As local officials bicker about who bears responsibility for monitoring defendants while they're out of jail awaiting trial, a related battle over a $2.6 million federal crime-fighting grant has been waged privately. The city of Cincinnati's initial plan for using the grant called for keeping the entire amount and giving none to Hamilton County.  

I've never completely understood why some people think that spending on social programs is "wasting money." Every detractor is armed and ready with some special story about how the system utterly and completely failed, taking their hard-earned tax money and giving it away to selfish, undeserving people who will never change their bad habits and, worse, are just waiting for the next handout. Cincinnati city administration officials, though, have taken this reasoning to new heights, canceling large swaths of funding for several agencies providing critical social services to our community.   

Cincinnati City Councilwoman Leslie Ghiz has an idea: Let's elect our council members. Seems like a great idea, huh? Straight out of the Democracy 101 textbook. Problem is, most city council members are already elected and the alternative to the current system has two shocking options: big costs and empty seats.   

Greg Harris was cautiously optimistic that 2009 might finally be his year to get a seat on Cincinnati City Council. He just didn't expect it to happen so soon. The longtime Democratic Party activist and candidate was appointed to John Cranley's seat when the term-limited councilman left to join a downtown law firm. Cranley had recommended Harris for his seat, though the ultimate decision lay with City Council's other Democrats, who, after interviewing Harris and other contenders, agreed with Cranley's choice.