Red Light Camera bans on ballot in three cities

With COAST's help, Red Light Camera bans are on the ballot in three Ohio cities -- all in northeast Ohio this year. Voters in Ashtabula, South Euclid and East Cleveland will have a chance to ban these pernicious devices this year at the ballot box. COAST provided legal and logistical assistance for each drive. The folks in Hamilton are still plugging away on their petition drive.

Red Light Cameras Banned in Garfield Heights, Ohio

With COAST assistance, the residents of Garfield Heights, Ohio (a suburb of Cleveland) have joined four other Ohio cities in banning Red Light and speeding cameras.  Local organizers Frank Wagner, Ron Finnerty and Paul Long are given credit for leading this important win!  These local patriots also appear to have passed an initiative to repeal a trash tax similar to the one Cincinnati City Council presently is planning to implement next year.

            Read here how cities throughout the nation, including Houston, Texas, joined Cincinnati in opting against Big-Brotherism. Cleveland Plain Dealer Road Rant reporter John Horton reports here that cameras have been banned in 15 of 15 ballot issue voters over the past few years.  That’s a pretty strong record.

Garfield Heights campaign continues a creepy, Orwellian trend by the camera companies who share fine revenues with their host cities (like any good parasite). Redflex funded a massive opposition to Garfield’s ballot initiative. Elsewhere, American Traffic Solutions spent $1.75 million against Houston’s ballot issue and it was also soundly defeated.”

New Red Light Camera Initiatives in 2011

South Euclid

Very-North-COASTer Grant McCollum in South Euclid (another Cleveland suburb) guarantees a red light camera ban will be on the ballot there in 2011, and Cleveland and Toledo drives are well underway.

East Cleveland and the City of Hamilton

            COAST also has been asked to draft initiatives for the cities of East Cleveland and Hamilton, Ohio.  If COASTers know of activists that would like to help organize in these two communities, please contact Chris Finney at Legal@gocoast.org

Traffic camera ban may be on November ballot in Garfield Heights

Everdeen Mason, The Plain Dealer
Posted: 07/19/2010 6:28 PM

Lisa DeJong, Plain Dealer file photoFrom left, Kathy Wagner; her neice Candice Piskac, 5, and April Wagner (Kathy Wagner's daughter), all of Garfield Heights, hold signs in protest of red light cameras.

GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Residents tired of giving more of their money to the city have taken matters into their own hands.

Residents turned in petitions Monday to the city's clerk of council to get two charter amendments on the November ballot. They want voters to throw out traffic cameras and garbage collection fees.

The group sees both issues as an attack on their civil liberties, as well as their pocketbooks.

"It's a money grab on the back of the tax payers," said Frank Wagner, a member of Citizens for a Greater Garfield and a former city council president.

More than 2,500 residents signed the traffic camera petition, and more than 2,000 signed the garbage fee petition. Only 875 signatures are necessary to put issues on the ballot. Groups routinely collect more signatures than required in case some are disqualified. The petitions must pass a legal review by the city before the issue is put on the ballot in November.

The garbage fee $15 for single-family homes with a discount for elderly residents, said Councilman Joseph Suster. Wagner said residents already pay for trash pickup through their property and municipal taxes. But the real hot-button issue is the traffic camera program, which was introduced in 2009 as part of a financial recovery plan initiated by former mayor Tom Longo. About 4,800 motorists were ticketed in June, the first month the city issued tickets from the cameras. The tickets are $100 and could bring in up to $312,000 in fines for the June infractions alone.

Wagner calls the cameras speed traps that take away from the average working person on a fixed income.

Mayor Vic Collova told the Plain Dealer previously that safety is a major factor of the new traffic cameras.

"My biggest thing about it is they say they want a police officer on the scene, they don't want a camera taking a picture of them," he said. "If someone's robbing a bank and the security camera takes a picture, do they think he shouldn't be arrested? I don't understand the difference."

The police department is more than enough to ensure residents drive safely, Wagner said. He said the fine and two points on the license are enough to dissuade speeders. No points are given for a camera ticket since it is a civil infraction, police Capt. Robert Sackett said.

Garfield Heights petitions against red light cameras & trash tax

Press conference 4:00 PM followed by petiton filing with the Garfield Heights Clerk of Council

For immediate release:  Monday, July 19, 2010
For more information:  

Frank Wagner, 216-799-2909 (Garfield Heights)

Christopher P. Finney, 513-720-2996 (COAST) 

                                             

Citizens for a Greater Garfield Heights will conclude their successful 2010 dual petition drive to fight Red Light Cameras and to Ban the recently imposed Rubbish Collection Tax within the City of Garfield Hts.. The citizens group with the assistance of COAST will be filing their petitions with the Garfield Hts Clerk of Council to place the two Charter amendments on the November 2010 General Election Ballot.     The details of the gathering are as follows:

The front steps of the Garfield Heights Civic Center

5407 Turney Road

Garfield Heights, OH 44125

Monday, July 19, 2010 at 4:00 pm

In 2009, at least three other cities in Ohio batted back Red Light Cameras.  Pickerington residents defeated the plan with legislative action, and voters in Chillicothe and Heath, Ohio banned the cameras with ballot initiatives.  In 2008, Cincinnati voters banned the pernicious and intrusive devices with a Charter Amendment.

The  Garfield Heights Charter Amendment proposals are modeled after Cincinnati's and will effectively ban unmanned red light and speeding cameras from being enforced in City limits. The second charter amendment will ban the Rubbish Collection Tax imposed by the City Council and the current  Administration.

COAST takes Red Light Camera Campaign to Toledo, Cleveland and Garfield Heights

After huge wins against Red Light and Speeding cameras in 2008 in Cincinnati and 2009 in Heath and Chillicothe, Ohio, on February 6 COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd presented its victories to an audience in Cleveland, where residents from Cleveland and Garfield Heights pledged to pass petitions to ban the pernicious devices in their communities.  COAST has pledged legal and logistical support for the effort.  COAST has also committed to helping Toledo get the issue on the ballot there in 2010. 

Cleveland Plain Dealer Columnist Regina Brett says, "The problem I have with the cameras is they make me a jittery driver. Every time I drive down Cedar Hill into downtown Cleveland, I have to time it just right. If the light even tries to turn yellow, I hit the brakes so the camera won't nail me. One day, I hit my brakes and so did the guy behind me. But the guy behind him didn't.

Accidents Up Despite Spokane Red Light Cameras

Intersections where Spokane, Wash., installed red light cameras in 2008 in the name of safety saw an increase in crashes and injuries in the first year of the controversial program.

There were 38 collisions at the three intersections the year after the city began fining violators caught on tape. That's up from 32 the previous year, according to police collision reports provided to The Spokesman-Review.

Injury accidents at the intersections also rose from 11 the year before to 14 after.

Spokane Mayor Mary Verner called the data '"interesting,'" but cautioned that it's too early to make a final judgment on camera enforcement.

""The program has been effective in that we seem to have caught a lot of people running red lights,'" Verner said. '"If we're not seeing a decline of injury collisions, then we need to figure out why not.'"

The numbers contrast with predictions made when the camera program was approved -- that collisions and injuries would decline because drivers would be less willing to run red lights. In the first year of the program the number of crashes at the intersections that police blamed on running red lights held steady at 11.

Traffic safety experts caution that crash statistics fluctuate every year and that it's difficult to prove cause and effect with only a year's worth of data. Police say they're confident that crash numbers will fall as the public becomes more aware of the cameras.

"Typically, there might be a slight increase (in the first year)," said Officer Teresa Fuller, who examines camera violations before tickets are issued. "But those go down in the second year of the program."

The city began fining red light violators caught on camera Nov. 1, 2008. Fuller said the department expects to complete its examination of the program's first year later this month. The department also plans to expand the program to four other intersections later this year.
Councilman Bob Apple, who was the lone vote against the creation of rules to allow the program, said he's not surprised by the numbers.

"I would like to see the council dump Photo Red," Apple said. But in a year in which the city faces a $10 million deficit, "a lot of things are going to trump Photo Red."

While it may be too early to judge the effectiveness of the cameras in Spokane, they have succeeded in catching violators and raising revenue.

Spokane issued 5,690 camera tickets that resulted in revenue of $419,000, Fuller said. After the contracted camera company, Arizona-based American Traffic Solutions, is paid and other expenses subtracted, police estimate a profit of $103,000.

The Spokane City Council stipulated that camera fines be used only for traffic safety projects. Council members argued that doing so ensured that the aim of the program would remain traffic safety and that the city would not become dependent on the fines to balance the city budget.

Voters Reject Photo Enforcement Cameras Again & Again & Again

Voters in three cities sent a clear message to local lawmakers yesterday by adopting charter amendments that ban photo enforcement. In addition to kicking two camera supporters from the city council, 72 percent of those voting in Chillicothe, Ohio approved a total prohibition on the use of red light cameras and speed cameras. In College Station, Texas the vote was much closer, but at the end of the night 52 percent wanted the red light cameras to come down. In Heath, Ohio 51 percent voted against the cameras. A total of nine cities nationwide have used the initiative process to ban camera enforcement since 1991, with camera proponents never having won a public vote.

The triple defeat for the photo enforcement industry came despite a well-funded public relations effort in each of the cities. In Chillicothe, Redflex Traffic Systems sent a glossy mailer to every voter while the mayor demanded that the Ohio Supreme Court ban the public from even voting on the issue -- a move high court justices swiftly rejected. Citizens Against Photo Enforcement (CAPE), the group responsible for the ballot measure, claimed an additional victory as voters elected camera opponent Bruce Arnold, who won the seat of council president, Jeremy Siberell, who won the fifth ward and Dustin Proehl, the only incumbent to have voted against cameras. CAPE leader Rebecca Valentich told TheNewspaper that she was thrilled with the outcome.

"We came together as individuals, and we united as a community," Valentich said. "The people have spoken, and very clearly. Our voices have been heard and thanks to the people and their strong voices, the cameras will be coming down. It is a huge victory, and one that we can all be proud of. And although our mayor has gone on record saying that he will fight the will of the people, his fight against the rights of the people will only bring a stronger united front from the community."

In College Station, Texas the city's automated ticketing vendor American Traffic Solutions (ATS) bankrolled a front group to conduct mass mailings and push polling in an effort to save the program that would have earned the company more than $11 million over the life of the contract. The ATS-funded group reported raising $71,240 in contributions, but not one dollar came from anyone living in the local community. To supplement the vendor's effort, the city allocated taxpayer money to send red light camera promotional material to every voter. College Station activist Jim Ash, who led the fight to put the issue on the ballot, watched the results with a large group of supporters.

"It has been nothing but celebration here," Ash told TheNewspaper minutes after the results became final.

In Heath, voters were bombarded with the same advertisements from Redflex, but they failed to persuade a majority. Voters also defeated Mayor Richard Waugh who had introduced photo enforcement as the signature issue of his administration.

"You can fight city hall and win, when you have a passion for what you believe in," We Demand a Vote spokesman Lori Lyons said in a statement.

Yesterday's results are consistent with previous public votes on the topic. In April, eighty-six percent of the votes in Sulphur, Louisiana rejected speed cameras. In 2008, residents in Cincinnati, Ohio rejected red light cameras. Seventy-six percent of Steubenville, Ohio voters rejected photo radar in 2006. In the mid-1990s, speed cameras lost by a two-to-one margin in Peoria, Arizona and Batavia, Illinois. In 1997, voters in Anchorage, Alaska banned cameras even after the local authorities had removed them. In 2003, 64 percent of voters in Arlington, Texas voted down "traffic management cameras" that opponents at the time said could be converted into ticketing cameras.

COASTer Scott Ross Discusses Traffic Cameras on Conklin Show

This week on Conklin and Company, Bill Hormann sits down with Scott Ross to discuss the Red Light cameras. Scott gives 7 reasons why to oppose the cameras:

1. Erosion of civil liberties
2. Cameras are money grabs
3. Fines more expensive
4. Shortened yellow-light times
5. Don't increase public safety
6. Owners (not driver) liable
7. Presumption of guilt

Bill also talks with Joe McNamara about the city budget and tax hikes, and Tom Crothers about the new downtown development including the new downtown arena.

Volunteers turn in Toledo Red Light Camera Petitions

Press Conference at 2:30 PM at City Hall Clerk of Council's office


Today at 2:30 PM, volunteers from WeDemandAVote.Com/Toledo turn in petitions at Toledo City Hall for a Charter Amendment to ban the use of Red Light and Speeding Cameras in the City of Toledo. WeDemandAVote.Com/Toledo will turn in more than 8,400 signatures to the Toledo Clerk of Council. This is nearly twice the 4.625 signatures required to attain ballot access for the proposal.

COAST is proud a member of the WeDemandAVote.Com/Toledo coalition and proud partner of the many Toledoans who have together forced this issue to a vote this November.

In November of 2008, Cincinnati voters became the first in the nation to ban the use of Red Light and Speeding Cameras within City limits. Because Toledo City Council will not repeal these oppressive devices on their own, COAST came to Toledo in January to launch this drive, which has culminated in this accomplishment.

If Toledo City Council does as the Ohio Constitution requires, they will check the sufficiency of the petitions through the Lucas County Board of Elections and vote before September 3 to place the issue on this November's ballot. If they refuse, COAST's attorneys promptly will litigate to force them to do as they are required by the Constitution.

COAST's Toledo coordinator, Scott Ross said: "More than 8,400 Toledoans have demanded that the pernicious and confiscatory policies of Mayor Carty Finkbeiner and this City Council be put to a vote this November. Thanks to these volunteer circulators and signers, voters will have the chance to seize back a small part of their liberties taken by these invasive devices.

"COAST's seven reasons to oppose Red Light and Speeding Cameras may be read here.

Toledo Red Light campaign charges forward; Tiny little Heath is already submitted

Pernicious devices under attack from Ohio voters

COAST staffer Scott Ross and volunteers traveled to Toledo in July to spur the petition drive for a Charter Amendment against Red Light Cameras in that City to the November ballot. Activists in tiny Heath Ohio quickly collected their required number of signatures to assure ballot access there.

COASTers Kim Grant, Dan Regenold, Chris Finney and Scott Ross joined Americans for Prosperity staffers Jack Boyle and Jonathan Petrea in Toledo in July to spur efforts there over the top. At the same time, in a matter of days, activists in tiny Heath Ohio printed their petitions and gathered the required number of signatures to assure ballot access there.

As of the publication of this newsletter, the Toledo effort has reached 6,250 signatures against a needed 4,750 valid signature requirement. Toledoans have until approximately August 13 to finish their signature-gathering efforts to attain ballot access for the November 4 election.

“COAST was proud to provide important volunteer resources for petition campaigns in both Heath and Toledo,” said COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd. “In addition to advancing the cause of liberty in those cities, we have identified local leaders for the future legislative and political battles throughout Ohio.”

Already, Heath volunteers have indicated a willingness to help with petition campaigns in nearby Columbus and its suburbs.

COAST Helps Cincinnati Dodge 14,865 Bullets

Heath, Ohio suffers full onslaught of government enforcement cyborgs.

Heath is close-knit community of 8,527 people, 3,403 households, and 2,375 families. Its total land area is 10.4 square miles, making it the same size as Bright, Indiana if you include Hidden Valley Lake.

The mayor wanted photo enforcement to reduce accidents. Last July they had 35. This July that dropped to 30. But during that same month, 10 traffic robots monitoring 6 intersections, wrote a whopping 14,865 tickets! That's right folks, more than four tickets per household in the first month of operations. If all those tickets are paid, it will represent 12% of the entire budget for the whole county. Government officials still insist they never dreamed of using them for revenue enhancement. Yeah right.

Outraged residents turned to WeDemandAVote.com and COAST for help. Our General Counsel drafted a charter amendment that bans the use of speed trap spy cams forever. Activists in Heath demanded a vote, and turned in more than twice the required signatures to gain ballot access. This November the citizens of Heath, OH will decide whether to continue living under the omnipotent "protection" of Big Brother.

Recall that last year Cincinnati became the first city in the country to ban red light and speed enforcement cameras after COAST, NAACP and their coalition partners successfully amended our city charter. Just think, those could just as easily have been our traffic tickets. Whew!

2008-08-11 UPDATE: Revised breakdown is 12,555 speed violations, and 303 red light violations, about 8600 of which were issued by two speed-only cameras.

Red Light & Speeding Cameras in Full Retreat Throughout Ohio

COAST, AFP team up to kill bad idea statewide

In 2008, Cincinnati became first major City to ban red light cameras in its Charter.

COAST and Americans for Prosperity’s Ohio Chapter have achieved more progress in their goal to eradicate red light and speeding cameras throughout Ohio.

Here’s a rundown:

• In Toledo, COAST sent local organizer Scott Ross to Toledo to spearhead the conclusion of the petition drive there. The petition drive is more than half way to conclusion and is proceeding well. COASTers Chris Finney, Dan Regenold and Kim Grant took a road trip to Toledo to help boost the effort.
• Governor Strickland’s initiative to place speeding cameras on State highways was stripped from the state budget bill.
• The City of Canton rejected Red Light Cameras in March of this year after opponents exposed the Mayor for accepting contributions from RedFlex, the company that installs and operates the devices.
• With COAST’s help, the close-knit community of Heath Ohio has launched a Charter Amendment to strike down Council’s implementation of a Red Light Camera program there.
• COAST traveled to Pickerington (south of Columbus) earlier this year to fight Red Light Cameras. Under threat of a Charter Amendment petition drive the Council there abandoned plans for Red Light Cameras in that City.
• COAST is working on organizing a 2010 drive in Dayton against Red Light Cameras. Local volunteers are enthusiastic in their support.

Pickerington Rethinks Red Light Cameras

"Councilman Brian Wisniewski, who has opposed them from the start, said crash data show there is no need for the cameras. In 2008, there were 102 crashes on Rt. 256 at four intersections -- including the I-70 interchange -- with five of them caused by running a red light, Wisniewski said. All but one of those accidents occurred at I-70, where the Ohio Department of Transportation will not allow the city to install a camera."

After voting to install cameras along their main drag, Pickerington's City Council has now dropped the discussion. See full article in The Columbus Dispatch. It's refreshing to see they're dealing with the issue on the basis of public safety, and not as a band-aid for reckless overspending.

Last year, Cincinnati's WeDemandAVote.com coalition petitioned to put a charter amendment on the ballot to prohibit the city from using them to detect traffic violations unless an officer is present. Voters approved it overwhelmingly.

Similar efforts to remove red-light cameras are underway in Toledo and Chillicothe.

Toledo Red Light Drive Gains Momentum

Drive for liberty expands throughout Ohio

The WeDemandAVote.Com coalition and COAST have taken the drive to ban Red Light Cameras to Toledo, and soon Pickerington, Ohio. Of course, that team banned Red Light Cameras forever in Cincinnati in 2008. The Toledo drive will present a Charter Amendment to ban the pernicious devices in their City, with the same verbiage as the Cincinnati amendment. Pickerington’s rebels propose a referendum to repeal a new ordinance that will enact the devices, anticipated for passage this month.

Others Catching On To Red Light Cameras

Following Cincinnati’s lead in ditching the hated devices

Cincinnati is ahead of the curve when it comes to learning of the intrusiveness of red light and speeding cameras. Last year, with the assistance of COAST, Cincinnati voters banned red light and speeding cameras.

Now, Pinal County Arizona has dumped the pernicious devices, and in Italy, red light cameras have been shut down across the country as a result of a massive fraud scandal involving 109 public officials and contractors.

In Ohio, Toledo already has launched its campaign for a Charter Amendment to ban the pernicious devices, and the cities of Warren, Pickerington, Northwood, Chillicothe have asked for COAST’s help in banning the devices there. Honolulu, Hawaii has even contacted us seeking assistance. (We are hoping they fund a winter trip there for training.)

Who says Cincinnati is behind the times?

Toledo Red Light Camera Repeal Campaign Heats Up in the Cold Winter

The campaign to ban red light and speeding cameras in Toledo got an organizational boost this week with the announcement of two co-chairs of the campaign, and the launch of a web site where volunteers can get information and even download petitions in their home.

The Toledo campaign, known as WeDemandAVote.Com/Toledo, named as its campaign co-chairmen:

Atty Watkins
(419) 509-9171
Attyspatty@Yahoo.Com

Hans G. Schnapp
(419) 944-3067
HansGSchnapp@Hotmail.Com

The group also announced the launch of its web site: www.WeDemandAVote.Com/Toledo. There, red light camera information can be accessed, petitions and instruction sheets can be down-loaded and printed at home, and contact information can be found.

A further organizational meeting of the group will be held on Thursday, February 5, 2009 at 7 PM at Delaney’s Lounge, 309 West Alexis, Toledo, Ohio 43612. Call Bill Delaney at 419-654-4251 or e-mail him at Bar-Buddies@Juno.Com for more information on the meeting or to get your copies of petitions. Delaney’s Lounge is also the official pick-up and drop-off location for petitions.

The WeDemandAVote.Com/Toledo campaign has been formed to place on the fall ballot a Charter Amendment to effectively ban red light and speeding cameras in the City of Toledo. Currently, the City of Toledo splits revenues with the operator of the private camera company, RedFlex, and plans to extract more than $3.5 million in red light and speeding camera fines from already-beleaguered Toledo residents in 2009.

COAST takes Red Light Camera fight to Toledo

57 Toledoans show for initial organizing meeting

Last Monday, COAST Board member and legal counsel Chris Finney traveled to Toledo to bring petitions banning red light cameras to this northern Ohio City. COAST will be joined in the effort by representatives from the Republican Party, the Libertarian Party, and Americans for Prosperity – Ohio.

The Toledo Blade took note of the meeting here. Later, they blasted the COAST initiative here. COAST wears their scorn with pride, and as an indication it is on the right track. The Blade has been a lead cheerleader for the left-leaning state and local policies and politicians that have decimated Toledo families, the economy and community.

Read more about the COAST visit to Toledo here.

COAST, Americans for Prosperity take red light camera ban to Toledo

Organizing meeting is Monday, January 12 at 7 PM at Point Place Branch Library

COAST and Americans for Prosperity-Ohio, two partners in the coalition that enacted a ban on red light and speeding cameras in Cincinnati in 2008, are taking their campaign to Toledo this year. Their goal is to place on the November 2009 ballot a Charter Amendment banning red light and speeding cameras in that city.

The groups will be hosting an organizing meeting for the 2009 campaign on Monday, January 12, 2009 at the Point Place Branch Library, 2727 117th St. Toledo 43611 at 7:00 PM. Members of the public are invited to join the assemblage to help place the initiative on the ballot.

Throughout the spring and summer, volunteers in Toledo will be collecting the 7,000 valid signatures to place the issue before the voters. The total number of signatures needed, to account for bad and invalid signatures, will be approximately 14,000.

In 2008, volunteers from a broad-based coalition in Cincinnati collected more than 14,000 signatures to place the ban in the Cincinnati City Charter, and in November that ban was enacted into the Cincinnati City Charter. The Cincinnati coalition included representatives from the Cincinnati Chapter of the NAACP, the Southwest Ohio Green Party and the Ohio Libertarian Party. The group later was joined by the Hamilton County Republican Party, civic clubs and candidates from both political parties. The same groups will be invited to join the Toledo effort.

“COAST hopes to help start brushfires for liberty throughout Ohio,” said COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd. “Our experience is that, when given the chance to limit the encroachment of government interference in our lives, people grasp for liberty every time. The Toledo initiative brings hope for freedom to the oppressed citizens of northwest Ohio.”

All Toledo-area residents are invited to join COAST and AFP-Ohio at the organizing meeting.

COAST encourages a "Yes" on Issues 7 and 8

COASTers worked long and hard this year to collect signatures on petitions both banning Red Light Cameras and to enact Proportional Representation for City Council elections as part of our WeDemandAVote.Com coalition membership. Both are on the ballot as Issues 7 and 8, and COAST encourages a "YES" vote on each for City voters. Also, Red Light Camera signs are in. Call Chris Finney at 720-2996 to get your signs.