Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati

Photo courtesy of here.

Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper has unveiled a new blog entitled ”PepTalk." (Get it?  “Pep” is from Pepper!) I totally support this kind of access to the unfiltered thinking of community leaders, and I think Pepper’s blog is a great model for what more local politicians should do to foster deep discussions about the direction of our community.  Already, PepTalk has established a tone that suggests Pepper will not use the space for campaign propaganda, but for showcasing real issues facing our region. 

In a piece entitled ”Coastal Confusion,” Pepper responds to a recent email distributed by Citizens Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes.  What I like about the piece is how it engages a discussion with political adversaries, in public, without the filter of The Enquirer.  Citizens can make more informed decisions about what’s going on when they can have direct access to source material.

In ”Mayoral Power,” Pepper weighs in on the recent debate about restructuring our City’s strong mayor system.  That might not be directly related to his work as a County Commissioner, but as a one-time high-profile mayoral candidate, his opposition to ideas posted by Jeff Berding certainly seem worth consideration.

Like with any new blogging endeavor, it will be interesting to see Pepper’s staying power.  It can take awhile to establish a blog, to gain readership, and to earn active comments.  (Too often, people mistake high comments with high readership, but in my experience some of our most read and most effective pieces had less comments than others!)

As with anything, if Pepper continues blogging, his blog will grow in readership, and even influence.  I’m eager to see how this thing develops!

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