Morning y’all. Here’s what’s happening in Cincinnati and the wider world this morning. On a side note, I can’t wait until Nov. 5 so I can stop writing about politics quite so much. Anyway, onward.
The city’s last facility providing abortions could be closing soon. Planned Parenthood’s Elizabeth Campbell Surgical Center in Mount Auburn received notification that the state is citing it under a law passed last year requiring all clinics providing abortions to have agreements with area hospitals to take patients in case of emergencies. The Mount Auburn facility doesn’t have that agreement with any hospital but applied for an exception, called a variance, last year. The state has yet to reply to the clinic’s application. If the center closes down, Cincinnati could become the largest metropolitan area in the country without access to such facilities.
• The city’s much-discussed proposal to charge $300 a year for residents to park in Over-the-Rhine to pay for streetcar operating costs might not be legal, a former city solicitor says. In 2012, Ohio Supreme Court justices ruled that fees levied against a specific group of people but used for projects that benefit the general public are a no-go. City officials say the parking permits are a different issue than that case, which involved zoning permits, because parking permits are voluntary. The city has also stressed that no legislation has been voted on or put forward yet, and that they’re working to make sure any proposal falls within the letter of the law.
• The race for the Ohio House seat representing the 28th District in northern Hamilton County has been a knock-down, drag-out fight. The latest skirmish between Republican Jonathan Dever and his Democrat Michael Kamrass is over campaign finance. Dever says Kamrass’ campaign colluded with Coalition for Ohio’s Future, a PAC, on mailed ads the PAC run against Dever. That’s illegal under campaign finance rules. Dever points to the fact that the ads use photos identical to those paid for and used by Kamrass’ campaign and that the ads both have the same client number from a direct mail company called JVA Campaigns. Kamrass’ campaign says the photos are available for download on Flickr. JVA says the number on the ads in question simply denotes the month in which the ads were ordered.
• Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown yesterday released a statement criticizing Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted for displaying his name prominently on informational posters his office is requiring be hung in polling places.
“A Secretary of State’s obligation is to fair and accessible elections, rather than furthering his own reelection,” Brown said. “I’ve never seen a Secretary of State who is on the ballot insist that his name be prominently displayed near the voting booths, where a voter would be barred from even wearing a small button or sticker. Jon Husted is abusing his office by forcing boards of election to give his campaign a boost.”
Hamilton County Democratic Party Chair Tim Burke first called out the posters last month. Husted says they’re simply part of his job administering elections for the state. He’s is running for reelection against Democrat Nina Turner.
• Speaking of statewide races: It must be hard being Ed FitzGerald right now. The Democrat candidate for governor has taken a shellacking in the press for campaign missteps and he’s trailing his opponent, Gov. John Kasich, by oh, about $4 million in fundraising. And last night, during the only debate between the two and Green Party candidate Anita Rios, Kasich literally gave FitzGerald the cold shoulder. Kasich, leaning back in his chair with no tie on like Don Draper just after closing a big ad sale to GM, cast not an eye toward FitzGerald. He didn’t bother answering any of his challenger’s questions, either, or really directly address FitzGerald at all. Cold. He DID accidentally call a reporter at the debate Ed, which was not the reporter’s name. So, you know, at least he’s thinking about FitzGerald on some level.
• I feel it’s worth noting in the national scheme of things, so here it is: Someone in New York has been diagnosed with Ebola. The 33-year-old doctor is the fourth case confirmed in the United States. But don’t freak out. About Ebola at least. There are plenty of other things to freak out about.
This article appears in Oct 22-28, 2014.
