Cold Turkey Closed

Cold Turkey, which I had previously raved about, has closed, seemingly for good.

Two friends and I were on our way there for lunch, and were greeted at the door by a "closed" sign and a rather dejected-looking owner. Apparently, the restaurant isn't closing because of lack of business, but instead because of a dispute with the building's owner. Cold Turkey's owner was obviously disappointed, particularly since business--including their catering business--had been doing quite well.

I'm sorry to see Cold Turkey go. It's exactly the kind of restaurant downtown needs. It was priced affordably, but served good enough food to appeal to professionals on lunch. It was also interesting enough between the late hours, the local art on the walls, and the live acoustic music to attract an eclectic clientele.

I hope that Cold Turkey's owners are able to recover enough of their investment to try again downtown soon. I'll certainly do whatever I can to promote a new venture here.

UC Now the Best College Football Team in Ohio

Well, at least according to the newest AP ranking. (Griff, aren't you glad I resisted the urge to post UC's alma mater after yesterday's game?)

Sorry, Buckeyes.

The Bearcats now have almost two weeks to get ready for what might be their toughest opponent so far this year, a very scrappy USF team that beat Florida State last week.

People Not To Vote For

For anyone who cares about developing the City or the Region, here are people you DO NOT want to vote for. This link is of course the COAST endorsements and it includes Wenstrup for Mayor, which is not a surprise, but on the other hand it only includes two for city council: Monzel and Winburn. That goes to show that signing COAST's pledge is not worth much and likely will cost votes for Ghiz, Murray, Ward and Zamary. All four signed COAST's handcuffing pledge, but get don't get the endorsement because the four are not foolish enough to support COAST's crusade to block any and all Minor or Major passenger rail. I added the minor and major phrase there because that is something new from the COASTers. In the comments along with the Council endorsements they state the following:

Both have taken strong public positions to advance responsible spending, and have pledged not to raise taxes or fees. They also strongly advocate that the people should have a right to vote on any sale of the Water Works, or major passenger rail purchase.

Once again COAST is misleading people as to what issue 9 states and its impact if passed. Let's recap the language once again:

Shall the Charter of the City of Cincinnati be amended to prohibit the city, and its various boards and commissions, from spending any monies for right-of-way acquisition or construction of improvements for passenger rail transportation (e.g. a trolley or streetcar) within the city limits without first submitting the question of approval of such expenditure to a vote of the electorate of the city and receiving a majority affirmative vote for the same, by enacting new Article XIV? YES NO

The important thing to know, is that issue 9 covers "spending any monies" which includes purchases, maintenance, signs, salaries, or anything. This is about spending money, not just new purchases. It also just says "passenger rail transportation" and mentions nothing about "major," so it covers the Zoo Train, no matter what COAST says to try and mislead you.

Popopolis Tonight and Tomorrow

I hate how there's never anything to do on a Friday night in Cincinnati.

In case Midpoint didn't satisfy your musical needs for the rest of the year, Fountain Square is hosting Popopolis tonight and tomorrow. Apparently, Popopolis was originally an annual event at Southgate house in the late 90's and early 00's. (Really? Cincinnati has taken an event from Newport?)

The highlights (at least by my taste): Clabbergirl tonight, and the Seedy Seeds, Wussy, the Pomegranates, and Bad Veins tomorrow.

It's not as cold as you think it is. Go check it out!

The official after-party is at the Righteous Room, but I'd suggest you might want to check out Dirty Mary's (Hamburger Mary's bar), which is having its "soft opening" tonight.

(Hat tip: UrbanCincy.)

City Council: What Could Be vs. What (Probably) Will Be

I've been wondering lately: what will City Council look like in 2010? I've got two lists. The first is what might make for an interesting Council. These aren't endorsements or a suggestion of who anyone should vote for or support; instead, it's merely a list of 9 people who would create an interesting working group. The second list is who I think will be on Council next year (certainly not endorsements, either).

The interesting list:

Chris Bortz
Tony Fischer
Kevin Flynn
Greg Harris
Leslie Ghiz
Amy Murray
LaMarque Ward
Bernadette Watson
Wendell Young

My prediction of who will win:

Jeff Berding
Chris Bortz
Laketa Cole
Greg Harris
Leslie Ghiz
Chris Monzel
Roxanne Qualls
Cecil Thomas
Bernadette Watson; Charlie Winburn; Tony Fischer; or Laure Quinlivan (in order of their likelihood of winning the ninth seat)

Anyone care to make a prediction?

2010 Budget Proposals: Bernadette Watson

Democratic-endorsed Bernadette Watson is the first to reply to my call for budget proposals:

I do not have a specific amount so this may not fit your criteria, but one way the city could save some money (I believe 1-2 million), is to combine Human Resource departments.

The City of Cincinnati currently has an HR division for nearly every city department. Most or all of these HR divisions are providing similar services. The city could combine these into one HR department and save money on materials, manpower and excessive repetition of services.

Calling All Conservatives

I'm hoping, or rather I am expecting that local conservatives will jump on Si Leis's case for allowing this to happen. COAST? Tom Brinkman? Alex Triantafilou? Tea Baggers?