Cincinnati pro progress group hopes to derail anti-rail Issue 9 with new TV spot

October 27, 3:41 PMColumbus Government ExaminerJohn Michael Spinelli

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San Francisco attracts ridership by running vintage streetcars
from various American and foreign cities. Pictured above
is an original  SF street car from the 1950s and one colored
orange from Italy. (Photo/John Michael Spinelli)

COLUMBUS, Ohio: Airing today on YouTube is a simple ad that argues that voting No on Issue 9 in Cincinnati -- a controversial ballot issue that if passed would prevent any rail transportation system from being built within city limits without a vote of the people -- is not about streetcars but about good governance, jobs and economic development.

In a post at Cincinnatiansforprogress.com, Mayor Mark Mallory, chairman of CFP said even though the city has seen a tremendous amount of progress and new development,  "once again, the naysayers in our community want to put a stop to that progress and leave our city in the past."

Mallory, whose family has made a business of elected politics over many decades and who is running for re-election this year, said the Yes on Issue 9 campaign is the "latest effort (that) would kill all forms of passenger rail transit in the city, including trains and light rail."

In a recent debate broadcast by Cincinnati's WCPO, Mallory's Republican challenger, Dr. Brad Wenstrup, echoed the sentiments if not the direct talking points of the so-called naysayers. "Let’s get our books in order, let’s get our house in order before we consider something like the streetcar."

Mallory's response was that a "timely investment...putting $128 million into our local economy...(is) just the kind of jump start we need right now."

But supporters of Issue 9 who will weigh in on it like other Cincinnatians in one week, say they are concerned about two issues that turn the tables on arguments by the pro-progress camp that say it's really about jobs, economic development, wise use of taxpayer dollars and participatory governance.

According to the Southwest Ohio Green Party, the proposed streetcar system -- whose estimated project costs range from $102 (for phase one) to $185 million (the entire system) -- may not be an effective economic development tool, because they believe other economic development projects should take precedence over streetcars. Moreover, they said the streetcar system would "closely overlap existing transit service, and the city would have to fill the gap between fare revenue and the system's annual operating costs," placing "additional strain on the city's budget and could damage public perception of all passenger rail systems."

In the debate over this controversial ballot issue -- that if passed would throw a giant monkey wrench into the state's plans to the Federal Railroad Administration to spend $564 million on the 3-C railroad plan, that would link Cincinnati-Columbus-Cleveland by re-establishing passenger rail service with Amtrak, including the citing of a railroad station in Cincinnati city limits -- the difference between streetcars and light rail has also emerged as bone to chew on.

The Green Party supports light rail but says the streetcar isn't light rail. Furthermore, it says city leaders like Mayor Mallory should "put basic services over expensive projects that don't really improve services at all," adding that it believes taxpayers should have a say in what happens in their city. "We believe a more Democratic Cincinnati is possible."

Although local NAACP President Christopher Smitherman did not return a phone call in time for this column, he said in a media release to the Cincinnati Enquirer on criticism over the wording of the ballot, "This is nothing short of madness and political corruption. There is no explanation for a Yes meaning No and a No meaning Yes." He said the guidelines governing charter amendments "all but dictated the confusing wording."

"When you're dealing with a charter amendment, you're forced to use this crazy inverted yes-means-no structure," Smitherman said to Enquirer report Barry Hortsman. "We're very frustrated over that and plan to address it on the other side of this campaign. You shouldn't have to write ballot measures this way."

Ann Sesler of Government Strategies Group, a professional communication firm founded in 2007, is the paid spokesperson for the No on 9 campaign. Sesler also was not able to respond to questions for this column, but said a presser is planned at 3:30 p.m. for Wednesday.

Issue 9, which would require public approval before the City of Cincinnati spends any money on a proposed streetcar line or other future rail plan, including the 3-C Corridor plan if it ever comes to pass.

Follow me on Twitter @ohionewsbureau. Read more stories on Ohio people, politics and government here.

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