The Money

The first money reports have been filed and the usual suspects have the bucks.

I don't remember last time around, but David Crowley has raised a ton of money, but he has little on hand. I would surmise that has to do with debt from the last campaign?

If you are not on this list at all, it will be extremely difficult to even come close to getting on council.

What's New? Nada!

It didn't take long to replace Bella's location and the group behind Boca in Oakley filling it with Nada, an upscale Mexican Restaurant. It will be interesting what they do, or able to do, with the corner patio space. It is a little bit funny in the article to hear Jeff Ruby complaining about competition.

Streetcar Blog: Connect Our Dots

A nice looking niche blog called Connect Our Dots, which has a group of advocates for Streetcars in Cincinnati.

Check it out and I hope to link to their efforts often.

Anyone Know This Guy?

It appears a Cincinnati man named David Zakaryan was charged with possessing a knife while being outside the hotel Sen. Barack Obama was staying at in Iowa.

This story also hit the the Sun Times, but his name was listed as Davit Zakaryn.

Westender: Smitherman's Challenge

Clark Street Blog's Westender summerizes the problem with Chris Smitherman. It is good and can speak for itself.

Kaup Gets 500

Joan Kaup is reportedly the first candidate to have their ballot signatures approved.

Korte's Analysis of Smitherman's Chances

Greg Korte analyzes Chris Smitherman's chances to get elected.

Open Up the YP World

Joe Wessels latest Post column from Saturday delved deeper into the YP world and the problems with those involved. Joe liked my post from last weekend and referenced it in his column and the City Talk radio show from last weekend.

When I listened to the radio show I was floored when one of the guests, YPKC chair Candace Klein, had no idea about the disconnect between native Cincinnatians and the rest of "us". Unless you live in a vacuum, it is most clear that a large portion of those who grew up in Cincinnati don't do much to meet or interact with people who are new to town. Now, this is NOT EVERYONE! I know many native Cincinnatians who are my friends and who do go out of their way to meet new people. It is the type of problem that is very obvious and something I am surprised the YPKC leader either never noticed or is papering over.

One of the goals of YP groups, and especially the YPKC, is to attract more YP "types" to the City. If over half of the people who are in your age bracket just don't care enough to meet anyone outside of their high school or college friends, then how are we going to ultimately improve the YP climate?

Hip HB's Rule 14th Street | The Conveyor

Here's my take on the Heartless Bastard's show in Over-the-Rhine this past Friday.

More Census Disputes

Mayor Mark Mallory is challenging Cincinnati's population estimate from US Census. He believes there are more than 378,000 people in the city, which stems from the Social Contract study.

Are we that large? That is 40,000+ more than the revised census estimate.

His Ego Dwarfs His Brain

Well, it appears Chris Smitherman needs to read the NAACP rules before it tries to hold both an elected public office and a leadership role in the NAACP. Now, this concept is moot, since Smitherman will lose, but it goes to illustrate that he will do what ever it takes to further his personal interests over that of the organization he claims to represent.

Refering to his run for council, Marian Spencer said it best:

Marian Spencer, another longtime chapter member who supported Smitherman in his candidacy to take over the group, said the move would be “inappropriate.”

It is plain as day that Smitherman is in the race to further his own career.

New Blog The 'Nati Life

I've added another blog to blogroll, check out The 'Nati Life.

Smitherman Running For Council

Well, I guess Chris Smitherman has money to waste because he's running for city council again. I will be the first to say that he will not win. Smitherman is out for Smitherman. He just recently fought a harsh and nasty fight for President of the local NAACP, which I guess he feels so strong about that he would quit it in less than a year, if elected. What an ego.

George Zamary Running For Council

Local theatre supporter George Zamary is running for council. George is a lawyer and President of the Know Theatre Board. Starting out in June for a first time candidate is a tough position to be in.

The YP Place to Be in Ohio?

Cincinnati made the top half of 40 of the Forbes Magazine's Best Cities for Young Professionals. I've not read the Forbes article to judge how this ranking was conducted or how we compared in the past on similar type rankings, but the fact we are tops in Ohio and pretty high in the Midwest is good news.

Waiting for the Bus

Council voted to turn down the bus fare increase.

It lost 5-4, but it wasn't a usual suspects split. Anyone know the vote breakdown?

UrbanCincy has more.

Population Debate

The numbers are in and the City of Cincinnati is growing slowly. Slow growth is better than any loss, so we'll take this as a positive. Hamilton County lost 22,677 people last year, so what gives? What is driving people out of places like Reading, Silverton, and Cheviot? Are those communities starting to be too small and have aged facilities unable to keep up with their residents? Is it time for some of them to be annexed by the city? That is an option, but I don't know if it would be a good one for the City or not.

Any info on what is going on with Norwood?

Saving Newspapers?

Gannet and Enquirer seem to believe that the answer to saving newspapers is by getting readers to contribute the content. Well, sure, if you don't have to pay to gather content, you can surely make money. The problem is that you cease being a news outlet and become more of a vanity publication, where readers go to read their own work.

The problem I see with all local mainstream news outlets is that they are no longer in the business of gathering news. They thrive on channeling press releases, but don't put enough resources into shoe leather. If you are going to be a news outlet, you must get original and independent news.

What I hear the Enquirer saying is that they are out to create a flashy message board. I don't mind message boards. This blog is a form of a message board. Message Boards are not credible news outlets.

Tavern Wench Concert Review

JenJen at Tavern Wench reviews the Ben Folds/John Mayer concert.

Hmmmmmmm

I am sorry I missed this ENJOY THE ARTS event at the CAC. What is funny is that if you read the article you would think the YP Kitchen Cabinet had something to do with the event. I wonder how many volunteers that organization provided. I know ENJOY THE ARTS had a full team there working very hard.