Photo By Jymi Bolden

Fowl deeds: A crippled chicken protests a Kentucky Fried Chicken store in St. Bernard over allegedly abusive practices.

Attending a meeting of the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) typically constitutes a political statement in itself. But the roll call at COAST's Feb. 2 candidates forum was uncharacteristically bipartisan. Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune showed up. So did his fellow Democrat, Kabaka Oba of the Black Fist, who hopes to join him on the county commission.

Commissioner Phil Heimlich, a Republican who's not up for re-election, moderated much of the event. When Heimlich was on Cincinnati City Council, Oba once appeared in a Ku Klux Klan outfit and denounced the "Jewnited Snakes of America." But the tone Feb. 2 was professional and courteous.

"It sounds like you and I have found some common ground tonight," Heimlich said.

"Yeah," Oba said, "And I'm charming like you, too."

Oba kept the mostly conservative crowd at The Dubliner in Pleasant Ridge rolling with laughter as he answered COAST's questions.

More surprising than the appearance of Democrats at the forum was the absence of Commissioner John Dowlin, a Republican facing a primary challenge from City Councilman Pat DeWine. By skipping the forum, Dowlin gave DeWine another chance to accuse him of "ducking voters" on his record on taxes and spending. COAST distributed postcards addressed to Dowlin, pointing out he was the only Republican candidate who didn't respond to a questionnaire and asking for an explanation.

Dowlin says he had good cause for missing the forum.

"I was not invited," he said.

Not so, according to attorney Chris Finney, a COAST board member. Finney says he has a signed certified-mail receipt proving Dowlin received the COAST invitation.

It's True: Bill Seitz Is Gay
Bill Seitz is sick and tired of the abuse he takes because of his name. He's a Democrat, he's an artist and he's gay. In other words, he's definitely not State Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Green Township, who sponsored the Defense of Marriage Act. The bill, now pending in the General Assembly, would bar same-sex marriages.

"This guy irritates me to no end, carrying my name around doing the ridiculous things that he's doing," says Seitz, gallery director at the Carnegie Visual + Performing Arts Center in Covington. "More than anything, I just wanted to make sure people understood there are two Bill Seitz and they're completely on different ends of the earth as far as their beliefs. I haven't heard anything out of his mouth that I agree with."

Seitz, the state representative, says he's encountered the same confusion.

"I got a lot of razzing from people I know saying, 'Gee, I didn't know you were so artistic,' " Rep. Seitz says.

The razzing he receives, however, likely doesn't cause the sort of sting felt by the other Seitz, an arts professional unwittingly associated with prejudice against gays.

Seitz the artist says he thought about putting an ad in papers saying, "Bill Seitz is gay," but decided against it.

"I don't want to stoop down to that level," he says.

Speaking of stooping, Heimlich had a chance last week to distance himself from County Prosecutor Mike Allen's much-denounced slur against City Councilman Christopher Smitherman. Instead Heimlich said he agrees with it. At its Jan. 28 meeting, the board of county commissioners briefly discussed Allen's characterization of Smitherman as "a smart-mouthed little punk." Far from joining the chorus calling on Allen to apologize, Heimlich virtually repeated the insult.

"As far as what Mike Allen said, I agree with his assessment," Heimlich said.

CityBeat contributing writer Leslie Blade has joined the halcyon ranks of Robert Mapplethorpe, according to City Councilman David Pepper. Blade, who teaches art at the University of Cincinnati, might find some pleasure in being mentioned in the same breath as the late photography genius. But Pepper meant the comparison as a point of shame for Cincinnati, saying Blade, like Mapplethorpe, has now experienced the city's sometimes hostile attitude toward the First Amendment.

Under subpoena, Blade testified Feb. 3 before the Law and Public Safety Committee about her story on police off-duty assignments (see Protection Racket, issue of Dec. 10-16, 2003). Her testimony was largely limited to what she had already written, leading some to question the value of compelling her to answer questions under oath. Pepper, who had opposed the subpoena, said it reinforced the negative image of Cincinnati.

"We have a very poor record on the First Amendment," he said. "We now go on the list, along with Mapplethorpe and everything else, because the first thing we did was drag a reporter into this chamber."

Why didn't the chicken cross the road? It wanted to avoid the Colonel's special seasonings. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent a giant, crippled chicken Jan. 31 to protest at a Kentucky Fried Chicken store in St. Bernard. PETA says the restaurant chain's poultry suppliers use abusive methods to slaughter the animals.

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