Cincinnati – At 1pm today, Mayor Mark Mallory announced that he will appoint Council Member David Crowley as Cincinnati's next Vice Mayor. In Crowley, Mayor Mallory chose a principled leader who shared his vision for Cincinnati and would be a strong advocate to carry out that agenda on City Council. Crowley, who has served on Council for almost six years, will replace Jim Tarbell whose resignation is effective September 3rd.I'm not clear if Crowley will retain the title after the November election.
“David is the perfect choice for Cincinnati,” Mayor Mallory said. “He is a man of principal who is unafraid to stand up for what he believes. Crowley will be a strong partner in advancing my vision for Cincinnati.”
Crowley is running for re-election for his fourth and final term and is eager to begin working in his new role. "I have big shoes to fill, Jim Tarbell has done a fantastic job as a Council Member and as Vice Mayor. I am however, truly excited about the opportunity to continue to serve our great city in this expanded capacity,” said Crowley.
“I want to thank Mayor Mallory for his confidence in me and this opportunity to further serve the citizens of Cincinnati. I intend to work closely with him—as a team—on an agenda that continues the resurgence we are seeing in Cincinnati. I have a lot of experience with this town, I know the great potential we have because I’ve seen it first hand,” he added.
Crowley looks forward to continuing the close working relationship he has had with Mayor Mallory over the last two years. Highlights include working together on a budget that preserved funding for swimming pools, health centers, human services programming, and the Human Relations Commission. Additionally they combined to create the Office of Environmental Quality, which recently hired a new director and began work on strategies to reduce the City’s energy usage.
Council member Crowley intends to be a Vice Mayor who projects the positive. He acknowledges there are problems but will recognize the efforts of the many good people throughout the City who volunteer their time and work on a daily basis to make Cincinnati better. “I want to let them know that their efforts are appreciated. It is not always those who get the attention who are making a difference—I want to work closely with those who are making a contribution and making a difference.” He said.
Mayor Mallory and soon to be Vice Mayor Crowley will focus on issues that strengthen and grow Cincinnati, including improving public safety, investing in our neighborhoods, expanding economic opportunities for all, and ensuring a healthier environment.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Vice Mayor Crowley
Mayor Mallory has accounced Councilman David Crowley will become Vice-Mayor as Jim Tarbell leaves office. The press announcement:
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Yet Even More Bar News
In what will shock virtually no one, alchemize/decibel lounge is closing its doors. Hipsters are a mighty fickle bunch.
In Other Drinking News
Crowley's celebrates 70 years of drinking. This has been my favorite bar in Mt. Adams since I first starting going up the hill in the mid 1990s. I look forward to 70 more years of drinking and singing along with with Frank songs on the Jukebox.
Fifth & Vine Has Its Own Brew
Check out the Conveyor for my take on the new beer from Christian Moerlein.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Polling Council Races
Polling for Cincinnati City Council is often like reading tea leaves. This week's CityBeat digs into one such poll which shows a weak spot for at least a couple of incumbents.
I think this poll is going to lull some candidates into a false sense of security. Cole and Winburn top that list. They both appear to be trying to appeal to both the Black community and the Westside. You can win if you get votes from both camps, but those camps make for conflicting positions on issues.
I wonder who paid for this poll. The article indicates it was paid for by certain candidates. That would logically indicate that the results would be skewed to prior election results and demographics as well as to the voter base of the candidates paying for it. Since Ghiz appears to have confirmed her campaign was one of those paying for it, I would surmise this is a GOP poll. This is why I think Winburn did so well.
The article points out that this poll was conducted prior to the Qualls appointment, so the details of the poll are moot, but the trend of vulnerable incumbents is still likely valid.
As of now I only see two locks and one near lock on council seats: Cranley and Qualls are locks, with Crowley nearly a lock. The other six seats are not locked in the least. There are many candidates who could slide into one of those six spots. It is possible that Cole and Winburn fall short. They more than likely will win, but they will both need to campaign for it, not just go through the motions. Winburn will have the money to, will Cole?
Ghiz, Monzel, Berding, Bortz and Thomas all could easily lose. I would say at least two of the three will. Who else gets on council? Here is where the candidates who run the most vocal and solid campaigns get the edge. Harris, Bates, and Kaup have the potential. Smitherman likely will fade from his attention in this poll. Cooper could ride her name into office if the turnout goes her way. It will be a big fight and I see it getting nasty.
If there are campaign staffers out there reading this, please make sure you provide sources when you "lead" dirt on your opponents. What ever blog or journalist you give them will most likely not post anything about it without some support for its validity.
I think this poll is going to lull some candidates into a false sense of security. Cole and Winburn top that list. They both appear to be trying to appeal to both the Black community and the Westside. You can win if you get votes from both camps, but those camps make for conflicting positions on issues.
I wonder who paid for this poll. The article indicates it was paid for by certain candidates. That would logically indicate that the results would be skewed to prior election results and demographics as well as to the voter base of the candidates paying for it. Since Ghiz appears to have confirmed her campaign was one of those paying for it, I would surmise this is a GOP poll. This is why I think Winburn did so well.
The article points out that this poll was conducted prior to the Qualls appointment, so the details of the poll are moot, but the trend of vulnerable incumbents is still likely valid.
As of now I only see two locks and one near lock on council seats: Cranley and Qualls are locks, with Crowley nearly a lock. The other six seats are not locked in the least. There are many candidates who could slide into one of those six spots. It is possible that Cole and Winburn fall short. They more than likely will win, but they will both need to campaign for it, not just go through the motions. Winburn will have the money to, will Cole?
Ghiz, Monzel, Berding, Bortz and Thomas all could easily lose. I would say at least two of the three will. Who else gets on council? Here is where the candidates who run the most vocal and solid campaigns get the edge. Harris, Bates, and Kaup have the potential. Smitherman likely will fade from his attention in this poll. Cooper could ride her name into office if the turnout goes her way. It will be a big fight and I see it getting nasty.
If there are campaign staffers out there reading this, please make sure you provide sources when you "lead" dirt on your opponents. What ever blog or journalist you give them will most likely not post anything about it without some support for its validity.
The Banks Going Bust?
Kevin Osborne from CityBeat has the latest on the Banks project and to no one's surprise, the developers want more money and more time to finish the project.
OK, I am ready to give up on it. I want the park to be built, but I don't see that there will be any benefit to building a new neighborhood from scratch. It will not be done for decades. Let's take that money and build up Downtown, Over-the-Rhine and the rest of the urban core that can be restored quickly. Buildings and entire blocks of OTR can be restored for far less money in a matter of a couple of years. Give the Money to 3CDC to bring more residents to existing neighborhood blocks. More residents bring more retail which brings more jobs. The people pushing for the Banks at this point are exurbanites who want a place to go spend a few hours before and after the Bengals/Reds games. It is not worth millions of public dollars to give non-county residents a twice a year place to drink beer.
OK, I am ready to give up on it. I want the park to be built, but I don't see that there will be any benefit to building a new neighborhood from scratch. It will not be done for decades. Let's take that money and build up Downtown, Over-the-Rhine and the rest of the urban core that can be restored quickly. Buildings and entire blocks of OTR can be restored for far less money in a matter of a couple of years. Give the Money to 3CDC to bring more residents to existing neighborhood blocks. More residents bring more retail which brings more jobs. The people pushing for the Banks at this point are exurbanites who want a place to go spend a few hours before and after the Bengals/Reds games. It is not worth millions of public dollars to give non-county residents a twice a year place to drink beer.
Battle of the Network Weeklies
I didn't know this before I arrived to check out Game Show Night (every Wednesday on Fountain Square), but I was to witnessr a grudge match of epic proportions as CityBeat faced off against arch rival Cin Weekly.
In a hard fought battle of Fountain Square Family Feud, the CityBeat Team soundly defeated the Cin Weekly Team. It wasn't really close.
Lots of thinking went into each question. Some of the answers were clever. On naming local beers one person answered "Pabst." On the other team one player came up with the classic answer to naming a dish soap: "cheese." Yes, that contestant had made several trips to the beer booth.
As a neutral observer, I can attest that both teams had fun. I didn't hear about any trash talk, but I was certainly hoping for some. Let's hope we can see a rematch soon. I would like to see the editors square off in a battle of trivia.
Club Nightmare
Another person was murdered near Club Dream in OTR early this morning. This isn't the first time this has happened. Exactly three weeks ago in nearly the same place at nearly the same time, an employee of Club Dream was murdered.
What is the problem here? Who is running this club on Wednesday nights? What type of atmosphere is being created to attract this type of violence? Why isn't the club hiring security, and when I say security I mean off duty police officers, not a big guy who can fight. What Club Dream must do is stop catering to criminals. Keep out the drug dealers (or the wanna be dealers).
UPDATE: The Enquirer has more on the story, including the identity of the victim: 22 year old Bryan Couch, of Western Hills.
What is the problem here? Who is running this club on Wednesday nights? What type of atmosphere is being created to attract this type of violence? Why isn't the club hiring security, and when I say security I mean off duty police officers, not a big guy who can fight. What Club Dream must do is stop catering to criminals. Keep out the drug dealers (or the wanna be dealers).
UPDATE: The Enquirer has more on the story, including the identity of the victim: 22 year old Bryan Couch, of Western Hills.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
New Blog in Town
We have yet another new Cincinnati based blog. It is billed as a "Blurg," which I guess is defined in the About Page. Does the About page really need to include a swipe at me? (Cough, Cough)
Joe Wessels: Justin Jeffre Running
Joe Wessels is reporting that Justin Jeffre is running for city council. I have no idea why he is doing this. This would be the third time he has run for a Cincinnati area public office. His name recognition hasn't been enough for him to make any significant dent in actually getting votes. There are no reports that he will be able to raise any money, so I see this as a replay of his run for Mayor. He still is not on the ballot, so, there is no guarantee he will make the deadline for signatures a week from Friday.
Joe's Post article today will have more on the rest of the field.
UPDATE: Westender brings up a great question on comments: Is Jeffre getting the Green Party Endorsement?
Joe's Post article today will have more on the rest of the field.
UPDATE: Westender brings up a great question on comments: Is Jeffre getting the Green Party Endorsement?
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Midpoint Schedule Is Out
The Midpoint Music Festival has announced the showcase schedule for all bands during the festival.
Mike Breen has more on the conference and pre-parties.
Mike Breen has more on the conference and pre-parties.
Long Tall Cincy
UncleRando asks a good question Is a New Signature Tower Needed here in Cincinnati? I would would parse this question into two distinct parts. First, does the Cincinnati Skyline Needs a new high point? Second, does Cincinnati's office space market needs another skyscraper?
Wendell Young In It To Win It
Joe Wessels is doing great first hand reporting and the news that Wendell Young is not stepping aside for Roxanne Qualls. Read all about it on Joe's blog.
Questions: Will Cooper or Garry be asked to step down? Garry has a team out campaigning and has been visible. I've not seen much from Cooper yet.
Questions: Will Cooper or Garry be asked to step down? Garry has a team out campaigning and has been visible. I've not seen much from Cooper yet.
Monday, August 13, 2007
More Qualls Fallout
Joe Wessels is reporting that the Dems may endorse Roxanne Qualls for Council. That would mean one candidate would not retain that endorsement. Joe reports the rumor that Wendell Young will be stepping down as a candidate. Young was a long shot candidate, who has not be garnishing much attention.
Will a double endorsement help, hurt, or do nothing for Qualls?
Will a double endorsement help, hurt, or do nothing for Qualls?
Art Academy Growing
The Art Academy of Cincinnati is expanding its campus with the recent purchase of the building adjacent to their Jackson St. location. This new building at the corner of 12th and Walnut was most recently owned by Fifth Third Bank.
The article doesn't indicate when this new building will open, but with it the 12th street Arts corridor increases its footprint.
The article doesn't indicate when this new building will open, but with it the 12th street Arts corridor increases its footprint.
Turn Them In
Nothing should be stopping people from turning in the mindless thugs who killed a 19 year old kid and defiled the efforts of hundreds of people to have a day of peace and community building. Solving the violence problem in Cincinnati starts with those who know about this crime (and other like it), turning in the criminals. You don't have a functional community if you don't adhere to the most serious law on the books, murder. Avondale and Evanston are two good communities infested with fear and ignorance that keeps murderers on the streets. I truly hope they are caught quickly.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
It's Roxanne
Roxanne Qualls is the pick to to replace Jim Tarbell on City Council on September 3rd.
Qualls is believed to be a lock now for a council win. This hurts ever incumbent but Cranley, to a degree. Some think Bates, Harris, and Kaup will actually benefit from Qualls' coattails. I don't know if Council Race have significant coattails, but if Charter groups the candidates together, there might be a growing voting block that could help. This will not help Bate or Kaup with money.
Qualls is believed to be a lock now for a council win. This hurts ever incumbent but Cranley, to a degree. Some think Bates, Harris, and Kaup will actually benefit from Qualls' coattails. I don't know if Council Race have significant coattails, but if Charter groups the candidates together, there might be a growing voting block that could help. This will not help Bate or Kaup with money.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Local Business Group Fronted by GOP
You are not going to get much more of a hardline Conservative than Steve Chabot's chief of staff. Chabot's office hasn't been doing anything the last 8 years to promote the City of Cincinnati or Downtown, so I don't see Gary Lindgren doing much to improve Downtown or anywhere in the City.
The CBC should be a group pushing for Street cars and light rail. Will this guy do anything to help that along? I don't know, but expect him not to push for anything that would improve the way of life that doesn't fit a conservative agenda. If I am wrong about that, it will be a welcomed surprise.
The CBC should be a group pushing for Street cars and light rail. Will this guy do anything to help that along? I don't know, but expect him not to push for anything that would improve the way of life that doesn't fit a conservative agenda. If I am wrong about that, it will be a welcomed surprise.
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