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In the race for Hamilton County Commissioner, one candidate has a vision for the job — and the other has a toolbox.
If Dr. Jean Siebenaler wins, Democrats will control the three-member board of commissioners for the first time since the Kennedy administration. Siebenaler, a physician and Navy veteran, would join Commissioner Todd Portune, whose election in 2000 was the first time in 36 years a Democrat had won.
Siebenaler faces former Cincinnati City Councilman Phil Heimlich, a Republican with a reputation for pinching the public’s pennies. The two candidates want a seat now held by Commissioner Tom Neyer Jr., who is not seeking reelection.
The Nov. 5 election could change more than history. It could also significantly change the county’s role in providing social services.
“I think what’s truly at stake is the future of the county and what’s needed is leadership that’s willing to tackle the tough issues with a firm and committed belief that people come first,” Portune says.
City Councilman Chris Monzel, a Republican, agrees the election could change the focus of county government.
“It’s definitely a chance to craft the direction that the county’s going to go in,” he says.
“Whoever wins will tip it towards one policy viewpoint or the other.”
Heimlich’s a nuts-and-bolts case
Only one woman, Sandra Beckwith, has ever served on the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners.
“We’re in a time warp here or something,” Siebenaler says. “This doesn’t exude an image of ‘Yeah, we’re on the move.’ ”
“On the move” is a good image for Siebenaler; she argues change is not only good for the county but necessary.
Cincinnati has gained a reputation for intolerance, she says. Erasing that perception is important for economic development, but the county needs more than a slick brochure, she says.
“(Reputation) has clearly been an area that we have suffered nationally,” Siebenaler says. “You have to start with real changes and then the rest will come. People need to see substantial change and then you’ll be able to market yourself better.”
Hamilton County must work on issues of racial tension, Siebenaler says.
“The county is now almost 25 percent African-American,” she says.
Republicans prefer a different role for government, according to Monzel.
“(Democrats) believe government’s job is to come in and correct everything,” he says.
Expect to hear the words “higher taxes” whenever Republicans mention Siebenaler.
With increased spending on social services, taxes could increase at the county level, driving away businesses, Monzel says.
“The problem is when you do that and you drive away the tax base that pays for those things, then you crumble,” he says.
County Commissioner John Dowlin, a Republican, is concerned taxes are already going up too much.
“We need a couple of conservatives on here to make sure we don’t overspend and lose businesses because our taxes are too high,” he says.
With Heimlich, the money’s the thing.
“My top priority will be to help relieve the tax burden that each of us faces,” he says.
Whether or not you like Heimlich’s approach to government, you have to give him credit for not misleading people. He talks about the nuts and bolts of government because he believes it should be basic. As a city councilman, Heimlich received lots of flack for being almost fanatical in his analysis of where tax money went.
Once he stayed up all night sifting through information on the city’s asphalt plant. Heimlich says he conducted a year-long investigation of the plant.
“As a result of the study, the asphalt plant was closed, saving the city $1.5 million in one-time improvements and $125,000 annually,” he says.
The county budget — which was about $1.87 billion in 2001 — has increased at more than two-and-a-half times the rate of inflation over the past 10 years, according to Heimlich. At that rate, the county will be spending more than $3 billion 10 years from now, he says.
The property taxes that fund county services are much higher than in Butler, Warren and Clermont counties, Heimlich says.
He argues government should spend money on basic services only — police, roads and trash collection, for example.
“I think that’s what government is designed for,” he says. “I don’t believe in spending money on a lot of frills. I don’t believe in spending money on music festivals and stuff like that. These are very good things, but I think we should focus on nuts and bolts.”
Heimlich says the theme for his campaign is, “We need to do more with what we already have — not take more of what you have.”
As he did while on city council, he proposes government jobs be contracted to private companies for increased efficiency and savings.
“One way to reduce that (budget) is to save money through managed competition,” he says. “It’s a question of getting the most bang for the buck for the taxpayers.”
Heimlich even objects to the public library stocking movies for patrons to borrow.
“Why should we be spending taxpayer money to compete with Blockbuster?” he says.
Patting us on the head
Heimlich’s focus on the bottom line overlooks too many needs, according to Siebenaler.
“My opponent, I believe, has no ideas, no vision,” she says. “He just mouths the same old stale rhetoric of the past, which we know doesn’t work.”
While campaigning, Siebenaler met a woman who is moving to Warren County because land is cheaper and houses can be built more quickly there.
“But she realizes you can’t escape Cincinnati and the problems facing Cincinnati unless you move much further,” Siebenaler says.
More to the point, the county’s aging population means more services — not less — will be what citizens need from the county. Businesses and residents will be attracted to the area if the city and county work together to revitalize the city. Health and human services are two areas to focus on, Siebenaler says.
“Delivery of services — I’ve been at the front lines of that,” she says.
Social services and protecting taxpayers’ money can go hand-in-hand, according to Siebenaler. She says the county should consider a lawsuit to recover public funds spent on renovation at Huntington Meadows — a rent-controlled apartment complex in Bond Hill where hundreds of residents are being forced to move (see “Hunting for Help,” issue of Aug. 15-21).
“Accountability needs to come back to the county because taxpayers entrusted us with their money,” Siebenaler says.
Like Heimlich, Siebenaler says county government can be made more efficient. But saving money isn’t the only consideration for government, she says.
“(Heimlich) says in his letters he just simply wants to run the county like a good business,” Siebenaler says. “Any good business person knows that investment in the company is important for the future. The city has to offer an array of quality of life amenities to draw people to the region.”
Republican pretenses aside, government isn’t a business. Siebenaler says she doesn’t want the county to operate like a corporation.
Like Portune, she says the county commission has become too secretive, frequently holding closed meetings. If she wins, Siebenaler says, that practice will end.
“Everything gets opened up,” she says. “The people deserve to have their government open to them. There shouldn’t be an executive session every single time. It’s all very paternalistic. They pat citizens on the head and say, ‘Don’t worry.’ ” ©
This article appears in Aug 21-27, 2002.