Schmolitics

I've grown to hate politics, mainly because I hate the underhanded, argumentative nature that surrounds most issues (and usually the politicians themselves)... so I bite my tongue, but still manage to get the polls when that time comes around. Though, thanks to COAST and other outside entities trying to shape our local government/society, this year has been a little different...

There are several issues that I personally think are extremely important (as you've seen if you visit some other local blogs, like CAAST or The Phoney Coney), and so, in honor of the big day, here's a quick rundown of what I'll checking my name next to on some of the issues:


Issue 9
If you want a referendum-style government like California has (voting on every single issue, and costing the taxpayers millions of dollars just to vote on them), the Anderson Township-based COAST's Issue 9 takes you down that path. Also, this charter amendment is not just about the streetcar - it states that ANY rail construction will have to be voted on by the citizens, from the miniature Cincinnati Zoo train to the high-speed 3C Corridor train planned for the whole state of Ohio... anything that involves rails.

The logic behind COAST's plan is to basically slow down, and potentially stop any kind of rail construction, because these four guys think it's a bad investment for the whole of the city. Basically, they like sprawl, they like pollution, they like spending thousands of hours of their life in traffic, they like how much money they spend on their car (and related maintenance), and they like that a substantive portion of their taxes go to road construction/maintenance year after year after year, even if it doesn't solve the aforementioned problems.

Cars are incredible pieces of machinery, no doubt, and the perceived independence you have while in them is worth something. But it's the worst investment you'll ever make with your hard-earned money; immediately nosediving once driven off the lot, and costing you a fortune over it's lifespan. Additionally, with the development of electric vehicles (that the car companies have been holding out on us for 50 years), there will be lessening gas taxes to finance the maintenance of those roads, and who will pay for this in the near future? We all will... heavily.

So, if you agree with them on rail, so be it - but imagine this... voting on every type of construction related to the automobile. I'm not going to get into a long rant here, but one has to recognize that everything related to car transit - from road/bridge infrastructure & maintenance to car manufacturing itself - has been one of the most heavily subsidized (government/taxpayer funded) portions of our society to date. Do you feel good that tens of billions of dollars of our tax money was given to private car companies recently? No? Do you wonder why COAST didn't put up a substantial fight against it, or why they don't construct a charter amendment demanding votes on every extremely-high priced road construction in our city? It makes you wonder, considering that the amounts spent on car-related infrastructure dwarfs the amounts associated with rail.

Additionally, we vote in leaders to our government that we think will lead us in the right direction - if you don't agree with their views, you vote in someone different. But COAST and the supporters of Issue 9 don't agree with this style of government - in fact, COAST has stated this on their official website (as they've also been opposed to giving the state required information about who contributes to their PAC). They want you to pay millions of dollars to hold special elections for every single little issue, essentially killing any forward progress that a city might make.

Thus, this issue has become less about rail, and more about how we want our government to function. Still, I personally am sick and tired of the billions of dollars of government handouts to private corporations (e.g. car companies), the lost time and increased stress facing the heavy traffic everywhere I drive, the high cost of car maintenance & insurance, and the inevitable rise of gas prices... so it's no surprise that I'm all for the expansion of alternative types of transportation. And as we've seen time and time again in other cities, when the proper investments are given to these alternatives, they flourish, along with the surroundings.

Lastly, no one is pretending that rail transit will ever overtake the automobile, but to have multiple transit options not only is smart for the viable movement of a community at large, but aids in a healthier, wealthier, and more vibrant community. I want a better quality of life for all Cincinnatians, which is why I'd urge you to also:

VOTE NO ON ISSUE 9

You can visit any of the other numerous local blogs against Issue 9, but here a couple more interesting posts from outside the state, and conservative...
http://www.stlurbanworkshop.com/2009/09/first-vote-no-on-issue-9-ad-up-in.html
http://thedeuceblog.wordpress.com/2009/09/20/why-you-should-vote-no-on-issue-9/


Issue 3
Basically, I don't like gambling - I don't think it's healthy for individuals or cities at large... but who am I to decide what others do with their earnings. Aside from the fact that we already have a multitude of options in place for those who like to do it, other factors at play here surround the outside entities trying to shape our local community. Like COAST trying to dictate what happens in other peoples' neighborhoods, we have casino owners in another state trying to control the future of Ohio gambling laws. Even if I was a gambling proponent, I wouldn't vote for this issue - I'd want my own city and state to decide upon and have control of these issues and structures. All of this is why I'm voting:

NO ON ISSUE 3

More people all over the state (conservative & liberal) against Issue 3 here...
http://www.truthpac.org/
http://mvred.com/2009/09/28/vote-no-on-ohio-issue-3/
http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2009/09/27/opinion/mj1665991.txt


Some others:

YES ON ISSUE 5
A renewal to continue funding of issues surrounding MRDD.

YES ON ISSUE 6
Funding for maintenance of the historic Cincinnati Union Terminal.

YES ON ISSUE 7
Funding for local libraries.

• No matter what you decide, just get out and vote!

Streetcar Update!

 Cincinnati Electric Streetcar, by rufus.ovcwa [2008].
NOTE: The above photo is to display the ongoing infatuation with
rail transit, esp. relating to Cincinnati history, though the city's recent
proposal is based on the Portland, OR, system, which showcases
the extensive benefits of contemporary streetcars.

What our new cars would look like:

I usually leave posts like this to the other hard-core pro-rail Cincy bloggers (CincyStreetcar, Phoney Coney, UrbanCincy, et al.), but I just received a notification from Protransit that looks promising!

Streetcar Project Announcement

When: Wednesday, June 10
4p.m.

Who: Mayor Mark Mallory
City Manager Milton Dohoney

Where: The Rookwood Pottery Company
1920 Race Street*
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
P 513-381-2510

The Mayor and City Manager will announce progress on the streetcar project.

This is not funding related.

*look for the Catanzaro Sons & Daughters on the side of the building

*plenty of free parking in the large lot immediately north of Findlay Market and at the street meters along Race Street

• Visit the newly-created grassroots effort, Cincinnatians for Progress (chaired by Mayor Mark Mallory), and a related article at Building Cincinnati.

• More general info on the new streetcar proposal here.

• Aside: I still don't understand why those opposing the RE-creation of local rail transit "demand a vote" for other public works projects as well (i.e. road construction) - I'm not against looking at both sides of an argument, just those that are incredibly flawed.

• UPDATE (6/10/9): Also check out the "Rally for Progress", June 11th, at the Verdin Bell Center. More info here.
 
• UPDATE (6/16/9): Great news! A review of rally at soapbox, and more information at the City of Cincinnati website.

Rename Cincinnati's Newest "Neighborhood"

Hopping onto "The Banks" renaming-bandwagon, I just thought I'd move this little tidbit along to those of you haven't heard (source: The Banks Blog & Business Courier):

Vote on a potentially new name for The Banks.

I like that they've already narrowed it down to four options, on top of the fact they're hinting that the associations with the current name reside in the mud. Here are the four choices:

Parkside • Riverfront District • Park District • The Banks

My selection: It was a good idea to leave the current name in there, because along with being the current crowd favorite, it also saves on rebranding everything. Parkside and Park District sound too Buckhead-ish to me, and honestly, any neighborhood with the word "park" in it should reside near one of the city's storied parks (i.e. Eden). Our city's park system has a rich history, and the most notable ones lie inland - I just can't make the connection with riverfront. Thus, I picked Riverfront District. It's not flashy, and doesn't have that staccato ring to it like The Banks, but it does remind me of the Riverfront Stadium glory days, while being helpfully obvious to out-of-towners, newbloods, and the like. I do like the The Banks, and honestly, I wouldn't mind if they kept it, but a new name with the new steel going in makes a lot of sense.

The current results of the poll are here.

• NOTE: I'm not digging Sawyer Point or Friendship Park by any means, nor the planned Riverfront Park, because I think they're all great & necessary additions to downtown, but they didn't build the city's rich heritage, they've only followed in their footsteps. Personally, I've supported and followed almost all of the city parks, and encourage their continual beautification and growth, but as far as the renaming of the new district on the river is concerned, I associate "banks" and "riverfront" with it much more than "park". Read about the Cincinnati Parks history here.
 
• Update (3/6/9): A funny writeup over at The Banks Blog on rejected name suggestions, and many other discussions on this topic floating around, like at Quim's and Pepper's blog.

Hope for the Present

...and a bit of investing advice, per today's CNN Money article:

Photo source.

Then..."Candle maker William Procter and soap maker James Gamble joined forces to start a small household-goods business in Cincinnati. It was a risky move for the brothers-in-law: The shaky economy had a full six years of financial crisis ahead."

And now..."Because consumers rely on P&G products in good times and bad, it is considered a titan even in a rough economy."

Rubber or Rail?

That's the gazillion-dollar question.

And it's being properly posed by Give Back Cincinnati at forums this coming Monday and Tuesday. Everyone can blog or write op-eds for the local paper, but what a better way to add some inflection to your opinion than speaking face-to-face with some of the most prominent decision-makers on Cincinnati transit issues.

STREETCAR PROPOSAL SOUNDING SESSION #1
CINCINNATI OPERA GARRETT BOARD ROOM, MUSIC HALL
FEBRUARY 2 & 3, 6-8 pm

And what a more fitting place to house the debate than an establishment with rails and cobblestones still strolling by the entrance...

Music Hall (1910).
Photo © Detroit Publishing Co. 

Image source.

• Remember to RSVP here...and please remove gloves after arriving.

• Thanks to John at ProTransit.com for the heads up - a first-rate source of up-to-date news and events relating to this incredibly important issue in Cincinnati's history.

CPD in the National Spotlight... Again...

...though this time for their great sleuthing!

While driving back from Savannah, I was flipping through the limited stations available in the hills of Tennessee, and finally sat on NPR (at WKNO-FM 91.1) for a few minutes when I heard the news:

Click here for the full episode.

I hadn't heard about this until catching it on the radio show Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!, but after researching the story a bit, it seems that it was the kind of weird news that almost every outlet in the nation picks up on.

And considering the negative bias that the national (and local) news has had toward the CPD (and the city in general), at least this one was semi-positive.

Peter Minges & Son Candy Store, West Court Street.
Source: Gary Landers, Cincinnati Enquirer (here).

With this newfound notoriety, maybe Minges will buck the trend of 'history' leaving for the suburbs by maintaining many more years downtown.

• Appropriate condolences here.

The Cincinnati Kid

Driving to work this morning, the news on WVXU (91.7 FM) played an interesting ad for the nationally syndicated show, This American Life - looks like Springer will be a topic of conversation (which shed him in Kennedy's light as a politician - in the ad, at least).

Jerry Springer gesticulating.Source: Michael E. Keating (via this Enquirer article).

Ira Glass hosts the new episode, "Leaving the Fold" (airing on WVXU, Sunday, April 13th), which discusses "stories of people leaving the situation they're used to - and striking off for something less familiar." The topic of Jerry comes early, in the section titled, "I've Got a Secret I've Been Hiding From You": 

This American Life producer Alex Blumberg tells the true story of Jerry Springer's life before he was a talk show host. It's the story of an idealistic and serious Jerry Springer, a progressive politician, and the most popular mayor ever of a certain American city. (31min)

• This American Life airs Sundays @ 4pm on WVXU (I listen to it on iTunes) - one of my favorite pastimes, which got me revved up hearing about another notable Cincinnatian in the national spotlight. Also, I'm sure you're aware of the TV show, his past radio show, and the movie, but an opera?.. info here.

Road Map 2008?

Adams Crossing [3/2/8].
Short street behind Adams Place condo tower - East End, downtown Cincinnati.

I spoke a little too soon (with post Road Map 2112)... streetcar update here.
Not totally unfounded - it makes a lot of sense to link the two biggest employment centers in the city - though, weeks turn into years in Cincinnati.

Road Map 2112

 Maps of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio (1815, 1914).

We all know what 2013 will roughly look like, but after Council's preliminary approval of the new streetcar system (in addition to the robust efforts of 3CDC and the start of The Banks), envisioning Cincinnati in 2112 just became a little more pleasurable...

Holy Ground

After reading this in the Enquirer today - as well as the ongoing discussion about the possibility of a new streetcar downtown - I think it seems an appropriate time to start a discussion on Cincinnati mass transit.

Note: I found the following article during research for my thesis + added corresponding imagery from Singer's excellent book, The Cincinnati Subway.

• • • • • • • • • •

"Hole-in-the-Ground"

TIME magazine (Monday, February 13, 1939)

Fifty-four years ago, during the free-spending administration of handsome U. S. President Chester Alan Arthur, the Cincinnati Graphic proposed for Cincinnati a subway for speedy transportation of the city's workers from the "Basin" business district on the north bank of the Ohio River to the uplands east, north and west where they lived.

 Proposal for Cincinnati, Ohio (1885). Graphic magazine. 
Source: The Cincinnati Subway by Allen J. Singer (2003). 
Concept drawing for Miami-Erie Canal to be converted into a subway/boulevard.

Eighteen years ago, after several decades of lively discussion and legal preparations, Cincinnati went to work on the underground. Seven years later it had the excavations and stations for a subway. Cost: $6,100,000, financed by a bond issue.

Today, and for 18 years past, the subway has been a rat hole into which Cincinnati's tax money has been poured at the rate of more than $1,000 a day in bond interest. By the time its bonds finally fall due, in 1967, the Cincinnati subway will have cost $19,000,000. It has never carried a passenger. Once during a bitter Depression winter, a score of shivering hobos holed up in one of its diggings, until they were driven out by the police. But no tracks were ever laid in its 2.6 miles of underground or 13.9 miles of overground right of way.

The old Graphic's original plan was no pipe dream but a solidly considered plan of rapid transit. It suggested that the city utilize the drained Miami & Erie canal for the underground mileage, cover it with a high-speed roadway for surface traffic. Even in the Graphic days the two-square-mile Basin was beginning to be crowded and Cincinnatians, whose town has more hills and valleys than any other in the Union, were putting their homes back on the hilltops to get above and beyond the city's industrial smoke.

 "A Dream of the Graphic" (1884). 
Source: The Cincinnati Subway by Allen J. Singer (2003).
Another sketch of the subway/boulevard concept.

What the Graphic and what leading citizens did not foresee in 1884 was the automobile. Before the motorcar, nine interurban railroad lines fed into the city. Today there is only one. The broad Central Parkway was built atop the subway (at a cost of $3,330,990), and Cincinnatians in cars and buses now zip into the Basin in the morning, zip out at night about as fast as any other form of transport could carry them.

 Proposal by City Engineer C.N. Danenhower for Cincinnati, Ohio (1896).
Source: The Cincinnati Subway by Allen J. Singer (2003).
Concept drawing for Miami-Erie Canal to be drained and converted into a boulevard.

If Cincinnati's subway is ever to be used, it must build a loop through the Basin from its present downtown terminus. This would cost another $6,000,000, and the whole project would be handed to the Cincinnati Street Railway Co. for operation of its cars. The transaction would be without rent, which the company is unable to pay. Face to face with this apparently insoluble situation, a group of leading Cincinnatians resolved last week that something must be done about the city's hole-in-the-ground. Last week they met at the Sinton Hotel, organized as the Metropolitan Transportation and Subway Committee, stoutly resolved to settle the question once and for all.

Chaired by Attorney James L. Magrish, they divided into subcommittees to work out a plan. Since no town feels it is grown-up until it is pierced by a subway (Chicago is finally digging one), the most likely result of their deliberations will probably be an attempt to sell Cincinnati taxpayers on the downtown loop, send good money after bad.

• • • • • • • • • •

Since we partially built ours, does that make Cincinnati an adolescent?

Quoting Susan Tifft ["Mass Transit Makes a Comeback", TIME, 1/16/84]: "...transit, like a football team or a domed stadium, bolsters civic pride."

When will the naysayers understand that even if a streetcar or subway/light rail system was constructed, knowing that it would be partially subsidized, and possibly without profit (though I do believe it could be self-sufficient), that it still would be infrastructure valuable to the growth of the city as a whole - not only in it's utilitarian presence, but as an attraction, as a reflection of our history, and as a symbol of our maturity.

How many train-related attractions have to be built in this area for it to initiate a full-scale response?