Good morning all. Here’s what’s going on in the world today.
The city of Cincinnati has officially announced an opening date for the city’s streetcar. The transit project running through Over-the-Rhine and downtown will take its first passengers Sept. 9, beginning with an opening ceremony at some point mid-day. The project, which has been fraught with political battles and funding concerns, is being financed with increased parking revenues, advertising proceeds and other sources that aren’t part of the city’s general fund budget.
• Mayor John Cranley yesterday rolled out more of his proposals for the city’s budget, which involve some $30 million for neighborhood projects. He spoke at a news conference in Avondale about projects he’d like to see funded in that neighborhood under his proposed fiscal plan, including a renewed Avondale Towne Center with a Save-A-Lot grocery store. Avondale has been trying to get a full-service grocery store since Aldi left the neighborhood about eight years ago. The city would chip in about $2 million to get development started under Cranley’s plan. The mayor did acknowledge that neighborhood activists had hoped for a higher-scale store such as a Kroger but that the Save-A-Lot will be expected to stock fresh produce and other necessities. Cranley yesterday also announced he would provide $3.2 million for a new community development corporation in Bond Hill and Roselawn.
• Cranley is set to pitch another round of investments today in the city’s East Side neighborhoods. He’s also expected to announce that the city will purchase the land necessary to build the Wasson Way bike trail. That $11.8 million, 4.1-mile stretch of former railway is vital to the completion of the trail, which would pass through a number of East Side neighborhoods on its way to Uptown. If the city doesn’t purchase the land by the end of July, the price will jump by nearly $600,000. It’s unclear where the construction money for the project will come from. The city applied for a federal TIGER grant last year to help fund building costs for the bike trail but was turned down.
• Wait. Hold on. Do I agree on something with U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, the tea party crusader from Northern Kentucky? It would… kind of appear so. Massie owes the GOP $24,000 in “party dues,” i.e. money from his fundraising coffers the party expects in order to stay in its good graces. Massie has criticized the practice, which is also used to determine who gets which committee assignment in the House. Particular assignments have particular dollar amounts assigned to them, and the more influential the committee, the more money a House member is expected to kick in. Massie is slamming this system, saying it means the best fundraisers, not the best lawmakers, get oversized influence in the legislative process. In what may be the only example of partisan agreement between a tea party member and the rest of Congress, some Democrats agree with him. I also think it sounds pretty messed up.
• What policies will law enforcement officers and departments have to follow regarding body cameras across Ohio? We’ll have to wait until November to find out. State lawmakers have put off voting on legislation to set those policies until then, in part because of disagreements between some lawmakers and organizations representing law enforcement agencies. Legislators like State Rep. Alicia Reece say they want mandatory body cameras for all police across the state and a uniform body camera policy to cover every law enforcement agency in Ohio. Those ideas didn’t garner enough votes, but legislation requiring some form of body camera policy for agencies was on the table. But Ohio’s Fraternal Order of Police has its own demand: the right for officers to review camera footage before they file reports. That’s sent the bill back to the drawing board, and with today the last day of the legislative term, it’ll be months until it’s taken back up.
• A federal judge has ruled that Ohio state officials must restore the so-called “Golden Week” before elections for early voting. Republican lawmakers have reduced early voting times in the state over the past few years, causing consternation from voting rights advocates. Among those advocating for the reduction were Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, who said that the extra hours were irregular from place to place and weren’t fair to all voters. However, those extra hours drew predominantly urban, mostly black voters who often vote Democratic, leading to charges that the move violated civil rights laws and the Constitution. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Watson agreed, striking down the elimination of the extra hours and restoring Ohio’s early voting provisions to a full 35 days leading up to the election. After reductions, the state was down to 28 early voting days, which Republicans point out is still more than many other states.
• Ohio Gov. John Kasich says he still can’t back GOP presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump, citing the real estate mogul’s “scapegoating, negativity and willingness to run people into the ditch.” Kasich, who until less than a month ago was fighting Trump for a shot at the GOP nomination, says there would need to be a fundamental shift in the way Trump campaigns before he would throw his weight behind him. Kasich made the remarks, among his first since he dropped out of the race earlier this month, during an interview with the Columbus Dispatch and the Cleveland Plain Dealer at his office in Columbus. Kasich says he doesn’t regret his scuttled bid for president and that he’s planning on writing a book about the experience.
This article appears in May 25 – Jun 1, 2016.
