Cincinnati voters put streetcars, 3-C passenger rail service back on track

With the defeat of Issue 9 in Cincinnati, a plan for streetcars
can move forward without first being approved by a public vote.
(Photo/Streetcars in San Francisco, by John Michael Spinelli)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In what developed into a battle about the future of Cincinnati, one that pitted pro progress voters against those who sought to derail a proposed streetcar project by prohibiting any rail system being built without a public vote, the victory Tuesday over Issue 9 was won handily by those who said city officials should be entrusted to do the right thing for the Queen City.

With all 285 precincts reporting a total of 70,685 votes cast on Election Day, voters in Cincinnati rejected a proposed charter amendment that would have required public approval of any city spending on a proposed streetcar system and future passenger rail plans by a margin of 57.31 percent (31,001 votes) to 42.69 percent (23,090 votes).

A citizen initiative opposed to a plan by Mayor Mark Mallory, who won a second term Tuesday, and a majority of council to build a streetcar system downtown turned into Issue 9, which sought to give voters a say on the streetcar and other rail plans. Supporter argued passing it would be a check on projects lacking public support.

But while No on 9 supporters may be toasting each other on their win, they should not conclude from this vote that the message is to support the streetcar proposal that ranges from $128 to $185 million. Reminding everyone that Issue 9 was about "more than streetcars...about our form of government," Mayor Mallory and other Cincinnati leaders should not draw conclusions that their plans for streetcars has no hurdles to clear.

Backers like the Cincinnati NAACP, the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) and the group WeDemandAVote, had little in the way of a media campaign for their issue.

Opponents, on the other hand, ran a series of TV spots that mocked supporters, saying the required public votes would be costly and time-consuming and could exclude Cincinnati from an Ohio state plan to restart passenger rail service between Cincinnati and Cleveland.

Mayor Mallory co-chaired the effort with support from the Cincinnatus Association, the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, AFL-CIO and the Cincinnati League of Women Voters.

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