Enquirer New Website Design Is Launched

You can check out the new design of the Cincinnati Enquirer's website by going to many different websites:
www.cincinnati.com specifically, but when you do, the term "Enquirer" will be something you don't see much. It is there, but is on the same footing at the Community Press. The old site www.enquirer.com still works, but goes to a less graphic sub category of "News".  This isn't a new development, as the old site did something similar, but the main page of "News" on the previous design had more of a front page of the Enquirer feel.  The only front page I see is Cincinnati.com itself (or Nky.com for a Kentucky focus).  It is moving a little slow, at least I feel it is, and some of the links don't seem to respond, but they'll work that out.

For help on using the new website, Cincinnati.com has provided a FAQ.

Another Cop the FOP Likely Won't Let Be Fired

The Cincinnati Police Department knows how to pick them, with this police officer Jeffrey Brunswick (Age 54) accused of punching another cop repeatedly in a bar. The Equirer reports this key piece of information:

Brunswick was fired in 1990 after he was accused by his supervisors of operating a vehicle in a reckless manner and then lying about it.

That's right, 20 years ago this cop was fired, but he took it to court and "won" his job back. Seems like he should be fired again, but the FOP will be there to protect his "right" to assault other police officers.  If I hit a co-worker, I would be fired as would nearly everyone else.  I am sure there are circumstances to consider, but there are few that could even be considered as even a partial excuse.  Being drunk at 2 in the morning isn't one of them.

Yes, you also read correctly that this guy is 54 years old and should clearly know better.

New Over-the-Rhine Blog

The prolific OTR Twitterer, @OTRcincy, has taken another step in the promotion of Cincinnati's amazing neighborhood Over-the-Rhine by starting a new blog, aptly titled Over-the-Rhine Blog.

For a Live Taste of the Enquirer's New Web Design Look to Louisville Paper

As I reported yesterday the Enquirer's Cincinnati.com website is set for resign. If you want to get a feel for how it is going to look, I suggest checking out the Enquirer's sister newspaper The Courier-Journal in Louisville for an example of the new design and organizational structure.

FOP Contract: The Song Remains The Same

The City Manager and FOP leadership have reached a deal to extend the current contract through the end of 2012, including a pay freeze.  The City Council and the FOP rank and file must approve the extension.

I guess this is the easiest solution. The FOP gets to keep its rules that make it nearly impossible to fire bad cops, and other structural benefits. The City gets the pay freeze, which will take some future pressure off the budget, and marginally reduce the future need for police layoffs or other consessions.

This in no way solves the budget problem that will loom for the City at the end of this year for 2012, but it makes it a little better.

CPD Reminds Me Of Egyptian Politics

We appear to have chaos in city government all over the impending retirement of Police Chief Tom Streicher, who leaves his position in a month. The city has been conducting a national search for going on for a new chief, but it has been suspended, because City Council is considering a police merger with or partial outsourcing to the Hamilton County Sheriff's department.

So now we have various factions fighting over what happens. The FOP is fighting back against the impending change and fear the Hamilton County Sheriff, who for the lack of a better analogy fits the "Muslim Brotherhood" roll, but his operations are cheaper and more flexible to manage.

Thankfully we don't have any actual violence in the streets, but we lack much protest either way.

We need a City police department. The Cincinnati Police Department should remain a viable organization. Giving up on it means the City's safety will be at the whims of a different elected official with too many constituents who don't care much for the crime in Cincinnati, as long as it stays in the City. We have a horrible contract with the FOP, however and that is costing us far more than it should. Sounds like we have a great city council campaign issue to discuss, but one that will be twisted into a litmus test by the usual players.

A Redesign For Cincinnati.com Is Coming Soon to a Browser Near You

The Enquirer issued an announcement that the  Cincinnati.com and the Enquirer websites will be resigned. A sample image shows a very different look, with some structural changes.  No word yet on when the redesign will be launched.

Ninja Squirrels Invade the Know Theatre

Get to the Know Theatre for Aliens With Extraordinary Skills now through February 26th.

P.G. Sittenfeld Leads Council Race In Fundraising

I'm stunned by the fund raising skills of Council Candidate P.G. Sittenfeld who has already raised over $100,000 as of December 31st of last year. He has over nine more months to go and has more money than most candidates will raise for the whole cycle.

Money can't buy a win in November, but it can take a well run campaign with no name recognition into a winning campaign with a large TV-Radio Ad campaign. I don't know if Sittenfeld is vying for any political party endorsements, but the ability to raise money is one of the factors that will give credibility to a campaign within political circles. Sittenfield's problem now, is that he will be expected to keep raising money at a high rate. Having money tends to bring more contributors, but you have to be able make a sell that he can win.

The details on how important his money will be comes with the list of his contributors. If this is mostly family, then it will be difficult for him to keep the fundraising up at this level. If he has branched out to a wider circle of friends or colleagues, he'll be better positioned.

Chris Seelback and Jason Riveiro did well, for this point in the race, and have a better chance to show improvement, if they can connect with more support and turn that into contributions.

Arrest Made In Tucker's Shooting

The Enquirer is reporting that one of the alleged shooters in an incident at Tucker's Restaurant was arrested. That is great news for the OTR community. There is no reason the other suspect can't be caught as well.

The Entire County Should Unify In Telling Mike Brown to Shove It.

There are few things that Hamilton County voters can agree on, uniformly, but I am hoping we can all unite in telling Mike Brown "No new scoreboard for you!" Yes, the County must help maintain Paul Brown Stadium, but only what needs to be replaced. The scoreboard works just fine.  If Mike Brown wants luxury, he can pay for it himself. If he doesn't like that deal, then he can pack his bags and move the team.

I am serious. If any Tea Party person is serious about what they say, they should be the FIRST group to support the County playing hard and fast with Mike Brown. We don't need professional football. We do need public services. Brown has become a parasite.  He must pay his own way, and he has the ability to do so and still make himself plenty of money.

A unified front is the only way the public can succeed.  We need every County official on the same page.  We don't need Joe Deters out there shooting his mouth off about contracts, in hopes of currying favor with Brown.  One voice must speak and tell Mike Brown what he is going to get.  That voice must not waver, must not cave into the fear of losing the team.  Instead, that voice should publicly announce what it will pay for and then pay nothing more and "if Brown doesn't like the deal, he can move the team."

A way many people can show their personal displeasure is for current season ticket holders to give them up and buy Reds season tickets instead.  Show Mike Brown how sports teams can work well with the County and get support from the public.  Let us use the power of the purse to force Brown to either comply or just move.  I think local bars would do better sales with 65,000 more fans going to their neighborhood bar on Sundays to watch better football on TV, anyway.

Stop buying Bengals jerseys and hats and anything that will make Brown any profit.  Show him that the Customer is what matters.  Tell him to shove it.  If he wants your business, he can beg.

Enquirer Gushes Over Berding

I didn't know it was possible for newspaper editorial page to have a crush on an elected official, but I think the Enquirer would have his baby after reading this gushing selective editorial rendition of the soon to be former council member.

6th Circuit Court of Appeals Rules to Count Votes

The legal struggle over the Hamilton County Juvenile Court judge election took another turn yesterday with a unanimous ruling from a three member panel of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, based here in Cincinnati. The ruling orders County officials to count all ballots cast at the wrong table, but at the right location. This ruling is good news for Democrat Tracie Hunter, who was trailing in the race by 23 votes. The Board of Elections will face pressure to appeal the issue to the Supreme Court, but someone needs to get with the program and do what is right, count the votes that were cast in good faith, but with faulty advice. The Republican members of the Hamilton county Board of Elections need to take direction from Judge Dlott, and get these votes counted. It's time to finish the election.

Jeff Berding to Resign From Cincinnati City Council

In a surprise move, Jeff Berding, independent Cincinnati City Council Member, will resign his seat within the "next few weeks" according to an Enquirer article. Council Member Chris Bortz is slated to choose Berding's replacement, who would serve out the rest of the current term.  The Enquirer reports that Bortz, a Charterite, will not consult the Charter Committee on the council appointment.

 

The other news in the article is that Bortz himself has not committed to running again for council this year, just that he will not resign.  This would be his last election before the term limit would set in.  His a relatively new father, who may be, like Berding, wanting to focus part of his life elsewhere.

 

This appointment will make it three unelected members on City Council, and unless Jim Tarbell is the pick to replace Berding, there will be three very shakey seats up for relection, if not more.  This opens up the race for Council this year quite a bit.  Bortz likley will pick someone more centrist, along the lines of Berding.  If Bortz does not run again, that would really be the sign for a shake-up of the power structure come November.

 

Does Chabot Have Any Friends in Congress?

The Enquirer's political blog reported on the SOTU last night and gave a summary of what the Ohio delegation was doing during and after the speech. All of the Ohio Senators and Representatives sat together, regardless of party, except for three, all from Southwest Ohio. John Boehner of course had to sit in the Speaker's chair behind the president, so that is understood. Jean Schmidt was getting handshakes and autographs by sitting along the center aisle, something self serving, but not partisan or anti-social. Chabot stood in the aisle along on the right side of the chamber. The article indicates that when he got there all the seats were taken, so no one in the Ohio delegation saved him a seat. Man, that must suck. I would have thought he would still have some friends in the delegation to meet up with, but he doesn't seem to like any Democrats, personally, so I guess he couldn't find anyone to partner up with. I am seeing a friendless man, a congressman who lacks the personal relationships to get things done for the Ohio 1st district. Chabot will continue his historical practice of doing nothing to help his district prosper, but instead do what his party wants, which will help him get re-elected. What a waste. That's what an ignorant and apathetic electorate gets you.

Norwood Republican Candidates Announced

Citizens For a Better Norwood, a pro Norwood PAC, list Norwood's Republican candidates for City offices for the 2011 elections. They report that as soon as the Democratic endorsements are announced, they will be published.

I don't know anything about Norwood politics or even it's form of government, but I can glean from this listing that they have a combination of at-large and district representation. It is more interesting that they have other city wide offices other than Mayor. Those talking about changing Cincinnati City government structure should look how there's works. Norwood is not known as having a history of good government, so I hope those looks at Norwood are skeptical. Why Norwood still exists is another mystery. They should have been annexed by the City long ago.

When, Where, and How Did Monzel and Hartmann Discuss Dismissal?

So, let me get this straight. Republicans Greg Hartmann and Chris Monzel held a vote without notice to fire Hamilton County Administrator Patrick Thompson.

Did they use smoke signals to plan this out? Did they send carrier pigeon messages back and forth scheming such a plot?

I'd like to know what kind of meetings they had on this topic. When did they have them? Where did they have them? Did they give fellow commissioner Todd Portune ample or at least any notice they were planning on meeting to discuss staffing choices? It is my understanding that staffing decisions can avoid sunshine laws by holding such discussions in executive session. The question is, can you have an executive session without informing all of the members of the commission about such a meeting?

Few will question the Republicans, they get to do what they want and ignore the laws they don't like.

CityBeat's Kevin Osborne has more, especially the categorical comment from Monzel that Brad Beckett will NOT get Thompson's job. The county is safer and less scum like without even the potential of someone like Beckett having such a job hanging over our heads. I really hope Kevin got that quote on tape. I don't trust Monzel to do the right thing, especially in light of the secret planning and/or meeting with Hartmann. Expect more shady dealing from the Terrible Two on Commission.

The West End Church of Rock and Roll

The West End has long been a neighborhood slow with development, but a new revitalization of a church is underway. A team of three has plans to turn the former First German Reformed Church, built in 1850, into a combination of live music venue, art gallery, music school, and possibly a restaurant. One of the three is a member of the well known local band Foxy Shazam, and look to capitalize on their experience nationally in the music business to make this new venue a destination for bands. That would put it on par locally with the Southgate House, Northside Tavern, MOTR, and the Mad Hatter as the main local music venues, where each have nearly daily shows. The other direction this new venue could take would be to model after the Madison Theater, 20th Century, or Bogarts. Each of those venues hold a few events a week, at most. They are a long way off from opening the venture, but their passion I believe bodes well for the renovation to be completed.

Mayor Reacts To Weekend Murders

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory issued the following statement in reaction to the two seperate murders that occurred Saturday night:

“Two young men losing their lives to gun violence in one night is absurd,” Mayor Mark Mallory said. “Uriah Ware was hit by a stray bullet at a birthday party. Parents should not have to worry about their child’s safety at a birthday party. James Christopher was shot on the street in West Price Hill. My heart is with the family and friends of Uriah Ware and James Christopher. We need peace in this community. This senseless violence must end.”

I appreciate the Mayor making a statement and he is right in what he is saying, but how can anyone stop the violence? How do ignorant people shoot guns off at birthday parties? How do we as a society try and rid this type of ignorance? I don't know that we can. As long as we persist in allowing having a gun to be viewed as a sign of power, we will have this type of violence.

Washington Park Renovation Progress

CIMG0076, originally uploaded by washingtonparkotr.

3CDC is providing a weekly update, including photos, on the progress of the renovation of Washington Park. The photos show quite a bit of progress on the underground parking lot. Almost all of the park is closed off to the public, as most section are now under construction. Check out all of the photos here.