Blog — Vote No on Issue 9

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Statement from Cincinnatians for Progress

Below is the official statement from Cincinnatians for Progress Co-Chair Robert Richardson regarding today's announcement that the NAACP and COAST are holding a press conference on July 1st to "announce results" of the Anti-Progress Charter Amendment:

"The proponents of the Anti-Progress Charter Amendment claim this proposal is about the Streetcar. Have they taken the time to actually read the language of the Charter Amendment, or are they simply intentionally trying to deceive Cincinnati voters? Their proposal would require that before the City spends "any monies for right-of-way, acquisition or construction of improvements for passenger rail transportation" there must first be a public vote. This would jeopardize all rail projects, including President Obama's plan to connect Cincinnati with Chicago and Cleveland via high speed rail.

The Anti-Progress Charter Amendment will cost Cincinnati jobs, cause our tax dollars to be spent elsewhere and throw up roadblocks for economic development. Along with 8 of 9 City Council Members and 16 of 18 endorsed candidates for City Council, Cincinnatians for Progress will work to inform Cincinnati voters of the dangerous implications of the Anti-Progress Amendment so it is defeated in November.

We welcome this debate about the future of Cincinnati. In November voters will get to decide if they want to stay stuck in the past or take the bold steps needed to move our city forward."

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 3:21 PM 0 Comments

Monday, June 29, 2009

City Council Candidates Endorse Cincinnatians for Progress

CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES ENDORSE CINCINNATIANS FOR PROGRESS
Join Mayor Mallory and 8 of 9 City Council Members Opposing Anti-Progress Amendment

Cincinnati, OH - Cincinnatians for Progress is proud to have received the official endorsements from Mayor Mark Mallory and 16 of 18 endorsed City Council candidates from the Republican, Charter and Democratic parties. Joining 8 of 9 current Council Members endorsing Cincinnatians for Progress and opposing the dangerous Anti-Progress Charter Amendment are Council candidates Tony Fischer, Bernadette Watson, Nicholas Hollan, Laure Quinlivan, Wendell Young, Kevin Flynn, Amy Murray and George Zamary.

"Our city needs jobs, now more than ever." said Wendell Young, a Democrat from North Avondale. "This charter amendment would threaten our economic development opportunities and likely cause our federal tax dollars to be invested in other communities, including President Obama's plan to connect Cincinnati to Chicago and Cleveland via high speed passenger rail."

Mayor Mark Mallory serves as the Honorary Chair of Cincinnatians for Progress. Current Council Members that have already endorsed Cincinnatians for Progress include Jeff Berding, Chris Bortz, Laketa Cole, David Crowley, Leslie Ghiz, Greg Harris, Roxanne Qualls and Cecil Thomas.

"The Anti-Progress Charter Amendment is about much more than the Streetcar," said Nicholas Hollan, a Democrat from Westwood. "This dangerous proposal would threaten to halt all passenger rail in the city, including light and high speed rail."

For more information on Cincinnatians for Progress, please visit www.cincinnatiansforprogress.com.

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Paid for by Cincinnatians for Progress, Don Mooney, Treasurer, 600 Vine Street, Suite 2800, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 11:51 AM 0 Comments

Unabridged Version of Don Mooney's Enquirer Editorial

This Sunday's editorial in the Enquirer by Cincinnatians for Progress's Don Mooney was restricted in word count. Here is the unabridged version.

Imagine this scenario: Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Senators Sherrod Brown and George Voinovich, and an assortment of Ohio Congressmen join U.S. Dept. of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in Columbus in Mid-November to announce Ohio’s receipt of a $400 million grant for a high speed rail system linking Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati. With support from President Obama, Cincinnati will be a hub for the nation’s new high speed rail system, a gateway to Chicago, Pittsburgh, New York or beyond.

In Cleveland and Columbus and points in between, city staff and council members quickly get on board, acquiring large and small chunks of land to make way for rail lines and crossings, rail stations or parking lots.

But Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney’s first call is to the Hamilton County Board of Elections, to schedule an election. PAC’s will be formed, Fat Cats will write checks, retired Congressmen will bluster, radio talk show hosts will bloviate, and “community leaders” of every stripe and persuasion will herd themselves into contentious camps to fuss and feud for months over whether or not Cincinnati really wants in on this new high speed rail thing.

This is a city that famously rejected these new-fangled railroads back in the 19th Century, because of our firmly held belief that the future belonged to the paddlewheel. So imagine the not-so-cogent arguments some will find to keep Cincinnati a passenger rail-free zone for the next few decades. As Cleveland, Columbus and points in between begin receiving federal funds and the jobs that go with it, Cincinnati will be mired in one more ugly and expensive referendum on whether to punch our ticket for the 21st century. Meanwhile, in Dayton or Sharonville local governments will be raising their hands saying “send that high speed train through here”.

That strange scenario is exactly what Cincinnati can expect if voters approve a proposed charter amendment ginned up by those odd political bedfellows – Chris Smitherman, a former one-term Councilman, now presiding over the NAACP, and Chris Finney, whose COAST organization never saw a tax or public investment it liked. If their proposal passes, Cincinnati’s Charter would require that before the City spends “any monies for right-of-way, acquisition or construction of improvements for passenger rail transportation” there must first be a public vote.
Let’s count a just a few of the ways this electoral mischief is bad for our city:

• The folks behind this petition keep talking about “stopping the trolley,” the street car proposed to link the riverfront, Over-The-Rhine and Clifton. But COAST candidly admit that this is “about much more than a stupid street car.” The amendment would require an election before any City expenditure on any passenger rail project. That would block the proposed high speed C-C-C link paid for almost completely with federal transportation dollars. It would also block other projects long on the local drawing board waiting for federal funding, like the “eastern corridor” rail link along the Ohio River, to reduce auto traffic from our eastern suburbs into downtown, or a rail link between downtown and our airport, like those in other major cities like Cleveland, Chicago or Boston. Cincinnati is competing with hundreds of other communities around the nation for federal transportation funds. An electoral roadblock will take Cincinnati off the funding list on the first cut.

• The folks behind this mischief argue that all they want is a simple election. Do we have a problem with a little old-fashioned democracy? In fact, Cincinnati already has plenty of democracy. We elect nine Council Members every two years. We pay them to make decisions about how to spend City money, whether for a neighborhood project, police and fire protection or, yes, capital improvements like highways and rail transportation.

• One thing particularly dangerous about a “referendum,” as opposed to a race for Mayor or City Council, is the amount and source of cash that can be spent to persuade the public to vote “yes” or “no.” Candidates for Council or Mayor have strict contribution limits, and can only accept money from individual contributors or duly registered political action committees. But if Cincinnatians vote on whether to joint the C-C-C high speed connection, corporate power brokers can write unlimited checks. Watch what happens this November when proponents and opponents of casino gambling start buying millions of dollars of television time. The “message” voters hear is not always what motivates these big donors. Casino “opponents” will warn about the potential harm of gambling to our community’s social fabric, in ads paid for by casino operators from across the Indiana border who just don’t want more competition. The same motives will drive any passenger rail referendum in Cincinnati. Would oil companies or car manufacturers write big checks to prevent Cincinnatians leave their cars at home and take a train to work, Columbus or Chicago? Would Delta want to keep people flying rather than taking a train to Chicago or Cleveland? You betcha.

• While campaign consultants and TV stations will profit from passenger rail election wars, the taxpayers will pay. If Council needs to move quickly to buy small chunks of land, or spend matching local dollars to make high speed rail happen in Cincinnati, a special election will be required every time new land or city spending is required. According to our Board of Elections, each special election in Cincinnati could cost around $475,000, which might be more than some of the right-of-way purchases will cost the City.

If confronted with the COAST/NAACP petition on this November’s ballot, Cincinnati voters need to think whether we need one more roadblock to our City’s progress.

Don Mooney Jr. is a Cincinnati attorney, a long time member of the Cincinnati Planning Commission and serves as Treasurer of Cincinnatians for Progress.

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 10:23 AM 1 Comments

Streetcar opposition threatens high-speed rail

Streetcar opposition threatens high-speed rail
Cincinnati Enquirer
June 28, 2009
By Don Mooney, Jr, Treasurer, Cincinnatians for Progress
Online Article

Imagine this: Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland joins U.S. Dept. of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood later this year to announce Ohio will get $400 million in federal dollars for a Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati passenger rail line. Cincinnati will become a hub for the nation's new high-speed rail system.

Cleveland and Columbus quickly begin acquiring land for rail lines, crossings, stations or parking lots.

But in Cincinnati, the first call is to the Board of Elections, to schedule an election. PACs will be formed, fat cats will write checks, retired congressmen and radio talk show hosts will bloviate, and "community leaders" will herd themselves into contentious camps to feud over whether Cincinnati really wants in on this new high-speed rail thing.

Cincinnati rejected those new-fangled railroads back in the 19th century. City poo-bahs thought the future belonged to the paddlewheel.

Imagine the not-so-cogent arguments some will find to keep Cincinnati a passenger-rail-free zone.

That scenario is what Cincinnati can expect if voters approve a charter amendment ginned up by two odd political bedfellows: Chris Smitherman, a former one-term councilman presiding over the NAACP, and Chris Finney, whose COAST organization never saw a public investment it liked. Their amendment requires an election before the city spends "any monies for right-of-way acquisition or construction of improvements for passenger rail transportation."

Petitioners talk about stopping "the trolley," the streetcar from the riverfront to Clifton. But COAST admits that this is "about much more than a stupid streetcar." The amendment would roadblock the C-C-C link, paid for almost completely with our federal transportation dollars. It would also block other projects like the "eastern corridor" rail link to reduce auto traffic from our eastern suburbs, or a rail link between downtown and our airport, like those in other major cities such as Cleveland and Chicago. Cincinnati is competing with hundreds of other communities around the nation for federal transportation funds. An electoral roadblock will take Cincinnati off the funding list on the first cut.

The folks behind this mischief argue that all they want is a little old-fashioned democracy. Cincinnati already has plenty of democracy. We elect nine council members every two years. We pay them to make decisions about how to spend city money on items like recreation centers, highways and rail.

Cincinnati hardly needs one more roadblock to our city's progress.

Don Mooney Jr. is a Cincinnati attorney and a longtime member of the Cincinnati Planning Commission, and serves as treasurer of Cincinnatians for Progress.

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 9:52 AM 0 Comments

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Charter Amendment About More than Streetcars

Today's Enquirer article about the Cincinnati Streetcar and the Anti-Progress Amendment did not adequately explain the that the Anti-Progress Charter Amendment being pushed by the NAACP and COAST affects much more than just the Streetcar. If their proposal passes, Cincinnati’s Charter would require that before the City spends “any monies for right-of-way, acquisition or construction of improvements for passenger rail transportation” there must first be a public vote.

Notice the words "for passenger rail transportation" - it does not specify the streetcar. Even the Treasurer for COAST admits that the Charter Amendment is “about much more than a stupid street car.”

The amendment would require an election before any City expenditure on any passenger rail project. This would block President Obama's plan to connect Cincinnati with Chicago and Cleveland via high speed rail (the 3C Corridor), paid for almost completely with federal transportation dollars. Cincinnati would be required to contibute local funding, but if the Anti-Progress Charter Amendment passes, this train would become the Cleveland to Sharonville line.

It would also block other projects long on the local drawing board waiting for federal funding, like the “eastern corridor” rail link along the Ohio River, designed to reduce auto traffic from our eastern suburbs into downtown (which has already received stimulus funding), or a rail link between downtown and our airport, like those in other major cities like Cleveland, Chicago or Boston. Cincinnati is competing with hundreds of other communities around the nation for federal transportation funds. An electoral roadblock will take Cincinnati off the funding list on the first cut.

Cincinnati voters need to consider this amendment in light of the fact that it will put a roadblock in the way of ALL passenger rail, not just the Streetcar.

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 10:47 AM 2 Comments

Cincinnatus Association and Charter Committee Endorse Cincinnatians for Progress

Cincinnatians for Progress is proud to have received the official endorsements of the Cincinnatus Association and Charter Committee. Below is the press release that was sent to the media on Monday.

Cincinnatians for Progress will be announcing more endorsements weekly as we build our growing coalition who will work to defeat the Anti-Progress Amendment.

CINCINNATUS ASSOCIATION AND CHARTER COMMITTEE ENDORSE CINCINNATIANS FOR PROGRESS
Charter should not be amended for individual issues

Cincinnati, OH - Cincinnatians for Progress is proud to have received the official endorsements of both the Cincinnatus Association and Charter Committee in our efforts to defeat the dangerous Anti-Progress Charter Amendment, which would jeopardize the City from supporting all forms of passenger rail in the city, including President Obama's plan to build high speed rail connecting Cincinnati with Chicago and Cleveland.

The proposed Anti-Progress Charter Amendment would amend the city's charter to require an expensive, divisive and time wasting public referendum every time Council wants to improve or invest in passenger rail transportation in Cincinnati.

"The City Charter is the Constitution of Cincinnati. It should not be tinkered with for single issues," said Robert Schrage, the Chair of the Excellence in Government Panel at the Cincinnatus Association. "We elect council members to decide these issues, and if we don't agree with how they vote, they can be voted out of office."

Mayor Mark Mallory has agreed to serve as Chairman of Cincinnatians for Progress. The organization has also received the endorsements of Council Members Cecil Thomas, Jeff Berding, Chris Bortz, David Crowley, Laketa Cole, Greg Harris, Roxanne Qualls and Leslie Ghiz.

"Amendments to the charter should be reserved to changing the basic structure and function of city government, said Michael Goldman, Board President of the Charter Committee. "They should not be used as a veto on individual issues."

For more information on Cincinnatians for Progress, please visit www.cincinnatiansforprogress.com.

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posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 9:01 AM 1 Comments

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Obama Administration Wants to Expand Transportation Options; Naysayers Want to Limit Cincinnati's

Under President Obama, the Department of Transportation, EPA and Department of Housing and Urban Development have adopted a 6 principals for their "Partnership for Sustainable Communities." According to Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, this partnership "will help us coordinate federal transportation, environmental protection, and housing investments at our respective agencies."

Two of their 6 principals are relevant to the current debate in Cincinnati - do we keep our transportation options open, or pass a restrictive ballot amendment that would handcuff our Mayor and City Council from investing in passenger rail?

The two principals are:

1. Provide more transportation choices.
Develop safe, reliable and economical transportation choices to decrease household transportation costs, reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote public health.

3. Enhance economic competitiveness.
Improve economic competitiveness through reliable and timely access to employment centers, educational opportunities, services and other basic needs by workers as well as expanded business access to markets.

So while President Obama's administration has made it clear they support increasing transportation options, in order to connect more workers with more jobs and promote economic competitiveness, Cincinnatians will have the option in November to limit our choices and hurt our city's ability to compete for jobs.

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 10:09 AM 0 Comments

NYT: New Rail Lines Spur Urban Revival

Cities around the country are seeing the economic development benefits that passenger rail lines have brought, according to this article in Sunday's New York Times.

As the article states: "[Currently, there are] $250 billion worth of light-rail, streetcar or high-speed bus projects being planned nationwide.

Many cities are inspired by the success of Denver; Charlotte, N.C.; Portland, Ore.; Salt Lake City and others in combining transit and development to revitalize downtowns and suburbs."

So while other cities across the country are realizing the benefits of passenger rail, including the increased jobs and economic development boost, a few of the same old naysayers want to stop progress in Cincinnati. They seem to be stuck in the mud and excited about their campaign to pull Cincinnati backwards, while other cities are developing their regional infrastructure and attracting new residents, investments and businesses.

The article continues:

Along the rail line, mixed-use communities have sprouted, such as Stapleton, a $5 billion development on the site of the former Stapleton International Airport, which closed in 1995. Shops and restaurants in downtown Denver are lively long after the workday has ended, and neighborhoods like Central Platte Valley, just northwest of downtown, are still being developed.

“It’s been transformative,” said Tom Clark, executive vice president of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. He anticipates 50 transit-oriented developments to be built around FasTracks over the next decade.

The naysayers want you to believe that they are just breathing more democracy into the process. What they fail to understand is that developers (who will invest in the business that create jobs) and the federal and state government (who will contribute to any major rail initiative) have hundreds of locations to choose from. Why would they waste time and money working together to build rail, when after the agreement is made, they have to wait for a costly, divisive election to approve their plan? They won't. They will go elsewhere, and it will cost Cincinnati jobs and investment.

As the article states:

The most successful projects do more than build housing near transit stations. They take pains to create livable neighborhoods, with parks, paths, retail stores and places for people to gather....This often requires collaboration between local governments and private developers. Local governments might invest in transit, parks and infrastructure, revise zoning laws and offer financial incentives in return for a developer taking the risk of building in an unproven area.

Both sides can benefit: city participation may help developers raise funds in a tight market, while the investment can both raise tax revenue for the city and attract employers and young professionals.

In 2002, the government of Columbus, Ohio, began a sweeping effort to remake its downtown. It raised $800 million in city, county, state and federal funds for infrastructure improvements. That helped attract $1.5 billion in private investment, mainly for housing and commercial development.

Lifestyle Communities, based in Columbus, is one of those developers. It is building a $25 million rental and condo project, the Annex at RiverSouth. Without the public investment in area roads and infrastructure, “it would have been difficult,” said Michael DeAscentis Jr., the company’s chief executive.

If we want Cincinnati to keep moving forward, we can't let the naysayers throw up roadblocks. We need to vote NO on the Anti-Progress Amendment.

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 9:52 AM 0 Comments

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Cincinnatians for Progress Campaign Launch

This video was filmed and produced by Lee Snow, a UC senior majoring in E-Media. You can see more of Lee's work here.

Interested in helping Cincinnatians for Progress with graphic design, web design, video or photo services? We need your help! Sign up here to help Cincinnati keep moving forward!

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 9:33 AM 0 Comments

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

"Rally for Progress" Raises Almost $10,000!

Wow! Over 200 Cincinnatians for all across the city and from all walks of life attended our "Rally for Progress" on June 11th to show their support for Cincinnati's economic future and opposition to the Anti-Progress Amendment. All told, the event brought in $8,903!

Check out some pictures from the event here, and a recap of the event here. If you have pictures or video from the event please email us at cincinnatiansforprogress@gmail.com so we can get them up on the site.

More and more Cincinnatians every day are joining Cincinnatians for Progress as we work to raise awareness of the dangerous implications of the Anti-Progress Charter Amendment that would jeopardize the City from building all forms of passenger rail in the city, including President Obama's plan to build high speed rail connecting Cincinnati with Chicago and Cleveland.

The members of Cincinnatians for Progress are part of the solution. As we continue to secure endorsements from elected officials and local organizations, we will continue to rely on our members support so we can defeat the Anti-Progress Charter Amendment.

If you have not donated already, please consider making a contribution by clicking here. In addition, you can ask 5 friends that they sign up for our email updates by going here and providing their email address.

Together, we will keep Cincinnati moving forward!

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 2:26 PM 0 Comments

Monday, June 15, 2009

County Leaders Denounce City Charter Petition; Charter Language Will DeRail Much Needed County Development

County Leaders Denounce City Charter Petition
Charter Language Will DeRail Much Needed County Development

May 21, 2009 - Cincinnati,OH: - At their regular Wednesday County Commissioners’ Board Meeting County Commissioners Todd Portune and David Pepper issued strong attacks on the city charter amendment petition designed to require a public vote on every city rail related expenditure. Commissioner Portune launched the attack saying that the wording of the language is so broad that important regional projects like the Eastern Corridor Transportation project that recently received a $20 Million stimulus award and the cross Ohio high speed rail link from Cincinnati to Cleveland will grind to a halt. Both projects involve the city of Cincinnati as a funding partner.

Portune said, “Much needed economic development stemming from the Eastern Corridor, and the Cincinnati to Cleveland rail connector to the intermodal freight developments shipping goods and materials through the region from the bulk terminal facilities on the Ohio river that can transfer goods from barge to train to truck will all grind to a halt if this charter amendment passes. Its supporters say its just about streetcars but the language covers much more than that and will put the voters of Cincinnati in the middle of virtually every countywide development that has a transit element of any kind.”

Commission President David Pepper echoed Portune’s concerns, noting, “The 3C and D connector will become the Cleveland to Sharonville connector if this thing passes”

Both Commissioners allowed that if Cincinnati voters want to vote on streetcars they have that right but the petitions that are circulating are so poorly drafted they will bottle up all kinds of countywide development and transportation enhancements that both Hamilton County and the State of Ohio are implementing.

Contact: Kathy Binns 513-946-4402

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 12:49 PM 0 Comments

Ohio Cities Begging for High Speed Rail

While the naysayers who are pushing the Anti-Progress Charter Amendment are throwing up road blocks that would prevent connecting Cincinnati with Cleveland and Chicago via high speed rail as part of President Obama's transportation plan, other Ohio cities are hoping the rail will stop in their town, according to the Enquirer.

Why? Well, because the high speed rail will be a boon to economic development.

A train station is just the sort of hub that can spark new economic development, said Dave Oles, city manager in Galion, a small city about 50 miles north of Columbus that hosted a statewide meeting last month for rail advocates.

Rail has proven to spur economic development, and the jobs and increased tax revenue that comes with it, in cities across the country. As the article stated:

In Saco, Maine, a developer is spending $110 million to turn an old mill into condos and an office park next to a new Amtrak station that picks up travelers along a rail corridor that runs to Boston.

“There’s a new economic energy once these small towns become part of a larger transportation network,” said Patricia Quinn, executive director of Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, which manages Amtrak’s Downeaster route.

An Amtrak depot that opened in 1995 in Lafayette, Ind., led to a neighboring $36 million development project 10 years later that included condos and an office park.

We can't let the same old naysayers who want to block Cincinnati from moving forward to succeed - we need to vote NO on the Anti-Progress Charter Amendment.

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 11:00 AM 0 Comments

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Today's Announcement from the City Regarding the Cincinnati Streetcar

Below is the official statement from Cincinnatians for Progress Co-Chair Bobby Maly regarding today's announcement by the City regarding the Cincinnati Streetcar:

"The Anti-Progress Charter Amendment affects much more than the streetcar. This dangerous proposal would put Cincinnati at a competitive disadvantage to grow our local economy and jeopardize our ability to compete for federal and state dollars for the city, including President Obama's plan to connect Cincinnati with Chicago and Cleveland via high speed passenger rail."

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 5:54 PM 0 Comments

CINCINNATIANS FOR PROGRESS HOST “RALLY FOR PROGRESS”

CINCINNATIANS FOR PROGRESS HOST “RALLY FOR PROGRESS”
Grassroots support builds to oppose the Anti-Progress Charter Amendment

Cincinnati, OH - Cincinnatians for Progress is hosting a “Rally for Progress” on Thursday, June 11^th from 5:30pm-8:30pm at the Verdin Bell Center (444 Reading Avenue). The minimum donation to attend is $35, or $15 for students. Jake Speed and the Freddies will perform at the event.

Cincinnatians for Progress is coordinating the campaign against the dangerous Anti-Progress Charter Amendment that would stop the City from supporting all forms of passenger rail in the city, including President Obama's plan to build high speed rail connecting Cincinnati with Chicago and Cleveland.

This event builds on the growing grassroots momentum building for Cincinnatians for Progress. Since our launch on March 25^th to a standing room only crowd of over 250, Cincinnatians for Progress has grown to 2,000 members, launched our website, raised over $80,000 in mostly small donations, secured the endorsements of Mayor Mark Mallory and 8 of 9 City Council Members.

The “Rally for Progress” is being hosted by 101 Cincinnatians from across the city. Attendees can donate and RSVP for the event at www.cincinnatiansforprogress.com or at the door at the event.

For more information on Cincinnatians for Progress, please visit www.cincinnatiansforprogress.com.

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Media Notes: To attend the event and receive media credentials, please contact Andrew Simon at cincinnatiansforprogress@gmail.com.

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 5:51 PM 0 Comments

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Anti-Progress Charter Amendment Would Create Cleveland-Sharonville High Speed Rail Line

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Governor Ted Strickland is in DC today lobbying Federal officials to contribute $400 Million to build a high-speed passenger rail from Cleveland to Cincinnati. Remember that President Obama earlier named Cincinnati as one part of his top 10 high speed rail priorities.

As County Commissioner David Pepper has said, President Obama's High Speed Rail plan would become the"Cleveland to Sharonville connector if this thing passes," Pepper said. Why? Because no matter the amount of federal and state investment, this project will require some local funding to maintain and operate the line. Pepper continued at his blog: "...as transportation planners at the state and federal level make major decisions about where to invest money, and choose among different priorities and competing regions, such an anti-rail poison pill in the City charter would clearly put our entire region at the bottom of the totem pole."

The folks pushing the Anti-Progress Charter Amendment want you to believe that it is a referendum on the streetcar. Not true. As County Commissioner Todd Portune recently said, "Its supporters say its just about streetcars, but the language covers much more than that and will put the voters of Cincinnati in the middle of virtually every countrywide development that has a transit element of any kind," Portune said.

When Cincinnati is competing with municipalities across the nation for critical infrastructure, this Anti-Progress Charter Amendment will put our City at a competititve disadvantage. This funding will go to other cities, not Cincinnati. To see President Obama's high speed rail plan actually be implemented in Cincinnati, we need to vote down the Anti-Progress Charter Amendment.

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 2:08 PM 2 Comments

Monday, June 8, 2009

Misplaced Priorities

The proposed Anti-Progress Charter Amendment would prevent the City from spending money on "right-of-way acquisition or construction of improvements for passenger rail" without first bringing this decision to the voters. The proponents of this legislation seem intent on stopping all progress in the city, so it makes sense they are against all rail transportation. But why stop there? Why not stop any progress being made to other transportation and infrastructure projects? Why are they only focused on rail transit, a minuscule percentage of the total spending on transportation?

What the proponents of the Anti-Progress Charter Amendment also fail to mention is that there is often a local match required for all federal transportation and infrastructure investments. Meaning, if the Anti-Progress Charter Amendment passes, then the city would have to bypass all federal funds for rail in the city since the local match can not be secured. It's not like the City can just decide to spend these dollars on other projects. These federal dollars will go to some other City, not Cincinnati.

For example, check out this article in this morning's Enquirer, which outlines our local Congressional Representative's earmark requests in the massive transportation and infrastructure bill going through Congress. In total, Reps. Driehaus and Schmidt requested $553,160,000. Projects within the city limit account for $467,200,000. Of that amount, only $5,000,000 is requested for rail.

So, the Anti-Progress Charter Amendment folks are more concerned with stopping the expenditure of $5,000,000 for rail but see no issues with the $462,200,000 of funding that the City could be responsible for matching locally.

If the Anti-Progress Charter Amendment supporters were serious about wanting to let the people have their say on transportation expenditures, they wouldn't have made the language of their Amendment focused on rail. What this Amendment will do is force the City to give up critical transportation and infrastructure improvement dollars and turn Cincinnati into a California style government.

How is that style of government by referendum working for California? Check out this story in today's LA Times, a result of the multi-Billion dollar budget crisis facing the state.

Faced with what he calculates to be a potential $24-billion budget deficit in the fiscal year starting July 1, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed cutting state supplemental payments for the elderly and disabled down to the minimum allowed by federal law. It would be their third cut this year.

Is this the kind of government we want in Cincinnati?

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 9:48 AM 1 Comments

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Cincinnatians for Progress Launches Website; Announces Endorsements from 8 of 9 City Council Members

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 2009

CONTACT: Andrew Simon
(202) 680-8850
andrew.l.simon@gmail.com

CINCINNATIANS FOR PROGRESS LAUNCHES WEBSITE WWW.CINCINNATIANSFORPROGRESS.COM
Will oppose Anti-Progress Charter Amendment that would impede economic growth

Cincinnati, OH - Today, Cincinnatians for Progress is proud to launch our new website at www.cincinnatiansforprogress.com where we also formally announce the endorsements of Mayor Mark Mallory and eight of the nine current city council members. Council Members Cecil Thomas, Jeff Berding, Chris Bortz, David Crowley, Laketa Cole, Greg Harris, Roxanne Qualls and Leslie Ghiz have endorsed the Cincinnatians for Progress effort. Mayor Mark Mallory has also agreed to serve as Chairman of the organization.

Cincinnatians for Progress was formed to promote awareness of the dangerous implications of the proposed Anti-Progress Charter amendment.

"I am proud to be the Chairman of Cincinnatians for Progress," said Mayor Mark Mallory. "Along with thousands of supporters from neighborhoods across the City, we are leading the drive to defeat the proposed Charter amendment that would put up a roadblock to future progress and hurt future economic growth in our city."

This charter amendment would amend the city's charter, the city's Constitution, to require an expensive, divisive and time wasting public referendum every time Council wants to improve or invest in passenger rail transportation in Cincinnati. This charter amendment would put our city at a competitive disadvantage and erect barriers to job creation and economic development. This is at a time when the City will need to move quickly to take advantage of federal or state dollars available to stimulate the economy. It will mean our tax dollars go to help some other City, not our own.

"While I cannot support building a streetcar in Cincinnati at this time because of the City's current economic condition, I am fully opposed to this ballot initiative," said City Council Member Leslie Ghiz. "This Amendment could have unintended consequences with regard to the growth of Cincinnati as well as to any rail systems that could possibly run through our city."

Residents from across the city are joining Cincinnatians for Progress to show their support for the city's future. Since the group's launch on March 25th, over 2,000 Cincinnatians have joined our cause through Facebook and our email list.

Cincinnatians for Progress is hosting a "Rally for Progress" on June 11th at the Verdin Bell Center from 5:30pm-8:30pm to raise funds and awareness for the campaign against the Anti-Progress Amendment.

For more information on Cincinnatians for Progress, please visit www.cincinnatiansforprogress.com.

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Paid for by Cincinnatians for Progress, Don Mooney, Treasurer, 600 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 12:28 PM 0 Comments

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Cincinnatians for Progress Featured in Front Page Article in Cincinnati Business Courier

In their May 22nd issue, the Business Courier of Cincinnati profiled Cincinnatians for Progress in their featured article. Senior Staff Reporter Lucy May talked with Cincinnatians for Progress Co-Chairs Bobby Maly, Rob Richardson and Joe Sprengard about the purpose and goals of the organization.

To view the full article you need a subscription, but here are a few of the highlights:

"We can't limit the ability of the city to even entertain different forms of transportation," said Richardson, a lawyer who worked locally on Barack Obama's presidential campaign. "This is about being a city that's economically competitive."

Just a few months in the making, the group has already raised $50,000, mostly in small contributions from grass-roots supporters, said Maly...And Cincinnatians for Progressis even getting support from some people who oppose the streetcar project, because they don't think a public vote on every major rail transit project is the right way to govern...

Councilman Chris Bortz, another [Cincinnatians for Progress] supporter, puts it this way: "You only need to look to California to see what happens when the referendum rules. Real chaos ensues."

The business community...viewed red light cameras and proportional representation as more philosophical issues and didn't get heavily involved.."Now that we are talking about a major economic issue that has major economic consequences," Sprengard said. "That's what prompted the business community to look at this a little more differently."

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 1:08 PM 0 Comments

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Rally for Progress: June 11th at the Verdin Bell Center with music by Jake Speed and the Freddies!

Cincinnatians for Progress is hosting a "Rally for Progress" on June 11th at the Verdin Bell Center (444 Reading Road), featuring music by Jake Speed and the Freddies.

The minimum donation to attend is $35, or $15 for students. To donate please click here and write "Rally for Progress" in the "Additional Information" box. Or, you can donate at the door on June 11th.

Heavy appetizers and a full open bar will be provided to all guests. The event will run from 5:30pm-8:30pm.

Free parking is available at the Verdin Bell Center. For more information on the Verdin Bell Center, please click here. For more information on Jake Speed and the Freddies, please click here.

We hope you can join our 101 hosts for this event as we "Rally for Progress" and work to defeat the proposed Charter amendment that would put up a roadblock to future progress and hurt future economic growth in our city.

This event is hosted by: Abigail Pound, Aja Roberto, Al Gaspari, Alan Bernstein, Amy Goodwin, Andrew Simon, Andy Holzhauser, Behlan Ersoy, Benjamin F. Wissel, Bill Baldwin, Bob Pickford, Bobby Maly, Brad Kaplan, Brad Thomas, Brian Tiffany, Candance Klein, Carla Walker, Carrie Eagles, Caty Grzymajlo, Chris Heckman, Chris Moran, Chris Wiedeman, Clara Rice, Colin Groth, Dacia Snider, Darren Tolliver, David Dawson, Don Mooney, Ellie Fabe, Eric Avner, Fred Craig, George Bishop, Jacinta Spinola, Jack Weston, Jamie Humes, Jan Fresh, Jason Barron, Jeff Edmondson, Jennifer Mooney, Jim Murphy, Joanne Maly, Jodi McIntosh, Joe Janszen, Joe Lyon, Joe Sprengard. Joel Stone, John Moore, John Schneider, Jonathan Lippincott , Jonathan Miller, Judi Craig, Judith A. Cothorn, Kara Clark, Karen Imbus, Karl Preissner, Kathleen Norris, Kevin Smith, Kimberly Coyner, Kristen Myers, Kristin Hoffman, Luke Snider, Mahlet Richardson, Margy Waller, Mark Janszen, Matt Flege, Melanie Wissel, Melissa Brown, Michael Eagen, Michael Green, Michael Maxwell, Mike Suffern, Myrita Craig, Myron Rivers, Nancy Lippincott, Nasra Mesmer, Pat Timm, Patricia Klein, Peg Moertl, Peter Cassady, Randy Simes, Rebekah Kaba, Reid Hartman, Rob Mancini, Rob Richardson, Ron Fresh, Ryan Rybolt, Sarah Daunt, Sean Parker, Sean Suder, Shannon Barrow, Steve Bergman, T.J. White, Terry Grundy, Tim Lolli, Tom Hodges, Wade Williams, Yemi Adeyanju, Zack Schreiber

posted by Cincinnatians For Progress at 4:10 PM 0 Comments