The best part -- Lease signing party at Jeff Ruby's The Precinct -- CANCELLED!

After today's Cincinnati City Council meeting, New York bankers and lawyers, predators rubbing their hands together with glee and greed, gathered in the City Solicitor's office to quickly sign the 50-year lease of Cincinnati's parking assets immediately after the Council "emergency" vote and before Court action could prevent the firesale of City assets.  For, under the law, once the lease actually is signed -- the would be no act to enjoin.

But amazingly, less than 10 minutes after Council adjourned, COAST lawyer Curt Hartman had filed suit, argued the matter before Judge Bob Winkler, received a fully enforceable Temporary Restraining Order and served the same on City attorneys and the Mayor.

Thus, the lease signing was canceled, and the post-signing celebratory party at Jeff Ruby's Precinct by the plunderers from Xerox and Guggenheim preying on our citizenry was cancelled. 
The champagne was not uncorked, the steaks were left in the cooler, and the bankers flew home steaming that their plot had been foiled.  It was a sweet end to a tense two weeks of drama at City Hall.

This stunning act of legal wizardry, against all odds, and contrary to the City's lawyers carefully-laid plans, was straight out of the COAST playbook.  And it was executed flawlessly.

Many believe that once elected, our Mayors, Council members, school board members, representatives and governors are omnipotent,  But the reality is that their powers are carefully limited by the constitution and laws of our state and city.  These limitations have been enacted precisely because of the natural failings of humans, known by our forefathers, far wiser than the fools that run our City today.

COAST and its attorneys have skillfully used the limitations placed on our elected officials to stop their excesses by holding them accountable in Courts of law.

Beyond being a loud statement about the Council vote on the abominable parking plan, the suit and its outcome today were yet another victory for limited government.

The result of the suit is that the vote today of the Council will be subject to a referendum -- a vote of the electorate -- something that strikes fear into the hearts of our tone-deaf Council and Mayor.

Let the people be heard!