Smitherman re-elected to lead Cincinnati NAACP

COAST is pleased to report that Cincinnati City Council member Christopher Smitherman has been re-elected to a two-year term as President of the Cincinnati Chapter of the NAACP.

Under Smitherman's leadership, COAST has enjoyed a series of issue-based left-right partnerships to advance common sense and fiscal restraint.  These issues have included opposition to the Super-sized Jail Tax, stopping Red Light and Speeding cameras in the City of Cincinnati, stopping the sale of Cincinnati's waterworks -- to the taxpayers who already own it, and stopping a Cincinnati trash tax.

"Each of these ideas originated with Chris Smitherman," said COAST Chairman Tom Brinkman.  "His innovation, creativity, energy and organizational talent has advanced a fiscally responsible agenda for Cincinnati and Hamilton County.  COAST is enormously proud of its partnership on these and other issues with the NAACP."

Liberal democrats and labor unions organized to hijack the NAACP leadership from its traditional members by packing membership rolls with their partisans.  At Tuesday's election, long-time members turned out in record numbers to stand behind Smitherman and reject the attempted outside takeover.

In addition to his ground-breaking leadership at the NAACP, as member of City Council, Smitherman has become the leading voice for fiscal restraint on the City pension, the Streetcar, and the structurally imbalanced budget.  Smitherman has spoken forcefully and intelligently about the disastrous path the City has taken.

Smitherman has thoughtfully combined this common sense leadership with fidelity to traditional civil rights concerns at the NAACP such as minority hiring and contracting and voting rights.  Smitherman has encouraged and, indeed, forced groundbreaking progress on minority contracting by Cincinnati Public Schools and the City of Cincinnati.

COAST congratulates Christopher Smitherman and the NAACP on this important and bold step of returning Smitherman for another two-year term.