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Wednesday, July 18, 2007
The Record of Cincinnati City Council - Part I: The Sales Tax Petition
Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati
Guest article by T. Lawrence Gragston, Jr.
This past Saturday at the Buzz Barbecue, several city council candidates were present talking to voters and collecting signatures so that they may get on the ballot to run for Cincinnati City Council. I took this opportunity to approach several of the candidates and ask them about their positions on the sales tax petition recently headed by the Cincinnati Branch of the NAACP and supported by a broad coalition of other organizations.
The first person I asked was Minette Cooper, who I supported during her second term of Council ten years ago (but I won’t support this coming election). Former Councilmember Cooper stated that she did not have a problem with people circulating and signing the petitions, however, she stated that she was advised not to answer any questions concerning her position on the sales tax petition.
The second person I asked was another former Councilmember, Sam Malone. For Councilman Malone stated that he did not think that his position on the sales tax position was an issue! I was blown away by this response. I began to ask myself, “Why is it that I cannot get an answer out of a City Council Candidate in reference to their position on the sales tax petition?”
Buzz talk show personality Ken Anderson asked current Councilmember Cecil Thomas if he supported the sales tax petition on air. Instead of being a leader and discussing his position on the sales tax petition, Councilmember Thomas laughed at the question and walked away from the Buzz tent! This was no surprise to me; in 2006, not only did Councilmember Thomas author a resolution supporting a sales tax increase for the construction of a new jail in Hamilton County (source), all 9 current Councilmembers (with the approval of Mayor Mark Mallory), supported a resolution urging the Hamilton County Commission to take all necessary steps to build and construct a new jail facility as soon as feasible! (source).
No wonder City Councilmembers and candidates refuse to take a position on the sales tax petition! The current Cincinnati City Council has already passed two resolutions in support of County Commissioners Portune and Pepper’s quest to build a new jail in Hamilton County, even if it means raising the citizens’ taxes without their vote! Cincinnati City Councilmembers and candidates should be forced by the voters to answer tough questions, such as “Did you support the sales tax petition?” before we cast our votes for them in November. Our votes are precious and should not be taken for granted by any politician or political party.
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18 Jul 2007 at 09:07 am | #
If one really looks at the issue John Eby is the only one that has actually taken a stand on the jail issue. Now that it looks like it’s going to be on the ballot everyone is going to have to line up on the issue so let’s just remember who set the trend in the answers you’re going to hear.
18 Jul 2007 at 09:44 am | #
Some candidates will not take a stand. They will fear ostracizing voters, or contradicting their party.
18 Jul 2007 at 09:44 am | #
Also, is there audio of Thomas walking away from the mic? I’d love to post it!
18 Jul 2007 at 09:49 am | #
Dean, I’m sure the Buzz has it on audio (getting it from them may be another story though.)
18 Jul 2007 at 12:06 pm | #
Cecil Thomas is a dope on crime. He was handed the marijuana ordinance that David Pepper couldn’t get passed while on Council but still supports. This time a majority on council passed the draconian drug law despite the fact that there was a lot of public opposition and no public support for it.
Even Todd Portune tried to stop city council from passing the ordinance which according to him and the judges he’s spoken with is “inappropriate, unnecessary and a major cause of overcrowding in the Jail.” Despite having a Democratic majority on council Portune failed to get them to stop causing a major problem in our criminal justice system.
There’s a council race going on but instead of making it an issue and trying to get council to fix the major problem they are causing,Portune and Pepper are only focused on how they can stiffle the will of the voters that collected a monumental amount of signatures to give voters a voice in just 45 days. Just look at the kind of priorities these Democrats have. They don’t represent the people.
There were 577 white people arrested from the laws inception up until May 10th. In that same time period 3,644 black people were locked up despite the fact that studies show usage is about the same between blacks and whites.
Democrats like Cecil Thomas, Jeff Berding, John Cranley and Laketa Cole all voted to be part of this problem. Republicans like Chris Bortz, Leslie Ghiz and Chris Monzel supported this legislation as well.
Council candidates need to answer these and other questions or they aren’t worth voting for. The jail tax effects every Cincinnatian and is a good measuring stick to see if candidates believe in representing the will of the public or if they think they are suddenly the “experts” or the “deciders” that only need to worry about lobbyists and special interests.
I will not vote for any candidate that thinks they shouldn’t have to take positions on the important matters of the day. If council candidates will play games before they are elected just think how bad they will be once elected to council. They get comfortable with the power of incumbency, but there’s a real good cure for that.
VOTE THE BUMS OUT!
18 Jul 2007 at 01:41 pm | #
Cooper and Malone’s answers are some of the dumbest I’ve ever heard from a candidate. And I say that as someone who likes Malone. That’s a dumb answer on his part. Both of them should be able to state where they stand on an issue.
Here’s what I know:
Supported our right to vote - Chris Monzel, Andre Harper, Christopher Smitherman, Michael Earl Patton, Steve Pavelish
Opposed our right to vote - Cecil Thomas, Leslie Ghiz, Jeff Berding, John Cranley, John Eby, Pat Fischer, David Crowley
18 Jul 2007 at 02:16 pm | #
The sales tax ballot initiative is a Hamilton County issue and while the City is effected, it is not within their jurisdiction.
As a candidate, why would I want waste my time by debating the issue? The petition drive was closing and reported to have enough signatures to submit while overcoming invalid entries and still force an election issue.
As a candidate, I would rather address those things a City Councilmember has the ability to change, modify or create to support my vision. Not, what other bodies of government are doing.
Regardless of one’s feeling on the issue, it has become a lighting rod and divisive enough to stay clear from. The Commissioners acted well within their ordained powers and subsequently, the residents have done the same.
18 Jul 2007 at 02:49 pm | #
Non Sequitur:
I agree that the sales tax increase is a County issue. However, by your own admission, the sales tax increase would affect citizens of this City and that’s why it’s important for City Councilmembers and Candidates to take a stance on this issue.
18 Jul 2007 at 03:17 pm | #
non sequitur, these candidates will likely have to vote on the jail tax just as everybody else will. As a candidate they are making their case for why we should elect them. These are the kinds of questions that help voters get a sense of how they make decisions and if those decisions line up with our positions as voters.
You aren’t a candidate are you? As a candidate you might not want to answer a lot of tough questions but that’s tough shit. You’re running for public office, these questions are perfectly good and relevent. Council makes (bad)decisions that affect the overcrowding in our jails and they have to work with the county. We need to know where they stand on important issues in order to know if we trust their judgement on important issues.
We’re not satisfied with stump speeches and commercials. We have questions and if they want our votes they need to answer the questions or they won’t get our votes.
Nice work T. Lawrence Gragston, Jr. Keep it up!
Just because what Portune and Pepper did is legal doesn’t make it right.
19 Jul 2007 at 02:59 pm | #
Besides people complaining about the tax, what else does anyone suggest we do? We need to build a jail, everyone complains there is no progress, so when 2 politicians make progress, people complain too.
Stop complaining without coming up with a solution.
And let’s get real here. Unless we stand for better public education and universal health care, the poor will always be demoralized. Demoralized people are more likely to say “what the f**k” and commit crimes, get on drugs.
19 Jul 2007 at 09:53 pm | #
The Dean of Cincinnati says:
18 Jul 2007 at 09:44 am | #
Some candidates will not take a stand. They will fear ostracizing voters, or contradicting their party.
You are correct but you bring up an issue: political parties at a city level.
Why do we need political parties at the city level in the first place? They are counter-democratic. They undermine the election process especially in the judicial races in which many run unopposed.
A more democratic process where districts elect their own representative would undermine the influence of the two or three major parties and bring the government closer to the people and give the people more power as well as access to the government.
I hear only one objection that the districts would be parochial? Haven’t we got that now? Only it is not the people that can have narrow views, it is the wealthy and empowered views that have their views heard to retain the status quo and manipulate and exploit the masses.
Dieter
19 Jul 2007 at 10:05 pm | #
James #10!
Where do you get : “We need to build a jail,...”.
We don’t need to build any stinkin jail! Los Angeles had that type of thinking 20 years again and it did no good. You need to get out of the dark ages.
Your apparent solution sucks to the extent that no solution is better than yours.
I don’t know why people like you have to live in a country that claims to value liberty and have people like you make a mockery of liberty. You, like the stupid city council, would have, everyman that did not live like you all think they should live, in jail. Remove all of the immunity that government enjoys so that citizens can sue more easily for wrongful arrests and criminal charges and we would have a lot of free beds in our present jails.
Dieter
20 Jul 2007 at 06:33 am | #
Thanks for the information. Once upon a time I was a nonchalant voter. It didn’t matter who ran for office because I never voted for anyone unless I liked him/her. I would show up to vote for issues. Now that I am fully awake and seeing the atrocities forced upon me as a voter, I will make damn sure to vote only for those who have a clue. Thoma, Cooper and all the others who listen to the democrapic partly bosses instead of the voters who put their sorry asses in office need to go. If a politician refuses to take a stance on an issue or discuss it, he or she does not deserve any attention. The republicans who refuse to support the voters need to go too.
21 Jul 2007 at 07:38 am | #
OK it looks as if this will go to a vote. I’ll be voting for it because I still believe that through these social programs that maybe we can turn the tide of crime in our community. But what if it fails? What do we do then?
If it fails then we must look at why are we spending so much on criminals??? I say downsize. You ever see the movie Cool Hand Luke? You know where they live in longhouses, no AC, an outhouse, and who can forget the cooler? During the day just have them break rocks. How about weed the highways, pick up the litter along the river, work, work, work, work from sun-up to sundown. Total chaingang. Every night they go back to their longhouses and eat eggs, greens, peanuts, etc… Hey what will keep someone from doing a crime in Hamilton County? T.V. and three full meals a day or chaingang?
The cost will take care of itself. Few dudes with shotguns, a few bloodhounds, longhouses made of plywood and a sheriff that knows how to say “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” Hey, what if we change the safty plan all together to just include helping the children of Hamilton County. I mean they have big problems in the jobs and family sevices division. Place all the money into helping the next generation stay off the chaingangs and lets just chaingang the adults that are now in the system. I believe a few dips on a chaingang would probably cure them anyway.
What do you all think? I have to go to work with a aching frinkin back… what the hell am I so worried about criminals laboring hard for the crime that they commit anyway?
I can hear them now… “Can you hear them saying, eooooo ahhhhh eooooo ahhhhhh...... don’t you know? That’s the sound of the men working on the chaingaaaaang. Yes that’s the sound of the men working on the chain.... gang!”
21 Jul 2007 at 10:08 am | #
One cannot, because most of the people in jail haven’t been convicted of anything. So they sit on their hands.
This is one of the biggest causes of jail “over-crowding,” maybe even the biggest cause. Last year the Enquirer analyzed those in the county jail who had been arrested because of a felony. 89% of them were waiting for a court date. That, to me, is a scandal. Let’s re-evaluate the bail requirements, get a couple more judges, move the cases along, release those found innocent, send those guilty of serious crimes to state prison, and let those guilty of non-serious crimes get treatment and work off their sentences.
This is a problem that Portune has not addressed.
21 Jul 2007 at 05:28 pm | #
Another thing they could do is use night courts. Plenty of people get arrested after 4:00, but it doesn’t mean they need to spend the night in jail waiting for court to reopen in the morning. Many of them, once they see the judge, will be able to post bail and leave.
There’s no sense in those people spending the night just waiting for a judge. Send them to night court and let them post their bail and be on their way. That alone could free up a lot of beds per night.