Council votes to change rules to ease looming Streetcar funding vote

During the debate over the Parking Plot, Council member Christopher Smitherman moved to separate from the Ordinance all appropriations.  This was an absolute right of any member of Council under the Rules of Council, to separate matters from an Ordinance under consideration to allow for a clean vote on one issue or another.



Today, in anticipation of a vote to add $17.4 million in new funding to the Streetcar plan, the sycophantic six on Council, Seelback, Simpson, Quinlivan, Thomas, Young, and Qualls, voted to amend Council Rules to remove the right of "separation."

Thus, in the coming two weeks when Council approves the budget, there will be buried in there yet an additional $17.4 million in funding for the Streetcar.  And Council members will deny what is in there, or explain it away by saying they "had to vote for the entire budget."

They are trying to lessen the blow to themselves, in an election year, of voting for more Streetcar funding.  We are betting Cincinnati voters are smarter than that.