Nothing is being done secretly."

Ghiz said Cranley's "halo is blinding me over here" and "that you're able to spin anything to make yourself look fabulous."

Mayor Mark Mallory cut her off, stopping the proceedings for a few minutes - to let the high school students who were watching the process go home. He got a few laughs when he said they'd gotten a good look at the legislative process.

After council resumed, David Crowley said he'd never before heard any complaints about the arts grant process. He said it was "unpleasant and unfair attacking the integrity of the vice mayor."

Cole said it's her right to ask questions and she shouldn't be accused of attacking her colleagues for doing so.

In the end, all the agencies in tonight's package got their money. None of them got it unanimously, though. Chris Monzel separated out four - the sign museum, Ballet Tech, Clifton and Madisonville arts centers. Everyone but Ghiz voted for them. The money for the other five passed with six of the nine supporting. Ghiz, Berding and Monzel voted against them.

Then, Berding, Cranley and Mallory made plans to go out to dinner together.

Demolitions, one at a time?

In light of City Manager Milton Dohoney's desire to tear down a bunch of buildings in the city this year, you might find this interesting:

The city bids separately for every single property it wants demolished. Wouldn't that make the process take longer?

Council members Jeff Berding, Laketa Cole and Leslie Ghiz think it probably does. They asked in February for a report from the administration on the possibility of saving time and money by soliciting demolition bids for groups of buildings instead.

Dohoney reported back last week with two ideas:

1. Year-long permits to "pre-qualify" contractors for projects less than $25,000. When a building or group of buildings needed to come down, city officials would seek informal quotes from these contractors, choose the cheapest and request a purchase order. A purchase order takes 24 to 48 hours, compared with an average of 30 days the current way.

The city could even make some money off this one, the report says, by charging a fee for the permit.

2. For projects between $25,000 and $100,000, a new request-for-qualifications (RFQ) process. Demolishers would be chosen based on statements of qualifications they submit and contracts would be awarded to the one with the lowest and best quote.

More costly demolitions, the report recommends, still must be handled by an individual competitive bid process.

The report could be on council's agenda tonight. The administration could start implementing the changes as soon as council approves them.