Porkopolis

Mallory Mum on State Rumor

Sources within the Ohio Democratic Party say Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory's name is on the short list for a possible appointment that would involve Mallory leaving local government for a return to state politics.

Mallory is among the Democrats being considered to replace Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray if Cordray is elected as state attorney general in November, sources said. Cordray is seeking the latter office after Marc Dann resigned following a sex scandal earlier this year.

Top Ohio Democratic leaders would prefer that an African American fill the treasurer’s spot to give the party more diversity at the state level, according to sources. Besides Mallory, another possible replacement that’s being mulled is Columbus City Councilman Kevin Boyce.

McCain Relies on 'Joe-mentum'

John McCain has touted his campaign for its "openness, honesty and access — true democracy at work." Some local residents, however, say the method that McCain used to select participants for his town hall meeting here Thursday wasn't entirely as honest or upfront as promoted.

CityBeat has received complaints from people who got telephone calls as part of the screening process to be selected for the town hall meeting, held at Xavier University, that was designed for independent and Democratic voters who are undecided in the presidential contest.

John McCain's Personal Lotto

As presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain visits the Queen City today, his campaign has launched an online contest to shill for money.

Anyone who makes a donation to McCain's Web site between Tuesday and midnight June 30 will be entered into the "Ride the Bus" contest, which offers a chance to join the Arizona senator for a day of conversation and campaigning on his Straight Talk Express bus. McCain issued a mass e-mail earlier this week announcing the contest, the second of its type that his campaign has held so far.

Enquirer Freezes Pensions

The stock price for The Cincinnati Enquirer's parent company has tumbled badly in recent weeks and rumors about possible December layoffs are buzzing throughout the newspaper's Elm Street offices. In the meantime, though, workers recently were told the company is freezing their pension plans.

Beginning Aug. 1, The Gannett Co. will freeze its pension plan benefit. As a result, each employee's pension won't continue to grow based on years of service to the company and salary level, as it had in the past.

Longtime Activist Passes Away

Tommie Thompson, a tireless volunteer for many progressive causes over the past few decades in Cincinnati and whose smiling face was known to many, died this morning. She was 72.

Among Thompson’s efforts, she was an advocate for housing issues that affect women, the elderly and low-income people. She also worked to improve the lives of people with mental illness, enforce the rights of prisoners and abolish the death penalty.

Rally Round the Square

The sun shone, the music played, the beer flowed and Cincinnati stood up with CityBeat Friday evening on Fountain Square as Co-Publisher Dan Bockrath delivered our official response to those who requested we change our advertising policies. Thanks to all of you who came out to cheer us on and listen to some great live local music (and thanks to everyone who couldn't make it out but sent notes of support).

Here's what Dan read:

Good evening and thank you for coming. My name is Dan Bockrath, and I am the General Manager and Co-Publisher of CityBeat. With me is my partner John Fox, CityBeat’s Editor and Co-Publisher, and standing with us are several of our valued employees and freelancers.

On Monday, June 9 a coalition of clergy, law enforcement agencies and non-profit organizations, led by Citizens for Community Values, held a news conference at City Hall requesting that CityBeat eliminate all of its adult-oriented advertising. CityBeat was not invited to this news conference.

On that same date we were given a letter signed by 39 people — including Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis, Campbell County Attorney Justin Verst, Kenton County Attorney Garry Edmondson, Dearborn County Attorney Aaron Negangard, Cincinnati Police Chief Thomas H. Streicher Jr., current Cincinnati City Councilman Chris Monzel and former Cincinnati City Councilman Charles Winburn — with that same
request. It is worth noting that the aforementioned government officials signed this letter in their official capacities, not as private citizens.

Murder and Margo

No, I haven't been convicted, but I do write about it.

Some people think I'm morbid because I voluntarily write about unpleasant things like the death penalty (I support abolition), the arbitrary way it's applied, uninformed legislators who refuse to fund an investigation of the death penalty in Ohio, the institutionalization of torture made to look like a pain-free medical procedure, a lack of oversight and accountability for prison system housing and killing people in my name.

It can be depressing, and there are times I want to give up and just write about flower shows and the silly things people consider worthy of media attention (eco-friendly dog cloths?). It’s difficult to read page after page of execution information the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections was forced to turn over as a result of litigation brought against it. Sitting across the table from a Death Row inmate makes my stomach churn and burn at a level on par with any habanero hot sauce.

Berding Falls Back Into Old Habits

UPDATE: As it turns out, we erred below as Councilman Jeff Berding actually voted to support the climate protection plan plan at the full Cincinnati City Council meeting Wednesday, just one day after criticizing it during a committee discussion where he voted aganist the item. The committee deadlocked 2-2, with Berding and Chris Bortz opposed, and David Crowley and Cecil Thomas in favor. But Berding did oppose a motion Wednesday to prioritize some of the plan's recommendations.

Wednesday's flip-flop by Berding occurred after a tense Democratic caucus meeting in the mayor's office, which featured harsh words exchanged between Berding and Crowley. The reversal also occurred after Berding appeared Wednesday afternoon on Bill Cunningham's WLW show to blast the plan, stating that it had more than $200 million in unfunded mandates, then voted for it a few hours later.

Because Berding has refused to speak to CityBeat in the past, perhaps he can go on Cunningham's show next week and explain why he voted to support the plan just a few hours after trashing it on the airwaves.

Readers can click on the link above and decide for themselves about the impression that Berding gives Cunningham's listeners about whether he supports the plan, while wading through the pair indulging each other's bad jokes about eating red meat.

UPDATE NO. 2: In Berding's WLW chat with Cunningham, he criticizes the high cost of the plan's recommendations. The councilman says it will cost $265 million to implement 44 of the 80 recommendations, with the cost for the others currently unknown.

It should be noted that the single largest item among the "known costs," as Berding dubs them, is $185 million to build a Cincinnati streetcar system. Berding and Bortz support that item, although they don't have all of the needed funding sources in place for the project.

Chesley Stretches Plausibility

It doesn't get bestowed often, but we're dusting off CityBeat's "Do They Really Expect Us to Believe That?" Award and presenting it to Stan Chesley.

Chesley, a prominent tort attorney who's practiced law for almost a half-century, had the audacity to imply — in a court of law and under oath Tuesday — that he didn't know what it meant to invoke the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Defining Green Ain't So Easy

When I decided to look at the new construction going on in Greenhills, I was skeptical. I've seen so much "going green" hype I figured this would just be more of the same. It wasn't — there was a lot of thought that went into the homes (see "Greening Greenhills," issue of April 9.) What I didn't know was what the buildings replaced.

Greenhills holds a surprisingly unique place in U.S. history, and not just the story of our country but also our architecture. Unlike the decorative, ornate and popular Italianate architecture found in Over-the-Rhine, Greenhills has a mix of streamlined Moderne, International and Colonial Revival architectural styles.

Now on Preservation Ohio’s 2008 List of Most Endangered Historic Places, Greenhills presents a unique challenge to everyone who appreciates architecture, community development and making Cincinnati a user-friendly place to live. The challenge is this: How to prevent further decay of historic housing stock, infuse new people and business opportunities into an already-green community and not destroy what other cities are trying desperately to create, a healthy urban community.