Jail-tax Opponents 'Struggling'? Or Is Ed Rothenberg A Fool?
What is Ed Rothenberg thinking?! The Cincinnati Enquirer's Jessica Brown has a story in today's paper ("Jail-tax opponents 'struggling'") that continues to put forward the idea that the referendum petition drive to place the sales tax increase on the ballot is being led by Ed Rothenberg, Pat DeWine and COAST. This isn't true. The effort was organized by the NAACP and the rest of us are supporting them and following their lead. I have a hard time believeing that the only person Jessica could find to talk to is Ed Rothenberg, who, by the way, is NOT leading anything, all he is doing is running his mouth. They just see him as the weakest link. Why aren't they calling the NAACP?
It's been two weeks since Hamilton County Commissioners Todd Portune and David Pepper voted to increase the county's sales tax to pay for a new jail and public safety programs.
The move angered many. A referendum effort was launched within days in an attempt to force the issue onto the November ballot.
But some involved in the effort now say enthusiasm isn't what it should be, and they worry the effort might fail.
"We're struggling," said Ed Rothenberg of Hyde Park, who is overseeing one of several groups of volunteers collecting signatures. "We have hundreds of people collecting (signatures), but many people just have a small number. We just need more volunteers," he said.
Petitioners have until June 29 to gather 28,750 signatures of registered Hamilton County voters. That's the minimum. They are hoping to gather several thousand more to have a cushion in case some of the signatures are ruled invalid.
Rothenberg doesn't have a count of how many people have signed. He just knows it doesn't seem to be going as smoothly as the last time he was involved in such an effort 12 years ago, when the county raised the sales tax to pay for new stadiums for the Bengals and Reds.
"When we first talked, I would have bet a million dollars that we would be successful," he said, referring to an interview with The Enquirer about two weeks ago. "I was relating it to 12 years ago. But I was naive. This is a much bigger battle. I don't know if we'll be successful."
The referendum effort involves several different groups, including the local NAACP and the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST). All the groups have their own sets of volunteers and Rothenberg admitted he's not sure how the other groups are doing.
Others in the effort, though, think things are going just fine.
"We've collected hundreds and hundreds," said Dan La Botz, a member of the No Jail Tax political action committee. "We found people were very receptive and very interested in signing," though he agreed more volunteers are needed.
Rothenberg thinks more people are indifferent about political issues than they were a decade ago and some people won't sign because they support a new jail. Rothenberg points out to them that the referendum just puts it on the ballot so the voters, rather than the commissioners, can decide.
County commissioners say if people aren't signing, it's probably because they're wising up to the fact that a new jail is desperately needed, and that every month of delay puts more strain on the county's coffers, said County Commissioner David Pepper. That's why he and Portune didn't wait and put the tax on the November ballot, he said. They just couldn't afford to.
"No one is happy about it. It was a tough decision," Pepper said. "But we are running out of money as we speak. A lot of people have come up to us and said 'We understand why you're doing it.' "
Portune and Pepper introduced their safety plan as a way to end early release of inmates and consolidate or close aging jail buildings. Voters defeated a jail-only tax proposal last November.
Portune reasoned the county is spending about $600,000 a month to house overflow inmates in the Butler County jail. The contract ends in October and the county can't afford to renew it. Portune noted that if petitioners get enough signatures - even if the tax is ultimately upheld at the polls - the referendum will have delayed the project and cost the county millions of dollars in rent and construction costs, not to mention leave them without a place to house those 300 inmates.
Ed is a nice man, but he is not a good spokesman. And he is not a leader.
3 comments:
Nice work! It's funny how the spin machine doesn't talk to the real leadership of this drive. The NAACP is paying for the damn legal costs yet the spinmasters want to pretend this is COAST's effort.
Why is ED trying to sabotage the effort? These old mother fuckers need to get out of the way and shut their pie holes!
Yes, Ed Rothenberg is a fool. And, is he a nice man? How would Nate Livingston know? He probably is a nice man, though, but he is definitely a fool.
And, "call the NAACP?" You mean Splitherman's cast of clowns? And, make the issue a black against white issue instead of a taxpayer vs. politician issue? That would be smart, NOT!
This looks like a chinese fire drill. Despite overwhelming opposition to the tax, its still a toss up. Perhaps credit the fools and racists that are in charge of it.
I am petitioner, from locations as diverse as Anderson Township, Downtown, Clifton Heights, Avondale, (Family Dollar Forest & Reading) and down in the Ville (Madison at Whestle) my efforts are well received. 8 out of 10 Hamilton County Voters are opposed to the tax, only violent, verbally abusive person encountered was a corrections deputy (no surprise).
This issue can unite our community, respect makes the empires fall, Ed Rothemberg and Nate are both fighting for same cause, let us respect their efforts and leave it at that, we all need to respect each other. Freedom is merely privilege extended unless enjoyed by one and all.
So comrades come rally, this is the time and place, the struggle carries on, Kings Portune and Peppers imposed tax unites the human race. Brothers and sisters,call either Nate or Ed for a petition, pass it amongst your friends and neighbors, let racist ignorance be ended.
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