News, Opinion, and Media Analysis on Cincinnati, Ohio and the World From a Unique Perspective
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Google Fiber Cincinnati
Email, Tweet, Facebook, yell, scream, call your Mom and tell her and everyone else that Cincinnati needs to be the Test Site for Google's high speed Internet Project.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Tea Party Distances Itself From Driehaus Protest
I think we'll see the Tea Party act more and more responsibly as its members move from the role of protester to that of politician. Several Cincinnati Tea Party members are on the ballot to join the HamCo GOP Central Committee, and Mike Wilson is seeking the GOP nomination for the Ohio House seat currently occupied by Connie Pillich.
While there are few issues about which I agree with the Tea Party, I respect that they've brought people into the political process who have not previously been there. (Didn't many of us praise Barack Obama for the same thing two years ago?) As the movement matures, it'll be interesting to see it progress from a loose coalition of people raising their voices during town hall meetings to an organized group accomplishing political objectives. Condemning a Sunday protest outside a legislator's personal residence is a step in the right direction.
Jim Schifrin Is Still An Ass
Schifrin's newsletter (does the guy not know what a blog is?) is the epitome of the junior high mindset that seems to be pervasive with a large portion of conservative men. If they knew who Bevis and Butthead were, they might get the simple fact that what they think is funny now stopped being funny when you reach age 17. It would behoove them to grow up.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Back the Food Truck Up.... (Bumped and Updated)
As far as I can tell, the trucker-chefs' concerns are fueled by John Curp's comment to Polly Campbell that "it's safe to say that the city is looking into the issue to see if there's need for additional regulations."
I'm not certain that Acito is really serious about not competing with local restaurants. Cafe de Wheels' typical lunchtime spot is on Walnut just off of Court Street. Assuming the truck stays there, it will definitely compete with Avril-Bleh's sidewalk grill, which is set to re-open April 5.
But more importantly, the trucks' primary competitors are not restaurants. After all, if you own a restaurant and find yourself at a competitive disadvantage to a guy who cooks his food in a UPS truck, it may be time to find a new profession. Instead, the trucks are really competing with sidewalk vendors.
The vendors are, of course, regulated by the city. And the trucker-chefs don't want to be. My question: is that fair? Sidewalk vendors run a pretty low-margin business. They are licensed by the City, and their location is subject to City approval. (In fact, the City has recently adopted a lottery through which street vendors' locations will be determined. This was first mentioned last year in a Jane Prendergast blog post. The HamCo Common Pleas Court recently issued a temporary restraining order delaying implementation of the new system. If I can find the complaint, I'll write a post on this issue.)
I know that the food trucks are the current darlings of the "cool kids" in the blogosphere. I like them (the trucks), too. (You haven't really lived until you've had Cafe de Wheels' grilled cheese and pulled pork sandwich.) But I wonder: why is it fair that the food trucks operate outside the rules that everyone else has to play by? Will a licensing fee and some rules about their location really put them out of business? Or would those things just put them on a level playing field with their competitors?
Finally, can anyone speak with certainty as to what Council committee would tackle this issue? I assume it's the Livable Communities Committee, chaired by Roxanne Qualls, but I'm not sure under the 2010 committee structure.
UPDATE (3/25/2010): Polly Campbell has this blog post on the topic, in which she quotes Tom Acito as saying that he and fellow trucker-chefs aren't presently petitioning the city. I'm not sure why he sent Julie a press release heralding the formation of his not-yet-formed group, then.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
CPS and Minority Contractors: Is This Really Such A Mystery?
CPS has insisted (sincerely, I believe) that it is committed to minority involvement in its construction contracts. It seems befuddled as to how to get there. But there exists, within Cincinnati, a working model as to how to use race-neutral means to achieve significant minority participation in construction: the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Some time ago, the inestimable Dan Hurley did an excellent segment on Newsmakers on how the Freedom Center was able to achieve contracting out 40% of the work to minority-owned firms. I'll not recount the process here in great detail, but perhaps CPS Board members should follow the link and watch the video.
It should be noted that involving minority-owned firms doesn't necessarily ensure the employment of minority workers. That's a whole other blog post, I think. But I can't figure out why CPS is having such a hard time doing something that was accomplished just a few years ago in Cincinnati.
Finally, this is probably the right time to note my disagreement with Griff's post on Christopher Smitherman's arrest last week. Mr. Smitherman and Rev. Foster were acting in the best tradition of the civil rights movement: engaging in civil disobedience to bring attention to an important social problem. They demonstrated peaceably and offered no resistance to the police when arrested. And prior to their protest, they had exhausted other means to bring about change, having petitioned CPS several times to redress their concerns. Their actions are akin to the Flannery Five's sit-in in Steve Chabot's office to protest the Iraq war back in 2006. You may disagree with their viewpoint, but their actions are consistent with a rich tradition of American activism.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
WOXY.com Halting Broadcasts
UPDATE: CityBeat's Mike Breen has a blog post including reference to a Facebook post from a long time WOXY staff member. The future does not look promising.
UPDATE #2: WOXY staffer Joe Long shared his thoughts on WOXY going silent via his music blog: www.eachnotesecure.com.
UPDATE #3: Jason at the Cincinnati Man has more, including a response from WOXY owner Future Sounds.
Chase Dean Misunderstands Professionalism
Last week, Chase scheduled a mandatory lecture on "professionalism" for its first-year students. Such events are relatively commonplace. They're boring. They have little to do with what first year students are studying at the time, and first-year students aren't really able to put a lecture on professionalism into context, as most haven't so much as set foot in a law firm yet. But nonetheless, law schools love to schedule these kinds of events.
For some reason, Chase's administration thought the perfect time for the relatively useless exercise was Thursday night--right in the middle of the first round of the NCAA tournament. And during Kentucky's first round game. The results were predictable. Students showed up, and (as is common at law schools these days) had their laptops open to "take notes." Of course, CBS was live-streaming the tournament, so students with laptops turned the game on (without sound). Others used their phones to check scores or text friends.
So who cares? The panel of speakers, seated at the front of the room, couldn't have seen what was on the laptops. Apparently, one of Chase's deans was in the back of the room. He saw the laptops, and was not pleased. So he sent a
As a UC Law alum, I'm always happy to make fun of Chase. My glee at pointing out that the law school began at the Cincinnati YMCA knows no bounds. ("Where'd you get your law license--the Y? Oh, yeah, never mind....) Here, any ridicule needs to be reserved for Chase's administration, not its students. They scheduled a lecture to be attended primarily by twenty-somethings fresh out of college in the middle of the first round of March Madness and expected that attendees' attention wouldn't be diverted? Seriously?
Law school administrators often fall into the pattern we see here: treat law students as if they were still in high school, with little control over their own schedules or (frankly) lives, and then chide them for not being "professional." They forget that professionals have at least some control over their own calendars. Walk into the courthouse on Opening Day. You won't see anyone. Why? Because no one wants to schedule anything then. If a lawyer is a basketball fan, do you think he scheduled client meetings or court appearances last Thursday or Friday? Do you really expect a bunch of kids from Kentucky to abstain from March Madness?
Lawyers have lives outside of their practices. Law students are usually told during law school orientation to try to maintain some sort of life outside of their studies. Then, for the next three years, administrators and professors pretend as if law school is life. Such mixed signals will inevitably yield unhappy results.
A Pledge For Local TPers, If They Are Serious
Monday, March 22, 2010
Conservative Politics: The Junior High Edition
Someone needs to remind the right wing crazies that the world isn't going to end because of health-care coverage. Seriously, it's not.
Also, I really wonder if Ohio TPer's know anything about Federal Preemption. I mean, sure, they could try to coin their own currency or try to ignore the 14th Amendment, but we had a war about a 150 years ago that decided all of that rather definitively.
Where did the Republican grown-ups go?
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Will Local GOP and TP's Denounce This?
These are hopefully not the views of the local TP or GOP, but those movements/groups have been surrounding themselves with people who do use hate as a weapon, so they need to be responsible and speak out against this. It would be an honorable gesture and clear sign that these groups are not sympathetic towards racism or homophobia. The level of hate that as brewed inside the TP movement has been more caustic and intense then anything short of the radical anti-abortion movement from the late 80's early 90's. Many theories have been raised that point to the irrational fear people have now that a black man is President as being a cause of vehemence been shown leading up to this vote.
The sad truth is that there is a lot of racism and bigotry on the right-wing of American politics against blacks, Latinos, and Gays. It does not take much to stand up and denounce hate. Just a press release would be a start. A better place to have started would have been the "Tea Party Pledge" to have included an idea including equality for all. The problem is, I don't think they could get consensus on that type of idea. That is the clearest sign that there are problems and the TP/GOP leadership can't ignore them and expect their members to be civil when they foster and fuel hate.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Gumption Awards Taking Nominations
To make a nomination, please fill out the form found on the Charter Website.
Send in your completed form to info@chartercommittee.org by the end of the day tomorrow.
For more information on the award, please check out the Charter Committee website.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Enquirer Loves It Some GOP Talking Points
They cherry pick poll questions about how people feel about health care, not new. Everyone can find a poll question or combination of answers to a poll question to fit their opinion.
This editorial is bad, I would be embarrassed if I worked there. This is political spin about as bad as I've seen. It was as if a journalist didn't even write this at all. It comes off as PR, not an editorial.
I find it arrogant of the Enquirer or Gannett, or who ever wrote this attack editorial to think that we don't see the political bias at work. We understand that newspapers have opinions, but why can't they do more than just spout one side? We have enough of that on FOX News. We have a conservative newspaper here in Cincinnati, but why does he have to so often be a lap-dog of the GOP on national issues?
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Chris Smitherman Arrested
If you are going to protest something, then you need to define what your goals are, something the local NAACP President has failed to do. Just saying you want more African-Americans hired is about as focused as Pastor Phil telling us we should all be nicer to your fellow man. Pastor isn't standing in front of schools yelling at people that we must be nicer. Tell us the goal. Make that goal reasonable. Work with African-American Chamber of Commerce to find viable businesses to provide good service to our Schools.
Published reports indicate that Smitherman has provided the CPS with little more than names and phone numbers of people he thinks should be hired. Smitherman needs to provide the detail and at least basic support documenting that the people have relevant companies that can provide valuable services. Our school system does not exist to provide employment to Smitherman's friends.
If there are problems in how contracts are handed out at CPS, Smitherman and his minions need to stop playing games. The attention is not going to gain you anything. He is turning off his possible allies. He is a mockery and is sullying the work the NAACP has down locally and across the country. He needs to find a strategy based on sanity, not on Smitherman's desire for fame and fortune. This I fear is just another in what will be a long line of stunts that Smitherman will waste time and effort on, instead of actually finding solutions for problems.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Final Four
NCAA: Kansas, Pitt, Kentucky, Duke, with Duke winning the championship.
I have Xavier making it through the first round, in a very close game with Minnesota. And I have 5 Big East teams (Georgetown, Syracuse, Pitt, WVU, and Villanova) in the Elite Eight.
NIT: Cincinnati, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina, with Virginia Tech winning the tournament (over Cincinnati).
I have Dayton winning the first round, but losing to UC in the second round.
Griff...how far do you think the Redhawks will.....oh, never mind.
Monday, March 15, 2010
MidPoint 2010 Release Show Changed to April 23rd
Midpoint is slated to announce other new features of this year's festival including performers, new stages, and partners.
The show was previous announced for March 25th at the Blue Wisp.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Cincinnati Fringe Festival: New Website and Line-Up
32 shows mostly from out of town will descend on Know Theatre starting June 1st for the 7th annual event. For a listing of the productions, check here. As is normal, the line-up is subject to change.
This year TheConveyor.com will once again be reviewing shows and giving insights and out of sights on the festival.
If you have never been to Fringe, then clear your calendar for the first 12 days of June. It is theatre and community at its best.
Twitter folks, please spread the word. We used #cincyfringe last year, so I hope that is repeated!
OTR Gateway Quarter Website Updated
Saturday, March 13, 2010
What is Content Stealing?
Watching broadcast outlets, Web sites and blogs essentially rob newspapers of their hard - and expensive - reporting has long been a vexation, but not a mortal threat.*
When does a blog or website (why does the Enquirer's style book still require the capitalization of "web"?) "rob" a newspaper's content? Are Griff and I among the robbers responsible for the demise of the print media?
Neither Griff nor I has ever claimed to be a reporter. (To the contrary, I have repeatedly disclaimed any such notion.**) Instead, our typical post is a comment on a news story published elsewhere. We always reference--and link to--the source of the story. (In fact, when Griff initially invited me to blog, the only rule he gave me was to link to any story about which I post.) That's the same practice followed by other blogs I read. Is that robbery?
As I noted below, even the Enquirer follows the lead of other sources. The "Vanity Fair controversy" originated at Kate's Random Musings. Callinan himself wrote about it, attributing the story to Katy. The Enquirer reported on CityBeat's story about the unfortunate email from Monzel's aid, once again properly attributing its source. Was that robbery? And even in the Cole piece I talk about below, Jon Craig remarks that Cole's appointment "drew scorn from some bloggers." Really? Which bloggers? How about a link to one or more of the bloggers? Does Craig mean Griff? I hope not, because Griff's post doesn't criticize the appointment itself, only Cole's decision to leave her current post early.
So here's my question: what does the Enquirer consider fair use, and what, according to Callinan, is robbery? And how do the paper's own practices differ from those they condemn?
In this environment, the Enquirer isn't likely to create new positions anytime soon. But it should seriously consider the addition of a public editor or ombudsman who would write a weekly column. If the Enquirer is serious about consistently generating a quality product, it ought not be afraid of an independent person to perform a quality-assurance function.
*This sentence is a clear illustration of the utility of the serial comma. Until I got to "has long been a vexation," I thought that "watching broadcast outlets" was something websites and blogs did while robbing newspapers of their reporting. Once again, Judge Painter is correct; check out Rule 24 in the linked book. Of course, this is a "talking footnote," a Judge Painter no-no; see Rule 12.
**Obviously, there are exceptions. Griff typically "reports" on MPMF. If I happen to notice a restaurant opening or closing, I'll "report" on this--but even then, I'm usually scooped by Polly Campbell or Julie Niesen, to whom I link, if I know they've posted.
Back to Basics, Enquirer-Style
Today's Enquirer carries a lengthy story on how documents "shed light" on Laketa Cole's hiring as chief of reliability and service analysis for the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. The story contains all sorts of innuendo, obviously meant to suggest that Cole was offered the job only as an enticement to stay out of the race for the Ohio House seat left vacant by Tyrone Yates's appointment to the bench. A reader has to make it to the article's twentieth paragraph to learn:
According to state personnel records, Cole will replace John D. Williams, who was promoted to director of PUCO's Service Monitoring and Enforcement Department on Feb. 28. The department employs 83 people. Williams was named acting director Jan. 3.In other words, Cole isn't being offered a position that's been created for her. This is a real job, filled by a real human being until quite recently. And while I have not always agreed with Cole's positions or tactics on Council, any reasonable person has to agree that she is appropriately credentialed for the job. If I really wanted to make trouble, I'd ask why Cole, an African-American female, will be making less than 85% of the salary of the white male who previously had the job. (This, of course, is a question the Enquirer does not address.)
Cole's annual salary will total about $15,700 less than Williams got before his promotion and $5,000-a-year pay raise.
In an editorial yesterday, the Enquirer suggests the "Cole deal" is "arrogant." (Notice a very strange thing about the piece: apparently, after it was initially posted, a letter-writer commented on it. The Enquirer then updated the editorial to reference the letter. So now the editorial references the letter and the letter references the editorial.) The Enquirer goes so far as to suggest "a Mark Painter to William Mallory to Nadine Allen to Tyrone Yates to Alicia Reece quintuple play." Really? Does the Enquirer really believe that the Democrats arranged for Mark Painter (formerly a Republican-endorsed judge) to get a position with a UN appellate court so that Alicia Reece could have a job?
Maybe, though, the editorial staff just thinks that once Judge Painter's seat on the First District Court of Appeals became vacant, a grand scheme emerged, like so many dominoes in a line. Not likely. Probably not even possibly. Each appointment had its own process. And those of us who toil in the courthouse know that for a while, a new rumor swirled each day about who would take Judge Painter's seat. Then a new rumor swirled each day about who would fill Judge Mallory's seat. And then a new rumor was floated every day about who would fill Judge Allen's seat. If there was a conspiracy to create a line of succession all the way down to Alicia Reece, it's the best-kept secret in courthouse history. And let's not forget, no one gets a free pass: Mallory, Allen, and Reece must all stand for election this November. Yates, I believe, will appear on the 2011 ballot.
It's good to know, though, that some things (like political editorials masquerading as news stories) never change.
An extra note: I'm glad I'm not in the newspaper business. These are tough times. And in all fairness, there is, actually, lots of good reporting going on at the Enquirer, and some really talented young reporters getting a chance to write stories that, just five years ago, might have gone to more senior (but less enthusiastic) staff. Tom Callinan is doing some good things; the "Vanishing Cincinnati" series is but one example. But these lots-of-smoke-without-discernible-fire stories aren't worthy of a paper struggling to retain its readers and remain relevant in the new decade.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Cole to Leave Council in June
Cole is leaving in a selfish manner, which is not a surprise. She's not resigning until June, a logical date because that is when the position in the state becomes available, and she needs a job until then, so will stay on as a lame-duck Council member. Yes, this means we have to put up with her on Council for 2 and a half more months. I really hope she stays quiet, votes with her Democratic colleagues and exists the stage somewhat gracefully.
Short of doing that, it would be really fun if Cole started a Twitter account and just blasted Leslie Ghiz during Council sessions. It would be classless, but it would be fun.
Watson is still the CW choice to fill the seat, but according to the article, Cecil Thomas said he will sit down with three to five possible appointees. Thomas is known for changing his mind, so it would not surprise me if he had his pick already and just wants sign off, and political assurances, from Mayor Mallory and Tim Burke. Thomas may want to have influence over who gets the Finance Committee Chairmanship after Cole steps down. I would think Thomas would like to have that as a possible position for himself, if he loses the May County Commissioner Primary. It never hurts to plan ahead, even if you don't need it. I hope he needs it.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Inside the Minds of Local Right Wing Extremists
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Main Street Making A Comeback?
We also know that Neon's is coming back. And I now hear rumors that a new pizza place will open in the old Harry's Pizza space.
I don't know that we'll ever see Main Street return to its former peak. I'm not sure how many people want that, anyhow. (How many times can anyone over 23 actually go to a place like Bar Cincinnati, after all?) But it seems to be returning as a legitimate entertainment district again.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Another Take on Cincinnati
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Interesting Review of CAC's Shepard Fairey Exhibit
Is Cole Leaving For a State Job?
Is Bernadette Watson the likely pick to replace Cole? She finished behind fellow Democrat Greg Harris, but the does the gender and racial balance make more sense to Democratic party leaders and more importantly to Cecil Thomas who actually makes the appointment?
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
HUD Rejects Metropole Tenants' Complaint
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Candidates Out Number Tea Baggers
I guess the TP fanatics have lost the will to get out of their bunkers and support their candidates.
Also, who was the lone Democratic Candidate? I am guessing it was Dusty Rhodes. Anyone want to bet?
A Sign of the Future in the Q
Friday, February 26, 2010
Neighborhood Squabbles
I don't place much focus on a He-said-She-said type of argument, so what the article reports may just be hot air venting. It appears that the conservative majority on council is acting to structure the funding program with a lot of oversight. This is then causing at least one community council member to lash out at the structure's front man, Jeff Berding as both an angry football fan and angry Democrat pissed that Berding got an endorsement in the first place, even though it was pulled last year.
Boycott? Seriously, that's the plan Joe Gorman of the Camp Washington Community Council has come up with? Bad mouthing Berding (who often deserves it) wasn't enough. I guess Gorman got his limited press coverage of this, but he really stands a better chance of being heard if he attended the event he wants to boycott and lobby the rest of the community councils and City Council members to try and affect change to the Structure of the funding program. I guess a boycott is an easy way to stay home and watch the Winter Olympics.
The spat is highly entertaining, but bad governing all around.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tolliver vs. Burke
Tolliver was the president of the student body at UC during my final year of law school. Law students, like most grad students, don't get involved in campus politics. While I'm not sure what, exactly, my exposure to Tolliver was, I remember thinking at the time that Tolliver was a really bright, ambitious kid. (He was a college student; it was OK to think of him as a "kid" back then.) More recently, Tolliver was a board member of CincyPAC. I'm not sure what Tolliver now does professionally (if he hasn't gone to law school yet, isn't a JD nonetheless inevitable?).
Tim Burke, of course, has been the chair of the HamCo Democratic Party forever. He is a partner at Manley Burke.
It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. The "central commiittee," comprised of the party's precinct executives (who are themselves elected, precinct by precinct, this May) elect the party chair. I don't know (and please comment if you do) if there has been an recent influx of new members of the central committee, or if the May 4 elections are likely to bring new members. I would think the current executives are loyal to Burke, but Tolliver is the party's treasurer, and no doubt has support of his own.
Springer vs. Springer
I was particularly appalled by the choice because for the last couple years, every now and then I think about whether I should be a Republican instead of a Democrat. But then the GOP puts someone like Bachmann front-and-center and I realize that's not a real option. (Or I am reminded that the party's extreme right wing controls its stance on social issues.)
But there's a problem with writing that post. The HamCo Democratic Party--the party to which, for the time being, I belong--is having its own event tomorrow night. Its "guest of honor" is Jerry Springer.* I'm not thrilled that Democratic-endorsed judges are appearing at an event headlined by the king of trash TV.
So the question is: what's worse? That the HamCo Republicans can't find a better keynote speaker than the Jerry Springer of Congress, or that the HamCo Dems can't find a more suitable guest of honor than the real Jerry Springer?
* In 2003, when Springer was considering running for the Senate, I met him. He was at a Mt. Adams bar (much more sober than I was). He sat for hours talking to people about his ideas and plans and why he was considering getting into the race. He's a very intelligent, thoughtful man. I wish he hadn't spent the last quarter-century using his television show to pollute our culture and, frankly, to exploit people who aren't as smart or as rich as he is. But he has, and we shouldn't pretend that he's a serious individual when his actions are to the contrary.
Where's the "No Bunt" Pledge?
They might even require an oath: "I,
Yes, that is ridiculous. It is meant to be ridiculous.
Sometimes you have to bunt. Everyone in baseball knows this. Sometimes, you have to bunt to get the runner into scoring position. When you get the sign, you, the batter, don't shake it off or point to the fans and say: "But they demand efficiency! They expect me to hit a home run every time I am at bat. Home Runs are the only way you win ball games!"
Sacrificing an at bat is part of the game. You don't bunt every time a man is at bat, but you should never rule it out because some insane sports fans obsessed with statistics hate how it ruins someone's batting average.
If I were a Republican thinking about appeasing the Tea Baggers or COASTers, I would think about Baseball and at least try and maintain some intellectual honesty, and not sign a pledge "to not raise taxes." Not all Republicans are void of intellectual honesty, but they don't seem to show often enough, for my taste.
Sometimes you have to bunt and sometimes you have to at least have the option to raise taxes.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Respect Is Earned, Disdain is Free
Why would any parent think that exhibiting this type of behavior is acceptable? When you act boorishly, you are going to be ignored. When you continue to act like jerks, you are going to be disdained. Quite a few parents deserve detention.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Why Did Cecil Thomas Abstain?
"Supporting the request were councilmembers Berding, Leslie Ghiz, Chris Monzel, Roxanne Qualls, Charlie Winburn and Laketa Cole.When you abstain from a vote it is usually because you have a personal interest or connection to the project or the parties involved.
Cecil Thomas abstained."
Does Thomas have some type of connection or interest in 21C Hotels company, the Metropole, or the residents being displaced?
Yalamanchili Picks Ups Endorsements of Past Candidates
Yalamanchili will face off against David Krikorian in the Democratic Primary.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Keep Council Night Meetings
A little bit of promotion by the city would go along way to get people to come to these meetings. Hell, make it a Facebook event, that may not get 1,000 people there, but 5 more is a start.
These night meetings surely eats into the life of the council members and the city workers who staff the meetings, but this is their job.
This effort does not have to be expensive or overly time consuming. City Council meetings need to be accessible to the general public. I hope Cole and Monzel can convince the rest of the Council to go along.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Shoulder to the Wheel, Nose to the Grindstone, Eye on the Ball......
Most of you know that Wednesday, the local blogosphere erupted over a Vanity Fair article that made a gratuitous, cheap shot at Cincinnati. As far as I knew, the hubbub began with this post from Kate the Great. (Apparently, other bloggers had seen and posted on this days earlier.) I did what I often do when I see an interesting blog item: I linked back to it and provided my own commentary. Within hours, Tom Callinan of the Enquirer did the same thing, linking back to KRM and here. Then Griff called me on the phone, telling me Fox 19 News was looking for me for comment. I got in touch, they asked if I'd speak on camera, and I agreed. So I ended up on TV for a few seconds. (Sadly, Kate the Great was apparently unavailable to defend the honor of the Queen City that afternoon, so I got pulled off the bench and into the lineup. I kind of wish I'd had 6 months to lose about a hundred pounds before the interview. Or that the camera man had taken a wider shot. We all should have been spared that close-up on my multiple chins. :-) )
But what (I suspect) only a few of you realize is that my commentary on VF was only the second time that week I was quoted in the traditional media. The first was last Sunday, when a front-page article in the Enquirer discussed recent changes in the practices of the HamCo clerk of courts in handling complaints filed by private citizens (i.e., criminal cases that are initiated by an affidavit that is not signed by a police officer). Deep in that article, which was written by Dan Horn, I'm quoted.
This weekend, I'm left reflecting on the two very different responses to the two articles. When Horn's article came out, I was pleased to read it and proud to be quoted. The private complaint issue is one that I'd spent time on in my day job. Horn didn't find me because of the blog or simply because I'm a criminal defense attorney; instead, this was something I'd worked on. I thought the article would foment some discussion. While I believe the law requires the change the clerk's office has now made, I also recognize there's another side to the issue: private complaint referrals were a way to preserve police resources. Eliminating them may make it more difficult--or impossible--for some victims of minor crimes to seek redress in the criminal justice system, as the gatekeeping function of a police officer's job will become even larger than it has been.
My post on VF, on the other hand, was a knee jerk response. It was meant to be a brief diversion on a day I hadn't had time to grab lunch. There's nothing particularly controversial or even worthy of an extensive discussion in that post. Of course we all (or most of us) like or love Cincinnati. And is it really news to any of us that lots of people who live on one of the coasts or overseas don't view midwestern cities as desirable places to vacation? Shocking!
So what interest was generated by each? Last time I checked, the Enquirer article on the citizen complaint issue had about 45 comments. Callinan's piece on VF? 200.
No one outside the blogosphere cared much about my post on difficulty finding emergency shelter for a client. Personally, I think that's a much more important story than our mutual love (or lack thereof) for the Queen City. Jack is involved in an important lawsuit about how we help former inmates re-enter society after they've "paid their debt." While the media has covered it, the post here generated a total of zero comments. (Perhaps the post was poorly written. I'll certainly admit that's possible.) And the Enquirer's article (a well-written one by Dan Horn) garnered fewer than half the comments than Callinan's VF piece did.
What's my point? I'm not sure. It was nice, of course, to email my parents and tell them I was on TV, or to tell my friends over dinner Wednesday to watch the news that night. But nothing that happened that day or the next accomplished anything. No one's life was made better. No cause was advanced.
The past week reminds me of why I originally accepted Griff's invitation to blog: to write about things that matter. It's the same reason I became a lawyer: to do things that matter. This doesn't mean I'm not going to continue to post on some great place I had lunch or cheer on the Bearcats. But I want to make sure I'm spending the bulk of my time here and--more importantly--in my practice on things that really shape people's lives. I want to make a difference, not to simply be a cheerleader. Both my job and this blog leave me in a unique position to do that. I just need to make sure I focus on the important stuff.
Reports from Cincinnati Casino Charrette
It is excellent to see the community taking an interest in the direction of this project. For those of us living in OTR and the Downtown area, the Casino will have a large impact on our quality of life. Depending on how this project is designed, completed, and operated, that impact may be net-negative. Citizens obtain more information about the plan for the Casino will at least give us a chance to prepare for problems and may make Civic leaders aware of issues that may arise before they get out of hand.
Greg Korte of the Enquirer also has an article on this event.
For those not familiar with the term: Charrette.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Four Fewer Council Members?
In the end, there are fair odds that one of the four could win in November. It all depends on the primary battles and the various November match-ups, which are very interesting. If Monzel wins, I think both Thomas and Tarbell could beat him. Ghiz likely would beat Thomas, but Tarbell vs Ghiz would be more of a barn burner. (Yes, at this point, Huber E. Brown is an also ran.)
Cole vs. Reece is really a fascinating primary. This will be a hardcore retail political effort where each candidate will have make the face to face personal connections to primary voters, in order to get the numbers to win. Advertisements and signs are not going to be as effective.
The only strategy out there could be for Cole/Reece to save some money and work with Thomas. There could be joint events, but otherwise the messages will be different. Reece/Thomas would logically be a better fit, based on overall ideology, but who knows. Each campaign may not have time to even bother working together, since the clock is ticking so fast.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Shepard Fairey's Work at Arnold's
Shepard and his team even stayed at Arnold's for lunch out in the courtyard. That's how you experience this city.
Don't forget to hit the CAC this Friday for the Free Opening starting at 8 PM. Shepard Fairey will be DJing. Do not miss this event, it will be memorable. Blogger(s) may be dancing.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Vanity Fair Trashes Cincinnati
The February 2010 issue of Vanity Fair contains an article belittling the Creation Museum. I'm all for being scornful of the strict creationist approach to history, as I believe carbon-dating is a much better method of determining the age of the earth than is the "begat method." So if someone wants to ridicule the Creation Museum, I'll not get in the way; I've done it myself.
But for some reason, a funny thing happened on the way to the museum: the article's author, A.A. Gill, developed (and now expresses) an intense dislike of Cincinnati. I was prepared to do a thorough fisking of Gill's little screed, but Kate the Great has done it better than I would have.
I thought, though, that maybe we could all debunk Gill's swipe at Cincinnati--that the city has "meager pickings to boast about." (He goes on to suggest that if cities had highlight reels, ours would be dominated by the Creation Museum.) So, dear, readers, what do you think Cincinnati has to brag about?
Kate got us started with a list (of course, she's brewing for a fight when she picks Cincinnati's "best" restaurant). To her suggestions, I'd add:
- a top-rate symphony orchestra that just took Carnegie Hall by storm
- a thriving arts community, ranging from the Tony Award-winning Playhouse in
the Park to the Cincinnati Art Museum; - the MidPoint Music Fest, which now features bands from across the country;
- the nation's oldest professional baseball team;
- two top-rate academic institutions in Xavier and the University of Cincinnati, both of which also provide the region with high-caliber collegiate athletics; and
- the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
That's just a quick list I compiled in about 30 seconds. Gill should come back: I'll show him around, if he's not too busy looking down his nose at me.
Feel free to suggest your own places for Gill to visit on his return trip in the comments, or in a letter to the editor, which can be sent to letters@vf.com or via facsimile transmission to 212-286-4324.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Veterans Courts?
As Hamilton County (along with the rest of the nation) struggles with how to best rehabilitate individuals who commit crimes, we'll no doubt be talking more and more about solutions like these.
The Deen of Food Network Coming to Music Hall
The cooking demonstration is at 7:00. For $175.00, you can have a seat onstage. (Prices go as low as $40 for rear balcony.) For $200, you can skip the demonstration, but have a three-course meal and "one-on-one" interaction with Paula at 5:30.
I really like Paula Deen and would love to see her in-person. (Yes, this will subject me to some ridicule in the comments. So be it.) But I have a tough time justifying spending 175 bucks for an onstage seat, even though I know it would be a great experience. I enjoy going to baseball games, too, but can't bring myself to buy a diamond seat at GABP, either.
Have any of you found a rationale (and the willpower) to pony up that much cash to rub elbows with cooking greatness? If so, let me know what you told yourself that made you feel OK about writing that check; maybe it'll work for me, too.
Suit Seeks to Reform Prison System's Transitional and Post-Release Policies
This is an extremely important issue. Every criminal defense attorney in town can talk about representing individuals who are accused of committing new offenses within months of release from an Ohio prison. It happens because there are simply too few resources to help ease the transition between incarceration and freedom. That transition can be difficult for anyone, but can be a nightmare for a former offender with significant mental health issues. The lawsuit seeks to force the State of Ohio to implement more transitional programs. These programs would constitute a "reasonable accommodation" of a disability, a mandate of the ADA.98. Defendants’ failure to engage in necessary pre-release planning for these inmates results in a “revolving door” phenomenon in which inmates with psychiatric disabilities are released without adequate support and accommodations, and are then reincarcerated for manifestations of their psychiatric disabilities.
99. Defendants fail to provide Plaintiffs and the class they represent with requisite pre-release accommodations, including but not limited to facilitating the submission of pre-release applications for assistance that would enable eligible Plaintiffs and the class they represent to obtain SSI, SSDI, Food Stamps and Medicaid immediately upon or shortly after their release from prison, connecting the offender with mental health services in the community in which they will be discharged, and insuring that the offender is discharged with appropriate medications. These accommodations could allow Plaintiffs and the class they represent to make a successful transition from the prison and into a community. Defendants could make important improvements in pre-release planning by taking a series of easy steps at little or no additional cost, yet they have failed to do so.
The plaintiffs are represented by the Ohio Justice and Policy Center, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, and--oh, yeah, our own Jack Harrison of Frost Brown Todd.
Interestingly, a possible solution--though one that has to be implemented locally rather than state-wide--may be discussed in a piece posted yesterday by USA Today. It talks about the success of the Richland County Reentry Court, a specialized docket (much like Hamilton County's drug or mental health courts) designed to put recently-released inmates in touch with the resources they need to survive outside the institution.
OJPC has been extremely successful in achieving statewide reforms with past lawsuits. Over the last five years, OJPC reached agreements with the state regarding the medical care of inmates and (separately) regarding Ohio's juvenile justice system and DYS. It'll be interesting to see what comes of the present litigation.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Winter Shelter Remains Open
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Fair and Classy, a Lesson for COAST
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Winter Shelter Emergency Continues
The weather temperatures are frigid: tonight's low is expected to be 21 degrees, with lots of wind. Tomorrow night, the temperature will drop to 8 degrees.
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Cecil Thomas Is Running For Commissioner
Thomas' hemming and hawing does not bode well for him as a candidate. Thomas is not known as a big retail campaigner. Tarbell knows how to campaign face to face well and appears to like doing it, that edge goes to Tarbell. Thomas is an elected Democratic official, while Tarbell ran and won as a Charterite, edge to Thomas. Tarbell may need to get some party allies lined up. I would look see who Roxanne Qualls backs. She is the most popular political official in the city. If Jim can get her supporters along with the suburbanite Dems, he will go along way.
This will be a difficult primary race to analyze. We've not had Dems face off against each other for county wide races since I've been in town, so, almost 20 years.
Winter Shelter Emergency Tonight
Cincinnati—Mayor Mark Mallory and Dr. Noble Maseru, Commissioner of Health, today jointly declared that a Winter Shelter Emergency will be in effect tonight and will end on the morning of Wednesday February 10, 2010. This means the emergency Winter Shelter located at the Over-the-Rhine Community Center, 1715 Republic Street, will be open tonight from 10:00PM until 8:00AM. Social service agencies and community organizations should refer persons who are not accepted by existing shelters to the OTR Center.
A Winter Shelter Emergency is declared when temperatures are in the single digits and/or wind chill is in the single digits for sustained periods of time; when it is determined that regular shelters are expected to be filled to capacity; and life threatening conditions could result from lack of temporary housing. In addition the Winter Shelter Emergency communication system remains activated.
The release also offers instructions for anyone wishing to donate time, money or supplies:
Though very much appreciated and valued the OTR Emergency Weather Shelter
is not equipped or staffed to handle unexpected donations. Please advise individuals interested in making food or clothing donations, or volunteering their time, they should first coordinate with Josh Spring of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless at 421-7803 ext 13 or 716-7455 (cell).