Democrats Fret Over Smitherman

What, me worry?

As local political blogs continue to buzz about Christopher Smitherman's jump into the Cincinnati City Council race over the weekend, at least one mainstream party leader thought it was a significant enough event to warn his party’s council candidates.

Hamilton County Democratic Party Chair Tim Burke sent an e-mail Saturday morning to all Democratic incumbents and challengers in the council race. Smitherman, who once was a registered Democrat and won his first council term in 2003 as a Charter candidate, is affiliated with the Southwest Ohio Green Party this time.

Burke, who also serves as chairman of the Hamilton County Board of Elections, was tipped off about Smitherman’s attempted return to politics. His e-mail stated:

“Yesterday petitions were submitted to the Hamilton County Board of Elections for pre-checking for Christopher Smitherman. According to board staff, many of the signatures were collected on Election Day last fall, and he has more than enough valid signatures. He has not formally filed his petitions, at least not yet. I was reminded by staff that in ’05 and ’03 he was the first candidate to file and would be again if he does it quickly. I am also hearing that he will be endorsed by the Green Party. I pass this on for your information.”

The e-mail was sent at 10:07 a.m. Saturday. Smitherman held a press conference at 12:30 p.m. to publicly announce his candidacy, although some reporters were told at least a day earlier for planning purposes.

Although Smitherman lost re-election in 2005 after he lost the support of crossover Republican voters from the city’s East Side, his recent election as president of the NAACP’s local chapter could bolster his showing among the African-American community and offset the difference this time.

With some local Democrats criticizing the party’s nine-member city council slate as weak and containing potentially divisive candidates like the controversial Jeff Berding, a Cincinnati Bengals executive, and Brian Garry, a one-time boycott supporter, Burke’s e-mail serves as notice that this season’s council campaign will be a tough contest from all sides.

— Kevin Osborne
(Photo: Jymi Bolden)

Comments

[Green Machine]

Smitherman's going to win!

Smitherman recently led a coalition with AMOS and organized labor to bring African Americans to the table on the Banks working group and demanded inclusion. He was successful.

Now Smitherman is leading a broad coalition from across the political spectrum to give Hamilton County voters a voice if they want a regressive, undemocratic jail tax.

Smitherman's shattering the stereotypes and corporate propagnda the Enquirer pushed in 2005.

Smitherman is a consensus builder and the Democrats know they're in trouble. They've taken black voters for granted for too long because there was no other place for them to go. Now there is!

Now Smitherman has made it official. The Green Party is the peace and social justice party. We oppose the Democrats draconian marijuana ordinance that locked up 3,644 black people and only 577 white people in the same time period. Shame on Cecil Thomas, Jeff Berding, John Cranley and Laketa Cole.

The Green Party opposes Leis', Pepper and Portune's jail to lock them up in too.

Berding and Cole led the effort to slsh human services and put poor people at risk.

The Green Party supports living wages, environmental justice, health and human services and ending corporae welfare for the rich.

Let the rich pay their taxes and their fair share for a change.

Had Enough?

Vote Green 2007!!!

[Howard Konicov]

Chris Smitherman has a strong track record as an environmental advocate. And if re-elected will once again regain the role as the strongest advocate on Cincinnati City Council for a broad range of progressive environmental causes including: reducing air pollution & its corresponding impact on human health, Environmental Justice, and expanding Cincinnati's network of bike trails, et al...

Howard M. Konicov
MSES/MPA
The Synthesis Foundation

[David Gallaher]

I want the two political hacks, Konicov and Green Machine, to know I have an old Smitherman for Council sticker (and a Phil Heimlich sticker) on my rusting "Stickermobile" Geo Metro. I like to brag that nowhere else in the universe is there that combination.
I'm a peaceful anarchist. I will never vote. Politics is strictly a spectator sport for me.
I appreciate that Smitherman has "spunk." I'm like Mary Tyler Moore's old TV boss, Lou Grant, who said, "I hate spunk."
With that as a get acquainted, tell me this please:
As the head of NAACP locally and as a former member of Clowncil, is Smitherman oblivious to the genocide of young black men caused by the War on Drugs? If true, it's a troubling thing to be oblivious to, isn't it?
If you can come up with an answer, then continue to explain why the Great Smitherman himself seems incapable of putting his thoughts directly right here on this blog.
CityBeat ain't chopped liver. Now the Inkwar (and the Compost)... that's chopped liver.

[Yossarian]

Why did the President of the NAACP go to the only ALL WHITE political party to run for council? Did he really need the mighty green name? Couldn't he just as easily have run as an independent?

The green party is all white - they never have endorsed a minority, they don't have any minority recruitment or leadership. Does this seem strange to only me?

[VAGreen]

"The green party is all white - they never have endorsed a minority, they don't have any minority recruitment or leadership. Does this seem strange to only me?"

Well, if you don't count Anita Rios, who was a Green candidate for statewide office last year in Ohio.

[Green Machine]

David Gallaher, I'm glad you don't vote. Seriously! Don't bother, it can get a little more complicated than I think you're ready for.

The Green Party is much more diverse than the Jailocrats. We ran a Native American women as Nader's Vice Presidential candidate in 2000. The Republicrats shut them out of the charades we call Presidential debates. Nader had a ticket to watch it on a jumbotron but was kept out by police.

Al Bore won and Bush stole it.

VAGreen, don't bother Yossarian with facts, that will make him cut and run again!

[David Gallaher]

"As the head of NAACP locally and as a former member of Clowncil, is Smitherman oblivious to the genocide of young black men caused by the War on Drugs? If true, it's a troubling thing to be oblivious to, isn't it?"

Green Machine,
Is my comment above of Jul 2 @ 8:46 PM too complicated for you to even acknowledge?

[Green Machine]

David Gallaher, you should be called Johny 1 note. I don't believe that Smitherman supports the failed War on Drugs but when he becomes a city councilman it isn't in his power to do anything about it. It's a federal policy.

I find the issue irrelevant to this thread and council race though I agree that it's a horrible policy and is a racist and classist policy. It costs a fortune and is merely a form of social control.

I think you can't just throw the term genocide around loosely. I think it's certainly devastating the African American community and needs to be addressed, but I don't think I'd call it genocide. Even Nixon had a better drug policy than this.

Back to the race. Smitherman didn't support Cecil thomas' marijuana ordinance. This is a major cause of overcrowding in the jail and Portune and Pepper know it but fail to address it.

From the laws inception to May 10th, 577 white people were locked up while 3,644 African Americans were locked up in that same time period. This has to be challenged!

[CincyJeff]

David, by stating that the war on drugs is genocide against black men, are you saying that all black men use drugs? That strikes me as a potentially racist attitude. Please clarify.

[STFU]

Osborne- you are pathetically biased. You never fail to take a shot at the mayor, probably because your bosom buddy Bill supported Pepper for mayor. You get your digs in on Garry- again, is that because your Billy Boy is a Greg Harris devotee? The last decent investigative reporting you did was back in 05 when you exposed Berding's decidedly anti- Dem antics. Maybe you can be the communications director for Jeffre when he runs for dogcatcher.