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On today's date in The Beacon archives, we published:
•Some guys with a cornhole song (2007)•Still Chasing The Enquirer’s “Facts” (2007)
•Racial Descriptors at The Enquirer (2007)
•Building Power Statewide: How It Happens Now and How It Could Happen (2006)
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Thursday, July 13, 2006
Todd Portune Sets Melva Gweyn’s Broken Record Straight
Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati
Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune issued the following public response to Melva Gweyn’s recent pro-Heimlich tirade. Say what you will about Westside politics or Melva Gweyn, but this letter (and its associated documents) shows that this woman speaks too soon and misrepresents people when convenient for her position. (In case anyone is wondering, the following email was published with Todd Portune’s permission, and the attachments per his request.)
Dear Ms. Gweyn:
Thank you for your e-mail of July 12, 2006. Unfortunately you have misrepresented my position on this issue. You wrote that, “Two of the three commissioners have decided to not hold the meeting in Westwood but move it instead to the downtown Commissioners office.” I did no such thing and I would appreciate it if you would kindly circulate an e-mail to those who received yours of July 12, 2006 and correctly advise them of such.
I do not believe holding hearings at the Commissioners’ office is appropriate and did not say so. After I first broke the logjam over whether there would be hearings at all by voicing my support for Commissioner Heimlich’s right to schedule a public hearing on his proposal when we last met June 26th, I was next apprised of the fact that a further dispute between Commissioner Heimlich and Commissioner DeWine had erupted over the scheduling of those hearings when Administrator Thompson wrote that Commissioner Heimlich wanted the hearings in Sycamore Township and Westwood and Commissioner DeWine wanted them both downtown at our offices.
In an effort to bridge the differences between the two and to strike a compromise I wrote the attached response to Mr. Thompson wherein I proposed that we have the two hearings out in the community at easy to get to and centrally located venues with plenty of free parking. I did not, as you assert, propose to hold the meetings at our commissioners’ offices.
I would appreciate it if you would please accurately represent my position before you ask others to attack me for it.
I am afraid that the issue of what to build and how to build it will only get more difficult if the emotional fires over the issue continue to be stoked in this manner. Instead I would encourage us all to first, not fight over the location of a hearing, and second, to create the kind of environment that is conducive to the Commission doing the right thing, the right way and in a way that answers the question for a long time to come. So far neither proposal, nor the Voorhis Report, does that. We still have a lot of work to do together and I would prefer that it be done in a way that has our Board working together instead of working at cross purposes with one another.
The answer though has to be an answer that confirms that the job will get done and that we have enough money to both operate the jail and to introduce all of the appropriate measures that leave us the best guarantee that those who come into our custody are less likely to commit crimes again once they leave.
Thank you for your consideration of this request and I appreciate in advance your assistance and cooperation.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Todd Portune
P.S. As you are also aware I also led the effort at trying to promote a greater uniformed officer presence on the streets in the form of bringing Sheriff’s Patrol deputies into city neighborhoods in a cooperative fashion to work side by side with Cincinnati Police. I have provided copies of two letters above that encouraged the Sheriff to do that starting over a year ago. Those represent only the most recent effort at doing so. I first worked out an arrangement with the Sheriff to commence patrols inside Cincinnati in December 2002 and his deputies began patrols that month. Their efforts were discontinued as the Board majority repealed my joint effort with the Sheriff in early 2003.
As for the jail I committed to building a jail expansion and called for the same to take place over two years ago. As the minority member I have had no control over the scheduling of the issue or the speed at which it has been advanced.
Attachments:
*Sherrif’s Patrols in Western Communities
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14 Jul 2006 at 12:05 am | #
Hamilton County doesn’t know what to do with an honest politician like Todd Portune who doesn’t have to play politics, he merely uses his heart and his brain and does the right thing by the community. I have worked with, and against, politicians all over the state for over ten years now as an advocate for families. The (old) Democrats in Cleveland hate me as much as the (current)Republicans in Cincinnati. The public is only beginning to recognize the moral and ethical values of men like Portune ( the first Democrat I ever voted for, and have never regretted) and the parade of new generation Democrats running for office in this county and in this state. Bring ‘em home Portune! Bring ‘em home.
14 Jul 2006 at 06:14 am | #
Portune said: “As you are also aware I also led the effort at trying to promote a greater uniformed officer presence on the streets in the form of bringing Sheriff’s Patrol deputies into city neighborhoods in a cooperative fashion to work side by side with Cincinnati Police. I have provided copies of two letters above that encouraged the Sheriff to do that starting over a year ago.”
And you would think that Melva and her other caring for the greater community of Cincinnati would have been all over Heimlich when Heimlich let this issue die while people were being raped and robbed and murdered on their way to work.
Westwood concern doesn’t seem at all concerned about this community. It seems concerned about keeping puppet Republicans (Like Heimlich) in power. And they have truly screwed us over the years. Melva should take her head out of the elephant’s ass. Whenever she gets done talking she seems to be the one covered in dung.
Hey Bearman, can we get a cartoon of that one?
14 Jul 2006 at 06:33 am | #
Mr. Portune writes a good letter.
I went to the link, presumably, provided by blog-owner Jason. I found nothing that says the recipient woman specifically identified which two of the three county commisioners cancelled the neighborhood meeting. I could probably jump to the conclusion that because the cancellation is claimed by Portune as not his doing , that he was not the bad guy.
Actually, the conduct of the commissioners leaves a lot to be desired. I happen to find Portune to be the least offensive. I think that the structure of three commissioners and the process in which they are elected needs to be changed. We need more complete and more objective scrutiny of these three persons. We need accountability and transparentcy.
We could have done without Jason’s remarks, in presenting this letter, that were obviously biased against the woman recipient. Jason should apply for a job with the Enquirer.
14 Jul 2006 at 06:48 am | #
Dieter, learn how to read. The letter says Heimlich scheduled Westwood, then Melva says the other two wanted it downtown.
14 Jul 2006 at 07:40 am | #
Show me where you have this posted in Melva Gweyn’s recent pro-Heimlich tirade .
click here
14 Jul 2006 at 08:00 am | #
Whatever, dieter. Read the strand. It ends with an entire email from Gweyn. Here is the second paragraph, and then some:
14 Jul 2006 at 11:08 am | #
Heimlich can have Westwood… Thank goodness they won’t be endorsing Pepper in the elections… That’s what lost him the election for Mayor.
Westwood concerned? Melva G. & Phil Heimlich… what a team! Yikes!