Cincinnati officials are planning to host a series of “community workshops” meant to “inform the public” about Issue 22, the potential sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway (CSR) to Norfolk Southern.
In an Oct. 17 press release, officials said the workshops will give leaders a chance to “learn more about community budget priorities.” Attendees will be able to participate in “activities” where they can provide feedback about what infrastructure projects are most important to them.
The city has planned three workshops, all open to the public:
- Saturday, Oct. 21 – 10 a.m.-noon
Evanston Recreation Center
3204 Woodburn Ave. - Thursday, Oct. 26 – 6-8 p.m.
Hirsch Recreation Center
3630 Reading Road - Wednesday, Nov. 1 – 6-8 p.m.
Winton Hills Recreation Center
5170 Winneste Ave.
Recent wave of opposition
The workshops come as more and more community groups announce their opposition to Issue 22, including the Cincinnati NAACP.
“Pardon us, if perhaps we may have ‘trust issues,’ but if doing the right thing, meaning specific allocations for spending that benefits disenfranchised communities, is part of the planned intent of the sale, then why not be intentional to develop the plan?” Cincinnati NAACP wrote on Facebook last week.
Unions and umbrella councils that unite them have also started to release statements in opposition to the sale. Abby Friend of the Derail the Sale campaign has tracked these closely.
“It’s noteworthy to point out that the American Federation of Government Employees and Railroad Workers United […] are all among the organizations that have strongly endorsed a ‘No’ vote on Issue 22 in November,” said Friend. “Many regular Cincinnatians have bravely spoken out against the billion dollar company behind this sale.”
Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council (CLC), a labor council representing thousands of Cincinnati-area workers, recently walked back its support of Issue 22 after a successful motion to retract the group’s previous endorsement.
Issue 22 in a nutshell
This November, Cincinnati voters will decide whether or not to sell the CSR to Norfolk Southern in exchange for a $1.6 billion trust fund to shore up basic services for the city. The city estimates it would have an annual return on the investment ranging from $50 million to $75 million, up to three times what the city earns from owning the railroad now. Legally, earnings from the sale could only be spent on maintaining existing city facilities like roads, rec centers and fire stations, which city leaders say is crucial given the city’s $300 million deficit.
But the proposed sale of the CSR comes at a time of heightened public awareness of the sins of its buyer, Norfolk Southern. A train belonging to a the rail behemoth derailed in East Palestine, a small Eastern Ohio village near the Pennsylvania border, on Feb. 3. The derailment ignited a chain of events that ended in a controlled burn of the train’s toxic load of chemicals. More than half of the small town is afraid to drink its own tap water to this day.
Cincinnati voters will decide on Issue 22 on Nov. 7.
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This article appears in Oct 18-31, 2023.