WEBVTT 1 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:09.640 Bill Cunningham, the Great America. Welcome this great Wednesday. A 2 00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:11.679 few and the try fid the weather it's perfect, can't 3 00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:14.279 be any better. And getting ready of course with the 4 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:16.120 Bengals on Sunday, it's going to be a white out 5 00:00:16.199 --> 00:00:18.280 Sunday at one oh five with the birds are in town, 6 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:21.199 the Philadelphia Eagles. But until then, joining you and I 7 00:00:21.280 --> 00:00:24.719 now is Melissa Powers, our county prosecutor, and Melissa welcome 8 00:00:24.760 --> 00:00:26.640 again to the Bill Cunningham Show. And first of all, 9 00:00:26.679 --> 00:00:30.559 before I get into specifics, there's been a report circulating 10 00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:34.200 the last couple of years that somehow crime rates are down, 11 00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:36.799 that somehow there's less crime than there has been before. 12 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:40.560 And then the FBI revised an extent at their remarks 13 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:43.359 about two weeks ago and said, actually that's not the case. 14 00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:46.119 We missed about four thousand murders, and we missed about 15 00:00:46.159 --> 00:00:49.840 eighteen thousand robberies, we missed thirty five thousand sexual assaults, 16 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:52.200 so we've updated the numbers. In fact, the crime rate 17 00:00:52.280 --> 00:00:55.759 is up. Now, when your neighbor is out of work, 18 00:00:55.799 --> 00:00:57.640 that's kind of a recession. When you're out of work, 19 00:00:57.640 --> 00:01:00.759 it's a depression. So I care more about Hamblon County 20 00:01:00.920 --> 00:01:02.960 than I do about the nation. You've been in law 21 00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:05.840 enforcement directly and in directly for more than three decades, 22 00:01:06.439 --> 00:01:09.560 and what is your sense of the crime rate in 23 00:01:09.640 --> 00:01:12.920 Cincinnati and Hamilton County is going up, going down, or 24 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:13.879 staying about the same. 25 00:01:14.959 --> 00:01:17.519 Well, I don't know what the specific data that's being 26 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:21.400 reported here locally, but I can stay just from our 27 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:24.200 own eyes and ears, you would say that crime is up. 28 00:01:25.079 --> 00:01:32.359 Most crimes go unreported, and what we feel in the neighborhoods, 29 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:36.239 what we see on TV, what we're experiencing. I think 30 00:01:36.280 --> 00:01:39.280 people would say that, you know, the crime is still 31 00:01:39.840 --> 00:01:43.079 far too high. We still need to make more progress 32 00:01:43.959 --> 00:01:48.480 and we need to be working on finding solutions. I 33 00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:51.359 mean constantly I'm meeting with victims of crime. They'll tell 34 00:01:51.359 --> 00:01:54.400 you crime is too high. Or I'm meeting with mothers 35 00:01:54.439 --> 00:01:57.239 of murdered children. They're going to say the crime rate 36 00:01:57.359 --> 00:01:59.599 is too high. So as far as this is the 37 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:03.840 actual statistics, I would say we have too much. We 38 00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:07.000 have problems in Cincinnati that we need to address, and 39 00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:09.479 we want to make sure that everybody in our community 40 00:02:09.520 --> 00:02:10.319 feels safe. 41 00:02:10.599 --> 00:02:12.639 You know one thing that really fires me up as 42 00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:15.319 I specifically remember I have a pretty good memory going 43 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:17.879 back in the nineteen nineties that in nineteen ninety one, 44 00:02:18.439 --> 00:02:23.400 a character named Jeffrey Woganstall kidnapped a brutally murdered stayb 45 00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:26.360 to death ten or eleven year old girl, Amber Garrett. 46 00:02:26.759 --> 00:02:29.759 And Mark Crumbine, who's one of the legal eagles on 47 00:02:29.840 --> 00:02:32.719 Channel nineteen, was one of the defense attorneys, and I 48 00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:36.400 can recall having on the witnesses in that case about 49 00:02:36.439 --> 00:02:39.360 Jeffrey Woganstall and went on and on and on, and 50 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:42.439 now here we are more than thirty thirty three years 51 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:46.159 later and he's filed repeat it motions for a new trial. 52 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:48.639 He claims the body was dumped in Ohio. He says, 53 00:02:48.719 --> 00:02:52.599 not in Indiana, and that Judge Jenkins is a new 54 00:02:52.680 --> 00:02:55.120 judge on the bench. It's got to be busy with 55 00:02:55.240 --> 00:02:59.120 current cases. But your office is trying to defend the 56 00:02:59.240 --> 00:03:03.680 criminal conviction to Jeffrey Woganenstall for killing this girl, molesting her, 57 00:03:03.719 --> 00:03:05.680 and then killing her. And one of his pubic hairs 58 00:03:05.719 --> 00:03:08.159 was found in her underwear, which I guess is evidence 59 00:03:08.159 --> 00:03:13.400 of something, but nonetheless one of the allegations of the defense. 60 00:03:13.479 --> 00:03:15.639 Currently here we are in twenty twenty four, we're talking 61 00:03:15.639 --> 00:03:17.800 about events that took place more than thirty years ago, 62 00:03:18.280 --> 00:03:20.719 was that the discovery rules have changed, that those Brady 63 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:25.280 violations that your predecessor in title as the Prosecutor's Office, 64 00:03:25.280 --> 00:03:27.159 it might have been Artiney or Joe Dieters did not 65 00:03:27.240 --> 00:03:29.800 give all the evidence to Jeffrey Wroganstall that could have 66 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:33.240 exonerated him. Can you explain, just in general, whether it's 67 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:36.000 the l Rod case out of Blue Ash or Jeffrey Wogenstall, 68 00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:39.159 what has changed the past thirty to thirty five years 69 00:03:39.159 --> 00:03:41.439 as far as what your office has to give the defense. 70 00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:45.719 Well, as you said lately, there's been motions for new 71 00:03:45.800 --> 00:03:49.560 trials that have been filed in the trial court level 72 00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:53.479 on old cases, and you're talking about the Woganstall that 73 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:57.280 one is now being argued on emotion leave to file 74 00:03:57.400 --> 00:04:00.080 for emotion for new trial. So it's not even and 75 00:04:00.120 --> 00:04:02.039 I don't think it's gone to the point where it's 76 00:04:02.039 --> 00:04:04.879 on the merits for the new trial. But as you 77 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:08.120 point out, all of these cases that have been going 78 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:12.840 back since I've been in the office, the cases were 79 00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:17.319 tried twenty thirty fifteen years ago before I was ever 80 00:04:17.639 --> 00:04:20.959 in charge of the office. So s number one, number two, 81 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:25.639 it's not really being fairly reported by the media. They're 82 00:04:25.639 --> 00:04:29.279 claiming that these convictions where a trial judge is granting 83 00:04:29.319 --> 00:04:33.639 the new trial has been overturned, and then the people 84 00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:38.639 are being exonerated, the defendants are being exonerated, and that's inaccurate. 85 00:04:39.040 --> 00:04:42.120 These are motions for new trial. There was a trial 86 00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:47.040 years and years ago. Whatever case we're talking about, twelve 87 00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:52.639 jurors found the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt made a conviction. 88 00:04:53.480 --> 00:04:56.519 The case was reviewed by the Court of Appeals, by 89 00:04:56.600 --> 00:05:00.639 the Ohio Supreme Court, by the federal court. The Elwood 90 00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:04.000 case that you're speaking of. There eighteen different judges took 91 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:06.160 a look at that case, found that there were no 92 00:05:06.279 --> 00:05:12.199 issues with either the evidence or did any air as 93 00:05:12.199 --> 00:05:16.720 far as the legality of that was done, and upheld 94 00:05:16.720 --> 00:05:22.560 the convictions. Years later, the cases with a brand new 95 00:05:22.680 --> 00:05:27.360 judge on the bench hearing emotion for new trial, is 96 00:05:27.439 --> 00:05:31.519 granting these motions on the basis that evidence was not 97 00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:36.680 turned over, not provided to the other side during the trial. Now, 98 00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:40.399 all these issues were discussed throughout the appeals and had 99 00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:44.480 been ruled upon by the higher courts. None found that 100 00:05:44.519 --> 00:05:47.560 there were any air, But because the evidence rules have 101 00:05:47.639 --> 00:05:50.160 now changed, they're not the same evidence rules that they 102 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:54.800 were thirty Excuse me, the discovery rules were changed. You 103 00:05:54.839 --> 00:05:58.800 didn't need to provide what was now the saying should 104 00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:01.759 been provided by the trial court judge. So that's where 105 00:06:01.759 --> 00:06:04.879 we are. It puts US at a clear disadvantage. Nothing 106 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:09.600 has been documented by say, computer systems, what was turned 107 00:06:09.639 --> 00:06:14.759 over or not turned over. Witnesses are dead, defense attorneys 108 00:06:14.759 --> 00:06:17.720 are dead, so we can't even find out for sure. 109 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:20.199 So it puts the state at a clear disadvantage when 110 00:06:20.199 --> 00:06:23.600 we're at this point, that case is on appeal to 111 00:06:23.639 --> 00:06:26.519 the higher Supreme Court. Now, whether or not that's inaccurate 112 00:06:27.279 --> 00:06:31.240 that the trial court judge appropriately granted a motion for 113 00:06:31.360 --> 00:06:35.319 new trial on the woven Stall case, as I said, 114 00:06:35.319 --> 00:06:39.519 that one's stipending as well, and that involves again some 115 00:06:39.879 --> 00:06:44.160 what they're claiming Brady violations, but again it involves discovery 116 00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:47.360 rules that are much different today than they were thirty 117 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:50.439 years ago. And is it quite? Is it fair? Is 118 00:06:50.480 --> 00:06:54.040 it the right thing that you can now evaluate a 119 00:06:54.120 --> 00:06:58.160 case after these rules have been changed when they were 120 00:06:58.199 --> 00:07:01.959 always these rules up until I don't recently really so? 121 00:07:02.680 --> 00:07:05.759 And then the matters of and will be pending before 122 00:07:06.279 --> 00:07:10.240 the Ohio Supreme court. We have twelve cases and at 123 00:07:10.279 --> 00:07:15.360 the criminal cases before the Hire Supreme Court. So that's 124 00:07:15.399 --> 00:07:18.800 what's going on here. And as I said this, the 125 00:07:18.879 --> 00:07:23.360 prosecutor's state is a clear disadvantage in these matters because 126 00:07:23.439 --> 00:07:28.199 of evidence is lost, memories are faded, witnesses are dead, 127 00:07:28.319 --> 00:07:31.639 defense attorneys are dead, and so it's really hard to 128 00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:36.759 proceed sometimes and being able to present whether it has 129 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:41.160 whether there will be a new trial, or whether you 130 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:44.199 know this was accurately done by the trial court judge 131 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:46.319 of brand new trial court judge looking at it for 132 00:07:46.360 --> 00:07:50.399 the first time, right, who knows more, maybe than eighteen 133 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:51.600 other judges. I don't know. 134 00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:54.160 That's the thing that these cases go up and down, 135 00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:57.480 up and down. And the sadness in the in the 136 00:07:57.480 --> 00:08:01.000 Woganstall matter is that the father of Am Garrett, who 137 00:08:01.079 --> 00:08:03.759 was viciously kidnapped and murder at the age of ten 138 00:08:03.800 --> 00:08:07.199 from Harrison, Ohio, a beautiful little girl. He gave an 139 00:08:07.240 --> 00:08:10.399 interview to Brian Hamrick of five and he said, quote, 140 00:08:10.439 --> 00:08:13.560 it's aging me, it's destroying me, it's devastating. It's that 141 00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:16.199 groundhoul day over and over and over again. When is 142 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:18.639 it going to stop? So the father of this little 143 00:08:18.680 --> 00:08:21.920 girl who was kidnapped and brutalized and sexualized and stabbed 144 00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:24.680 to death, body dumped that this goes on and on 145 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:26.879 and on. And the defense attorney, one of them was 146 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:30.319 Mark Crumbine, who fortunately is a good man still around, 147 00:08:30.839 --> 00:08:34.039 and he said justice was done, whatever that might be 148 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:36.000 when he was convicted. And one of the arguments from 149 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:39.679 Jeffrey Wogenstall was well, I didn't drop the body in Indiana. 150 00:08:40.039 --> 00:08:43.159 I put it in Ohio. So well, that's a distinction 151 00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:45.720 without a difference. But the other thing is the Brady 152 00:08:45.799 --> 00:08:47.960 violation for those who may not know, and I think 153 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:51.559 most people don't, provides discovery what the state's got to 154 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:54.600 give the defense and if some piece of evidence was 155 00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:58.360 not given. The new liberal judges were saying, without violations, 156 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:01.480 the whole conviction. They got the right guy. He murdered her, 157 00:09:01.559 --> 00:09:05.639 he sexually assaulted her, his pubic hare found inside her pant. 158 00:09:05.679 --> 00:09:08.080 He's a ten year old girl. But he's claiming, well, 159 00:09:08.120 --> 00:09:10.919 all the evidence wasn't turned over. So even if this judge, 160 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:14.879 Judge Jenkins, actually grants a new trial down the road 161 00:09:14.879 --> 00:09:17.120 at some point, it doesn't mean he didn't commit the crime. 162 00:09:17.480 --> 00:09:20.559 It means Judge by twenty twenty four standards on discovery 163 00:09:20.879 --> 00:09:23.399 that nineteen ninety one conviction should not have happened. And 164 00:09:23.399 --> 00:09:26.600 to me, I would hope these judges would move on 165 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:29.840 and deal with more current cases because justice was done 166 00:09:29.840 --> 00:09:33.120 with Edward Jones and done with Wiganstall. But nonetheless, so 167 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:37.120 many commercials I'm seeing you run against against Connie Pillage, 168 00:09:37.679 --> 00:09:42.360 and Connie Pillach has never tried. Just go over the 169 00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:44.639 list of two or three things your opponent has not 170 00:09:44.759 --> 00:09:47.399 done as opposed to you, that's been there for thirty 171 00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:51.200 five years as a judge, as a prosecutor, and more. 172 00:09:51.399 --> 00:09:54.639 And now you're the Hamlet County selected prosecutor soon to 173 00:09:54.679 --> 00:09:58.399 be elected. Why is she uniquely unqualified to take over 174 00:09:58.519 --> 00:10:01.200 this office that you that you now hold. 175 00:10:02.200 --> 00:10:06.399 Well, she never prosecuted a case, She's never tried a 176 00:10:06.519 --> 00:10:11.320 jury a murder case. She's never tried a case or 177 00:10:11.360 --> 00:10:17.279 handled a case in juvenile court. She's has not practiced 178 00:10:17.320 --> 00:10:20.200 and hasn't been in the courtroom on a criminal case 179 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:24.799 since two thousand and five. And even in two thousand 180 00:10:24.840 --> 00:10:28.000 and five, she only had sixteen criminal cases that she handled. 181 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:32.919 Compared to my thousands and thousands of cases, I think 182 00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:36.399 by a lot of again, it wasn't all by computer 183 00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:40.320 back then. But what I can gather, I have one 184 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:44.000 hundred and fifty thousand cases I either personally tried or 185 00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:50.159 I presided over. And you know, the other thing about 186 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:53.519 her is that she let her law license lapse and 187 00:10:53.840 --> 00:10:56.600 she reinstated it in order to run for this office 188 00:10:56.600 --> 00:10:59.679 two years ago, and then still didn't pick up the 189 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:03.120 case to say, yeah, I'm committed to doing the work 190 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:06.600 that needs to be done. So just think if you 191 00:11:07.120 --> 00:11:11.039 had to, if you have a family member or yourself 192 00:11:11.159 --> 00:11:13.759 you were a victim of a crime, would you want 193 00:11:13.840 --> 00:11:16.519 somebody like that trying your case or be responsible for 194 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:19.720 your case? Or if you look at it this way 195 00:11:19.759 --> 00:11:22.240 from a medical point of view, you needed surgery, would 196 00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:24.480 you go to a surgeon that hasn't performed surgery in 197 00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:28.840 over twenty years, or that hasn't hasn't read a medical journal. 198 00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:32.080 I mean, I doubt she's even read any case law. 199 00:11:32.120 --> 00:11:34.799 And case law, I mean is constantly changing. I've been 200 00:11:34.840 --> 00:11:38.759 reading case law it's almost every day of my entire career. 201 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:41.879 But if not every day, I mean it's it's several 202 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:44.320 times a week, you know, as it's being updated. Because 203 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:47.240 the law is constantly changing. I just don't know how 204 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:50.159 she even thinks that she can even do this job. 205 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:54.559 I hear her talk about, well, it's just a leadership position. Well, no, 206 00:11:54.639 --> 00:11:58.840 it's more than that. You know. I'm consulted along with 207 00:11:58.919 --> 00:12:03.720 my prosecuters on how charges in working with law enforcement, 208 00:12:05.159 --> 00:12:07.759 you know, you're you're advising them, is there enough evidence 209 00:12:07.799 --> 00:12:11.000 on a case of even bring charges? You know, so 210 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:14.320 things like that that just really to me raises a 211 00:12:14.320 --> 00:12:17.279 lot of red flags as to what will happen if 212 00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:19.799 she's in charge. And then the other problem that we 213 00:12:19.919 --> 00:12:24.320 have is that she's beholden to the soft on crime. 214 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:27.799 You know, she'll be basically a rubber stamp for that 215 00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:31.799 radical agenda. I could see, you know, she's being supported 216 00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:34.080 by those the radicals out of New York that want 217 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:40.159 to defund the police, not prosecute categories of crimes, decriminalizing offenses, 218 00:12:40.720 --> 00:12:44.080 ending our cash bond system. That's what keeps us safe. 219 00:12:44.200 --> 00:12:46.919 And I think in the end, if we have someone 220 00:12:47.080 --> 00:12:50.799 like that in charge, our entire community will suffer. We 221 00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:53.639 have made so much progress in our beautiful city, in 222 00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:57.919 our county that to backside because we don't have safety 223 00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:02.039 that people that crime is too high that we need. 224 00:13:02.159 --> 00:13:05.159 You know, people aren't going to invest here, people won't 225 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:08.639 move here, Everyone's going to be leaving, and so we'll 226 00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:11.039 be a shell of a city. And I just think 227 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:15.080 Cincinnati Hamilton County were a special place. I grew up here, 228 00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:18.519 and I'm fighting every single day so that all of 229 00:13:18.600 --> 00:13:22.440 us are safe. And I'm fighting to serve every person. 230 00:13:22.919 --> 00:13:25.320 I don't care where you live or who you are. 231 00:13:25.639 --> 00:13:28.639 I'm fighting for your safety and fighting to be a 232 00:13:28.759 --> 00:13:31.919 voice for victims of crime. You brought up the Woganstall 233 00:13:32.039 --> 00:13:35.639 family or the victims you know of the of the 234 00:13:35.639 --> 00:13:39.799 wogan Stall case. When is when thirty twenty years later, 235 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:43.639 they still don't have finality. I mean, we're fighting to 236 00:13:43.720 --> 00:13:46.919 have that conviction to be final so that that family 237 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:50.720 has justice. It's so important that families have justice and 238 00:13:50.799 --> 00:13:54.480 accountability when someone does something as heinous as a her 239 00:13:54.559 --> 00:13:57.799 case or hurts a child. We want that. And I'm 240 00:13:57.840 --> 00:14:02.039 afraid that my opponent, if she gets in here, it 241 00:14:02.120 --> 00:14:05.200 won't be the same. It'll ruin our city and will 242 00:14:05.240 --> 00:14:08.679 be just like any other these cities with those policies 243 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:11.600 that have been failed all around the around the country. 244 00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:15.519 And I'm also concerned because I am the last Republican 245 00:14:16.519 --> 00:14:20.960 in the as far as within the county, and then 246 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:23.480 we'll end up with one party rule. And if we 247 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:26.440 have one party rule, the corruption that comes along with it. 248 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:30.679 Nobody everything, nothing will be transparent to the community. Everything 249 00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:32.799 will be good, and no one will be shedding a 250 00:14:32.879 --> 00:14:36.799 light on when something is going wrong. I'm constantly voicing 251 00:14:37.080 --> 00:14:39.799 when at the courthouse. They want to keep these things quiet, 252 00:14:40.200 --> 00:14:42.000 and they only want to speak when it's on their 253 00:14:42.120 --> 00:14:44.759 there on their terms and in their agenda. But I 254 00:14:45.279 --> 00:14:48.360 speak out to make sure that the public, the voters 255 00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:52.120 know who's keeping us safe and who is not. Uh 256 00:14:52.159 --> 00:14:54.039 And I think the people have a right to know that. 257 00:14:54.320 --> 00:14:57.480 And Melissa Powers, the office is not Democrat or Republican. 258 00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:01.799 You don't prosecute Republicans or Democrats or victims based upon 259 00:15:01.840 --> 00:15:06.399 political affiliation. It is a nonpartisan office in which the 260 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:09.320 person in charge has got to enforce the law as 261 00:15:09.320 --> 00:15:11.960 it is written, not as someone might want it to be. 262 00:15:12.200 --> 00:15:14.600 And so for those suburbanites who live in Blue Ash 263 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:17.679 and Green Township and Anderson Township, do you want someone 264 00:15:17.720 --> 00:15:20.440 who's been there for thirty to thirty five years prosecuting 265 00:15:20.440 --> 00:15:23.200 criminals or break in your home? Break in your car, 266 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:26.639 steal money from your bank account, God forbid, rape or kill. 267 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:29.320 You want someone that knows what they're doing. And when 268 00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:32.159 Connie Pillage has not had a law license for some 269 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:35.240 twenty years and has never prosecuted a case, and I 270 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:37.600 speak to elements in the black community, leadership in the 271 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:40.679 black community, and they don't like Connie Pillage, because the 272 00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:45.039 black leadership of this town is telling me when we're hurt, 273 00:15:45.080 --> 00:15:47.200 when this's is shooting at Walton Hills High School or 274 00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:49.600 there's some shooting in the West End, we know with 275 00:15:49.679 --> 00:15:52.720 CPD and with Melissa Powers, we have someone who actually 276 00:15:52.840 --> 00:15:55.759 is competent that will prosecute the criminals to the fullest 277 00:15:55.799 --> 00:15:57.919 extent of the law. And that's what everybody wants when 278 00:15:57.919 --> 00:16:00.600 they're personally assaulted. And for this county to turn its 279 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:03.840 back on law enforcement, turn it's back on prosecution. And 280 00:16:03.879 --> 00:16:06.799 when the office flips over, if it does the county Pillage, 281 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:09.039 you have one hundred and fifty employees that have been 282 00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:12.240 built up over the years, career prosecutors ready to get 283 00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:14.679 to work for the victims of crime. And she is 284 00:16:14.879 --> 00:16:17.879 likely to fire everybody and bring in social activists at 285 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:20.799 have a different viewpoint on that. Really, I kind of 286 00:16:20.840 --> 00:16:23.279 see this as a I kind of see this as 287 00:16:23.320 --> 00:16:26.559 the breaking point in Hamletin County and the city of Cincinnati, 288 00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:29.879 and I just hope the suburbanites, especially in those who 289 00:16:29.879 --> 00:16:32.480 live in the city, understand what's at stake in this election. 290 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:35.279 Melissa Powers once again, thank you for coming on the 291 00:16:35.320 --> 00:16:39.000 Bill Cunningham Show, and good luck in your race, because 292 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:41.480 your race is our race, and your failure will be 293 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:44.559 the failure of citizens of Hamlin and County should it 294 00:16:44.600 --> 00:16:46.759 take place, and I do not believe it will. When 295 00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:48.799 I speak to Alex t and others, I know you're 296 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:50.679 up in the polling, but that doesn't make a damn 297 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:53.120 bit of difference. What's required is for the people to 298 00:16:53.159 --> 00:16:56.039 actually vote to keep law enforcement functioning in this county. 299 00:16:56.279 --> 00:16:58.840 And Melissa Powers, once again, thank you for coming on 300 00:16:58.840 --> 00:17:00.759 the Bill Cunningham Show. Good luck to you. 301 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:02.960 Thanks Bo, have a great day. 302 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:03.679 God bless you. 303 00:17:03.720 --> 00:17:03.799 Well. 304 00:17:03.879 --> 00:17:05.920 Let's continue with more and if Connie Pillage were like 305 00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:09.279 equal time, she's more than willing to come in and 306 00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:13.960 answer my questions. Bill Cunningham News Radio seven hundred WLW. 307 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:18.720 I hit the music. Dave Keaton getting ready for another 308 00:17:19.160 --> 00:17:22.240 afternoon of greatness. You and I together is one marching. 309 00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:25.680 Coming up after one o'clock today will be Grover nor 310 00:17:25.799 --> 00:17:29.759 Quist Americans for Tax Reform. He compares and contrasts the 311 00:17:29.799 --> 00:17:32.480 plans of each of the major candidates. When it comes 312 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:36.519 to taxes, nothing's more certain than taxes and death. And 313 00:17:36.799 --> 00:17:39.960 the plans of the Democrats are significantly different than the 314 00:17:39.960 --> 00:17:43.279 plans for the Republicans. The Republicans want to lower taxes 315 00:17:43.319 --> 00:17:47.079 to grow the economy, resulting in more revenue to the treasury. 316 00:17:47.559 --> 00:17:51.319 The Democrats want to increase taxes, which stops economic activity, 317 00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:54.200 which means less so you get punished and there's less 318 00:17:54.200 --> 00:17:56.720 money to spend anyway. But until then, I had the 319 00:17:56.759 --> 00:18:00.440 pleasure last night of going to get together at the 320 00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:05.440 Phelps on Fourth Street to talk about brad Winstrop, who's 321 00:18:05.519 --> 00:18:08.880 leaving Congress after ten years, and also I spent some 322 00:18:08.920 --> 00:18:12.559 time again with Orlando Sanza. First of all, brad Winstrop 323 00:18:13.279 --> 00:18:15.680 is a great American. I used that term loosely, but 324 00:18:15.720 --> 00:18:18.480 when it comes to him, it's so accurate. In nineteen 325 00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:23.359 ninety eight, as a medical doctor, he decided to join 326 00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:27.599 the US Army and began as a low officer in 327 00:18:27.640 --> 00:18:31.680 the providing medical care. Then when nine to eleven broke out, 328 00:18:31.720 --> 00:18:35.559 he found himself in Iraq at Abu Grab caring for 329 00:18:35.680 --> 00:18:39.960 patients of one type or another, including those terrorists who 330 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:42.839 were wounded by Americans. It's part of our policy to 331 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:46.519 nurse the terrorists back to good health, which I may 332 00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:48.559 have a concern with, but the US Army says to 333 00:18:48.599 --> 00:18:55.839 do it. So doctor brad Winstrop volunteered, served in war, 334 00:18:56.079 --> 00:18:59.599 came back and regan his law, and began his medical 335 00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:01.880 practice again. And then he saw an opportunity to serve 336 00:19:01.880 --> 00:19:04.680 in the United States Congress, and he did that for 337 00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:07.440 ten years. And he said, right now, I have my 338 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:09.720 beautiful wife, and we have two kids that are seven 339 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:12.599 and ten years old, and I miss everything about them. 340 00:19:12.839 --> 00:19:15.799 I'm in Washington, I'm traveling. He's one of the leaders 341 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:19.039 in the Congress because when he showed up, everyone quickly 342 00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:21.960 realized that brad winstrip was a warkhorse and not a 343 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:24.519 show horse. So he shows up and he gets on 344 00:19:24.559 --> 00:19:27.880 this committee, gets on that committee, the Key Committee. He's 345 00:19:27.920 --> 00:19:30.759 on his House Ways and Means, which is taxing, and 346 00:19:30.839 --> 00:19:34.519 on the Intelligence Committee, which has all this secret stuff. 347 00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:38.079 And he was disgusted by the conduct of many Democrats 348 00:19:38.319 --> 00:19:42.079 after secret briefings about whether it's COVID or about Iraq 349 00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:44.720 or other problems, that they quickly run out and talk 350 00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:47.319 about everything that was going on, which they shouldn't have done, 351 00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:50.039 and no one was held to account for that at all. 352 00:19:50.119 --> 00:19:53.359 But I made the reference to the fact that bred 353 00:19:53.400 --> 00:19:56.279 Winstrip is the best among us. He put his life 354 00:19:56.319 --> 00:20:01.559 at risk, he forestalled any economic gain of being a 355 00:20:01.559 --> 00:20:04.920 a dietrist by going into the military, and then when 356 00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:07.000 nine to eleven happened, he was deployed, and he did 357 00:20:07.039 --> 00:20:10.920 it without acrimony. He did it because he loved the country, 358 00:20:11.039 --> 00:20:13.799 and they spent quite a bit of time there and 359 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:17.119 came back and continued in the reserves. He retired about 360 00:20:17.119 --> 00:20:20.920 a year ago from the military twenty five years, quarter 361 00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:23.960 of a century in the military. Retired as a full 362 00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:28.039 bird colonel in the military and with ten years of service. 363 00:20:28.559 --> 00:20:29.880 And he said, the best thing I'm going to do 364 00:20:29.920 --> 00:20:33.039 in the future is coach my daughter's fifth grade girls 365 00:20:33.079 --> 00:20:36.440 basketball team at Saint Gertrude's. And so at some point 366 00:20:36.519 --> 00:20:39.680 he went into the military for the right reasons, and 367 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:42.720 he left the Congress for the right reasons. No one 368 00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:45.640 chased him out. He could have stayed in Congress in 369 00:20:45.640 --> 00:20:48.119 the second Congressional District as long as he wanted to, 370 00:20:48.200 --> 00:20:51.359 but his family called it. And I know what it 371 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:54.519 must be like for a young father to have a 372 00:20:54.559 --> 00:20:58.079 couple kids that Daddy, where you going Monday morning? He'd 373 00:20:58.079 --> 00:21:01.079 fly off to Washington, come back Friday, and then maybe 374 00:21:01.160 --> 00:21:03.920 spend the weekend in Utah, and then spend the weekend 375 00:21:03.960 --> 00:21:06.599 in Wisconsin and go back to Florida. And he said, 376 00:21:06.599 --> 00:21:09.920 at some point, I have to take care of take 377 00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:12.480 care of my family. So he went to the military 378 00:21:12.559 --> 00:21:15.759 for the right reasons, which is because he loved it. 379 00:21:16.119 --> 00:21:18.880 He went into the Congress for the right reasons to serve. 380 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:23.519 He served his ten years as a soldier patriot, and 381 00:21:23.559 --> 00:21:25.880 then after ten years he said, I have to spend 382 00:21:25.960 --> 00:21:29.160 more time with my wife and family. He went into 383 00:21:29.200 --> 00:21:31.480 Congress for the right reasons, and he left for the 384 00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:33.960 right reasons. And it's sad that he has to do that, 385 00:21:34.119 --> 00:21:36.799 But as a husband and a father, I get it. 386 00:21:37.240 --> 00:21:39.519 Number one in your life's got to be God. Number 387 00:21:39.519 --> 00:21:42.200 two has got to be country and righte with it 388 00:21:42.319 --> 00:21:46.640 his family, and he served all so well. And he 389 00:21:46.680 --> 00:21:49.279 made the rather interesting comment that I've heard a voice 390 00:21:49.319 --> 00:21:52.319 by many others. You don't see too many individuals flying 391 00:21:52.599 --> 00:21:56.400 Kamala Harris flags next to the American flag. When you 392 00:21:56.440 --> 00:21:59.960 see a Kamala Harris is normally somebody protesting about something, 393 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:03.920 normally abortion or transgender rights, whatever it might be. You'll 394 00:22:03.960 --> 00:22:07.319 see a lot of flags in the red areas of 395 00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:09.640 the world, not too many flags in the blue areas, 396 00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:12.960 because many Democrats have an ill feeling about our country 397 00:22:12.960 --> 00:22:15.240 and its place in the world. But I want to 398 00:22:15.240 --> 00:22:18.519 just remark that brad winstrip is leaving office in about 399 00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:22.359 three or four months. I'm sure we'll have a capable replacement. 400 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:24.319 Haven't met him yet, but we'll see what happens. But 401 00:22:24.839 --> 00:22:27.400