WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:02.600 Fifty five car CD talk station. A very happy Monday, 2 00:00:02.600 --> 00:00:04.639 till you try to make it happy anyway. Christopher smithvan 3 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:07.480 former Vice maaron Is Smith event coming over the next hour. 4 00:00:07.519 --> 00:00:09.640 Begin to get seven to twenty in extra ten minutes 5 00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:12.359 for Christopher Money Money with Brian James at eight oh 6 00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:14.279 five and right now, welcome back to the fifty five 7 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:17.519 Cassy Morning Shore reporting for the Cincinnati Inquirer on all 8 00:00:17.519 --> 00:00:19.960 things related to the City Council. Sharon Cooleidge, good you 9 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:24.039 have back on the program. I hope you're well. Good morning, 10 00:00:24.679 --> 00:00:26.719 Cincinnati dot COM's refriends share. 11 00:00:26.519 --> 00:00:29.359 It's been a couple crazy weeks over at city. 12 00:00:29.120 --> 00:00:32.439 Hall, Yes it has. And thank you for enlightening us 13 00:00:32.520 --> 00:00:35.439 on this most recent article regarding the sixty five million 14 00:00:35.479 --> 00:00:39.520 dollars windfall. Something you really don't expect from the Cincinnati 15 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:42.200 Council and the budgeting process they always go through. And 16 00:00:42.280 --> 00:00:45.200 it's dire and it's woe as me and the puncheon's underfunded, 17 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:46.520 we're going to run out of money. We've got to 18 00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:51.200 sell a railroad. Uh no, apparently not sixty five million 19 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:54.799 dollars left over from last year's budget. That's a lot 20 00:00:54.840 --> 00:00:55.280 of money. 21 00:00:56.560 --> 00:01:02.159 Honestly, I can't keep up. It's sometimes to dire situation 22 00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:04.879 is sometimes there's a ton of money. It just honestly 23 00:01:04.920 --> 00:01:07.680 depends on the day. And I would say that line 24 00:01:07.719 --> 00:01:10.599 over there, and I just I cannot keep up. But yes, 25 00:01:10.680 --> 00:01:15.439 the carryover was sixty five million, and they have just 26 00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:17.359 been spending it over the last two weeks while I 27 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:21.040 was working on a different story. So I really wanted 28 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:24.719 to wrap it up all and let people know, you know, 29 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:26.079 really what they're doing with it. 30 00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:29.040 Okay, And that's fair enough, and we can be critical 31 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:32.280 maybe about some or maybe not others, but we can 32 00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:34.480 certainly look at each line item and wonder whether or 33 00:01:34.519 --> 00:01:38.400 not it's inappropriate use of our taxpayer dollars. But what 34 00:01:38.480 --> 00:01:40.560 you point out in the article is a little disturbing 35 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:45.439 to me is that they, I mean, as you describe it, 36 00:01:45.560 --> 00:01:50.079 this carryover creates a quasi fall budget process without the 37 00:01:50.120 --> 00:01:53.920 special evening budget hearings where council, even where council invites 38 00:01:53.959 --> 00:01:56.959 the community to find out what the constituents want, they 39 00:01:57.000 --> 00:01:58.879 just kind of go on their own and decide on 40 00:01:58.920 --> 00:01:59.879 their own where this money. 41 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:05.640 Of well, of course you're doing it in public meetings 42 00:02:05.719 --> 00:02:10.000 during the days, not even FYI my most to find 43 00:02:10.080 --> 00:02:13.680 out more information about all of the different things in there. 44 00:02:14.280 --> 00:02:16.639 I just call, like you know, I don't know ten 45 00:02:16.719 --> 00:02:19.400 people to sort it all out, which is my job, 46 00:02:19.560 --> 00:02:22.639 of course, But I really do think that citizens should 47 00:02:22.680 --> 00:02:25.280 be able to with a tap of a button, really 48 00:02:25.800 --> 00:02:30.400 understand every single saying that it's not a line item 49 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:33.599 in a presentation that you can find in the system. 50 00:02:33.879 --> 00:02:35.919 This is a lot of money and has a lot 51 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:39.000 of plans with this money, taking the city in different directions, 52 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:43.280 and I think that people really have a right to 53 00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:45.240 know what that is. I mean, the idea that they're 54 00:02:45.240 --> 00:02:51.000 creating a fund for developers has gotten hardly barely a mentioned, 55 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:55.719 barely a mentioned, and I think that people are very 56 00:02:55.759 --> 00:02:57.400 interested in that well. 57 00:02:57.439 --> 00:02:59.919 Of course, five and a half million dollars for housing fund, 58 00:03:00.120 --> 00:03:03.680 to point out, goes to developers seeking gap financing for 59 00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:08.439 housing projects. This on the heels of the city's rezoning 60 00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:12.919 basically the entire city of Cincinnati to accommodate more multifamily 61 00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:16.439 and multiple unit dwellings. Perhaps are those two connected. 62 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:23.319 They certainly candy. They said, there's a multitude of projects 63 00:03:23.319 --> 00:03:26.439 in the pipeline. This is Friday afternoon, by the way, 64 00:03:26.479 --> 00:03:29.280 because normally I would it be like, well, what projects 65 00:03:29.319 --> 00:03:32.080 is that we still might do that. But yes, those 66 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:35.159 two things could be very very connected. We just we 67 00:03:35.240 --> 00:03:39.319 don't know. I mean there's a lot. They rolled back 68 00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:44.759 the residential abatements in a way that everyone was not 69 00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:47.400 happy about, and then on the heels of that, there's 70 00:03:47.479 --> 00:03:53.080 supposed to be an overhaul of commercial development abatements. Meanwhile, 71 00:03:53.159 --> 00:03:55.800 because everyone else is paying property, more property Texans than 72 00:03:55.840 --> 00:04:00.719 ever before. Stop me if you've heard that one before. Yeah, 73 00:04:00.919 --> 00:04:04.319 so come at that time. Then they never do anything. 74 00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:08.520 The residential abatements was so hard to get through and 75 00:04:08.599 --> 00:04:13.080 approve and change anything. They do nothing with the commercial abatements. 76 00:04:13.360 --> 00:04:16.680 Then the futurest Commission comes out and that really says 77 00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:20.519 we need one hundred million dollar fund housing. Housing. Housing is, 78 00:04:20.759 --> 00:04:23.759 of course, you know, very business friendly, and we do 79 00:04:23.839 --> 00:04:28.040 need housing. I will never not say that. I get 80 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:30.839 that we need affordable housing, meet all kinds of housing, 81 00:04:31.480 --> 00:04:36.120 but this is not what the citizens have said they 82 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:38.839 want that. They want to give it to developers just 83 00:04:38.920 --> 00:04:42.879 to build housing. And on top of that is I'm 84 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:47.040 big into transparency. I want to know every time they 85 00:04:47.079 --> 00:04:48.680 give money to developers. 86 00:04:49.079 --> 00:04:49.839 Yeah, but's it. 87 00:04:49.959 --> 00:04:51.439 I just want to know what are they doing, what 88 00:04:51.480 --> 00:04:55.079 are the projects? And this fund really seems to take 89 00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:57.240 it out of the public eye. They're going to put 90 00:04:57.360 --> 00:05:01.560 it under the Cincinnati Development Fund make the decisions. So 91 00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:04.439 I'm like, so it really quick know where the money is. 92 00:05:04.600 --> 00:05:06.800 Five and a half million you reported five and a 93 00:05:06.800 --> 00:05:10.319 half million is being handed over to the Cincinni Development Fund, 94 00:05:10.360 --> 00:05:13.800 which on its own will be allocating the money. Meaning 95 00:05:13.879 --> 00:05:17.519 as you write, we're not the taxpayers, the voters are 96 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:19.399 not going to be subject to a public vote. In 97 00:05:19.399 --> 00:05:20.480 other words, they are going to do whatever the hell 98 00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:22.879 they want. It is not you know, the council members 99 00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:24.560 aren't going to have to go on record for any 100 00:05:24.680 --> 00:05:27.639 project over another. That's all ok again, wholl I didn't 101 00:05:27.639 --> 00:05:29.199 do that. The Sensor Development Fund. 102 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:33.839 Did it right, And we'll never even know, like what 103 00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:36.959 if it is, Like it's not some giant housing development 104 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:39.720 that we're like, okay, as you see and you're like, 105 00:05:39.720 --> 00:05:42.040 what is that? But I think a lot of these 106 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:45.879 connected community projects are not necessarily going to be unless 107 00:05:45.879 --> 00:05:50.279 somebody's neighbor calls. They're meant to be, you know, on 108 00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:52.680 the outskirts, skirts of the neighborhood, and they're meant to 109 00:05:52.680 --> 00:05:56.079 be big developments, So we might not even know this well, 110 00:05:56.120 --> 00:05:57.800 and it isn't interesting happening? 111 00:05:57.920 --> 00:06:00.920 Isn't it interesting? The predicate and the initial comment you 112 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:03.639 made on that, which is true. There is a huge 113 00:06:03.639 --> 00:06:08.079 demand for housing affordable and otherwise. Demand usually is met 114 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:10.160 by you know, entrepreneurial types who want to go in 115 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:13.519 and make some money, meeting the demand that already exists 116 00:06:13.519 --> 00:06:16.279 out there. So I just I kind of wonder how 117 00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:18.120 it is that the taxpayer dollars have to go to 118 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:19.279 any given project. 119 00:06:21.199 --> 00:06:23.360 You know, they do say over there it's hard to 120 00:06:23.399 --> 00:06:25.680 get financing. I mean, this is a flip side of it. 121 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:30.519 Banks don't want to lend. Every project costs way more money, 122 00:06:30.560 --> 00:06:32.480 so it makes it hard to get your money back out. 123 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:35.160 The developers do always come in and say they don't 124 00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:39.959 have any money, they can't afford it, and that's where 125 00:06:39.959 --> 00:06:41.480 the citizens come in to help them. 126 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:44.639 Well in these citizens, obviously this is being funded on 127 00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:46.839 their back since they didn't they didn't roll back the 128 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:49.759 property taxes, and all of our properties have increased, you 129 00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:52.639 point out overall property values up twenty eight percent, taxes 130 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:57.519 up twelve percent. So while the developers may lament their circumstance, 131 00:06:57.959 --> 00:07:01.720 this is a circumstance. This lack of funding and ability 132 00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:04.720 to meet one's you know, day to day expenses is 133 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:06.839 something that happens to every single resident in the city 134 00:07:06.839 --> 00:07:07.959 of Cincinnati largely. 135 00:07:10.319 --> 00:07:12.959 You know, it really does. I mean a Facebook group 136 00:07:13.079 --> 00:07:16.560 where people are trying to get their taxes reduced, and 137 00:07:16.959 --> 00:07:19.759 it's a really kind of heartbreaking It is the stories 138 00:07:19.800 --> 00:07:23.480 that you hear in that group, and you get the 139 00:07:23.480 --> 00:07:26.279 feeling they're working. People possibly not coming down to City 140 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:32.199 Hall on Wednesdays during public comments to really give their feedback. 141 00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:35.959 But I think if you had a night meeting related 142 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:39.079 to those or a night budgeteering and it's like, well 143 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:41.199 should we give this who should we give this money to? 144 00:07:41.319 --> 00:07:44.920 I'm not sure that the answer would be this sixty 145 00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:46.000 five million. 146 00:07:46.040 --> 00:07:49.319 Right, I agree with you on that. Nor would I 147 00:07:49.319 --> 00:07:53.079 think the average resident of the city of Cincinnati want 148 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:55.040 two and a half million to go to Woo, the 149 00:07:55.079 --> 00:07:58.439 Sundance film festival that doesn't impact most people's lives on 150 00:07:58.480 --> 00:07:59.759 a day to day basis, and I'm sure two and 151 00:07:59.759 --> 00:08:02.399 a half million could be better spent elsewhere to serve 152 00:08:02.439 --> 00:08:04.680 the residents of the city. I guess the argument is that, well, 153 00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:06.279 if we get Sundance. It's going to bring it a 154 00:08:06.279 --> 00:08:09.920 whole bunch of people. But this is just an advertising campaign. 155 00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:11.879 It's not going to guarantee that it's coming here. So 156 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:14.480 the money's gone. Whether or not Cincinnati gets the Sundance. 157 00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:16.800 The money, well, I will say, maybe I should have 158 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:19.160 been more clear about this. The money won't be spent 159 00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:23.839 unless we get it. It's part of a much larger bid. Okay. 160 00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:28.040 I have to tell you because Louisville was in the 161 00:08:28.120 --> 00:08:31.839 running for a Sundance and they are not on the 162 00:08:31.879 --> 00:08:35.639 short list, and their business career career in Louisville had 163 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:39.600 a story that seventy nine million dollars was not enough, 164 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:43.480 so they had porn than everything. So they had put 165 00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:47.720 together some sort of bid. These bids are secrets, you know. 166 00:08:47.759 --> 00:08:52.600 They kind of come from the jobs, entities and things 167 00:08:52.679 --> 00:08:55.919 like that. And so they're trying to do so we 168 00:08:55.960 --> 00:09:00.039 will spend that money and when Sundance gets here, and 169 00:09:00.279 --> 00:09:03.519 they are talking about a gigantic economic impact. And an 170 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:07.960 interesting thing about Sundance is just not the film festival. 171 00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:11.080 But they moved their whole headquarters here and all of 172 00:09:11.120 --> 00:09:14.279 the regular jobs to come with Sundance. And so I 173 00:09:14.279 --> 00:09:16.559 think There's a lot more to explore here on that, 174 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:20.440 but it goes with the same thing. It's like, just say, 175 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:25.200 just say when you're putting forward to spending. 176 00:09:25.879 --> 00:09:27.759 Now, I'll encourage my listeners to get a copy of 177 00:09:27.799 --> 00:09:30.360 the article and look at the breakdown, which I appreciate 178 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:34.080 you doing. Cincinnati's sixty five million dollars windfall support for sundance, 179 00:09:34.480 --> 00:09:38.960 a developers, and a grocery store. Real quick here before 180 00:09:38.960 --> 00:09:40.919 we take a break, Sharon Coolis from the enquire I 181 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:43.200 see that there's one point seventy five million of this 182 00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:46.960 windfall for Green Project Fund. I got a million dollars 183 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:50.600 to help citizens, you know, make their homes more energy efficient, 184 00:09:51.000 --> 00:09:53.519 a quarter a million for training workers to do green 185 00:09:53.679 --> 00:09:57.080 focused home assessments. And what disturbed me most was a 186 00:09:57.120 --> 00:10:00.559 half a million dollars to create a green which you 187 00:10:00.600 --> 00:10:03.559 described as an office that will serve as a pass 188 00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:05.720 through for federal money given to the state. So we 189 00:10:05.799 --> 00:10:08.960 have another layer of bureaucracy and another layer of employee 190 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:12.480 salaried workers to help facilitate federal money getting out into 191 00:10:12.519 --> 00:10:13.080 the community. 192 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:18.639 That was my understanding, but that seems to be a 193 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:23.600 requirement to get the money the state. Actually I named 194 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:26.799 it in the story The big name is escaping me. 195 00:10:27.639 --> 00:10:30.159 So the money flows to the federal government. It's five 196 00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:35.360 hundred million dollars to Ohio related to whatever the federal 197 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:39.960 money is. And Mark Jeffreys and he has been talking 198 00:10:39.960 --> 00:10:42.080 about this. I will say this did not come at 199 00:10:42.080 --> 00:10:44.120 the last second. He's been talking a lot about this. 200 00:10:44.679 --> 00:10:47.320 Five hundred million dollars is going to be given to 201 00:10:47.399 --> 00:10:50.440 the state and he wants Cincinnati to be up and 202 00:10:50.600 --> 00:10:54.000 ready to go. So you have to have all this 203 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:57.840 preparatus kind of like requirements related to the money from 204 00:10:57.879 --> 00:11:01.639 the state and the federal government. And he's like, will 205 00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:04.919 be the only one ready to go, and so that 206 00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:09.200 first bite of the apple, we could stand to get 207 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:11.120 a lot of money from it. Is kind of his point. 208 00:11:11.720 --> 00:11:14.240 All right, Well, I have to tell you there's been 209 00:11:14.279 --> 00:11:16.120 a lot of discussion about this the city all that 210 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:16.919 I haven't covered. 211 00:11:17.519 --> 00:11:19.679 I'm looking forward to getting the balance of the work. 212 00:11:19.759 --> 00:11:23.519 So I expect to read more on this down the road. 213 00:11:23.559 --> 00:11:26.320 On the enquire from Sharon Coole Age, Sharon, let's pause 214 00:11:26.360 --> 00:11:29.759 and find out spending money on Kamala Harris Road projects. 215 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:34.120 And some people not happy with Evan Nolan as the 216 00:11:34.519 --> 00:11:36.960 new council member. Be right back just a moment with 217 00:11:37.000 --> 00:11:38.840 more of Sharon Coolidge. First, a word for my dear 218 00:11:38.879 --> 00:11:41.759 friends at Fastened pro Roofing. They were just so honest 219 00:11:41.799 --> 00:11:43.960 and such wonderful folks. Will take great care of you. 220 00:11:44.279 --> 00:11:47.639 It all starts with a free roof inspection, and they'll 221 00:11:47.639 --> 00:11:49.039 do that if you call them up to do some 222 00:11:49.080 --> 00:11:51.879 different projects, like I want new siding on my house. 223 00:11:51.919 --> 00:11:54.159 That's what my friend Steve said. They inspected his roof 224 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:56.000 when they were over there and lo and behold, oh 225 00:11:56.080 --> 00:11:59.080 you got some problems up here. Obviously you couldn't see them, 226 00:11:59.360 --> 00:12:01.440 but those lay eight and problems could have gotten really 227 00:12:01.440 --> 00:12:03.120 bad for Steve. So if they were able to take 228 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:04.960 care of that for him, he was so pleased. Referred 229 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:07.480 to them to his son who was gushing water down 230 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:10.480 during that most recent torrential downpar You know, he told 231 00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:13.080 call fast and Pro Roofing, after you put the bucket 232 00:12:13.159 --> 00:12:15.559 underneath it, get the water, and he figured, yeah, you're 233 00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:17.320 gonna take your break, maybe three days for them to 234 00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:19.519 get out there. They were out there in the rain 235 00:12:20.440 --> 00:12:23.399 taking care of that leak. I mean, that's just immediate 236 00:12:23.480 --> 00:12:25.240 customer service, and that's the kind of thing you can 237 00:12:25.279 --> 00:12:27.679 expect from these folks A plus will a better business. 238 00:12:27.679 --> 00:12:30.320 Few locally owned and operated, probably serving the area since 239 00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:33.320 nineteen ninety nine. They do gutters, gutter guards. We'll clean 240 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:35.320 your gutters out. Do that before wintertime so you don't 241 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:37.240 get an ice dam, and they can solve your ice 242 00:12:37.320 --> 00:12:40.360 dam problems in the winter too. All exterior projects ruse 243 00:12:40.360 --> 00:12:43.960 of any type, both residential and commercial, and it's superior work. 244 00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:47.080 I assure you of that, including custom mell work five 245 00:12:47.080 --> 00:12:50.000 one three seven seven four ninety four ninety five for 246 00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:52.480 that free inspection five one three seven seven four ninety 247 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:57.600 four ninety five. Online it's fasten FSTE and fastenproroofing dot Com. 248 00:12:57.240 --> 00:12:59.840 Fifty five KRC unless you've been. 249 00:13:00.039 --> 00:13:01.960 Six twenty two ffy onive Ker City Talk Station. We 250 00:13:02.039 --> 00:13:04.600 just stretched the surface of the sixty five million dollars 251 00:13:04.600 --> 00:13:08.159 windfall expenditures with Sharon Coolids from the Cincinnion Enquirer. Again, 252 00:13:08.240 --> 00:13:10.240 it's worthy looking at the breakdown of where that money 253 00:13:10.279 --> 00:13:13.799 is going to go. At is reflective of well certain 254 00:13:13.879 --> 00:13:18.720 political perspectives. Moving over talk about the political perspectives, this 255 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:21.879 is shameless. It doesn't matter which side of the political 256 00:13:21.960 --> 00:13:24.279 edge you're on. In terms of spending taxpayer dollars to 257 00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:27.480 change the naming of the signs crediting Joe Biden for 258 00:13:27.600 --> 00:13:32.039 upcoming road projects and substituting that with Kamala Harris's name. Sharon, 259 00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:35.399 I must observe Joe Biden is still president, and if 260 00:13:35.399 --> 00:13:37.960 he's still president, does shouldn't he still get credit for 261 00:13:38.039 --> 00:13:40.879 the projects being done, even if it's necessary to give 262 00:13:40.919 --> 00:13:44.759 someone credit for it, Sharon, So, I mean. 263 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:46.919 He is still on the side. They changed it, and 264 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:49.639 they changed the design, being very clear about this. They 265 00:13:49.720 --> 00:13:54.080 changed the design to say Biden Harris. But that is 266 00:13:54.200 --> 00:13:59.600 really what made it so interesting is that at the 267 00:13:59.679 --> 00:14:03.480 last second they added her name. The flip side of that, 268 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:07.559 she was still the vice president when they designed the 269 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:10.559 signs a much earlier in the year and they're getting 270 00:14:10.600 --> 00:14:13.320 ready to put them up, and they were like, well, 271 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:15.159 he signed the law, we're going to give him credit. 272 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:18.320 And this was really flowing down and nobody really made 273 00:14:18.360 --> 00:14:23.799 any secret about this. They all the US Department of Transportation, 274 00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:27.720 the White House itself, like spokespeople for these agents. You 275 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:30.200 feel like, this is about transparency, this is what we're 276 00:14:30.200 --> 00:14:34.200 going to do. Yet earlier in the year, when it 277 00:14:34.360 --> 00:14:37.200 came time to do all of this, which was asked 278 00:14:37.240 --> 00:14:40.799 of these agencies, of all of the cities, not just Cincinnati, 279 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:45.919 to do all these urban you know, cities that are 280 00:14:46.039 --> 00:14:50.240 very blue. Right, and then they felt like they needed 281 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:50.759 to add her. 282 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:54.519 And then after right after Biden got the plug pulled 283 00:14:54.559 --> 00:14:57.000 although he is still president. Isn't it interesting that the 284 00:14:57.080 --> 00:14:59.519 request to spend this money was brought to you by, 285 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:03.279 of course, the Biden Harris administration. It wasn't necessary, but 286 00:15:03.320 --> 00:15:05.399 as you point out in the reporting, it was done 287 00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:09.879 to score brownie points with the administration. Ah, if you 288 00:15:09.960 --> 00:15:13.120 capitulate to our request to give Biden and now Harris 289 00:15:13.320 --> 00:15:16.799 credit for the projects that will inure to your benefit. Nudge, nudge, 290 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:18.600 wink wink. 291 00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:21.840 You know what I have to tell you after everything 292 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:24.879 we've been through, and I think all of your listeners 293 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:30.240 know related to text messages, yet don't see that much 294 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:32.720 stuff in text messages When you get a public records 295 00:15:32.759 --> 00:15:35.480 or quest for emails. Keep every once in a while, 296 00:15:35.559 --> 00:15:38.759 something slips through. People catch themselves a lot. Even I'm like, 297 00:15:38.840 --> 00:15:42.639 don't text me that call me. We try not to 298 00:15:42.759 --> 00:15:45.919 text a lot. Those things are public record in Ohio. 299 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:50.919 We know that, But you know when you're reading these 300 00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:55.320 messages coming in from different sources, there was a lot there. 301 00:15:55.080 --> 00:15:57.360 To look at it, a lot, yes, and again I 302 00:15:57.480 --> 00:15:59.840 go back to the just to score brownie points. Tax 303 00:16:00.039 --> 00:16:02.440 Payer dollars should be spent to do an ad campaign 304 00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:05.759 for where credit to give credit anyway. Pivoting over will 305 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:11.720 distress campaign, and that's well, that's what it is. I 306 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:15.279 would argue Evan Nolan. He spent he replaced Mika Owens, 307 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:18.600 it was her selection. He's been sworn in, and there 308 00:16:18.600 --> 00:16:21.639 was some outrage amongst certain members of the black community 309 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:25.159 because of course Nolan is white. Harris who his position 310 00:16:25.240 --> 00:16:27.559 he took his black and also a member, which I 311 00:16:27.559 --> 00:16:31.519 don't think matters, but of the LGBTQ community. I'm a 312 00:16:31.559 --> 00:16:33.000 live and let live kind of guy. I don't think 313 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:36.000 that has anything to do with representation and a representative government. 314 00:16:36.039 --> 00:16:38.960 But that really irks some people, including folks on the NAACP, 315 00:16:39.879 --> 00:16:45.080 expressing disappointment and profoundly disheartened by her decision to appoint 316 00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:49.879 apparently a white guy. It's a harmful message. Are we 317 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:53.720 looking for competence and capability? By all accounts, he does 318 00:16:53.799 --> 00:16:55.759 have the competence and ability to be council member. 319 00:16:57.399 --> 00:17:01.919 Absolutely, this really isn't about him, because that it's not 320 00:17:02.440 --> 00:17:05.839 about that. It really is about what the citizen mandate is. 321 00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:08.960 And I won't say it was upset. We're going to 322 00:17:09.039 --> 00:17:13.440 still say is upset, Like this conversation is persisting. People 323 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:16.640 are like in the black community and LGBTQ, they really 324 00:17:16.680 --> 00:17:21.000 would like to see representation of themselves. And their argument is, 325 00:17:21.039 --> 00:17:25.680 and there's some interesting statistics here, is that the citizens 326 00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:29.200 said they wanted this seat to be held by a 327 00:17:29.240 --> 00:17:32.240 black man. So if you go back to twenty twenty one, 328 00:17:32.440 --> 00:17:35.920 this is the overhaul of council. Right, they're on the 329 00:17:35.960 --> 00:17:39.000 heels of corruption. Everybody's going to be all new, everyone's 330 00:17:39.079 --> 00:17:42.599 term limited out. The citizens for the very first time 331 00:17:42.839 --> 00:17:45.759 chose a majority black city council and that was very 332 00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:49.039 important the black community. But then you look at the 333 00:17:49.079 --> 00:17:53.160 makeup of who council is and it almost is like 334 00:17:53.240 --> 00:17:55.680 the slaves kind of carried the day. So this was 335 00:17:55.759 --> 00:17:58.839 a very interesting mix of people put forward by the 336 00:17:58.839 --> 00:18:04.799 Democratic Party, a very balanced council. But when you look 337 00:18:04.839 --> 00:18:07.559 at what citizens did when they went in the ballot box, 338 00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:12.440 the top five vot getters were the black members of council, 339 00:18:13.720 --> 00:18:15.759 and that, and so they're kind of like, this is 340 00:18:15.839 --> 00:18:19.759 what citizens said, Nika, and by the way, you benefited 341 00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:23.000 from the slate yourself, and so that's kind of their point. 342 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:26.680 They're like, we are interested in this, but we are 343 00:18:26.759 --> 00:18:29.400 representing the citizens, and this is what the citizens said. 344 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:32.559 So that's kind of the argument that's being made. However, 345 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:37.279 Nika is the sole decision maker, and I do think 346 00:18:37.319 --> 00:18:42.160 we're going to see a change in how appointments this company, 347 00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:44.799 you know, for some reason, can't fulfill their duties. I 348 00:18:44.839 --> 00:18:47.480 think that we will see a change to that process. 349 00:18:48.160 --> 00:18:49.880 I would like to see a change in this whole 350 00:18:49.880 --> 00:18:53.440 idea that identity politics is important and that merit or 351 00:18:54.079 --> 00:18:57.599 a competence and capability is less important than filling in 352 00:18:57.680 --> 00:19:01.400 blanks on race and sexuality. But then again, that's just me. 353 00:19:01.480 --> 00:19:04.000 I want the best possible candidate running. And maybe Mika 354 00:19:04.039 --> 00:19:06.920 decided after interviewing the various folks that were submitted by 355 00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:10.480 the Democrat Party that mister Nolan Evan Nolan was the best. 356 00:19:13.079 --> 00:19:16.200 Well, it was a very short interview process. She said 357 00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:20.480 that they have to get back to business. It's really busy. Now. 358 00:19:21.720 --> 00:19:24.319 I might argue that, yes, they have been doing a 359 00:19:24.359 --> 00:19:26.640 lot of things the last couple of weeks, but that's 360 00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:29.359 not exactly. There's a huge danger of City Hall of 361 00:19:29.440 --> 00:19:34.559 things being five four. For instance, the carryover money, Yeah, 362 00:19:34.599 --> 00:19:36.920 like two buckets of that I think is already been 363 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:42.720 spent with one week discussions, and those I believe for 364 00:19:42.920 --> 00:19:45.240 unanimous boats. I guess I couldn't say that for sure, 365 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:48.160 but they certainly weren't close votes, and so we're never 366 00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:50.599 in danger of five to four over there. So much 367 00:19:50.599 --> 00:19:52.079 everything passes unanimously. 368 00:19:52.640 --> 00:19:56.240 I just observe. It's not like Mika selected Liz Keating 369 00:19:56.279 --> 00:19:58.359 to take the seat back over. She did stick with 370 00:19:58.400 --> 00:20:01.000 her own party, And I have to imagine we'll give 371 00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:03.680 Evans some time to prove his competence or not. But 372 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:04.839 I just find it and. 373 00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:07.720 You'll have it, because the process is you finish out 374 00:20:07.720 --> 00:20:10.440 the time. It doesn't even say a lot of places are. 375 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:15.359 If it's like not halfway through and everything, then you 376 00:20:15.559 --> 00:20:18.799 have to have a special election because somebody shouldn't be 377 00:20:18.880 --> 00:20:21.359 filling that term for such a long period of time. 378 00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:25.200 But not not that. There's no special election. So he's 379 00:20:25.240 --> 00:20:28.000 finishing out more than a year term. 380 00:20:28.119 --> 00:20:29.960 We'll still get a little more than a year an 381 00:20:29.960 --> 00:20:32.000 opportunity to decide whether or not did a good job 382 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:35.960 or not. Sharon Coolidge, good luck, good luck, and goode 383 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:38.839 figuring out the balance of those expenditures. I'll be looking 384 00:20:38.839 --> 00:20:40.680 forward to your more in depth reporting on those and 385 00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:42.720 appreciate you joining the fifty five Carcy Morning shod and 386 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:45.039 spending time with my listeners, and I today recommend my 387 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:47.799 listeners check you out at Cincinnati dot com. Sharon, thank 388 00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:49.720 you so much. I hope you have a wonderful week. 389 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:51.720 Thanks for having me. 390 00:20:51.799 --> 00:20:53.920 My pleasure as always six point thirty right now, fifty 391 00:20:53.960 --> 00:20:56.640 five Carsity Talk Station. What isn't a pleasure is living 392 00:20:56.680 --> 00:21:00.839 with chronic pain, knee paining, joint pain, yuck on the steroids. 393 00:21:00.839 --> 00:21:02.279 Been down that road a whole bunch of times. You 394 00:21:02.319 --> 00:21:05.240 know that doesn't last pain medications that's been and then 395 00:21:05.240 --> 00:21:07.799 you got the surgery option. Your doctor's man talking about that. 396 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:10.039 But you know, the folks, a QC Kinetics knows that 397 00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:13.839 your body heels itself. You have healing agents in your body, 398 00:21:13.920 --> 00:21:17.000 and that is what they use. The healing properties of 399 00:21:17.039 --> 00:21:20.039 your own body concentrated and placed in the joints where 400 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:22.279 you have the pain. This will help heal and restore 401 00:21:22.319 --> 00:21:24.680