More about Main

The Enquirer has another article on the changing Main Street. This one focuses more on the new housing coming in.

Contemporary Galleries to make way for condos

Is this progress or a sad day for Cincinnati design? Contemporary Galleries is closing for good to make way for some condos (and the owner's retirement). Not that I could really afford a whole lot at CG (though I do have some second-hand finds off of Craigslist, thank god for fickle consumers), but it is important to have resources such as CG downtown-- particularly in the CBD, which is booming with condos and people who want to furnish them without going to a chain store in suburbia. There are still a few furniture stores downtown-- Mainly Art comes to mind, Mica 12/v for home interiors-- but the closest contemporary, new furniture store is Abode in Covington.

I completely understand why the owner chose to do this: good offer for the space, planning on retirement-- but I can't help but hope that this isn't a mass exodus of retailers from the area (to be replaced by Ikea in West Chester--oy). Has anyone heard of any new retailers entering the market in Downtown?

Hillary Unplugged

This video of Hillary Clinton in a rare, refreshing moment in which she seems to let her guard down is going to get a lot of play.

It seems as if it's been years since I've heard Senator Clinton say anything that didn't sound as if it had been designed to be the perfect soundbite and rehearsed several times. I suspect Senator Obama has become so popular because he so often seems to be reaching for an emotional connection with his audience; Clinton rarely seems to do so. (It's ironic, actually: if you had to imagine one of these two candidates telling a voter s/he "feels your pain," wouldn't you be more likely to envision it coming from Obama? I'm certain he's studied--and is sometimes emulating--Bill Clinton's '92 campaign stump-speech style, something HRC could do more of. If one were to combine Obama's ability to connect with HRC's mastery of policy, you'd have a chaste version of Bill Clinton.)

We need to see more raw, unplugged Hillary Clinton if she hopes to make a run on Super Tuesday.

[Full disclaimer: Bill Clinton ran for president the year I turned 18; he's the first person I ever voted for. Obama is the first--and only presidential candidate to whom I've ever financially contributed.]

Play Ball!

Season tickets for the Reds 2008 season are now on sale!

Is a season ticket package going to be the only way to get Opening Day seats (without resorting to a ticket broker)? Last year, they were included in the smaller game "packs"....

[Post edited due to Donald's inability to read a calendar]

Drive By In the Burbs

Well, better scratch off Springfield Township as a place to live. Once you have a Drive-By shooting, your neighborhood is hear-by off limits to Suburbanites. They'll be updating their detour maps just as quickly as possible.

Yet Another Reason to Fire Streicher

This time it is what I would call abuse of power through the special and normally unavailable use of police services. Tom Streicher is a bad police chief and needs to be fired.

Main Street Plan

Main Street, for those who haven't been down recently, is going through a few changes. That leaves it in a bit of a down period with recent closings and slow progress on opening up the new places. It's also been rougher as of late, including the New Year's Eve/Day murder at Ocho Rios. That said, there is something of a Plan. 3CDC appears to be on the case now, and is lending support to the effort to do to Main Street what is happening over here on Vine Street. Key points of their plan appear to include:

1. Don't just let any fly by night promoter operate a bar.
2. Look for Critical mass.
3. Get more residents, make it a neighborhood with entertainment, instead of just an entertainment district.
4. Get 3CDC to help.
5. Fill the store fronts.

There is more to the the plans, and the article doesn't indicate they've got any type of formal or truly structured plan, but on there ground there is a manifestation of consistence starting to form. If we all can wait it out, I'm actually optimistic we will see most the venues mentioned reopen.

Eating Local - Cincinnati

Check out Cincinnati Locavore a fairly new blog covering food, eating, and doing so with locally grown foods.

City Council: District or At Large?

Commenters to my post about whether our elected executive is vested with sufficient authority jumped ahead to the post I had in mind for today: that is, the issue of whether Council should be entirely at large, entirely district-based, or some combination thereof.

The traditional criticism of a district-based legislature is that spending tends to be out-of-control in such systems. This study, for instance, purports to demonstrate that governments run by ward-based elected representatives have higher debt, spending, and taxes than governments with at-large representatives. Those who favor a district-based approach, though, argue that such a system ensures that minority communities have a voice in the legislature, and also permits candidates to win elections without the larger warchest needed in an at-large system.

There's an interesting juxtaposition with respect to our current situation, I think. On the one hand, the Charter committee lauds as one of its achievements the end of the ward system back in the 1920's. Until 1957, though, Council was elected using a proportional representation system, whereby voters ranked their preferences and the results were calculated accordingly. The pure at-large system has been in place for the past fifty years.

Here's the juxtaposition: Hamilton County Municipal Court. The judges aren't elected by the entire county; instead, each judge is elected from one of seven districts. I couldn't find a history of our municipal courts anywhere, but it's my understanding that the system is in place because of a lawsuit filed to ensure that minority communities could get judges elected, and that at one time, all of the judges were elected as Common Pleas judges are, by the entire county. (If I'm wrong, please point this out, preferably politely, in the comments.)

So why is the district-based system good for municipal court but bad for city government? Would a mixed system (at-large and district representatives) ensure that spending doesn't go crazy?

Your thoughts?

Smoke-Filled Back Rooms

Tim Burke and George Vincent have decided that elections just aren't worth the hassle.

I'm furious. I don't necessarily have a problem with either Portune or Hartman; what perturbs me is that each party has decided that it could manage to field just one endorsement-worthy candidate for county commissioner in a year when voter turnout will be extraordinarily high.

Is The Mayor Strong Enough?

No, that's not a late cheap shot at Mark Mallory's 2007 Opening Day pitch. Instead, it's a question about the proper organization of our city government. As most of you know, Cincinnati has only recently switched to a "strong[er] mayor" system of government; previously, the mayor was simply the City Council candidate with the highest vote total. My question: haven't we left too much power in hands of the city manager?

Electing a mayor separate from Council is an excellent step in the right direction. We now have a independent executive. But our city manager--who is not elected--still retains a great deal of power. Consider the power our charter gives the mayor:

It shall be the duty of the city manager to act as chief conservator of the peace within the city; to supervise the administration of the affairs of the city, except as otherwise specifically provided in this charter; to see that the ordinances of the city and the laws of the state are enforced; to make all appointments and removals in the administrative and executive service except as otherwise provided in this charter; to make such recommendation to the mayor and to the council concerning the affairs of the city as may to him or her seem desirable; to keep the mayor and the council advised of the financial condition and future needs of the city; to prepare and submit to the mayor the annual budget estimate for the mayor's review and comment prior to its submission to the council; to prepare and submit to the mayor and to the council such reports as may be required by each and to perform such other duties as may be prescribed by this charter or required of him or her by ordinance or resolution of the council.

Art. IV, Sec. 3. The manager (not the mayor) appoints the City Solicitor, finance director, director of public utilities, and superintendent of water works. Art. IV, Secs. 5, 7, 9. And he gets to fire them. Art. IV, Sec. 10.

Shouldn't all of these be the responbility of someone we actually elect? Clearly, there's a political benefit to having a strong manager. The mayor can let the manager make the tough decisions. Mallory seems to have fallen into a rhythm whereby the manager proposes a draconian, unpopular budget, and then Mallory gets to come in behind him just in time to play the role of Santa Clause. And consider the abuse Valerie Lemmie routinely took from City Council; certainly, the Council wouldn't treat an elected mayor that way.

So the manager gets to be a combination scapegoat/bad cop/punching bag. But is that good government? Don't we want the really important, difficult decisions to be made by our elected representatives? Should we have a mayor who is really just a figurehead, good for ribbon-cuttings and other ceremonies, or do we want a real executive?

What do you think?

Musical Chairs

Pat DeWine is not running for County Commissioner again, and instead is running for a Judgeship. Greg Hartman, Clerk of Courts, will run for County Commission and for State Senator Patricia Clancy will run for the Clerk of Court seat for the Republicans.

It would appear that the poll floating around in comments a week ago or so were right, showing Harris beating DeWine for Commissioner.

A P&G Blog????

I just don't see how big of an audience there would be for a blog about P&G. I just don't know what the Enquirer is thinking on this one.

New Faces On An (Already) Old Argument: Ohio's Sex Offender Registration Law

As of yesterday, Ohio's sex offender registration law changed, becoming even more draconian than it had been. You've all heard the arguments as to why inflexible registration laws are a bad idea, so I won't repeat them here. I do want to highlight, though, two noteworthy articles on the topic that have appeared in the past week.

Too often, when people think of "sex offenders," they think only of guys like this (known in the press as the "Purple People Bridge rapist," he'll be locked up until 2076, when he'll be 101). That makes it easy for our legislators to pass laws that continue to punish offenders well after they've served their sentences.

But as two recent articles show, a whole host of individuals who most people wouldn't object to living near are included with the unduly broad label "sex offender." City Beat notes that Tammy Welton (convicted of having sex with an adult inmate while she was a prison guard) is now subject to a lifetime registration requirement (see also this article in the Cleveland Free Times for more on Ms. Welton). And in an unusually thoughtful article (at least by Enquirer standards), Sharon Coolidge points out that Holli Burd will also be subject to lifetime registration. When she was 29, Ms. Burd was convicted of having sex with a 14 year-old boy. Since then, she's married and had a child of her own.

The point is: when the public realizes that the unduly harsh (and probably ineffective) registration laws don't just impact the really scary people that make headlines in the newspapers, maybe attitudes towards them will change.

Food in Cincinnati-- The Belgian Waffle Guy

Anyone who frequents Findlay Market knows the smell-- right outside of Kroeger's Meats, on the outside perimeter is when it starts smelling really good-- the sugary, vanilla-y scent of The Belgian Waffle Guy. The first time I noticed him, he offered me a taste, and it was the first (and only) time I've ever had a sample, walked past, then spun on my heel to actually buy whatever I was sampling. It's that good.

Jean-Francois Flechet, who is originally from Belgium, might be better termed as the "Liege Waffle Guy". These aren't the waffles from your Belgian waffle iron-- these are crisp and sugary and a little gooey on the outside, somehow both dense and fluffy on the inside-- and are simply the most amazing confection I've ever tasted. Over the past couple of months, I've had Liege- style waffles in two other places (in Bryant Park in New York from an outfit called Augustin's, which sells something like 17,000 waffles a day as well as from a cart somewhere in Paris) and both times my traveling partner and I both said, "Wow. They're just not the same as the ones we get back home". When we got back into town, we made a beeline for Findlay to chat with Jean-Francois about how good his waffles are. His secret? They're fresh-- frozen no longer than a week (unlike Augustin's, which are imported from Belgium, and thus a bit over-frozen and chewy in an unpleasant way)-- and made in very small batches.

The good news? Taste From Belgium has expanded outside Findlay Market-- you can now find his waffles at Newport on the Levee, freshly made on Saturdays and Sundays at the Coffee Shop on Madison (the best way to eat them is fresh and hot right off the waffle iron) and at a bunch of other independent restaurants and coffee shops throughout the city, including Daveed's and Honey.

I'm hoping to include a few more restaurant reviews this year, so join me in supporting local entrepreneurs and restauranteurs. And tell Jean-Francois that you heard about him here!

Does The City Really Need The Charter Committee?

Over the next several days, I intend to post a few (one per day) thoughts on the state of Cincinnati government and politics. My aim is not really to advocate for a particular point of view, but instead to develop a discussion in the comments. The perspective I bring to the discussion is that of a person who's now been a City resident for several years, and thus (hopefully) has some understanding of City politics and culture, but also who isn't necessarily attached to the traditional way of doing things here.

My first topic, obviously (from the title of my post), is the Charter Committee. And my question is simple: has it outlived its usefulness? I'm familiar with the history of the Charter Committee (summarized nicely here and here). It's a proud history, no doubt: the Committee sprang from necessity at a time when one national party dominated local politics, and did so with a fair amount of corruption.

Today, though, both the Democratic and Republican parties have a strong presence in City government. And I'm not sure what today's Charter Committee stands for. Presently, we have two Charterites on Council: Roxanne Qualls (who I'm pretty sure ran as a Democrat when she was mayor under the old system) and Chris Bortz. What unites those two (besides the Charter moniker)? In most cities, I suspect that most Cincinnatians who identify with the Charter Committee would be active in the local Democratic party.

So here it is: why have the Charter Committee? The party doesn't seem to have a cohesive platform. I don't think Qualls and Bortz won because they were members of the Committee, but instead did so because of their individual beliefs and character traits. (How many people were even aware, as they voted for the highly popular Qualls, that her allegiance--or at least her endorsement source--had changed?) Is the Committee still useful to the City? And if not, should people continue to support its candidates, or should it be allowed to die a dignified death?

Speaking of Murder --- From Statistics to Real Blood

Then there was this in the Main Street Entertainment District kicking off 2008:

Man Shot, Killed During Celebration
New Year's Turns Violent In Over-The-Rhine

Officers said that Pernell Thomas, 26, was shot and killed at about 1:30 a.m. at the club Ocho Rios at 221 East 12th St.

Apparently Mr. Thomas was shot in the forehead while on the dance floor.

Can someone tell me what kind of people carry guns with them when they go out to the Entertainment District? Some entertainment! Just think what we can schedule for the Banks. I don't get it . . . . . . . .

Congrats To LWHS Marching Band

I'm very non-PC when it comes to "regionalism" (I don't care much about what happens in the 'burbs). But I wanted to offer congratulations to the Lakota West High School Marching Band (in West Chester) for its appearance and performance in the annual Tournament of Roses Parade. For those who missed it, the band was covered on both ABC and NBC. (They were on camera for much longer on ABC; NBC's marching band coverage was terrible overall.) They were the second high school marching band in the parade line-up; the first, a group from North Carolina, didn't seem to get nearly as much camera time, at least on ABC.

I was a band geek growing up (I was even the drum major of my high school band*), so I appreciate what the trip meant for these young adults (as well as the band's staff and the band parents). An invitation to the Tournament of Roses Parade is pretty much the equivalent of a college basketball team making it to the Final Four. It's a huge honor that is the culmination of more hard work than most people realize.

For those of who weren't involved in band growing up, here are some things you should know. First the members of a band like Lakota West spend an amazing amount of time practicing and drilling. They probably attend rehearsals daily after school (and spent one or two weeks over the summer at band camp). In addition to that, they all spend time at home practicing on their own. And this is in addition to the other demands on the time of high school students (which today seem much more rigorous than when I graduated 15 years ago).

And when the band manages to get good enough to be invited to a national event, their school inevitably rewards them with another task: fundraising. My parents were perennial pariahs at their workplaces; their colleagues knew that every fall, they'd be presented with another opportunity to buy whatever goods (usually candy, "hoagies," or candles) the music program was forced to hawk that year.

So: kudos, Lakota West. Thanks for your hard work.

* For those who followed the link to my alma mater, you'll see why it was inevitable that I become a criminal defense attorney: note the similarity in physical appearance between my high school and the Justice Center (I think the HCJC actually has more windows!).

Regional Homicide Totals

Brian asks a good question about the homicide trends in smaller municipalities in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. I don't know what's happened in places like Hamilton, Fairfield, Batavia, Newport, and others. But I was curious as to how other, roughly Cincinnati-sized cities in Ohio and surrounding states fared. Here's what I learned.

Columbus's homicide total dropped 24%, with 79 in 2007 and 104 in 2006.

Cleveland experienced its highest number of homicides in 12 years: 134 in 2007 and 119 in 2006.

Louisville homicides went up, with 67 in 2007 and 50 in 2006.

Pittsburgh recorded an increase in the number of homicides: 57 in 2007 and 39 in 2006 (for all of Allegheny County, in which the 'burgh is located: 2007--98; 2006--96).

Note that a more important measure of homicide trend would be the homicide rate (usually expressed in terms of homicides per 100,000 people); a city whose homicide total remained flat while its population decreased would experience an increase in the homicide rate.

I was unable to find the 2007 numbers for Indianapolis, Dayton, or Lexington, which I thought might be instructive. If you know those numbers (or even the trends), please post them in the comments with a link to the source. (And as always, please post any thoughts you may have on the topic in the comments!)

Homicides Dropped 25% in 2007

68 is not a number to be happy about but a drop of 25% is worth a cheer. I'd like to know how the rest of the area's jurisdictions faired. The fact that the media doesn't pay attention to murder rate changes in other areas means that we don't hear about it, unless you want to go out and gather news like a journalist on your own. If you are up for pestering a suburban police department that likely will give you a hard time about handing over stats, then have at it. We are less likely to know about things like how many murders took place in Fairfield, Mason, or Hamilton, since we have one less news gathering outlet.

Since it is New Year's Day, I don't know what kind of city bashers I'll get. They've been fairly quiet in 2007. In 2007 the City turned a corner. It is not there yet, but it is really starting to gel. It is hard to attack success, but I'm sure some troll will try.