Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Where’s the Money ?

Guest editorial by Cincinnati City Council candidate Amy Murray:

Since the inception of the Cincinnati Streetcar issue, it has been polarizing. The upside of this debate has been the engagement of many people and groups in the larger discussion of Cincinnati’s vision for the future.

When I ran for Cincinnati City Council last fall the streetcar issue was front and center. While my positive vision for the city could easily include some form of progressive transport, I see the streetcar as a “want” in today’s real environment, not a “need”. At a time when families and businesses across the country are reflecting on their pocketbooks and budgets, I believe the leadership at City Hall needs to be doing the same.

From the outset there really have been two pertinent issues. One is the concept of the streetcar and the image of a progressive urban transport infrastructure that will hopefully spur development. The other is the financial basics: How much does it cost to build? How much will it cost to operate? These are questions that Cincinnati’s taxpayers face every day before making purchases and investments. Shouldn’t our City leadership be doing the same? Cincinnati City Council has moved ahead without even addressing the operational funding. Where will the money come from? Citizens deserve more specifics on the financial basics and the short and long term impact on our city, already struggling to stay above water.

Council’s recent approval of $64 million in bonds has prompted many (including the Enquirer) to ask, “Where is the plan?” I would rephrase that to “Where is the money?” The bottom line is not about the streetcar, but about the money.

Recall our city budget shortfall precipitated by a flawed and unrealistically optimistic positive income tax estimate. In addition, the city pension fund is in deep crisis with no current solution. Meanwhile, swimming pools across the city are being shut down. But yet, Cincinnati City Council is irresponsibly spending more money on a streetcar with no evidence of being able to maintain it.

When are we planning to put our financial house in order? The events of the past two years should have taught us all that living on credit is not sustainable. Fixing the current financial crisis in our city will be difficult and not without some pain and sacrifice. Nevertheless, it seems fundamental that we must first fix the one crisis before walking headlong into a potential second one.

Amy Murray
City Council Candidate 2009

23 comments:

  1. Bluegrass Bobby MalyJune 2, 2010 at 11:47 AM

    My money is in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, where I live. I only cross the river to beg for a streetcar and meddle in other Cities affairs.

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  2. Hopefully nobody will bring up the Court-ordered judgements against me.

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  3. My money goes toward my extremely large grocery/fast food bill to feed my morbidly obese wife.

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  4. My money goes to the numerous tax increases that I support every single year no questions asked.

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  5. Little Davey PepperJune 2, 2010 at 3:58 PM

    Most of my y money is in my trust fund. My daddy makes me keep it there so I have petty cash on hand to pay Coleman Kane to shovel my driveay when it snows and cut my grass in the summer.

    Another portion of my money is in Anderson Township, which is a Republican controlled susburb far away from streetcars and slow speed rail lines to Cleveland. That's where I chose to buy a house, because I put my money where my mouth is (after removing the silver spoon).

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  6. Can someone please cash my paycheck for me? I can't show my face at a regular bank any longer after Xavier placed liens on all of my bank accounts. I finally know how the other half live!

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  7. Bobby Maly (friend of RINO Sprengard)June 2, 2010 at 10:10 PM

    Although I live in Kentucky, I'm obsessed with the City of Cincinnati. I even chaired one of their city ballot campaigns. I need psychiatric help.

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  8. Stop the Streetcar!June 2, 2010 at 10:58 PM

    Amy Murray wins the argument by default. If the immature streetcar supporters have nothing to say besides lobbing personal accusations against COAST Board members, that shows the weakness of the pro-streetcar arguments better than anything else could. Good job Amy!

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  9. ^ HAHA what a hypocrite. Wants to bitch at streetcar supporters for nasty comments when the first five comments are nothing bust COAST supporters lobbing baseless insults.

    Hey Amy, how is serving on council going for you? Oh thats right, you weren't elected. Must've been the COAST endorsement.

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  10. My money is also where my mouth is. As soon as I could leave I abandoned the City of Cincinnati for the safer, lower-tax, no-streetcar, Republican controlled confines of Green Township. No streetcar or 3C rail will ever come anywhere even remotely close to my house, and that's how I like it. I'm no dummy.

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  11. Idiot TOASTER does realize that Portune is a COUNTY official, not a City official, right?

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  12. Soon the streetcar will be serving the citizens of Cincinnati, but Amy Murray won't. She's in the losers circle with fellow COASTer Brad Wenstrup.

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  13. Hey Anonymous Moron,

    A 30 second glance back at this very blog would have shown you that Amy Murray was NOT endorsed by COAST. COAST endorsed two people for City Council (Monzel/WInburn) and they both WON.

    Number of COAST endorsed City Council candidates who lost their election: ZERO

    Number of No on 9 streetcar supporters who lost their City Council election: EIGHT.

    But hey, the truth and basic math were never strong suits of the streetcar fanatics.

    Moron.

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  14. Idiot anonymous poster -

    You do realize that Cincinnatians4progress gladly accepted non-City resident Todd Portune's endorsement in support of the streetcar. Even though Portune himself LEFT the City of Cincinnati as soon as he got off of Council, much like a rat jumping off a sinking ship.

    Portune had a choice of living in streetcar burdened Cincinnati or Republican controlled Green Township and he opted for the low-tax, automobile reliant suburbs.

    Even your biggest advocates don't want to pay for this piece of garbage, much like Bluegrass Bobby Maly.

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  15. The streetcar is coming...the streetcar is coming...and there's not a damn thing the whiny douchebags can do about it.


    Whoops, there is something...they can send Tom Luken in to to embarrass himself.

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  16. The streetcar is coming, unless the feds find out about my ethics lapses in every one of my votes in favor of the boondoggle.

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  17. We let Tom Luken get away with enough pork and ethics violations for years and he still never got much done, Bortz pales in comparison. Bring on the streetcar.

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  18. Truth is I just want council to divert that streetcar money to help pay for Gloyd's mortgage, the money Miller owes to St. X and my alzheimer's medication.

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  19. Amy Murray made an impressive first run for counsel and with Monzel moving to the commissioners office, I wouldn't be surprised to see her appointed to fill his seat. I wouldn't call her a loser. as for Wenstrup, he ran a gentlemans campaign and made quite a close race of it. I thank him for his service to our community and to our country and only an idiot would call him a loser.

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  20. Anonymous Dolt -
    Amy Murray will be in office serving the citizens of Cincinnati before the end of the year once Monzel completely obliterates also-ran streetcar nut Jim Tarbell. The streetcar will still be mired in Bortz ethics scandals and panhandling efforts for federal grant money.
    Enjoy.

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  21. Murray is a loser. Couldn't be elected by the people, so she has to be appointed by a shill who is too busy to even serve Cincinnati citizens, cause he's too busy pandering to Hamilton County suburbanites.

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  22. "Couldn't be elected by the people, so she has to be appointed by a shill who is too busy to even serve Cincinnati citizens"

    You shouldn't talk about Wendell Young like that.

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  23. Wendell = seat warmerJune 4, 2010 at 9:46 AM

    "You shouldn't talk about Wendell Young like that."

    Hahahaha. Classic. The liberal Democrat apologists just can't avoid stepping on their own feet.

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