CAAST

Chris Smitherman's Plan to Bankrupt the City

2010-05-12T04:25:00.004-04:00

Chris Smitherman, laughable idiot and president of the local NAACP chapter as well as a former city councilman who wasn't re-elected, is known for his goofy press releases. You know, the ones that he writes himself and then quotes himself, but phrases it as if he's a reporter interviewing himself. Sounds to me like he's just talking to himself, which is probably true since I don't think anyone really takes this guy seriously.

In his latest press release, Smitherman calls for a bailout of Cincinnati and likens the budget situation at city hall to that of the recent economic crisis in Greece. Kind of ironic that a local COAST supporter is calling for a "bailout." Then again this is the guy that Mark Miller of COAST called a "Great American," to which 700 WLW radio host Bill Cunningham simply replied by laughing at Miller.

In case you forgot, this is the same guy that called Issue 9 "deceiving," even though he's the guy who wrote it. Read about that here.

The Brent Spence Bridgedoggle

2010-03-10T12:01:00.007-05:00

New Bridge to cost nearly $3 Billion! We could've avoided this...

In 2007, the Brent Spence Bridge, a bridge designed to carry 85,000 motor vehicles daily, was carrying 155,000 vehicles on a daily basis. A replacement or alternative for the Brent Spence has been long over due. Progressive ideas such as light and commuter rail have been consistently been talked down by groups like COAST. The taxpayers, whom COAST claims to defend, are about to be stuck with a $2.6 Billion bill for the construction of a new Brent Spence Bridge. Meanwhile, had we invested in Metro Moves back in 2002, we could've been working to reduce highway congestion for the tri-state's commuters and maybe we wouldn't be replacing the aging bridge so quickly.

Brent Spence stands upon the recently completed bridge named after him upon its completion in 1963. Image credit: The Phony Coney

As if $2.6 Billion didn't sound bad enough, consider that construction isn't slated to start until 2015, assuming there are no more delays in planning and design. By then, construction costs will have risen even higher and the current aged bridge will be carrying more traffic than ever before. By 2013, two years before construction is supposed to start, the Brent Spence Bridge is estimated to be carrying 200,000 vehicles daily, 115,000 more vehicles than it was originally designed for.

My personal favorite of the new bridge designs. The new bridge will surely look nice, but boy will it cost us!

As the cost continues to pile up for a bridge replacement, other cities and states are investing in rail projects. Not only does rail reduce highway congestion, reduce pollution, have a higher capacity for transporting people and goods all while making better use of land and space, but it costs less!

"What? No, Tairy! That can't be!" -- It's true! A single bridge will cost more than the ten most expensive rail transit projects we've seen across the world in this past decade!

- It cost $1.4 Billion to build a 20 mile commuter light rail line in Phoenix that links multiple destinations and carries over 30,000 people per day (far exceeding initial expectations). Meanwhile, here in the Tri-State it will cost us $2.6 Billion to replace just one bridge.

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1. San Juan Tren Urbano - This urban rail line in San Juan, Puerto Rico, completed in 2004, cost an estimated $2.6 Billion in 2009 dollars, roughly the same cost as the Brent Spence Bridge replacement (whose costs might rise by 2015). The difference: this rail line connects thousands and provides transportation across the city while our new bridge is just that...a new bridge.

2. Seattle Central Link- Recently completed, this light rail commuter system connects thousands from the suburbs all the way to downtown Seattle. Initial ridership is already above expectations. Cost: $2.4 Billion.

3. New Jersey Hudson - Bergen Light Rail - Connecting thousands between New Jersey and Manhattan. Cost: $2 Billion.

4. Vancouver Canada Line - Carry's over 100,000 people daily between the city's airport and downtown (sounds like a familiar idea Cincinnati once had). Cost: $2 Billion.

5. Phase 3 of the LA Red Line - Completed six months ahead of schedule and under budget, this commuter rail line saved LA from having to spend billions to create highways through and around the Santa Monica Mountains. Cost: $1.3 Billion.

6. San Francisco BART Airport extension - 8.7 mile line connects airport to downtown and surrounding suburbs. Reduces commuter congestion (again an idea we had in Cincinnati that the naysayers shot down). Cost: $1.73 Billion.

7. Phoenix Metro Rail - 20 miles of light rail line for $1.4 Billion with ridership estimates far exceeding expectations. Meanwhile, we're spending $2.6 Billion to replace a bridge strictly for automobiles.

8. Philadelphia Market-Frankford Reconstruction - The complete replacement of this rapid transit line now allows SEPTA to carry 180,000 users daily and thats just one line. Imagine how much that reduces highway congestion. Cost: $1.3 Billion.

9. New Jersey River Line - For the cost of $1.26 Billion, Light Rail diesel vehicles carry roughly 7300 commuters every day across 34 miles. Cincinnati could've had a similar plan to this with Metro Moves, linking the East Side and eliminating a need to expand and rebuild OH-32. Instead, we'll be expanding that highway too and tearing down even more homes and businesses.

10. Washington Branch Ave. Metrorail Extension - The completion of five new stations on this line has lead to economic development and put the Washington Metro at 103 miles of total service. Cost: $1.10 Billion.

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One bridge will cost us $2.6 Billion dollars alone!

That's assuming construction is underway by 2015, costs haven't risen, or the project doesn't run over budget. That also doesn't account for the billions taxpayers will spend widening and re-doing I-75 from downtown all the way to I-275!

Why not invest in light rail transit and reduce the congestion and stress put on our highways? Why are we going to spend billions when we could spend far less to make a better investment in our future? More importantly, why is a group who claims to watch out for "additional spending" remaining so quiet on this issue? COAST has no problem trying to stop the City of Cincinnati (a city in which the majority of their members DO NOT live in) from building a $128 Million streetcar line, but remains eerily silent as the state prepares to waste billions upon billions on highway infrastructure?

COAST failed to derail the $128 Million streetcar project, but has done nothing to try and stop or suggest cost saving alternatives for the $2.6 Billion Brent Spence Bridge Replacement.

My father and grandfather taught me that a true conservative realizes a good investment and works against wasteful spending. The folks at COAST are not conservatives, they are merely special interest pawns who do not have the taxpayers best interest at heart.

So while COAST likes to label every project they're against as a "boondoggle." We'll call this Brent Spence replacement plan...

"THE BRENT SPENCE BRIDGEDOGGLE!"

COAST Declares Premature Victory While Leader Faces Foreclosure. The Streetcar Battle is Far From Over.

2010-02-17T16:40:00.009-05:00

Today it was announced that the city of Cincinnati would not be receiving any federal TIGER stimulus funds for its proposed Modern Streetcar project. Meanwhile, the cities of Tuscon, Arizona and Dallas, Texas received federal stimulus dollars for their projects. Out of 1457 projects that applied for funding, only 51 had their requests met in some fashion. Does this mean the death of the proposed Cincinnati Streetcar? Not by a long shot. The project has applied for other grants and the word will be out on those in the future. Is this a setback? Yes. However, unlike COAST would like to believe, this not the death of the project and this is certainly not a victory for the Anderson Township based fringe group.

Check out this tweet where COASTer Mark Miller (yeah, that guy who made fun of a dead American combat veteran) declares victory:

I don't think the brilliant minds at COAST are aware that this was not the only funding grant the streetcar project had applied for, nor is this set back an imminent threat to the project as shown here. Maybe the boys at COAST should brush up on a little bit of their history of assumed premature victories:

Meanwhile, in other COAST news: While COAST chairman Jason Gloyd was busy fighting red light cameras in Cleveland and declaring premature victory in the Cincinnati Business Courier, he wasn't busy paying his mortgage. As City Beat has reported: the COAST leader faces a foreclosure on his home.

Image provided by the boys at COAST.

One has to wonder why a man who can't take care of his own finances feels so inclined to lecture others on how to properly spend their money. Maybe Jason should get the court case set against him by Hamilton County in order first before he declares victory for COAST. We wish the best for Jason and his family through this tough time.

Just as there are no TIGER funds for streetcar, there will be no TIGER funds for Gloyd's mortgage.

10 Years of COAST. What do They Have to Show for it?

2010-02-15T14:44:00.007-05:00

In case you haven't heard, our good friends at the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) recently celebrated their tenth anniversary. A happy new year/anniversary post on their blog encouraged their readers to "Leave your many fond recollections of COAST in the comments." The only person who commented was me, who reminded them of the fond memories I have when we defeated their Issue 9. So in honor of COAST's 10th Anniversary let's take a look back at what they have to show for the past decade...

- Members of the local fringe group, COAST.

2010 -- COAST starts the new decade off by POKING FUN AT THE DEATH OF VIETNAM COMBAT VETERAN AND AMERICAN POLITICIAN, JOHN MURTHA.

2009 -- COAST's proportional representation campaign fails and out of 17 politicians and issues endorsed in the November election, ALL FAILED, EXCEPT FIVE. Issue 9, a deceptive campaign started by COAST and the NAACP, aimed at stopping the Cincinnati streetcar project , IS DEFEATED BY VOTERS 56% - 44%.

2008 -- COAST sues to stop use of City Hall facilities for pro-tax purposes AND THEN THE USES CITY HALL FACILITIES TO ADVOCATE THEIR OWN AGENDA, KINDA HYPOCRITICAL, NO?

2008 -- COAST passes a ban in Cincinnati on the use of red light and speeding cameras WORSENING OUR BUDGET AND HURTING OUR PUBLIC SAFETY.

2007 -- Commissioners impose 1/2 ¢ sales tax increase without a vote. COAST joined WeDemandAVote.Com Coalition to collect 56,000 signatures and to defeat the hated tax, WORSENING OUR BUDGET AND HURTING OUR PUBLIC SAFETY.

2007 -- COAST attempted to sue in order to stop taxpayer funding of Commissioner David Pepper's girlfriend's Greater Cincinnati Film Commission, which works to bring jobs and promote the tri-state area. COAST FAILED. COMMISSION STILL FUNDED BY GOVERNOR STRICKLAND'S TAX INCENTIVES. AND WHY DO THEY HATE DAVID PEPPER SO MUCH? THEY REALLY HATE DAVID PEPPER.

2007 -- COAST launches efforts to stop taxpayer funding of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. FAILURE. CENTER STILL RECEIVES FUNDING.

2005 -- COAST arranged for legal representation for woman in Loveland criminally charged with owing $1.16 in income tax, resulting in a dismissal of the charges. THIS IS ONE OF ONLY TWO ACTUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS ON THE LIST.

2004 -- North COAST formed to aid in the fight against excessive taxes and spending in Butler and Warren Counties. NOT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT, JUST WAIT FOR NORTH CAAST TO FORM AGAINST THEM.

2003 -- passed a Charter Amendment in Cincinnati preventing the use of tax dollars to campaign for tax increases ACTUALLY THIS IS A GOOD IDEA, BUT WAS ALREADY PROHIBITED BY STATE LAW O.R.C. 9.03(C)(1)(E)

2003 -- joined a coalition called ALRT to defeat a 1 ¢ sales tax increase for a light rail transit system (since the defeat of this tax increase, COAST has done NOTHING to step up against tax increases and additional spending on highways and roads). WRONG YEAR AND IF YOUR ONLY ACCOMPLISHMENT IS DESTROYING THE WORK OF OTHERS, I GUESS ARSONISTS ARE PRETTY ACCOMPLISHED TOO.

2002 -- A COAST lawsuit prevents Cincinnati Public Schools from abusing tax dollars to advocate for political causes such as tax increases. SEE ABOVE (THIS WAS ALREADY A LAW).

2001 -- defeated an effort to fund the "Regional Coltural Alliance" with $500,000 in tax dollars. THEY MAY HAVE JUST MADE THIS ONE UP; A SEARCH OF "COLTURAL" IN THE CITY AND COUNTY LEGISLATIVE ARCHIVES PRODUCES NO RESULTS.

2001 -- Brought the property tax rollback to Cincinnati that continues to this day WORSENING OUR BUDGET AND HURTING OUR PUBLIC SAFETY.

2000 -- Defeated funding by the City of Cincinnati for an effort to bring the 2012 Summer Olympics to Cincinnati. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT? THE OLYMPICS BRINGING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO OUR REGION, LIKE IT DID IN BEIJING, VANCOUVER, SYDNEY, and SALT LAKE CITY!

1999 -- defeated the zoo tax levy. WE HAVE ONE OF THE TOP ZOO'S IN THE NATION, LET'S KEEP IT THAT WAY.

1999 -- defeated the police communications levy HURTING OUR PUBLIC SAFETY.

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10 years. An entire decade and what does COAST have to show for it? A staunch record of saying "no," huge budget deficits within the city of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, and a record of opposing public safety programs. Their only real accomplishments were prohibiting public funds to used to potentially influence elections, however, this was already a state law, and a minor criminal defense matter that could've been handled by any competent lawyer.

The Callousness of COAST

2010-02-09T13:48:00.005-05:00

In case you haven't heard, Congressman John Murtha passed away yesterday after complications due to a recent gall bladder surgery he had. While I was certainly not always a fan of Murtha's politics, America has lost not only a statesman respected by both parties, but a combat veteran who proudly served his country in the Vietnam war.

However, the head honchos at COAST don't see that. We've seen COAST stoop low, but never this low. Check out what COAST treasurer Mark Miller, who authors the COAST Twitter account, had to say about this war veterans death:

Is there any behavior above COAST? We already knew that lying, calling people slang words for sexual organs, intentionally deceiving voters, and inflating actual numbers were things that the folks had COAST never had no problem doing, but now Mark Miller thinks its appropriate to make fun of dead combat veterans and politicians?

- The man behind the tweets. COAST treasurer, Mark Miller.

"[John Murtha] Should've died in prison." "Good Riddance bad egg."

This isn't the first time CAAST has been alerted of Miller's nonsense on Twitter. A few months ago we pointed out how he resorted, on two occasions, to calling his opponents "pussies" in the wake of political defeat. You can read about those incidents here and here. On top of that, the Cincinnati Blog showed us how COAST has been editing other peoples tweets to bolster fake support for themselves! Read about that here.

Miller and COAST did not stop with the Murtha tweets though. Yep, you guessed it, there's more. Check out this other tweet from @GOCOAST:

Ironically, in this tweet, we see COAST complaining that the downtown Riverfront Transit Center is "empty." It's ironic because for starters it is not empty. The Center is used multiple times throughout the year to house charter buses for large scale events downtown. System Parking operates it and has a contract with the city, allowing the city to bring in some profit from the event parking. By calling it "empty" COAST is referring to how it has never been used for light rail purposes. Why hasn't it? Because COAST worked to defeat Metro Moves in 2002 which would've put the transit center to good use and made it the center for light rail activity in the heart of downtown. They have no one to blame but themselves for it being "empty."

You may remember recently, I challenged COAST to answer why they continue to intentionally lie about rail transit. My challenge went unanswered, COAST even blocked me from following their Twitter account (guess they can't take criticism backed by factual evidence). As COAST continues to complain about the 3C Rail Corridor throughout Ohio, they offer no alternative. The group is wiling to turn down $400 Million in federal funding that would provide a new transportation option for Ohio residents and be a step towards high speed rail. That $400 Million would just go to another state, it couldn't be used anywhere else here. So what's the alternative? What is COAST's plan for the future?

It's simple, they don't have one. COAST has proven time and time again that immature behavior and name calling is their standard operating procedure. They offer no solutions or alternatives while mocking the dead. Maybe someone should get Mark Miller and his buddies a one way ticket to Colorado Springs.

COASTers celebrate the Christmas Season and losing records, both of their organization and the Cleveland Browns.

2010-01-03T22:23:00.006-05:00

COASTer Brad Wenstrup (center) poses with other COAST members at COAST's annual Christmas Party held at Slatt's Pub in Blue Ash. Wenstrup was recently defeated in his run for mayor of Cincinnati. Photo courtesy of COAST'.

Ah, tiss the holiday season! To all of our loyal readers, fans and haters, the folks here at CAAST would to extend our warmest holiday wishes to you. Thank you for your support and we hope you had a wonderful holiday season. We'd even like to extend a very, yet belated, Merry Christmas to our buddies at COAST. Speaking of which, our friends recently were "simply having a wonderful Christmas time."

Not surprisingly, COAST held their annual holiday party at a suburban bar outside of the city limits of Cincinnati, a city whose politics they love to interfere with yet very few of their members actually live in. Anderson Township COAST leaders Chris Finney and Jason Gloyd were seen rubbing elbows with their failed mayoral candidate, Brad Wenstrup, at Slatt's Pub in Blue Ash, Ohio.

Slatt's Pub was a good choice for COAST to hold their holiday party. According to Slatt's website, their establishment is the official "Brown Backers bar of Greater Cincinnati." Slatt's shows all Cleveland Browns games and offers discounts to registered fans of the Cleveland Browns football team, arch-rivals of our own Cincinnati Bengals. So why is this perfect for COAST? Well, it works out great:

Slatt's doesn't support the hometown team, rather their rivals.

- COAST doesn't support Cincinnati, rather tries to interfere in it's politics despite the fact the majority of their group is located in the suburbs.

The Cleveland Browns have a losing record.

- COAST has a losing record!

The Cleveland Browns lost 11 games this season, winning only five. Coincidentally COAST only had five victories as well. Out of 17 COAST endorsed candidates and issues, all failed except five.

So as displaced Browns fans from the greater Cincinnati area gathered at Slatt's to mourn the team's abysmal season (Cincinnati defeated Cleveland twice) and losing record, the COASTers gathered to celebrate theirs.

- COASTer Brad Wenstrup (left) was defeated in the recent mayoral election by Mayor Mark Mallory %54 - %46. Photo credit: COAST

Why does COAST lie about Rail Transportation?

2009-12-28T04:36:00.007-05:00

What really does COAST have against passenger rail transportation? They claim it's often "too damned expensive," yet you never see them opposing other expensive forms of transportation, many of which are often way more expensive than passenger rail transportation. COAST can't even make a good argument for being against passenger rail transportation. This was ever so apparent in the recent election when their passenger rail charter amendment, Issue 9, was defeated by Cincinnati voters %56 - %44.

Recently, COAST blogged about Amtrak rail service in the Northeastern Corridor being delayed due to electrical problems caused by inclement weather. What COAST conveniently failed to mention though, was that AMTRAK service was back up and running after only a three hour delay, while the roads and airports continued to be hampered, delayed and closed due to the snowstorm on the East Coast.

So after only a three hour delay, Amtrak's North Eastern Corridor was back up and running...

While the roads and airports were still affected by snow...

So COAST, why lie? Why continue to try and mislead about passenger rail transportation and not oppose the massive amounts additional taxes and spending that other transportation projects will require? You've come out in clear opposition to the Ohio 3C Passenger Rail project, but have remained completely silent on the local issues of the BILLION DOLLAR Brent Spence Bridge Replacement and $675 Million I-75 Re-Widening. Why remain silent on these instances of additional spending? Kind of goes against your group's title doesn't it?

Makes you think; who's paying and lobbying them to drum up support against passenger rail transportation and remain silent on other transportation projects that waste millions of dollars more?

To anyone reading this that may be paying/lobbying COAST to do just that: You might want to rethink who you're paying to do your dirty work. As COAST/NAACP/WEDEMANDAVOTE proved in the last election, they're not very good at it. See: Issue 9 Election Results

What does "COAST" really stand for?

2009-12-28T04:23:00.004-05:00

If you look at COAST's blog post labels they tag their blog posts according to their subject matter. The full list is viewable on their website, the most popular below:

Cincinnati (89)
Streetcar (65)
WeDemandaVote (50)
Taxes (50)
Spending (48)

So what does this tell us about COAST?

Well their number one concern is stopping progress in Cincinnati even though the VAST MAJORITY of their members don't live in the City, so maybe they should be called "Cincinnati's Overlords in AnderSon Township"

Well they hate streetcars even though they require no additional taxes and involve much much less spending than other transportation projects ($128 million v. $2,600 million for the brent spence bridge) so maybe they should be called the "Coalition Opposed to All Sustainable Transportation"

And number three on the their list (in a tie with taxes) is WeDemandAVote, a group that partnered with NAACP president Chris Smitherman to oppose the streetcar, only to see Issue 9, which they authored, soundly defeated.

For a group that allegedgly cares about taxes and spending, they sure don't seem to prioritize it. Maybe it is beacuse this is how they make their decisions:

COAST, please keep your lies confined to Blue ash and anderson township, if you stop trying to hold back Cincinnati, we promise we won't do anything to improve Blue Ash and Anderson Township, sound fair?

Are the members of COAST smarter than a fifth grader?

2009-12-28T03:44:00.006-05:00

I remember the first time I heard someone get called a "pussy." I was in the fifth grade. Ryan McFarland and James Fallon, two members of my fifth grade class, were squaring off in the middle of our Hamilton, Ohio school parking lot. James was angry that Ryan would not fight him. Upon Ryan's refusal James called him a "pussy." No, he wasn't referring to the common slang for a cat, but using the word as a derogatory reference for a woman's reproductive organ. The word is often used to refer to someone who is "weak" or "scared." You may have heard it before used by members of COAST as we showed you in one of their "tweets" a few weeks back.

You see, calling someone a "pussy" is a common tactic of COAST. Yes, as we've shown you before COAST's leaders are not really above the maturity level of the earlier mentioned fifth graders. Hell, they even did it again recently, referring to our nation's leaders as "lilly-livered pussys."

So are Mark Miller, Jason Gloyd and Chris Finney, three of COAST's top brass, above the maturity level of a 5th grader? One would think not since they let such language fly on their Twitter and blog website all the time. Maybe if COAST focused on political issues and offered solutions and new ideas instead of calling people "pussy's" they wouldn't find that the majority of the candidates and issues they endorse wouldn't find such failure. Shall we recap this years election results?

2009 COAST Failures:

Brad Wenstrup - Mayor of Cincinnati - DEFEATED

Albert F. Peter - Anderson Township Trustee - DEFEATED

John Banner - Cincinnati School Board - DEFEATED (finished in 10th out of 12th place, ouch!)

Christopher McDowell - Cincinnati School Board - DEFEATED

Arnold Engel - Fairfield School Board - DEFEATED

Victor Rivera - Fairfield School Board - DEFEATED

Tony Steer - Fairfield School Board - DEFEATED

Jennifer Miller - Mason School Board - DEFEATED

Issue 7 - Library Levy - PASSED - COAST Opposed

Issue 9 - Passenger Rail Charter Amendment - DEFEATED - COAST Endorsed, planned and executed

Issue 52 - Cincinnati School Levy - PASSED - COAST Opposed

Issue 57 - Little Miami Fire & Rescue Levy - PASSED - COAST Opposed

2009 COAST Endorsed Victories:

Chris Monzel - Cincinnati City Council

Charlie Winburn - Cincinnati City Council

Charlie Norman - Cheviot Treasurer

Peggy Reis - Anderson Twonship Trustee - DEFEATED

Issue 8 - Passed - COAST endorsed

For the 17 COAST endorsed issues and candidates, ONLY 5 found victory....5!

Source: 2009 COAST sample poll ballot.

COAST calls someone a "Littel Rich Pussy" and continues to lie about streetcars.

2009-12-08T15:18:00.009-05:00

Well, it certainly has been awhile since CAAST last mentioned COAST and yep, you guessed it: Despite being soundly defeated in the recent election with Issue 9, COAST continues to deceive and lie about streetcars. In fact, just yesterday they stooped to a new low when they called someone a "Littel Rich Pussy" on Twitter (It appears to be a spelling mistake as I'm assuming they meant "Little"). Then again, what other kind of behavior would you expect from COAST and their Anderson Township followers?

Yesterday, Brian Sherman (@bshermcincy) who is not a politician, just an ordinary citizen, "re-tweeted" (reposted a message on Twitter to help spread it along) a "tweet" posted by Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper (@DavidPepper) which said:

"They (COAST) scare people, then disappear & move on."

After his re-tweet the classy, mature folks at COAST decided to send a message to Mr. Sherman and call him a "pussy."

For those who aren't sure; "pussy" is often used as a slang term for a woman's vagina. It wasn't enough that COAST has been called out and caught numerous times lying and trying to deceive the voters, now they have to call their opponents "pussies." Is it any wonder why no one listens to these guys?

In other COAST news, there's a rumor going around that former SORTA board member Stephan Louis has started to write anti-streetcar stories for the COAST blog. Don't remember Stephan? He was the guy who in a debate at the University of Cincinnati compared building a streetcar to having an "abortion," then was embarrassed following the debate when he received only one vote of support. Read that story here.

It is believed that Stephan wrote the most recent COAST post which featured this photograph of a streetcar trapped in the snow:

The title of the COAST story was that "Trolley's get trapped in snow, busses roll on." What COAST failed to tell you as they intentionally tried to deceive you was that the website from where they borrowed this image shows A BUS and CARS trapped in the SAME snow storm:

These images come from: http://www4.uwm.edu/cuts/headlite.htm

I thought the buses rolled on, COAST? Guess not.

Folks we've seen it time and time again, the CAAST blog serves as a constant reminder to it; COAST's only tactic is to obstruct and deceive in order to promote their special interest agenda. All you have to is look back through the months of posts here to see how many times COAST has lied. The good news is, no one's buying it. I agree with what commissioner Pepper said: "They scare people, then disappear & move on." That's COAST's strategy. No real solutions and no real answers.

To Smitherman, Louis and COAST I ask you: Do you remember the results of Issue 9 in the November 3rd election? Because I certainly do and as I remember, you lost:

Issue 9:

No on 9 - 56% Yes on 9 - 44%

You can now follow CAAST on Twitter, check out as at:

twitter.com/gocaast

Deleted

2009-11-22T02:21:00.005-05:00

Is the City of Mason Biting the Hand that Feeds with new Addmission Tax?

2009-11-10T23:34:00.010-05:00

Guest post contributed by Corby Samson, concerned resident of Mason and CAAST reader.

Kings Island has attracted millions upon millions of visitors since it's grand opening in 1972. The Beach Waterpark right across the street is also a huge draw. These two tourist attractions just 30 miles north of Cincinnati became so popular that they drew in the construction of the Great Wolf Lodge, a massive hotel and indoor waterpark resort which became yet another tourist attraction and successful business in the area. Together, these companies have helped spawn massive amounts of economic development and tax revenue over the years for Deerfield Township. Those benefits were passed on to Mason when the entire Kings Island property and much of the surrounding area was annexed by Mason in 1999.

So you have three major tourist attractions in your area, one of which (Kings Island) has basically been the catalyst to your city's rapid growth and success (Kings Island itself was nothing but farm houses before it was constructed) since it's inception in 1972 and you want to tax them even more? That's exactly what the city of Mason wants to do. To be fair they've been discussing it for years, but just recently actually made some progress on it. The only reason they haven't voted on it is because not all of their council members were present at their most recent meeting.

Now, Mason wan'ts even more! Councilman Tony Bradburn tells the Dayton Daily News:

“There are expenses related to that number of people [the visitors to the taxed amusement facilities] and I believe those people should help pay for it, rather than the citizens of Mason subsidizing their operation.”

Bradburn is calling for a 3% tax on admissions and a 5% tax on parking facilities.

Now, pardon me, but someone here is getting greedy. These business owners and their amusement properties already pay taxes to Mason and even all of their employees, regardless of where they live, get taxed on their paychecks by the city. Kings Mills Rd., the main thoroughfare in front of Kings Island, the Great Wolf Lodge, The Beach and countless other businesses is currently being repaved and reconstructed by the Ohio Department of Transportation and funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, not the city of Mason. While Mason does provide fire and police services to these facilities, they're already taxing these properties once and every single one of their employees, how much more could they possibly need?

This nation is in an economic downturn. Kings Island is the backbone of the Mason economy and places like amusement parks are feeling the downturn too. Now, in spite of this, the city of Mason wants to tax these businesses even more and drive their ticket and parking prices up (both of which mnay readers will agree are already too exorberent for the average family), which could turn off even more visitors who are already being choosy with where they're spending their money in the current recession.

Is the Mason City Council really this stupid?

Victory over Issue 9. "You Can't Stop Progress!"

2009-11-04T15:57:00.007-05:00

Gordon Bombay over at Queen City Discovery covered the victory party pretty well, but where do we go from here? Issue 9 wasn't just defeated, it was soundly and decisively turned down by the voters 56 to 44 percent. So to Chris Finney and Chris Smitherman, the two men who tried to derail this city via a deceptive charter amendment, I dedicate this song to you:

"You Can't Stop Progress"

by: Clutch

While Chris Smitherman ignored the voters decision and already began pledging another charter amendment for the next year, I hope COAST treasurer Mark Miller makes good on his promise to 700 WLW radio host to Bill Cunningham. You know, the one where he said if Issue 9 loses "COAST has to shut up and go away." Although Chris Smitherman is not a member of COAST, the good folks over at our rival group should remind him that the voters have spoken.

Mr. Smitherman, just in case you ever happen to read this, I'd like to remind you: You were voted off of council after one term, the voters flat out and decisively rejected your bogus Issue 9 charter amendment, your fellow NAACP members want you impeached and your attempt to confuse voters and then blame it on the opposition backfired and left you looking like an idiot. Take a hint, Chris. Cincinnati has placed it's faith in democracy and it's elected officials, not extermist goons such as yourself.

Bill Cunningham said it best: "Smitherman's a clown."

Cincinnati, way to stand up against the antiquated, stupid thinking of people like Smitherman and COAST, way to stand up against Issue 9! Let's keep Cincinnati moving forward! You can't stop progress! We proved Mark Twain wrong for once...

Let's keep the momentum going: Let's Make Cincinnati A Better Place to Live!

P.S. Thanks to everyone who came by to say hi and wore a CAAST sticker proudly. It was nice to meet so many of you and this has been a great experience defeating Issue 9.

Issue 9 "Deserves to Fail." Help Defeat This "Poison Pill" Tomorrow!

2009-11-02T10:18:00.004-05:00

What's there to say that hasn't been said? Tomorrow is election day and voters all over the nation will be heading to the polls to cast their votes for a wide plethora of candidates and issues. Here in Cincinnati, we will have the opportunity to vote on the incredibly deceptive and poorly written Issue 9. Backed by a special interest group and Chris Smitherman, who even admitted his own charter amendment was "political corruption," Issue 9 seeks to slow down Cincinnati via referendum. This referndum voting process is a political tool commonly used by special interest groups like COAST and completely undermines the foundations of representative democracy, which is exactly why our founding fathers didn't put a direct democracy in place.

Whether you like the streetcar or not, it's very important for the future of this city that Issue 9 fail as it not only affects every passenger rail expenditure, but the poorly written ammendment via it's own wording will affect the righ-of-way's of roads, sidewalks, everything! This kind of hastily written, poor referedum will undoubtedly be tied up in litigation for years to come and only serve to slow down the city. The Cincinnati Enquirer has called this ammendment a "poison pill" for the city and have declared that Issue 9 "...desrves to fail!"

The quote in the masthead of this blog is often attributed to Mark Twain, but it's not certain exactly who said it. Regardless, it's infamously popular and somewhat true in Cincinnati. "When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it's always twenty years behind the times." Antiquated, stupid thinking has kept us "twenty years behind the times" on more than one occasion in the past. Now, today, amongst great progress, special interest groups seek to cripple the city via undemocratic referendums. Tomorrow, we can say no to that! Tomorrow, we can stand up for proper democracy in Cincinnati. Tomorrow, we can keep moving forward!

For a complete list of the vast, numerous organizations and people who have come out against Issue 9 and the very few who have come out in support of Issue 9, please visit this link. Cincinnatians from all different cultures, backgrounds, political leanings and neighborhoods are coming out against this deceptive and misleading special interest amendment. You can take a stand too!

Thank you for taking the time to visit and read the CAAST blog these past few months and remember to do you civic duty tomorrow, get out there and vote!

Sincerely,

Tairy Greene

Founder, Citizens Against Antiquated, Stupid Thinking (CAAST)

Poorly written Issue 9 affects roads, rail, sidewalks...EVERYTHING!

2009-10-30T10:02:00.004-04:00

Mark Painter of Clifton Heights-Fairview served as a trial and appellate judge for 27 years.

Just when you thought Issue 9 wasn't as broad reaching or deceptive enough, the Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting...

"A court might determine that the "last antecedent rule" applies to the amendment. If so, every acquisition of land - for widening a street, building a bridge - would be subject to a popular vote! At the very least, there would be expensive and time-consuming lawsuits. Not to mention making us a laughingstock." - Cincinnati Enquirer October 30, 2009

So now, not only does Issue 9 affect all passenger rail projects no matter what the cost or funding sources, it now affects right-of-way acquisition for everything! Streetcars, sidewalks, roads, etc. Take a look at the Painter article and see for yourself, this Issue would keep Cincinnati in a legal mess for years to come! Whether you support the streetcar or not, this is obviously about much, much more. This amendment is absolutely ridiculous. Click here to read the full article.

VOTE NO ON ISSUE 9

Issue 9 would "Maroon" Cincinnati

2009-10-29T15:16:00.004-04:00

As the federal government continues to further it's plans to develop high speed rail in America, Issue 9 threatens to leave Cincinnati off the map. Are they really going to sit around and wait for us to vote on every little expenditure while the rest of the nation moves forward? Probably not, which is why the "Cincinnati" stop on the line will be in Sharonville, connecting our northern neighbor with Chicago, Indianapolis, Columbus and Cleveland, marooning Cincinnati in a sea of slowly worsening highway systems and air port delays.

CAN WE AFFORD TO BE LEFT OFF THE MAP!?

VOTE NO ON ISSUE 9!

Smitherman Says His Own Amendment Deceiving!

2009-10-26T18:29:00.012-04:00

Chris Smitherman, Cincinnati NAACP president, and one of the leading members of the "We Demand a Vote" Coalition who worked with Anderson Township lawyer Christopher Finney to author the ballot language of Issue 9 is now calling his own amendment "political corruption."

In a press release dated October 26, 2009, the local NAACP president had this to say:
"The Cincinnati NAACP remains concerned that a Yes vote on Issues 8 & 9 mean No and a No vote on Issues 8 & 9 means Yes. "This is nothing short of madness and political corruption," Smitherman says."

How could it be "corruption," though? Smitherman himself worked with Christopher Finney to author the ballot language. He even told the Cincinnati Enquirer how proud he was of it back in June of this year. Now all of the sudden Smitherman is concerned that the voters will be fooled? Smitherman's press release continues to spiral into his own pool of confusion and self delusion when he says:

"There is no explanation for a Yes meaning No and a No meaning Yes. This is not a tradition but an attempt to trick voters. "

Who is to blame for this "trick," Chris? You helped write the language yourself! Are you being serious? We all know that Chris Smitherman is no stranger to these types of referendums and ballot language. He worked with Finney and Co. on the previous jail tax and red light camera initiatives. Now all of the sudden he's realized that his own ballot language is deceiving? You have got to be kidding me

Smitherman's half truths and exaggerations continue throughout the press release:

"...reject Mayor Mark Mallory's attempt to build a $200 million streetcar while shutting down our bus system, laying off bus drivers, and raising bus fares on the poor and disabled."

Do we have to cover this again? Smitherman has been corrected multiple times that the estimated cost of the streetcar is $128 million, $185 million with the uptown extension, not $200 million. Also, Mayor Mark Mallory is not shutting down the current bus system. Queen City Metro, our bus system operator, has said multiple times that they support the streetcar plan and have even endorsed a "no" vote on Issue 9. These kind of lies and shallow attacks are what we have come to expect from Chris Smitherman ever since he was voted off of city council. I think Bill Cunningham got it right last week when he said: "Smitherman's a clown."

Now Smitherman is confused by his own ballot language! Leaders like Chris Smitherman exercise the exact kind of antiquated, stupid thinking that has kept us "20 years behind the times."

VOTE NO ON ISSUE 9!

Image credit: The Provost of Cincinnati

COAST gets desperate, 700 WLW's Bill Cunningham speaks out against Issue 9

2009-10-23T13:00:00.009-04:00

As Boss Finney and his gang at COAST start to lose their relevance with the truth being spread that Issue 9 isn't just about the streetcar, it's about all passenger rail, some big names have come out against the ridiculous charter amendment while Finney and friends get desperate trying to smear the other side.

On 10/20/2009, COAST treasurer Mark Miller was a guest on Bill Cunningham's 700 WLW show. At around 7 minutes and 30 seconds into the show, they got on the subject of Issue 9. Click here to download and listen.

Mark Miller was caught clearly lying in the interview when he claimed that the train at the Cincinnati Zoo was not "passenger rail transportation." However, as the Enquirer has already shown us, it clearly is. Cunningham struck down Miller and the COAST backed charter amendment when he said:

"...it seems to me as of late that referendum and the initiative process is not the way to run a government."

Willie goes on to talk about how elected representatives should be the ones investigating proposals and projects before spending money and not special interest groups who "go out and buy the signatures." Mark Miller agrees with Willie after that, but doesn't realize that Cunningham was criticizing the way special interest groups like COAST operate. Miller continues to stumble over his words throughout the interview before Cunningham declares Issue 9 to be a "stupid idea," and calls Chris Smitherman "a clown."

Meanwhile, other COAST representatives were making up new campaign slogans. Stephan Louis at a debate hosted by the American Association of Architects at the University of Cincinnati compared the referendum process of issue 9 to the act of an "abortion." In the comments section of their blog, COAST supporters have begun adopting this campaign slogan:

Comparing streetcars to abortion and lying about the true effects of Issue 9 is what COAST's campaign has come down to in the final days leading up to the election. Even Bill Cunningham, who "thinks the Over-The-Rhine trolley is a bad idea" has called out Issue 9 for what it really is and stood against it. Let's vote down Issue 9 and do Cincinnati a favor, just as Mark Miller said in his WLW interview: "...then COAST has to shut up and go away."

Cartoon by Nicholas Sweeney

Tom Luken Doesn't Want Anything to Change

2009-10-18T00:37:00.004-04:00

Ex-mayor/Congressman exercises typical antiquated, stupid thinking.

While the rest of the nation and world trudge forward into the future, Tom Luken thinks everything here in Cincinnati is just all hunky dory and fine. In fact he wouldn't change a thing. At least that's what the aging COAST spokesperson told citizens at a recent public meeting. To quote the reporting of Enquirer reporter Steve Kemme:

One question was, if you could shape the future of the city, what’s the one thing you would do to change the city?
Luken’s response?
“Nothing. I like it just the way it is. Status quo.”

It's local folklore, and quoted at the top of this blog, that Mark Twain once said: "When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati. Because its always twenty years behind the times." With idiots like Tom Luken running around saying things like this and promoting special interest groups like COAST, it's no wonder people think Cincinnati is twenty years behind the times. My question is; if Tom Luken is satisfied with the status quo, why does he want to amend the city charter with a restrictive amendment like Issue 9? I thought everything was just fine "staus quo?"

Reject the antiquated, stupid thinking of Tom Luken, reject special interest groups, reject California style referdum voting and reject lawyers from outside our city trying to bring down Democracy in Cincinnati. Reject Issue 9!

Image credit: The Provost of Cincinnati

STAND UP FOR DEMOCRACY!

VOTE NO ON ISSUE 9!

This is Why We Look to Portland

2009-10-13T11:37:00.002-04:00

While the folks at COAST may be too lazy or too in denial to properly research the proposed modern streetcar plan (hell, they couldn't even get the right picture on their yard signs!), the folks at Soapbox went all the way to Portland to see just why the streetcar system is so successful. Why does everyone point to Portland? Why do the residents, business owners and commuters of Portland enjoy alternate means of transportation?

Portland Streetcar from Soapboxmedia.com on Vimeo.

The Cincinnati Streetcar could help revitalize Cincinnati! It would serve 54% of all jobs in the city and like Portland's system, could be an economic boost at a time when Cincinnati needs it most. The benefits could be used for all Cincinnati neighborhoods. Issue 9 threatens this proposed plan and would keep Cincinnati out of the proposed passenger rail networks connecting it with other major cities like Chicago, Indianapolis, Columbus and Cleveland.

VOTE NO ON 9!

Jason Gloyd is a Liar or an Idiot, Whichever Title You Prefer.

2009-10-12T10:18:00.008-04:00

The above title is a bold statement, but after reading COAST's blog today I'm inclined to believe that it's true. In a flurry of posts, Jason Gloyd, chairman of COAST, repeatedly showed his ignorance and apathy towards learning the facts on local issues and his true colors as a special interest patsy. You might remember, Gloyd. He was the one who on 700 WLW's Bill Cunningham show tried to tell "Willie" that the streetcars were powered by coal. Even I felt embarrassed for Gloyd when the next caller corrected nearly every one of Jason's fabrications.

From the COAST blog:

“How, exactly, is the public to make its voice heard on passenger rail spending,” said COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd"

Jason, you, just like every other citizen had numerous chances to attend public hearings and meetings regarding the issue. Many of the great citizens of this city did and gave their input, both recently when city council held open houses and in the past few years when the project was in the planning stages.

“Some damned fool nameless, faceless bureaucrat decided to build a $60 million subway station on Cincinnati’s Riverfront in 2002,” said COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd."

Jason has been told many times, but he still chooses to ignore the real price of the Riverfront Transit Center: $18 Million, according to the Cincinnati Post, $23 Million, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. NOT $60 MILLION! Gloyd also ignores the fact that the operation of the center is contracted out to System Parking and the city of Cincinnati gets a share of the parking revenue from the center and it's adjoining parking lots. The Transit Center has been making money during large events ever since it opened.

Damned, nameless fools Jason? Are you serious? As someone who is the chairman of a special interest political group, you'd think you would've taken the time to get acquainted with the names of your local politicians who approved the building of the Transit Center along with the reconstruction of Ft. Washington Way.

Jason has also allowed his special interest group to distribute these misleading yard signs:

But, as CAAST pointed out the other day, Issue 9 wouldn't just stop the streetcar, it would reject ALL PASSENGER RAIL projects. Keeping Cincinnati further and further behind other major cities. Further promoting the "20 years behind the times" stereotype. Wonder why Jason and his boys at COAST didn't put "STOP PASSENGER RAIL" on their sign and tell the truth? Why does the truth come so hard for Jason and COAST?

Maybe this sign would work better:

Warning: This sign has been modified for truthfulness!

SAY NO TO SPECIAL INTEREST CONTROLLING OUR CITY, SAY NO TO ISSUE 9!

What Else You're Rejecting

2009-10-09T15:37:00.013-04:00

While our friends at COAST were too busy looking up Playhouse Disney videos on youtube, we, the citizens against antiquated, stupid thinking, were thinking over the broad reaching effects and consequences of Issue 9. Even if you're not in favor of the streetcar plan, you should be opposed to Issue 9. Why? Because Issue 9 affects ALL passenger rail in Cincinnati, not just the streetcar. While COAST continues to try and mislead voters into thinking this charter amendment would "reject the streetcar" as they say, CAAST would like to show you what else you would be "rejecting:"

- The proposed American high speed rail network, currently undergoing preliminary planning and research by the Federal Government. This would link Cincinnati in a hub with Chicago, Columbus, Indianapolis, Cleveland and other major cities. Not if you vote 'yes' on 9 though!

- The proposed "3C corridor" linking Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland would give these cities a head start on high speed rail and create jobs as seen in the chart below. Not if you vote 'yes' though! Yes on 9, means NO on jobs.

- The Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana (OKI) Regional Council of Governments has called passenger rail transit an "absolute necessity" for improving our current transportation needs. At the center of their proposed 2030 plan, Cincinnati. If Issue 9 were to pass though, the whole project would be stalled throughout all states, counties, municipalities etc. while Cincinnati holds a taxpayer funded special election to determine whether or not to spend money on the project, regardless of where that money comes fro, whether it be federal, state or local funds. The city of Cincinnati would have veto power over stalling an entire regional rail plan like the one seen below.

- The never completed Cincinnati Subway would be an integral part of the above OKI regional rail plan. In 2008 a study by the URS corporation found these tunnels to be in a "good" condition and suitable for use by light rail. If the plan were to go forward, utilizing these tunnels could save millions upon millions in construction and tunneling costs. However, if Issue 9 passes, these tunnels could remain empty, never fufilling their intended purpose.

- The Riverfront Transit Center below 2nd. Street was built during the reconstruction of Fort Washington Way. Currently, the center is only open to house charter buses during large downtown events. If fully activated, the transit center would serve as the central hub for regional rail and could easily be modified to accomidate all types of commuter rail, again like the subway, saving millions up millions in construction costs. The resources are already there! A vote of 'yes' on 9 means yes on wasting taxpayer money by never fully utilizing our own resources to their vast potential.

- The ballot language of Issue 9 prohibits the "construction of improvements for passenger rail transportation" So if the city wanted to improve the handicapped access of Union Terminal, which is the current station for our Amtrak Cardinal Line passenger rail, they would have to tell handicapped citizens to wait until a tax payer funded special election is held on the issue or for the next election day to roll around.

- Lastly, you might think we're joking. Unfortunatley we're not. The train at the Cincinnati Zoo would even fall under the broad language of the Issue 9 ammendment. Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Barry Horstman was the first to bring this to light, and if you don't believe it, you can read COAST's own ballot language for yourself. Yes, even the children's train at the zoo would be affected!

As you can see, while COAST may claim that a vote of 'yes' on Issue 9 is a vote to 'reject the streetcar,' you're really being tricked into voting for a rejection on all passenger rail, keeping Cincinnati out of important regional and national projects. The Cincinnati Enquirer even called Issue 9 a "Poison Pill" for Cincinnati. Democrats, Independents, Republicans, the AFL-CIO, the Cincinnati Enquirer Editorial Board and many, many more have all come out and endorssed "Cincinnatians For Progress," in opposition of Issue 9.

COAST's special interest trick is just absurd. Don't be fooled into thinking that Issue 9 is just about the streetcar project, it's about much, much more. It's broadly worded language features a whole swath of consequences as seen here.

In 20 days, on November 3., say NO to special interest controlling our city and say NO TO ISSUE 9!

VOTE NO ON 9!

"Following my experiences here, I truly believe in the idea of a Cincinnati streetcar..."

2009-10-06T01:27:00.008-04:00

Cincinnati native shares his thoughts on why he believes a modern streetcar system would benefit the Queen City after experiencing rail transit in Dublin, Ireland.

Chris Powers, a Cincinnati native and junior majoring in Organizational Communications at Cedarville Christian University, is currently studying abroad in Dublin, Ireland where a modern streetcar system similar to the one proposed for Cincinnati currently operates.

As summer was drawing to a close, my friend Chris and I attended a Reds game at Great American Ballpark just a few days prior to when he would be departing to study abroad in Dublin, Ireland. The subject of the proposed Cincinnati Streetcar came up. Chirs, who has been a Cincinnati resident all of his life, seemed skeptical of the idea judging by what he had previously heard from other people. After the game, I enthusiastically drove him around the proposed streetcar route; showing him exactly where the streetcar would go, the things it would connect and the potential it had. I didn't know if I had made a believer out of him or not, but in this recent email which Chris has asked me to share with you all, Chris seems convinced that the construction of a modern streetcar would be beneficial to Cincinnati after he experienced the LUAS (Dublin Irleland's modern streetcar and light rail system).

The following text and photographs come from Chris Powers, 10/5/2009:

My story begins with my studying in Ireland for a semester this fall and the wonderful opportunity to live in the Dublin area. As a Cincinnati native I was excited to experience a different sort of city life in a European setting.

I’ve also always however had a strong passion for the city of Cincinnati and longed to continue to see it get redeveloped and have a much more successful commercial district along not only the riverfront, but also into the downtown district including areas that are in a much needed rejuvenation such as Over-the-Rhine. With the construction of 'The Banks' project in full swing, the city has once again proposed a new form of public transportation in the form of a light rail system that will run through the city and provide a connection between the riverfront, fountain square, the University of Cincinnati and even passing through Over-the-Rhine.

You’re probably wondering what connection my experiences in Dublin could possibly have with the Queen City. Well, Dublin has many different forms of public transportation including a light rail system of their own or a streetcar as it will be called in Cincy. As a man who was curious about the effectiveness of a streetcar in getting people around and how much of an affect it would have on traffic it was a prime opportunity for me to see firsthand if the Cincinnati street car was a system that could truly benefit the city. Well I’m very pleased to assure you that if Cincinnati does in fact chose to install the street car that it will definitely be a great benefit to the city and the people of city.

Here are a few reasons why:

The rail system is extremely efficient and is also very modern in the way it operates. The trains come frequently and run extremely close to their pre planned schedule. The sit many people comfortably and have plenty of standing room as well
Another concern for me is how well a light rail system could actually fit into a cityscape, especially a difficult historical one such as Dublin’s. However the street car really looks fantastic in Dublin with its historical surroundings and I can only imagine that it would look even better in a modern city landscape. In fact the street car in a way almost gives the areas it’s in a bit more character.
One of the primary reasons that the street car has been pushed is its role in helping re-develop the rougher parts of cincy that it runs through including Over The Rhine. A similar idea was apart of the planning of the LUAS as it runs right through the north side of Dublin where many underdeveloped areas have historically been located. The LUAS since its installation has brought a significant amount of new development to the streets it runs through including a lot of tourist development.
Safety is always a concern when considering any type of public transport and this was a heavy concern of mine as well. The LUAS has proved to me however that the system is certainly safe. The citizens of Dublin are careful and mindful of the LUAS as it passes through the crowded streets of Dublin and traffic systems have helped prevent any serious accidents from occurring.

After spending a little over a month using the light rail system here in Dublin, I can't help but hope that the people of my beloved Cincinnati decide to support thier own streetcar system. Following my experiences here, I truely believe in the idea of a Cincinnati streetcar in that it could help create a more commercially successful Cincinnati and at the same time provide a great new source of public transportation for the people of the Queen City.

- Photographs and text courtesy of Chris Powers.

Meanwhile, here in Cincinnati, the list of reputable individuals, groups and organizations coming out in opposition of Issue 9, continues to grow! Democrats, Republicans, Independents, environmentalists, labor unions and so many, many more have stepped up to remind you to:

VOTE NO ON ISSUE 9!

Now you can make decisions just like COAST, with this easy to follow flow chart!

2009-10-01T15:40:00.006-04:00

CAUTION: DO NOT USE IN CITIES YOU WANT TO SUCCEED!

$185 Million. Is it worth it?

2009-09-25T11:52:00.003-04:00

That's a question council candidate Laure Quinlivan asked herself. So she went to see firsthand what the streetcar has done for Portland, she's now convinced that the streetcar is a wise investment that would benefit all of Cincinnati. See for yourself:

Laure Quinlivan's Streetcar Report from Laure Quinlivan on Vimeo.

How many trips have Chris Smitherman or Chris Finney taken to Portland to experience passenger rail before they tried to ban it? None. That's why it's the job of our elected officials to research and develop these ideas before they invest on our city and that's what we elect them to do. Lawyers and special interest groups are in it for their own benefit.

Say no to lawyers and special interest groups running our town! Stand up for proper democracy in Cincinnati! Vote no on 9!

Boss Finney

2009-09-24T19:22:00.003-04:00

Cartoonist Nick Sweeney drew this portrait of local lawyer Christopher Finney, author of the Issue 9 ballot language that the Cincinnati Enquirer calls a 'Poison Pill' for the city.

Meanwhile, our friends over at Queen City Discovery can take you on a virtual ride of the streetcar route.

"A "Yes" vote on the Charter amendment [Issue 9] effectively means "No" on the streetcar, but its faux-populist "let the people vote" cachet might draw support from people who otherwise might favor a streetcar. A "No" on the amendment, on the other hand, doesn't necessarily translate into streetcar support." - Barry Horstman, Cincinnati Enquirer 8/8/09

Say NO to lawyers and special interest groups! Stand up for proper democracy in Cincinnati! Vote NO on 9!

How absurd is Issue 9?

2009-09-18T13:46:00.007-04:00

Issue 9, no matter which way the 'weasel wording' lawyers and Blue Ash residents at COAST try to swing it, is absolutely absurd. Why? In a recent post, Cincy Streetcar Blog explains:

"Mandating our City Government approves projects in a different manner based on the technology used–not the purpose, not the cost, not the potential hazards, but solely on the technology employed is an absurd way to govern a city. The Anti-Passenger Rail Amendment is permanent, just a few of the consequences are illustrated above. If passed, this amendment will produce a host of uncertain and unforeseen consequences in the future."

Read the full 'absurdities of Issue 9' article here.

Images courtesy of CincyStreetcar.com

And just for good measure, I'd like to throw this one in there that I made myself:

This image is courtesy of the local blog, Queen City Discovery, which has an interesting write up on the Cincinnati Subway/Rapid Transit Line. Approved by voters in 1916, politicking similar to the methods special interest groups like COAST use now, prevented the subway from ever being completed. In the late 50's/early 60's voters didn't get to approve the highway's that replaced the subway right of ways. In the future if a regional light rail line were ever to be built, it could utilize the abandoned subway saving taxpayers and local governments millions of dollars in construction costs. Not if issue 9 passes though! No on 9!

Would Issue 9 Affect the Children's Train at the Zoo? All You Have to do is Read the Ballot Language!

2009-09-15T23:57:00.007-04:00

It's a question Enquirer reporter Barry Horstman asked himself.

COAST lawyer Christopher Finney was quick to answer with:

"Our opponents want people to believe this would have all kinds of draconian effects," said Finney, who crafted the wording that will appear on the ballot. "They're trying to drum up hysteria rather than talk about what's actually on the ballot - the merits of the streetcar and passenger-rail transportation."

However, I think it's a legitimate question. Let's take a look at the ballot language proposed by COAST:

"The City, and its various Boards and Commissions, may not spend any monies for right-of-way acquisition or construction of improvements for passenger rail transportation (e.g., a trolley or streetcar) within the city limits without first submitting the question of approval of such expenditure to a vote of the electorate of the City and receiving a majority affirmative vote for the same."

A "yes" vote on Issue 9 would place that vague, far reaching paragraph on the city's charter, but would it affect the little children's train at the zoo? Let's have a look.

The city of Cincinnati purchased the zoo in 1932 and run's it through the board of park commissioners. According to the COAST ballot language it seems that the zoo would fall under "The City, and its various Boards and Commissions." As seen in the above photo the train obviously carries passengers making it "passenger rail transportation." So what if the city/board of park commissioners wanted to expand or "improve" this "passenger rail transportation?" Well, according to this ballot language, since it is within the city limits of Cincinnati and owned and operated by "the city, and it's various Boards and Commissions," no money could be spent on improving the children's choo-choo train without first submitting a vote to the city electorate.

Now, Mr. Finney, if as you say this is all just "hysteria," please point out how my assessment is incorrect and how the charter amendment would not affect the zoo train. I'd like to think that this is all pretty ridiculous, but your charter amendment is so vague and far reaching that even the children's train at the zoo is affected! I'm just going off your own words here Chris. The Charter amendment is nothing but a vague paragraph. As we see thanks to Horstman's article, it's effects are far reaching and there are no details or provisions really outlining the affects of the amendment.

What if a private company such as P&G donated money to the zoo as they've often done? Could that money be used to expand the children's train which would be affected by the charter amendment? Nope, as Chris Finney told us a couple weeks ago; "any means any," no matter the funding source, a vote must be held.

Why would we ever allow something so vague and so ridiculous to become law here in our fair city? You don't have to, vote "No on 9" on Nov. 3!

Stand up for Cincinnati, say "NO ON 9!"

2009-09-14T16:38:00.006-04:00

To the Voters and Citizens of Cincinnati:

The time has come. This is the final stretch. Both sides of the debate continue to preach their message. For the voting citizens of Cincinnati, Issue 9, if passed, would amend the city's charter so that a public vote would be required for any money that would be spent on passenger rail transportation regardless of funding sources. That means, even if the city of Cincinnati wanted to research the construction or feasibility of any form of passenger rail, we would have to wait a year or have a tax payer funded special election just to vote any time a single cent was spent on anything involving passenger rail transportation, regardless of where the money comes from whether it be local, state or federal dollars. This process severely hinders and slows down the political process and is meant to discourage our elected officials from researching any new methods of transportation that could help this region grow.No other major metropolitan city has legislation such as this. Typically votes are held on passenger rail issues when taxes are being raised to pay for them, in the case of the proposed Cincinnati Streetcar, your taxes are not being raised!

The charter amendment severely hinders the power of our elected officials to do their job and is meant to indirectly discourage our local government from seeking to improve our transportation options. If passed, the amendment could keep Cincinnati out of consideration for federal stimulus dollars to build it's streetcar line (making an even greater cost to the city), out of consideration for the 3C corridor connecting Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati and out of consideration for the proposed high speed rail network being pushed by the federal government. Charter amendments like this one are deceptive and dangerous, even if you're against the streetcar, say NO to Issue 9 to keep special interest groups like suburban based COAST from dictating our transit options and our transit future.

Are You Registered to Vote?

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, it's your job as a citizen to get educated about the issue and represent yourself by voting. UC Students, the streetcar would link uptown and downtown, providing a new, reliable, higher capacity transportation option for yourself and future students alike. Recently, the University of Cincinnati Student Government Association declared their support of the "No on 9" campaign. If you are a UC student currently living in Cincinnati, you have a say in the election. Here's how to make sure you're registered to vote:

To confirm if you're registered to vote in Hamilton County, click here:

http://www.hamilton-co.org/BOE/votersearchs.asp

To register to vote in Hamilton County, follow the instructions here:

http://www.hamilton-co.org/boe/howtoreg.asp

Are You Unsure of Where You Stand on Issue 9 or the Streetcar?

While the charter amendment proposed on Issue 9 affects any and all kind of passenger rail construction, development, research and planning, the construction of a proposed modern streetcar line is at the forefront of the issue. There are many websites, such as this one, making their case for or against the streetcar. Political rhetoric is thrown around quite a bit. If you're interested in learning more about the exact details of the the streetcar plan, your city officials are holding open houses on the following dates:

5-7 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St., Downtown.
6-8 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Bond Hill Recreation Center, 1501 Elizabeth Place.
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 28 on Fountain Square, Downtown.
5-7 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, 800 Vine St., Downtown.
6-8 p.m. Oct. 13 at the Oakley Recreation Center, 3882 Paxton Ave. (in Hyde Park Plaza)
6:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at the College Hill Recreation Center, 5545 Belmont Ave.
6-8 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Corryville Recreation Center, 2823 Eden Ave.
6-8 p.m. Nov. 4 at the LeBlond Recreation Center, 2335 Riverside Drive, East End.
5-7 p.m. Nov. 10 at Cincinnati City Hall, Room 115, 801 Plum St., Downtown.
630-8:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Price Hill Recreation Center, 959 Hawthorne Ave.

As said before, even if you're against the streetcar proposal, Issue 9 is about much more than that. It severely restricts our city government from doing the things they're elected to do. It will hinder Cincinnati out of consideration for state and national projects while the rest of the country moves ahead. The amendment is deceptive and dangerous to our city's future. It is unprecedented and no other major city has any kind of similar, ridiculous legislation. Don't keep Cincinnati "20 years behind the times," vote NO on Issue 9!

To all those visiting Oktoberfest this weekend, have a safe and wonderful visit downtown, remember:

Stand up for Cincinnati! Vote 'nein' on Issue Nine!

(Cartoon by Nicholas Sweeny)

For Stronger Neighborhoods, Vote NO on Issue 9!

2009-09-10T18:51:00.003-04:00

It has been reported that the misleading NAACP/COAST backed Anti-Passenger Rail Amendment has been assigned #9 as it's issue number on this November's ballot. A "Yes" vote would not only delay and possibly prevent the building of the proposed modern Streetcar line but could exclude Cincinnati from future passenger rail projects and prevent this city from receiving State and Federal funding, creating a greater cost to the taxpaying citizen.

Aside from the Streetcar, Cincinnati is being considered and looked at for inclusion on the proposed Eastern Corridor commuter line, OKI Regional Transit plan, the 3C corridor and the Federal Governments proposed high speed rail network. A "Yes" vote on Issue 9 could leave Cincinnati out of these plans, allowing the benefits to go to other nearby cities passing Cincinnati by. The benefits of having rail transportation could be applied to not just the neighborhoods served by the proposed rail lines, but to all Cincinnati neighborhoods. So for stronger neighborhoods, vote NO on Issue 9.

More coverage of Issue 9.

COAST Caught Confused and Contradicting Their Own Charter Amendment

2009-09-01T20:58:00.008-04:00

Today the City Council of Cincinnati Rules Committee held a meeting to discuss various subjects, but the main topic of the day was the approval of the Nov. 3 ballot language of the COAST/NAACP backed charter amendment. The ammendment would require a public vote on all passenger rail projects within the city limits of Cincinnati, regardless of where the funding comes from.

I took the #1 Metro Bus from the stop near my apartment to Government Square and enjoyed the cool weather as I walked to City Hall for the 10:00 A.M. meeting of the Rules Committee. Councilman Berding began the meeting at around 10:15 A.M. As the meeting started and the committee began discussion I could hardly hear over the two men talking amongst themselves and cracking jokes in the seats in front of me. That's when I noticed it was no other than COAST attorney Christopher Finney and former Mayor of Cincinnati Tom Luken:

Councilman Berding went over the various other discussion topics of the day as the gentlemen in fron to of me continued their discussion. Most topics were put on hold to address the issue most had signed up to talk to the committee about: the ballot language of COAST's charter amendment. The ballot language reads as this and read as this on the petition COAST circulated:

"The City, and its various Boards and Commissions, may not spend any monies for right-of-way acquisition or construction of improvements for passenger rail transportation (e.g., a trolley or streetcar) within the city limits without first submitting the question of approval of such expenditure to a vote of the electorate of the City and receiving a majority affirmative vote for the same."

The Committee opened the floor to those who had signed up to speak and express their opinions to council:

This woman spoke of how she had gone to visit her daughter in Seattle and was amazed at the amount of development along the Seattle Streetcar line.

Councilwoman Roxanne Qualls listened as Mr. Rockwell expressed his concern to the committee over whether or not the charter amendment would affect the proposed 3C corridor project and future high speed rail projects being pushed forward by the state and federal governments.
Mr. Rockwell wasn't the only confused citizen there. COAST had promoted this petition as a an "anti-streetcar" amendment and even more citizens came forward today to express how they felt they had been duped by petition volunteers just like the folks we heard from last week.
At the conclusion of speakers, all of whom were citizens opposed to the charter amendment (none had come forward to support the amendment), Councilman Berding invited Christopher Finney to come forward and answer some legal questions the committee had in regards to the charter amendment. At this point, council members Leslie Ghiz, Cecil Thomas and Vice Mayor David Crowley had joined the meeting.

Councilman Bortz listened as Mr. Finney answered questions that were put forward to him.

As Mr. Finney spoke, Councilwoman Ghiz was busy checking something on her phone. In the past, using Mobile Twitter has gotten her into some trouble. I checked her Twitter account though, no Tweets during the time the meeting took place. Perhaps she was playing Brickbreaker on that pink Blackberry Curve of hers?
The meeting became heated when Councilwoman Roxanne Qualls posed a question towards Mr. Finney, the attorney representing COAST who authored the charter amendment. Councilwoman qualls wanted to know if the charter amendment affected the use of stimulus dollars from the federal and state levels. Mr. Finney replied with: "any means any," referencing the line from his charter amendment. Despite more questioning by Qualls as the amendment is not specific on funding sources, Mr. Finney intently kept answering with the words "any means any." Mr. Finney through his repeated phrase confirmed that any funds whether they be local, federal or state dollars, could not be used on rail projects within the city. This means that Cincinnati could be kept out of serious consideration for a stop on the proposed 3C corridor and Midwest Hub High Speed rail, which would link Cincinnati with other major cities.
Wait a second, I could have sworn just the other day that COAST said this charter amendment wouldn't affect the 3C plan. Wait! They did:

From the COAST blog on August 27, 2009.
Despite COAST claiming less than a week earlier that this charter amendment would have no affect on the 3C project because this is a "city law," Christopher Finney sat right in front of City Council saying otherwise. "Any means any." All sources of funding would be affected in regards to any and all money spent on passenger rail.
The discussion became even more heated as Vice Mayor David Crowley began questioning Mr. Finney, claiming that Mr. Finney's wording of the ballot language was what had been confusing voters and had been misleading to petition signers. Finney, began to raise his voice in opposition to Mr. Crowley as Councilman Berding asked Chris to lower his voice and calm down.

Councilwoman Ghiz was still hard at work on Brickbreaker:

My high score is 4440, wonder what hers is?
As Mr. Finney returned to his seat, former Cincinnnati Mayor and Congressman Tom Luken raised his hand and began to speak. He had to be reminded by Councilman Berding that if he had wanted to talk he had to sign up before the meeting started like all the others did. Mr. Luken continued to speak upon which he was warned by Berding that he was "out of order." "The last thing I want to be is out of order" joked Luken as he smiled at Mr. Finney who was now being joined by Leisure Suit sporting COAST treasurer Mark Miller.

In the end, despite testimony by confused citizens and citizens who had felt COAST petitioners misled them, Councilman Bortz summed up that 11,000 signatures had been collected with the ballot language as shown above. The Rules Committee passed on the measure, leaving the language unchanged. The ballot language will proceed to the full council session on Wednesday and the state attorney generals office later in the week.
Please keep in mind that the ballot language as it stands today would affect ALL passenger rail in this city, not just the proposed streetcar project. As Mr. Finney told us today: "any means any." That means any money we have whether it be capital funds, federal dollars, state dollars, etc. can't go towards the research, planning, development, construction of any type of rail project without first going to a public vote. No other city in the United States has such a broad measure on passenger rail like this and such a measure could effectively keep Cincinnati out of consideration for the proposed 3C corridor and Midwestern Hub high speed rail projects. Your taxes are not going to be raised for the streetcar and Capital Fund money to be spent on the streetcar's construction could not legally be diverted towards the city's general budget.
Even COAST is confused by their own charter amendment. They claim it will have no affect on ohter rail projects while their own attorney today told us that "any means any." When the people who authored such a broadly worded amendment don't get it, who would? This charter amendment is deceptive, too general and completely sidesteps the ideals of representative democracy set forth by our founding fathers. Take a stand and vote no on the COAST charter amendment!

Metro and Streetcar Services Would Complement Eachother

2009-08-31T23:19:00.006-04:00

In a recent Cincinnati Enquirer article, Barry Horstman, questioned whether the construction and operation of the proposed modern streetcar would take away riders from the Queen City Metro bus service. COAST was quick to post on their blog a new segment calling streetcar supporters "snotty" and attempted to imply that streetcar supporters somehow feel those currently riding buses are "inferior." The folks at COAST went directly to name calling and generalizing instead of reading Mr. Horstman's article thoroughly. Here's what Queen City METRO had to say about the streetcar:

"We really see it being more complementary than competitive," said Sallie Hilvers, Metro's chief administrative officer. "We'd work with the streetcar operator to make sure we coordinate schedules so that the services don't overly duplicate each other."

So here we have METRO officials admitting that the streetcar could be a complimentary service. When asked about how the streetcar would affect ridership they said:

"And even if the streetcars produce a drop in Metro ridership, buses could be redirected to other routes needing additional service, Hilvers said."

The Horstman article sparked some heated debate within the comment section of COAST's post where COAST supporters continued continued the name calling, word twisting and generalizations. Long time COAST blog reader and supporter "Bris Chortz" posted this:

The poster that user "Bris Chortz" quoted was speaking of how buses can be delayed when accommodating passengers with restricted mobility or passengers who need to fasten their bicycles to the front rack of a bus. The poster was making a point of how modern streetcars do not require handicap ramps or bike racks, rather passengers in wheelchairs can roll right onto the streetcar straight from the curb and bikes can be brought onto cars that can hold up to 200 passengers at a time. The poster whom "Bris Chortz" attacked never mentioned excluding anyone, he made that up. Unfortunately, this is the level COAST and it's supporters feel they need to stoop to.

The streetcar is not a snobbish toy, it's an improved transit option that will be more appealing to attracting new ridership and promoting economic development along it's route all while complementing our current public transportation options for all citizens.

Did COAST Mislead Petition Signers? Citizens say: "Remove Our Signatures"

2009-08-25T23:09:00.007-04:00

A snippet from the story by Channel 5 WLWT:

"CINCINNATI -- At least three people have asked the Hamilton County board of elections to remove their names from a petition that places a transit issue on November's ballot."

"Attorney Barbara Howard said she asked officials to remove her name because she believes she was misled by the man who collected her signature.

"The representation he made to me that this was in favor of streetcars," Howard said."

On message boards and blogs discussing the streetcar issue, there have been numerous claims and accusations stating that COAST might have been intentionally trying to mislead potential petition signers into thinking it was a pro-streetcar amendment. These quotes are from a large streetcar debate/discussion on UrbanOhio.com:

"The same tactics that some have gushed over in this thread previously - standing outside of bars to get intoxicated people to sign their 'trolley petition,' not mentioning to these same people that if you actually support the street car then you shouldn't sign"

"Streetcar *ahem* passenger rail petition guy is out from of arbys downtown (6th and Vine). I tried to convince people not to sign it. He is preying on the people near the bus stop."

"They are COMPLETELY misleading people into signing something much bigger than they are telling them. My sister-in-law was approached by one of these petition gatherers in Clifton the other day and she was simply asked "Would you like to sign the Trolley Petition?" Luckily for her she knew from me that this was actually the petition that would alter the city's charter amendment and she kindly said no."

"He was asking people if they were registered in the city, and then he would say "Would you like to sign a petition for the streetcar?". Most people just sign anything and with that type of wording it sounds like the petetion is pro-streetcar."

"I was in town this weekend for Easter, and went down to Findlay before heading to the Reds game on Saturday. I grabbed some food and saw a guy getting people to sign a petition "For the Streetcar". I went up and called him on it and I was able to get several people not to sign the petition after telling them he wants to stop the streetcar from being built. By using some clever language he was tricking people to sign it."

Until now these claims seemed to lack validity, however as the recent story from Channel 5 shows, it seems more and more citizens feel that they have been duped by COAST.

COAST's attorney Chris Finney stated in the article:

"This is really electioneering, politicking by our opponents, to suggest that," said Chris Finney, attorney for the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes. "There's nothing in the charter amendment that prevents anything; it requires a public vote."

Chris, buddy, I don't think these folks are trying to "politick" you, they're quite upset. They're upset because they believe you and COAST mislead them. It seems now that citizens are coming forward maybe the claims from Urban Ohio and others have some validity.

Perhaps COAST has been intentionally misleading petition signers?

If you feel you've been deceived and would like to inquire about having your signature removed from the petition, contact the Hamilton County Board of Elections.

Full WLWT article with video here.

Why go through Over-The-Rhine?

2009-08-22T16:15:00.010-04:00

In our most recent post, "Addressing Common Streetcar Questions and Concerns," reader "Dungy" brought up a very good question/concern that seemed to be left out. His question regarded the routing of Cincinnati's proposed 7.9 mile streetcar line (The initially planned route would cost an estimated $124 Million, $185 Million if the initial line was extended towards the Cincinnati Zoo)

"The most common concerns about the streetcar are not "how does it work" or "who makes it". The most common concern, the one I've heard over and over is "why is it going through Over-The-Rhine"? "

While the proposed line (as it stands by it's most recent plan) would not travel solely through Over-The-Rhine, it's routing through a neighborhood that has been known in it's past for poverty and crime, has many understandably skeptical. The answer of "why" will be addressed in an upcoming post to be done in conjunction with another blog/site. Here's a sneak peek:

A composite image showing what a Modern Streetcar might look like traveling North on Elm St. through Over-The-Rhine.

Meanwhile, for an opinion on what some believe the benefits of a route through a revitalized OTR are, check out the Cincy Streetcar website:

"The benefits for the rest of the city will be considerable. A cleaner, safer Over-the-Rhine means more public resources can be used elsewhere. New residents, business, and rehabilitated buildings will result in new tax revenues that can be spent in all 52 neighborhoods. And revitalized, historic neighborhood will drive tourism and create jobs in Cincinnati. "

Full article: Over-The-Rhine and the Streetcar. Stay tuned for more!

Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comment section.

Photo Credits: Jake Mecklenborg and Queen City Discovery. Composite image by Tairy Greene

Addressing Common Streetcar Questions and Concerns

2009-08-19T03:24:00.018-04:00

Why is it always Portland, Portland, Portland?

When it comes to the Cincinnati Streetcar it seems everyone always screams: "Portland, Portland, Portland." Why? Why is Portland so special? Well, in 2001 Portland completed it's 7.8 mile modern streetcar line, Cincinnati is proposing a 7.9 mile modern streetcar line using a similar right-of-way system and the same modern vehicles. Like in Portland, Cincinnati hopes to see new economic development and redevelopment of established areas along the streetcar's line. Portland saw this to great success, even having a formerly abandoned downtown rail yard spur into a an affordable neighborhood of retail and living space known as "The Pearl District." Their streetcar is so successful that a 3 mile extension is already underway and set to open soon, with another 6 mile extension proposed on top of that.

The Skylines of Cincinnati, Ohio and Portland, Oregon

What is the "Modern Streetcar" and how does it differ from the "trolley's" of days past?

Modern Streetcars, like the ones seen in Tacoma, Seattle and Portland seat approximately 170 to 200 passengers. The design Cincinnati would use for it's streetcars follows suit of these systems. Unlike the "trolley's" of our past, these modern streetcars are quiet, low to the ground and run seamlessly with automobile traffic in the same right-of-way.

Left: Cincinnati Streetcar of the past. Right: A "Modern Streetcar."

Who makes the "Modern Streetcar?"

The modern streetcars seen in Portland, Seattle and Tacoma are of a design by Czech company Skoda. These streetcar were made in Czechoslovakia and shipped to these American city's. In July 2009 Portland added to their fleet the first American made Modern Streetcar. Made by Oregon Iron Works, the Portland fleet's latest streetcar proves that not only do streetcars spur jobs and development along their route, but they are helping to put Americans to work in other capacities, further benefiting our domestic economy.

The crew at Oregon Iron Works unveils the first American Made modern Streetcar which is going into service in Portland in late 2009.

All of what you say is nice, but does it work?

Have a look for yourself:

Taken in 2002, this photograph shows the Portland Streetcar Stop at the Bridgeport Brewpub. The only business along the line at this point is the pub.

Five years later, in the same location as the above photograph the Brewpub has been extensively renovated and a new high rise residential condo is being build right along the line.

Again the same location, this time in 2008, new condo tower is complete, development has fostered.

Photos Credited to John Schneider of Pro-Tranist

New residential condo towers under construction along the streetcar route in Portland, OR.

Photo credit: The Phony Coney

In Charlotte, NC new restaurants, shopping centers and condos are already under construction along the streetcar route...and the streetcar's construction isn't even finished yet!

Photo Credit: Randy Simes of Urban Cincy

These artistic renderings show what a previously vacant building on Race St. in Cincinnati, Ohio will look like once Rookwood Pottery completes their move from Corryville to Over-The-Rhine. Located right on the proposed streetcar line, public relations manager Suzanne Blackburn says: "We think what's going on in Over-the-Rhine is really authentic – authentic architecture, authentic history, authentic tile. It just kind of fits in together, so we want to be a part of that. The hope is that we can, with Findlay Market, just have people come over to Rookwood and have kind of a walking neighborhood." Not even under construction yet and Cincinnati businesses are already lining up to be on the streetcar line!

Photo Credit: Building Cincinnati

We've seen it work elsewhere. We've seen how Cincinnati businesses are already lining up to be a part of it. The Cincinnati Streetcar is an innovative plan to revitalize and develop our downtown core while linking our two largest employment centers, uptown and downtown. In a time of economic uncertainty Cincinnati has the chance to step forward and emerge from the economic recession as an attractive location for business and development. The Cincinnati Streetcar is not just a step in the right direction for transit options, but a step in the right direction for Cincinnati.

More lies from the good folks at COAST.

2009-08-13T11:53:00.004-04:00

Fact Checking and Research Still Comes Hard for Local Special Interest Group.

I recently came across something I agreed with COAST on; Steve Driehaus. Unfortunately, the very next day COAST proved that even though I see eye-to-eye with them on one thing, they're still flat out liars when it comes to the streetcar issue.

On August 12, 2009 at 7:00 A.M. COAST linked to an editorial and claimed the Cincinnati Enquirer said to "Stop Trolley Proposal Dead in it's Tracks." Actually, though, the editorial says "Put Streetcar Project on Hold," not what COAST claimed. The editorial also notes that they "do not oppose a streetcar system," just feel that the project should be put on hold until there is a "solid economic outlook." Maybe if members of the COAST blog team had taken the time to read the Enquirer instead of making up quotes, they would have also seen that the Cincinnati Enquirer also considers their charter amendment to be a "Poison Pill" for Cincinnati.

Oh, but there's more!

Eight minutes later, in reference to Mayor Mallory's recent trip to Portland, COAST was back with more lies claiming: "COAST estimates that the City spent more than $10,000 in tax dollars on the junket." It should be noted though that again, had COAST taken the time to actually research the subject, and not just make up "estimates," they would have learned the trip was paid for by money inserted by a settlement with Duke Energy into the Businesses and Jobs Attraction Account (a total of $750,000 was inserted into the account), not a single tax payer dollar! They could have easily taken two minutes to read the Enquirer, like I did. However, that form of truth isn't convenient for COAST, so they'd rather make something up.

Even today the Cincinnati Enquirer (a paper that has traditionally endorsed conservative candidates the past few elections) and Cincinnati Business Courier question COAST's charter amendment and rightfully so. They've shown just how dangerous and ridiculous the proposed amendment is for this city.

Enquirer: Amendment is about 'less,' not 'more.'

2009-08-08T13:13:00.006-04:00

Even if you're NOT a streetcar supporter, here's why you should oppose the COAST/NAACP backed passenger rail charter amendment!

Posted in the editorial section of our hometown newspaper, the Cincinnati Enquirer, is an honest writing about the dangers of the proposed COAST/NAACP backed passenger rail charter amendment. The editorial outlines that not only would the amendment most likely kill the streetcar project, but would keep Cincinnati out of consideration from other passenger rail projects that are being moved forward with by the federal and state governments to connect other major cities. Here's a little excerpt:

"A "Yes" vote on the Charter amendment effectively means "No" on the streetcar, but its faux-populist "let the people vote" cachet might draw support from people who otherwise might favor a streetcar. A "No" on the amendment, on the other hand, doesn't necessarily translate into streetcar support."

Now the Cincinnati Enquirer, who has traditionally not been a fan of the streetcar, is opposed to the dangerous and deceptive charter amendment proposed by special interest group COAST and their lawyer leader Chris Finney. Read the full editorial here and see the truth for yourself: 'Poison Pill' Amendment is About 'Less,' not 'More.'

Additionally, the Cincinnati Business Courier believes that from an economic and business standpoint, the Cincinnati Streetcar is: "Exactly the game changer Cincinnati needs."

COAST references Oklahoma City Bombing, claim's their political opponents are "crack heads."

2009-08-04T12:02:00.007-04:00

But then again, what would you expect from an organization who teams up with an ex-councilman who liked to call our police officers "racist?"

In their most recent blog post, COAST questioned why citizens in Seattle (Seattle recently opened a new light rail line that is often highlighted by pro-streetcar advocates) held votes on their transit systems, yet here in Cincinnati we would not be voting on the proposed streetcar system to which eight of the nine council men and women support. I could go on for days as to why California style referendum voting isn't needed here in Cincinnati and why the COAST charter amendment is a joke. I've also covered extensively why the city of Portland voted on their streetcar system and why Cincinnati presently won't be (unless the proposed charter amendment passes). What it comes down to though is this:

In Portland and Seattle taxes were raised to cover the costs of their transit systems, so a vote was held to approve the raise in taxes.
In Cincinnati, your TAXES WILL NOT BE RAISED to fund the streetcar's construction.

COAST, on their blog today was quoted as saying: "Cincinnatians For Progress thinks you must be some kind of crack-head if you believe in voting on passenger rail transportation." The quote was linked to an article in which the progress group referred to referendum styled voting as the "crack cocaine of democracy," but never called any voter or citizen a "crack-head." That was COAST implying that you, the taxpaying public, must be the crackhead, right their on their blog. The COAST blog then proceeds to link to a blog post by The Phony Coney, saying: "...it won't lead to Timothy McVeigh-style truck bombs." Well, The Phony Coney never implied such a thing. A commenter on the blog drew some sort of analogy, but never claimed voting against the COAST charter amendment would lead to domestic terrorism. The last and final quote of the day from the COASTers was this little gem: So tell CFP to shove their so-called "progress" up their crack-pipe and smoke it. I'll let that quote alone right there to attest to COAST's maturity and professionalism, or lack there of. These gentleman are adults?

Petitions Submitted to City Council

2009-08-03T19:42:00.007-04:00

Today, special interest group COAST issued their anti-rail charter amendment to the City of Cincinnati City Council. Calling it the "demand for a vote," the charter amendment would require a public vote on any passenger rail project within the city limits of Cincinnati. This widespread amendment would not only complicate the proposed streetcar project, but could significantly set back Cincinnati from being part of the proposed 3C rail corridors and federal high speed rail projects. COAST claims it's just about "demanding a vote," but COAST is more interested in only demanding a vote for initiatives their special interest group supports.

Keep in mind, your taxes aren't being raised to pay for the proposed streetcar, yet COAST claims to be against the plan on the grounds that they are an "anti-tax" group. COAST doesn't seem to have a problem with our local politicians spending our tax dollars on highway and road projects that continue to mushroom in cost and construction time. For years, our taxes have gone to pay for, maintain, improve and expand our roadways while anti-tax group COAST sat idly by when these projects became the "boondoggles" they claim to fear. Yet, as soon as a Streetcar (which many reputable sources agree is a smart economic investment and catalyst for this city) is proposed, COAST is all up in arms. This self proclaimed "conservative" group even kicked their values to the curb and teamed up with the likes of "Chris Smitherman," a man who called our brave police officers "racists" while he was in city council.

COAST only demands a vote when it's convenient for them. Well, to Mr. Mark Miller, Chris Finney, Jason Gloyd and Chris Smitherman: Sorry to say it, that's not how democracy works. You don't get to pick and chose which projects you want to vote for, you elect representatives to do it for you. It's how our government was founded.

When it comes time for federal stimulus funds to be given out for rail projects and as the 3C corridor rail project becomes more and more likely, the federal and state government aren't going to sit by and say "Oh hey, we'll wait a few months for Cincinnati to vote on it." They'll just pass us on by and we'll have COAST and Chris Smitherman to thank for once again keeping us "twenty years behind the times."

Even Governor Strickland has warned the voters about the dangers of the proposed charter amendment. So remember, come election day...

VOTE NO ON THE ANTI-PASSENGER RAIL CHARTER AMENDMENT

700 WLW's Tracy Jones says streetcar is a "horrible" idea.

2009-07-31T02:34:00.011-04:00

Because we all know that a former mediocre baseball player with absolutely no transit experience knows best!

On July 29, 2009; Mayor Mark Mallory was a guest on 700 WLW's "Eddie and Tracy" show where he discussed the proposed Cincinnati streetcar system. Jones gave his trademark "it's a HOORRRRIIIBBBLLEE idea" catchphrase at the end of the interview. To hear the podcast, click here. Between talking over the mayor and reminding everyone listening that he "used to be a professional baseball player," I doubt Tracy had much time to ponder the idea of the streetcar before he drew his conclusion.

It's funny. Tracy Jones, a local radio host and former mediocre MLB player, thinks the streetcar is a bad idea, yet these experts on transit issues think the streetcar would reap great economic benefit for this city:

- HDR Cincinnati Streetcar Feasibility Study

- HDR Cincinnati Streetcar Economic Impact Study

- University of Cincinnati Streetcar Study Evaluation

- City of Cincinnati Streetcar Presentation

- City of Cincinnati Climate Action Plan (See Page 52)

- Growth and Opportunities Study of the City of Cincinnati (See Page 61)

- Agenda 360 (See Page 20)

Sorry Trace, I think I'm gonna have to go with these opinions over yours. "It is what it is" pal!

Edit: Tracy also said "8 of the 9 council people are opposed to the streetcar." That is FALSE, 8 of the 9 council members are opposed to COAST's Anti-Passenger Rail Charter Amendment!

Portland Voted on Passenger Rail Transportation

2009-07-31T02:10:00.006-04:00

Why aren't we?

In a recent post to their blog, COAST tries to make it seem like they're all the sudden "pro streetcar" and really just about "demanding a vote." However, just read a few posts below on their site and and you can see their true feelings and their immature anti-streetcar propaganda campaign (complete with pictures of a scantily clad Xenia Warrior Princess using a sword to kill a streetcar).

It's true, the citizens and taxpayers of Portland, Oregon voted on the construction and subsequent expansion of their rail transit systems. Why? Because those projects required the raising of additional taxes. Will the construction of a Cincinnati Streetcar system require the raising of your taxes or will you even be taxed for it's construction? NO! If it was going to require a raise in taxes, the motion to construct such a system would be put forth the voters. The streetcar system will be paid for by capital funds (these funds can not be reallocated into the general budget to make up for the city's current deficit), private donations and federal stimulus dollars (if passed up, these dollars will go to other city's, not back to the citizens of Cincinnati). That's why this issue is not being placed on the ballot, because your tax dollars are not being touched to fund it.

COAST wants to claim that their charter amendment wouldn't "block" transit, it would "enable" it. Nothing could be further from the truth! The generally worded anti-passenger rail amendment would require any rail project in the city limits to be voted on in a taxpayer funded city election. That means, any project that would come forward would be delayed for months while a vote at taxpayer's expense was organized.

COAST had a vote, it was called "election day." Since they didn't like the outcome, they feel they can nitpick and chose what issues that want to vote on and amend. They don't care what the citizens want, they don't care about how democracy works, they only want to pass measures that benefit their special interest group! Say no to special interest, say no to the anti-passenger rail amendment!

Thank you to everyone who has written in with emails of support! We, the citizens of Cincinnati stand firmly against COAST's antiquated, stupid thinking!

Mallory: "Yes" Vote Would Kill Streetcar

2009-07-31T01:25:00.006-04:00

COAST/NAACP continue to mislead the voters!

The folks over at COAST like to throw around the word "boondoggle" a quite a bit. They claim the proposed streetcar route, if built, would be a "boondoggle" to the taxpayers despite the fact that our taxes would not be raised, nor would our tax dollars be used to pay for it's construction (the construction of the system would come from already collected capital funds and private contributions).

In their most recent post, COAST claims the citizens have suffered through three major "boondoggles" already:

- A "Union Terminal Boondoggle."

COAST unfortunately failed to look into this one and realize that Union Terminal was built privately, costing taxpayers nothing. Today, after it had been abandoned and the taxpayers voted to save the building in 1986, it exists as the Cincinnati Museum Center, one of the most popular and highly attended tourist attractions in the region.

- A "Subway" Boondoggle

Voters in 1916 approved a six million dollar bond issue to approve the construction of a Rapid Transit Loop around our great city. We can go round and round about the politics and reasons for it's abandonment, but if the current COAST/NAACP anti-passenger rail amendment passes on election day, it would prevent the subway from ever being used for it's original purpose.

- A "Riverfront Transit Center" Boondoggle

Opened in 2002, the Riverfront Transit Center, lays beneath 2nd street currently run by System Parking who has a contract with the city. COAST considers the transit center to be a boondoggle because of it's underutilization, however their very own charter amendment would help keep the transit center from ever being utilized for it's fully intended purpose.

As Mayor Mark Mallory said on July 28, the proposed charter amendment would end "all talk about rail" in this city. Not only would a "yes" vote kill the streetcar, but it would work to prevent Cincinnati from ever having rail as an alternative to fix it's traffic problems, but keep Cincinnati out of the proposed high speed rail network and 3C corridor, which would connect our city with other major cities!

Do you really think the federal government when planning this project is going to sit back and say "well we'd like to include Cincinnati, but we have to put off planning for another year while they vote on it?" No, they won't even bother asking the question, they'll just pass us over or let some other nearby city take our opportunity. Don't let Cincinnati miss out on a great opportunity to make progress and become a competitive major American city yet again!

Kill the Charter Amendment!

Vote 'No' on the anti-passenger rail charter amendment.

CAAST Launches "Who is Chris?" Contest.

2009-07-21T19:48:00.008-04:00

CAAST today launched the "Who is Chris?" contest. Cincinnati NAACP President Chris Smitherman, is one of the leading proponents of the "Anti-Passenger Rail Charter Amendment," claiming the building of the Cincinnati Streetcar is not in the best interest of the citizens of Cincinnati. Unfortunately, Chris Smitherman is playing the citizens of Cincinnati. You see, Smitherman assumed he and his cronies would be receiving a good amount of proceeds from the sale of the Blue Ash airport for the boondoggled Glencoe Housing Project (which has been stalled since 2002). When the Streetcar plan came to fruition, Smitherman lost any chance of ever getting the money he had already promised. However, despite his vocal opposition to the streetcar proposal, Chris Smitherman wouldn't mind seeing it built as his own family would greatly benefit from the construction of the streetcar.

Chris was silent about "demanding a vote" and opposing the "trolley" as his brother stood behind Mayor Mark Mallory on Thursday, June 11, 2009 while the Streetcar Development Team was announced. Smitherman's family concrete company, Jostin's Concrete, is part of the development team and would no doubt profit from the streetcar's construction. If the streetcar is built, it could greatly benefit the citizens of Cincinnati and provide a contract for Smitherman's family company, yet if the proposed "Charter Amendment" passes and the streetcar plan fails, Cincinnati and it's citizens would be kept further in the past with none of the plan's financial resources being diverted back to them, but instead back to Smitherman and his support of the failed 'Glencoe Hole' development.

No matter what, Chris wins, yet the citizens of this city stand to lose a lot. So, all in good fun, "Who is Chris?" Which business minded, money oriented comic book villain reminds you most of Chris? Lex Luthor or King Pin? Feel free to gives your own suggestions as well!

Newsbreak: Governor Concerned Charter Amendment Could "Exclude Cincinnati."

2009-07-17T02:16:00.013-04:00

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland

Ben Fischer of the Cincinnati Enquirer did a great job blogging about the Governors recent speech in Loveland, Ohio. Strickland, When asked about the charter amendment ballot initiative being pushed by COAST and the NAACP, Strickland had this to say: “I think Cincinnati and Cincinnatians would have to obviously make the decision if they want to be excluded from a system that will be interconnective, not only with Columbus and Dayton and Cleveland, but Chicago and other major, major cities as well."

Acknowledging the people's right to vote on the issue if and when the petition is verified, Strickland also added that he hopes voters in Cincinnati realize the COAST/NAACP charter amendment could "potentially have a detrimental effect upon the city." Strickland also acknowledged he "would have to look at the legal implications" of the amendment, but let's take a look at the current ballot language:

The City, and its various Boards and Commissions, may not spend any monies for right-of-way acquisition or construction of improvements for passenger rail transportation (e.g., a trolley or streetcar) within the city limits without first submitting the question of approval of such expenditure to a vote of the electorate of the City and receiving a majority affirmative vote for the same.

With that kind of ballot language, Cincinnati could be delayed from or potentially kept out of consideration for not only the proposed Ohio "3C" High Speed Rail project, but a national high speed rail network connecting it to other major cities. Even if Cincinnati was featured in those networks, an amendment to the city's charter like this could further complicate and delay Cincinnati's involvement in maintaining and improving the project, making other cities and locations nearby better candidates. Apparently this charter amendment isn't just about the streetcar, it affects all passenger rail projects. Maybe we should heed the Governor's warning and take a good hard look at the legal implications?

City Names Project Team for Proposed Streetcar

2009-07-13T00:39:00.000-04:00

City Manager Milton Dohoney hires same firm that planned and designed Riverfront Transit Center.

Parsons Brinkerhoff is the preferred City vendor for the proposed streetcar project.

Well, seems the city is at it again: That's right, moving forward with the proposed streetcar project. On June 11, 2009 Mayor Mark Mallory and City Manager Milton Dohoney announced the Cincinnati Streetcar Development Team. The engineering frim of Parsons Brinkerhoff was awarded the contract to help build the streetcar project. You may remember that name, it's the same company that built and designed the Riverfront Transit Center.

Some local groups have gone so far as to call the Riverfront Transit Center an "Epic Failure." According to Urban Dictionary, an "Epic Fail" is a term often used by pre-teen's on the internet that can be described as: "The highest form a "fail" known to man." Was the Riverfront Transit Center that much of a letdown, though? Upon doing some basic research it seems that the Transit Center is actually a sound design that could easily be adapted for various forms of rail and by planning ahead it would save the taxpayers millions by not having to front the cost of tunneling to build a new underground station/hub or an expensive above ground one. Not to mention, the right-of-ways at the entrances to the center are secured for future use. The city also leases the center and it's adjoining parking areas to System Parking, allowing them to collect a share of the revenue from the parking operations which fill up anytime there's a large event downtown like Oktoberfest, Taste of Cincinnati, Reds games, Bengals games etc.

As far as the criticism of Parsons Brinkerhoff goes, it seems they have a good amount of experience, if we're going to build a streetcar looks like this firm knows what they're doing. Some of their work includes:

- Caliornia Amtrak/Acela High Speed Rail Study and Planning
- Eastside Light Rail Corridor, Los Angeles
- Fort Washington Way Reconfiguration
- Salt Lake City Light Rail configuration
- Reconstruction of the World Trade Center site and the Freedom Tower

A full list of their work can be found here. So we have a firm who has done work with successful transportation and rail projects all across the world and a city who used this firm to plan ahead and design a transit station that could potentially save tax payers millions in the future, yet the charter amendment being pushed forward by COAST and the NAACP would significantly prevent this transit center from ever being utilized and the money that would no longer be used for the streetcar wouldn't go back to the citizens of Cincinnati, but to other city's eager to take in federal rail dollars. Seems like the taxpayers and citizens would be the real losers if that charter amendment passes...

Ohio Senate: No Funding for Freedom Center

2009-07-12T17:32:00.002-04:00

Local Museum will not receive requested additional funding in state's 3rd interim budget.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial March is held at the Freedom Center every year.

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, a museum on the Cincinnati Riverfront, will not receive it's requested additional funding from the Ohio State Senate. This was just one of many cuts made to the state's third interim budget recently ratified by Governor Strickland. Three million dollars might have been allotted to help fund the often criticized attraction, but local activists credit themselves for taking action:

“COASTers calls and letters worked,” said Jason Gloyd, chairman of COAST (The Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes, not to be confused with the Coalition AGAINST Additional Spending and Taxes (CAAST)). COAST called out to their blog readers and urged them to contact their elected officials and voice their displeasure over additional spending for the center. This was nothing new, the center had been criticized since it's opening year for failing to produce projected attendance numbers and revenue.

The center had been seeking funding for the construction of a new entrance and research and development on "Copper Sun," a new exhibit for the museum. Despite it's budget criticisms, local leaders still pledged for support of the center. “I have been concerned about the depth of the content of the center,” said Chris Smitherman, President of the Cincinnati chapter of the NAACP. “It must be expanded."

Smitherman, despite having been an advocate for increased funding and expansion of the Freedom Center, now opposes the Cincinnati Streetcar plan on the grounds that it will be too great a cost to the taxpayers. Even though any federal grants received for rail transit would just be awarded to other cities and in no way returned or reinvested in the citizens of Cincinnati.

Smitherman has partnered with COAST to support the Anti-Rail Charter Amendment as part of their "We Demand a Vote" campaign.