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10.29.2009
Candidates On: Changing Council Elections
CityBeat recently asked the non-incumbent candidates for Cincinnati City Council whether the charter should be amended to change the way future councils are elected.
The question posed was, “What are your thoughts on suggestions to either expand council terms to four years, or to elect council members by districts rather than at-large?”
The question posed was, “What are your thoughts on suggestions to either expand council terms to four years, or to elect council members by districts rather than at-large?”
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10.16.2009
Candidates On: Recalling Mayor and Council
As CityBeat did in the 2007 election cycle, we’ve once again sent a questionnaire to various non-incumbent Cincinnati City Council candidates to get their reactions on a broad range of issues.
Seven of the 12 non-incumbents chose to answer our questions. Others either didn’t respond or couldn’t meet the deadline.
Seven of the 12 non-incumbents chose to answer our questions. Others either didn’t respond or couldn’t meet the deadline.
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10.28.2009
Candidates On: Evaluating Milton Dohoney Jr.
Coverage of the non-incumbent candidates for Cincinnati City Council continues with their thoughts about the job performance of the man who oversees City Hall’s daily operations and its roughly 6,000 municipal employees.
The question is, “Do you think the current city manager, Milton Dohoney Jr., is doing a good job?”
The question is, “Do you think the current city manager, Milton Dohoney Jr., is doing a good job?”
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07.14.2009
Berding Defends No-Layoff Pledge
UPDATE: Cincinnati City Councilman Greg Harris, a pledge opponent, said Berding's description of the pledge is disingenuous. "Did Berding's anti-layoff pledge in any way make furloughs a condition? No," Harris said. "The effect of the pledge would have been to prevent the FOP from making any concessions because they wouldn't need to. The manager's only leverage is the threat of layoffs."
ORIGINAL ITEM: Cincinnati City Councilman Jeff Berding believes a council majority is being self-defeating by refusing to sign a Berding-created pledge not to lay off police officers or firefighters in 2010 or 2011.
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10.29.2009
You Can Vote No. Just Saying.
I was researching details on the tax levies on Tuesday's ballot and grabbed the millage and property tax costs from the Hamilton County Auditor's web site when I saw this wisdom from Auditor Dusty Rhodes. It's right at the top of his home page next to his photo:
"It has become a fairly common practice on the part of those seeking to pass tax levies to make a point of saying that passage of the levy in question 'will not raise your taxes.' It may indeed be true that the amount of tax you would pay in future years would be no more than in prior years. However, it is also very true that if the levy were to fail, you would be paying less in those same future years than you had previously.
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07.08.2009
Berding, Republicans Hold Press Event
UPDATE: City Councilman Chris Bortz called Thursday morning to say that although Councilman Jeff Berding included Bortz's printed name as a co-sponsor on Berding's motion, Bortz won't sign the pledge. "I think it's premature to sign a pledge at this stage," Bortz said. "I support the thrust of it."
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10.22.2009
Candidates On: Budget Showdown (Part One)
CityBeat’s ongoing coverage of the non-incumbent candidates for Cincinnati City Council continues with a question on council’s recent budget dispute, about where reductions should be made and whether police officers should face possible layoffs.
In the first part of a two-part question, we ask, “During the recent budget showdown on City Council, what — if anything — could’ve been done differently?”
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10.13.2009
LULAC Hosts Candidates Night
Cincinnati’s branch of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) will host a candidates forum Wednesday night that include many of the people running for Cincinnati mayor, City Council and the Board of Education.
The event will be held at the Su Casa Hispanic Center gym, 7036 Fairpark Ave., in Carthage. It will last from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The event will be held at the Su Casa Hispanic Center gym, 7036 Fairpark Ave., in Carthage. It will last from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
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10.23.2009
Candidates On: Budget Showdown (Part Two)
Today’s installment of CityBeat’s questions for non-incumbent candidates for Cincinnati City Council is a follow-up to Thursday’s question.
In light of the recent budget showdown on City Council and the dispute about whether the Police Department should get an up-front, blanket exemption from the threat of layoffs, we asked, “Do you believe it’s appropriate to ask the police union for concessions in a time of deficits?”
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07.16.2009
Jumping the Gun?
A few Cincinnati City Council members snickered at a memorandum that Councilman Jeff Berding distributed to them this morning, while some others were irritated.
A memo to the mayor and City Council, written on Berding’s official city letterhead, begins, “Mayor Mallory and Council Colleagues.” The document then asks council to hold public hearings on the possibility of police and firefighter layoffs as a method for helping balance the budget. The problem? It’s signed by Berding and a first-time Democratic candidate for City Council, Tony Fischer.
A memo to the mayor and City Council, written on Berding’s official city letterhead, begins, “Mayor Mallory and Council Colleagues.” The document then asks council to hold public hearings on the possibility of police and firefighter layoffs as a method for helping balance the budget. The problem? It’s signed by Berding and a first-time Democratic candidate for City Council, Tony Fischer.
