Red Light Camera ban passes

Second win for WeDemandAVote.Com coalition

Cincinnati voters on November 4 passed a ban on use of red light and speeding cameras. The amendment to the City Charter - a first in the nation - prevents City Council from enacting the odious revenue-generating scheme implemented in cities across the nation.

The initiative was the idea of WeDemandAVote.Com partner Christopher Smitherman and the Cincinnati Chapter of the NAACP, which announced the initiative in January. Soon, other WeDemand partners joined in, including COAST, the Libertarian Party, and the Green Party. We were also joined by new supporters, including the Hamilton County Republican Party, Commission candidates Ed Rothenberg and Greg Hartmann, Congressional candidates Victoria Wulsin and David Krikorian, Councilmember Chris Monzel and former Councilmember Charlie Winburn.

The ban on red light cameras not only prevents the City from needlessly harassing thousands of motorists per year, but it deprives the City of millions in planned revenue. Cincinnati motorist will be spared tremendous new intrusions into civil liberties suffered by motorists in cities in which the cameras have been implemented. The win is the second in two years for the left-right coalition, having defeated the Portune-Pepper Super-Sized Jail Tax in 2007.

"We are proud of our continuing partnership on issues of limiting the power and scope of government with the NAACP, the Greens and the Libertarians," said Jason Gloyd. "We have a good relationship going that we want to continue into the future." The WeDemandAVote.Com partnership is actively exploring new ideas for issues to promote in 2009.