Hot News!
• Enquirer: No mayor primary? Save $400K
• Enquirer: Mayor race set without primary
• WCPO: Political Blogger Withdraws From Mayor Race
Tweets!
Visit us at Twitter!
On today's date in The Beacon archives, we published:
•City on Hook for F.S. Restaurant (2008)•Bob Kraft, Henry Heimlich’s Spokesperson, Hypes Nazi (2007)
•Debunkify Countdown for July 10th (2006)
•Sleepwalking to Disaster (2006)
Contact Us
v mail: (513) 685-0678
e mail: click here
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Interview with Roxanne Qualls
Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati
Since Roxanne Qualls is the newest member of Council, we wanted to give her a chance to answer some questions about her plans in the next term, and what she brings to City Hall.
The Dean: You were the top vote earner in this last election—and while, on the one hand, you had a few months of incumbency on your side, you were also the only former councilmember to successfully win (beating Charlie Winburn, Sam Malone, Minette Cooper). What message do you feel is the biggest chord you struck with voters, such that they not only brought you back but gave you the number one slot? What is your plan regarding that message?
Roxanne Qualls: My message focused on the opportunity Cincinnati and its neighborhoods have to improve and grow as a result of people having a renewed interest in living in cities, in general, and Cincinnati specifically.
There are a number of reasons for this very positive change. A greater number of young people between the ages of 25 and 34, baby boomers, and many families like urban environments and the amenities that a traditional city offers. These amenities include compact, pedestrian-oriented communities; solid, and in some cases, great architecture; cultural and arts institutions; and great public spaces, such as parks, recreation facilities, and public squares.
This renewed interest has resulted in Cincinnati’s population increasing for the first time in 50 years. This is not unusual. Many traditional cities have seen an increase in population as a result of this and as a result of immigration.
In addition, the increase in gas prices makes commuting more expensive and contributes to the desire to live in closer proximity to work and leisure activities.
And, global climate change and the need to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases highlights the competitive advantage of the denser urban environment found in traditional cities like Cincinnati and in its neighborhoods.
These new conditions provide an opportunity to benefit for every Cincinnati neighborhood and citizen.
I intend to work with the Mayor, the members of council, and the administration to reinforce Cincinnati’s competitive advantages for the purpose of improving our neighborhoods and growing jobs. I will emphasize three areas:
The Fundamentals
Safety is the most fundamental requirement for a healthy person or community. The recent decrease in crime is encouraging and the innovative CIRV initiative must be fully supported and implemented. We must also aggressively pursue getting guns off the street, getting the leadership of violent criminal associations off the street and in jail, and provide job training, employment opportunities, and support services for young men and women who want to be responsible contributing members of our community.
Blight, deterioration, disrepair, graffiti-all the symptoms of abandonment of lack of connection to community, create a rich culture in which crime can take root. Aggressive enforcement of building, fire, and safety codes; penalizing slum landlords and absentee owners where it hurts-their own personal pocket books; these are the minimum antiseptics required to help clean up some of our neighborhoods.
Like any homeowner, we are responsible for maintaining, repairing, and improving the public assets that contribute to and enhance individual and business property values in the city. Our internationally recognized park system, our historic public buildings, our streets and roadways, our recreation centers are our inheritance from Cincinnati’s past citizens and are our legacy to future citizens.
Our Strengths
Our greatest strengths are our people, our central location, and our built environment.
To capitalize on these three aspects of our competitive advantage requires that we:
1. Invest in a transit system that allows people to get from where they are to where they work and play. This means insuring that our bus system is “Best in class.” It also means expanding transit options to include streetcars and rail. This community and region are behind the eight ball when it comes to investing in transit, and it will take a generation to catch-up. But, catch up we must, if we are to be competitive.
2. Maintain and strengthen the compact, pedestrian oriented, mixed-use neighborhoods of our city. This goes beyond reforming the zoning code. It means putting in place form-based codes that reinforce the unique character of our neighborhoods, simplify permitting processes, speed development, all the while reflecting the aspirations and goals of the residents. It means combing through all the codes that impact our existing buildings and, without sacrificing safety, finding those codes that add costs and delays to renovation and rehab.
3. Use the major capital investments the city continues to make in its streets and roads to reinforce the quality of the public realm, and integrate multiple modes of transportation-bicycle, bus, rail, walking.
4. Be prepared to capitalize on the most significant investment in transportation in our lifetime-the rebuild of I-75. This is an opportunity to reconnect downtown to the west side, re-knit together the Mill Creek Valley neighborhoods, and open up developable sites for new Industries-green industries.
Our Environment
We must incorporate in all our efforts a response to the two worldwide realities-the global economy and global climate change.
Competing in the global economy for people of talent and for the jobs in the knowledge economy requires that we recognize that “place matters.”
This means the quality of the built environment matters. We must reinforce the urban nature of our city and neighborhoods by maintaining and creating walkable, transit friendly, high quality places.
It means the quality of the natural environment matters. We must maintain and enhance our existing green infrastructure and use it to cool the city and manage our stormwater.
It means the quality of the social environment matters. People of talent expect to live and work in communities of people who reflect different backgrounds, experiences, lifestyles, and attitudes.
Global climate change is a reality. Arguing about its cause is an excuse for not acting to ameliorate the effects. It is like two people standing in the middle of a burning building and arguing about who lit the match.
The Dean: You have been a very visible Democrat in very recent memory—even hosting a forum at the Oakley Theatre where politicians discussed what it means to be a Democrat. Along those lines, I’d like to ask you what it means to be a member of the Charter Party, especially given your strong ties to the Democrats.
Roxanne Qualls: Membership in the Charter Committee allows one to remain a member of either the Democratic or Republican Parties. As such, I remain a Democrat.
I have always shared a belief as expressed by Charter that the interests of the city and its citizens should transcend partisan politics and narrow interests. I try to make decisions by putting aside my personal preferences and interests, and looking at what would be best in the long-run for the city. I also share with Charter a set of values that I believe are important to the governance of Cincinnati.
* A commitment to a city government that is open and accessible to all citizens
* A commitment to a city government that treats all citizens equitably and fairly
* A commitment to a culture of excellence in the service of the city whether on the part of administrators or elected officials
* A commitment to a culture of responsibility-personal, financial, social, and environmental
The Dean: Some current hot-button issues include The Banks and the Streetcar proposal. Why should an average Cincinnati family care if some young professionals can buy condos downtown and have access to public transportation?
Roxanne Qualls: We should all care whether young professionals and young families can buy condos anywhere in our city and have access to public transportation. The focus on downtown should not be construed that other communities are unimportant. Rather, we know Cincinnati globally competes for talented young professionals who can become the future permanent residents of the city. There is an increasing demand by them, and others, to live in both downtown and near-in neighborhoods. These new citizens will hopefully choose to live in Cincinnati as they grow older. The focus on downtown is understandable because of downtown’s visibility. But, a close examination of population trends will show that neighborhoods, such as Mt. Adams, Oakley, Hyde Park, Madisonville, College Hill, Northside and others are benefiting from this desire to live in urban centers.
Public transportation is an issue of importance for the entire city, not just downtown. No internationally competitive city lacks an efficient and effective public transportation system. Cincinnati does. Metro is only one component of a comprehensive system. As gas prices continue to increase, and as the pressures of global climate change impose new regulations and costs, people will want and need alternatives to the automobile. Cincinnati is already behind many areas of the US. We need to start now to build an integrated system of public transportation to serve our citizens.
The Dean: In your answers to the NAACP voter guide, you said you support proportional representation. Often, critics say that politicians are unlikely to work to change the system once it elects them. What are you doing to pursue election reform?
Roxanne Qualls: In response to the NAACP questionnaire I responded, “ I have been a supporter of proportional representation and was very involved in the attempt to restore PR in the 1990’s. It is a system that insures representation. I tend not to favor districts because it can lead to very parochial representation.” In fact, during the 1991 campaign to restore PR, my campaign volunteers collected signatures to make sure PR got on the ballot.
PR was defeated. The voters spoke.
A major criticism of campaigns has been that the cost of campaigning presents too high a threshold for many good potential candidates. In response to that criticism I was a sponsor during my prior term as Mayor of capping the amount of money individuals and PACs could contribute and of limiting the total amount of money candidates could spend on their campaigns. The former was passed; the latter held unconstitutional.
The traditional objection to the at-large system is that neighborhood-based candidates or candidates unconnected from the established economic and social power structure cannot win. A review of Cincinnati’s election history since 1991 will demonstrate that the trend is actually in the direction of the system becoming more accessible. In part, this is due to the city’s demographic changes finally impacting electoral outcomes. These trends combined with candidates who understand electoral campaigns will result in further changes to council’s make-up.
Although I don’t see the need for PR to be as pressing as it once was, I do feel that it is a superior voting system. I most likely will support any well organized effort to put PR on the ballot and pass it. The priority for my time, however, will remain achieving an effective transportation system, an infrastructure that addresses the needs of the 21st Century, and economic development for all citizens of the city.
• Share This Article!
Listen to this article
|  |
Register
Anonymous comments are allowed, but you can create an account above to stamp your name and to avoid typing the anti-spam code.
If you are not familiar with our rules for leaving comments, click here! The Cincinnati Beacon is not responsible for the contents of any comments. Comments do not represent the views of the moderators of The Cincinnati Beacon.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
03 Jan 2008 at 07:17 pm | #
“What message do you feel is the biggest chord you struck with voters, such that they not only brought you back but gave you the number one slot?”
You might have missed the Enquirer’s reporting that her campaign targeted people who hadn’t voted for her (recent registrants). So, the idea that the voters “brought her back” really doesn’t comport with what her own campaign sought to do.
04 Jan 2008 at 02:59 pm | #
Dean!
Do you accept all that same-o bull?
For instance she is against voting districts because it might cause parochial thinking? Duh! How is that different from what has existed and exists today?
Just what is parochial thinking? Is it different from the views of Cincinnati’s “leaders” in their thinking toward our neighbors , say, on the other side of the river? Is it any different than Cincinnati-myopia?
What might happen in these districts (aka parishes) is that power will migrate to the people to the level that they will resist the manipulation that they have been subjected to by the two (three?) major parties.
And when I read between the line I see another politician pandering to whites at the expense of blacks and the poor. She will deal with the “problem” by doing whatever is needed to attract the wealthier but do nothing to reduce the wealth disparity that exist and is the real cause of the “problems”. The point to building owners as being the problem not unlike Hitler pointing to the Jews as being the problem. They allow, tolerate and to some extent promote wealth disparity and when the poor can’t or won’t accept the values of the wealthier, they tear down houses that the poor can afford so they have to move from the area. It sort of reminds me of the tactics employed by Cincinnati to build the expressways.
Qualls got very wealthy being mayor of Cincinnati; check out her financial statements when she first entered politics.
We need changes in Cincinnati, but Qualls ain’t gonna make them happen.
05 Jan 2008 at 08:51 am | #
Deiter #2: “For instance she is against voting districts because it might cause parochial thinking?
Roxy: “I tend not to favor districts because it can lead to very parochial representation.”
She said exactly why she does not favor voting districts.
Deiter#2: “Is it different from the views of Cincinnati’s “leaders” in their thinking toward our neighbors , say, on the other side of the river?”
Are you referring to anything specific here? In fact, you make so many unsubstantiated assumptions here, that it’s near impossible to decipher what you are trying to say. I do believe you are the first to compare her to Hitler; which is hysterical, given her liberal leanings.
05 Jan 2008 at 07:14 pm | #
JFD!
Because they ( Cincinnati leaders, past and present) use a common tactic which was used by Hitler is not necessarily a mutually exclusive trait of liberals.
Is there a difference between parochial thinking and parochial representation?
If you might recall early on in Mallory’s term, he made a special promise claiming that he would work hard to work with those cities in Kentucky. I think that speaks for itself.
And there a more subtle clues. Pick a point downtown and look for signs showing the way to Newport or Covington. There are a few but I would bet you would be hard pressed to find them. I guess it might be considered consistent with the way that Cincinnati would not allow bridges to be aligned with downtowns north-south streets.
In any case, parochial acts will not be eliminated or even phased by PR voting.
06 Jan 2008 at 01:24 pm | #
Deiter
Parochial thinking, is simply a localized group of people doing what is best for them, and is not necessarily a bad thing. When one group does what’s best for them while knowing that action, is detrimental to all around them, is where it crosses the line into unethical behavior. As it applies to the interplay between Cincinnati, Covington and Newport, clearly our neighbors across the river have crossed that line. Covington and Newport have systematically engaged in an effort to eradicate the homeless and those in need from their cities. The key word here is eradicate, and not integrate. Covington last year outlawed any new homeless shelters and embarked on code enforcement with a fine tooth comb, to eliminate the then existing ones; now they have none. When confronted with a homeless person, the Covington police are instructed to send them to Cincinnati. It makes your complaint about road signs to KY seem rather absurd by comparison. It also confirms what I have said about CityLink, and the detrimental effect it’s size will have. If they build it, not only will those in need come, but they will be sent here in droves.
06 Jan 2008 at 04:42 pm | #
JFD!
On the issue of Covington and the homeless, I didn’t realize that the police are instructed to send the homeless to Cincinnati. Have you some facts on this subject.
Coincidently, the issue of the homeless has me irate and I have been telling restaurants that I will not eat in Covington anymore and I am pressuring others to stay away from the wine and cigarette store under I75. Their prices are good and I would appreciate it someone can tell me of another store that is as cheap outside of Covington.
Back to the parochial issue, parochial thinking is a natural human trait and PR will not change it. Every government district has parochial thinking, so why is it different with district elections? Cincinnati (the people not city hall) needs to return the government to the people for the simple reason of accountability, but also to let the people feel like the government belongs to them. The responsibility for government still resides with the people and if the people can’t exhibit responsible behaviour, then maybe they deserve the Cincinnati they have.
07 Jan 2008 at 01:19 am | #
Dean, thanks for posting this interview. This is the kind of reporting I would like to see more of. I guess it was a written question and answer, not verbal? The answers are pretty lengthy, but not much back and forth.
mike@citykin