Showing posts with label streetcar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label streetcar. Show all posts
20 February 2012
17 February 2012
Streetcar Groundbreaking: It's Official Now
My crowd estimation ability is not that great but I do have a system: I visualize the crowd as a rectangle and estimate how many people are across and along. Based on this, the estimate would be around 600. That seems like a lot but "a few hundred to several hundred" should cover it. The Enquirer's system is the same as mine except they include the extra step of dividing by 10.
And there was 1 protester. COAST would have been there also but Chris Funney is busy drafting a reparations lawsuit against a Council member for wiping OUT OF CITY dirt from her shoes onto a city-owned doormat.
And there was 1 protester. COAST would have been there also but Chris Funney is busy drafting a reparations lawsuit against a Council member for wiping OUT OF CITY dirt from her shoes onto a city-owned doormat.
Part of the crowd waiting on Memorial Hall steps
Man wasting his breath on lone protester
Hundreds of supporters; one protester. Of course WCPO engages the fringe
13 May 2011
Observations from Special Session of Council
The session lasted 2.5 hrs. THE EXORCIST started it off, announcing he had a list of 25 questions. He first asked the City Manager to explain what legislative authority (granted by Council) the administration had to use the funds to pay for the streetcar. Mr. Dohoney then listed the ordinances, motions and resolutions which did this. This irked me because this information is online and THE EXORCIST could have saved time by looking it up himself. It’s almost as he was more interested in egotistical grandstanding than anything else. Imagine that.
THE EXORCIST gave me a chuckle, though, when he stated that motions have no legal authority and are “friv-yoo-lous.” He said it again later in the meeting.
Leslie Ghiz played with her phone a lot and voiced concern about whether this was the right time to fund a streetcar system. As I understood her, she is not opposed to a streetcar, she is just opposed to voting for a streetcar. Then she left for about 20 min, came back for another 20 min, then got up and walked around back and forth, finally sat down again for a few more minutes and then left for good about halfway through the meeting.
Lately I’ve been describing Ghiz as the epitome of “phoning it in” and she couldn’t have done a better job of reinforcing that notion if she had a SIM card implanted in her head.
I think Wendell Young was there but I’m not sure, that might have been the furniture. Oh, yes, he was there… I remember he was playing with his tablet PC for a while. I could see the screen and it kind of looked like he was shopping for another tablet.
Wayne Lippert stated he was focused on the worst-case scenario of Detroit. He asked why the projections did not include a worst-case scenario. Dohoney answered that the projections were meant to be realistic, not worst-case. Lippert also voiced concern that the project may not get the full $25m in federal money. Lippert stated he previously worked in Congress and knew how this particular funding works.
What struck me most was what Lippert did NOT say. He did not say that he would do whatever he could to secure those funds. He did not say that he would be part of the solution. How nice would it be if we had elected officials who looked for solutions... who looked for ways to overcome obstacles, instead of just pointing them out... who are leaders and not just nattering nabobs of negativism?
And Lippert wasn’t the only one. His fellow newcomer, Amy Murray, did the same thing. She questioned the “stealing” of Banks TIF monies to use for building Phase I of the route which does not include the Banks (planned for Phase II). But she did not say she would do everything possible to make sure Phase II goes forward. No solutions. No leadership.
About halfway through, Quinlivan proposed that they proceed to the public comment portion of the meeting. THE EXORCIST was pissed off about this and called it a “stunt.” Oh, the irony. In any case, Quinlivan managed to shut off Winburn’s ego spigot and if I ever run into her, I’ll buy her a delicious lunch at Tacqueria Mercado, where I recently tried the tripe taco and thought it was pretty good.
The public comment had two notable aspects: First, the speakers were overwhelmingly in support of the streetcar. Given that this whole meeting was a Charlie Winburn joint and that he rounded up the crazies of WBDZ, NAACP and COAST and was still totally outnumbered (by 9 to 1, I understand), this has to be regarded as an epic FAIL.
Second, ALL the speakers who opposed the streetcar yelled into the mic and they ALL talked past their allotted time. Every one of them. One demanded an illegal transfer of funds and another got in a tussle with security.
Conclusions:
(1) If Council's GOP faction spent as much time & energy solving problems as it does finding them, Cincinnati would benefit.
(2) There seems to be a direct correlation between the vehemence of one's opposition and (a) problems with anger management, and also (b) lack of factual knowledge.
THE EXORCIST gave me a chuckle, though, when he stated that motions have no legal authority and are “friv-yoo-lous.” He said it again later in the meeting.
Leslie Ghiz played with her phone a lot and voiced concern about whether this was the right time to fund a streetcar system. As I understood her, she is not opposed to a streetcar, she is just opposed to voting for a streetcar. Then she left for about 20 min, came back for another 20 min, then got up and walked around back and forth, finally sat down again for a few more minutes and then left for good about halfway through the meeting.
Lately I’ve been describing Ghiz as the epitome of “phoning it in” and she couldn’t have done a better job of reinforcing that notion if she had a SIM card implanted in her head.
I think Wendell Young was there but I’m not sure, that might have been the furniture. Oh, yes, he was there… I remember he was playing with his tablet PC for a while. I could see the screen and it kind of looked like he was shopping for another tablet.
Wayne Lippert stated he was focused on the worst-case scenario of Detroit. He asked why the projections did not include a worst-case scenario. Dohoney answered that the projections were meant to be realistic, not worst-case. Lippert also voiced concern that the project may not get the full $25m in federal money. Lippert stated he previously worked in Congress and knew how this particular funding works.
What struck me most was what Lippert did NOT say. He did not say that he would do whatever he could to secure those funds. He did not say that he would be part of the solution. How nice would it be if we had elected officials who looked for solutions... who looked for ways to overcome obstacles, instead of just pointing them out... who are leaders and not just nattering nabobs of negativism?
And Lippert wasn’t the only one. His fellow newcomer, Amy Murray, did the same thing. She questioned the “stealing” of Banks TIF monies to use for building Phase I of the route which does not include the Banks (planned for Phase II). But she did not say she would do everything possible to make sure Phase II goes forward. No solutions. No leadership.
About halfway through, Quinlivan proposed that they proceed to the public comment portion of the meeting. THE EXORCIST was pissed off about this and called it a “stunt.” Oh, the irony. In any case, Quinlivan managed to shut off Winburn’s ego spigot and if I ever run into her, I’ll buy her a delicious lunch at Tacqueria Mercado, where I recently tried the tripe taco and thought it was pretty good.
The public comment had two notable aspects: First, the speakers were overwhelmingly in support of the streetcar. Given that this whole meeting was a Charlie Winburn joint and that he rounded up the crazies of WBDZ, NAACP and COAST and was still totally outnumbered (by 9 to 1, I understand), this has to be regarded as an epic FAIL.
Second, ALL the speakers who opposed the streetcar yelled into the mic and they ALL talked past their allotted time. Every one of them. One demanded an illegal transfer of funds and another got in a tussle with security.
Conclusions:
(1) If Council's GOP faction spent as much time & energy solving problems as it does finding them, Cincinnati would benefit.
(2) There seems to be a direct correlation between the vehemence of one's opposition and (a) problems with anger management, and also (b) lack of factual knowledge.
10 May 2011
Provincialism vs. Progress
In an obvious ploy to garner campaign support from the COAST and NAACP ass clown posses, Charlie Winburn has scheduled a special Council session tomorrow, May 11, at 6pm to hoot 'n' holla about the streetcar. Griff and Quimbob have already called out this outrageous use of public resources for a personal campaign.
This is my 13th year as a downtown resident. Unlike most of the "pioneers" who have moved downtown in the past few years, I do NOT think OTR is the greatest, coolest neighborhood ever and I am NOT gung-ho about the streetcar. It thought it was a fair criticism to say it had a "if you build it they will come" aspect.
So although I am not gung-ho and uppity, I do support it 100%. Three key things (I guess you could say six) factored into my perspective:
(1) For the first time in recent history, 3 key stakeholder groups are on the same page about downtown's future: the public (which already voted FOR the streetcar), the business community (of which many groups and individuals have expressed support) and public officials.
(2) OTR is a long-neglected historic gem. Is any neighborhood more in need of revitalization? OTR should be an area with desirable residential, business and recreational opportunities. The streetcar provides incentive to develop these opportunities and that is why property owners and businesses support it. All of these developments increase the tax base. A streetcar system is an investment, not an expenditure.
(3) A streetcar system gets more people to more places more often. The more people there are in an area, the safer it will be. Anyone who has walked around Chicago or NYC late at night knows this. While anything can happen anywhere, the basic rule is that criminals don't want to be in busy places. A streetcar system will increase "people density" and force criminals to go elsewhere. And let's be honest, many criminals will get priced out of the neighborhood before the first streetcar makes its run anyway.
So there it is. I see the streetcar system as an investment that attracts residents and businesses, an investment that increases the tax base and increases public safety (which itself reduces tax spending). This is an idea that makes sense, regardless of whether it makes a downtown newbie feel hip and cool.
In a way, there is no better endorsement of the streetcar than to look at who opposes it: COAST, WBDZ/NAACP, FOP, Kasich. This is a pantheon of clownish, self-righteous ignorance. It would be so disappointing to have to include GOP in that list but Amy Murray and Wayne Lippert have already joined Winburn. I think Ghiz will, too.
Few things in politics are black & white but I think the battle over the streetcar comes down to provincialism vs. progress. I have a stake in this and it is not acceptable for a small but vocal fringe minority of visionless, ignorant blowhards to continually impede this city's progress.
I will be at City Hall tomorrow evening and if you choose progress over provincialism, you should be there, too.
This is my 13th year as a downtown resident. Unlike most of the "pioneers" who have moved downtown in the past few years, I do NOT think OTR is the greatest, coolest neighborhood ever and I am NOT gung-ho about the streetcar. It thought it was a fair criticism to say it had a "if you build it they will come" aspect.
So although I am not gung-ho and uppity, I do support it 100%. Three key things (I guess you could say six) factored into my perspective:
(1) For the first time in recent history, 3 key stakeholder groups are on the same page about downtown's future: the public (which already voted FOR the streetcar), the business community (of which many groups and individuals have expressed support) and public officials.
(2) OTR is a long-neglected historic gem. Is any neighborhood more in need of revitalization? OTR should be an area with desirable residential, business and recreational opportunities. The streetcar provides incentive to develop these opportunities and that is why property owners and businesses support it. All of these developments increase the tax base. A streetcar system is an investment, not an expenditure.
(3) A streetcar system gets more people to more places more often. The more people there are in an area, the safer it will be. Anyone who has walked around Chicago or NYC late at night knows this. While anything can happen anywhere, the basic rule is that criminals don't want to be in busy places. A streetcar system will increase "people density" and force criminals to go elsewhere. And let's be honest, many criminals will get priced out of the neighborhood before the first streetcar makes its run anyway.
So there it is. I see the streetcar system as an investment that attracts residents and businesses, an investment that increases the tax base and increases public safety (which itself reduces tax spending). This is an idea that makes sense, regardless of whether it makes a downtown newbie feel hip and cool.
In a way, there is no better endorsement of the streetcar than to look at who opposes it: COAST, WBDZ/NAACP, FOP, Kasich. This is a pantheon of clownish, self-righteous ignorance. It would be so disappointing to have to include GOP in that list but Amy Murray and Wayne Lippert have already joined Winburn. I think Ghiz will, too.
Few things in politics are black & white but I think the battle over the streetcar comes down to provincialism vs. progress. I have a stake in this and it is not acceptable for a small but vocal fringe minority of visionless, ignorant blowhards to continually impede this city's progress.
I will be at City Hall tomorrow evening and if you choose progress over provincialism, you should be there, too.
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