Freedom Center goes back to the teat

The gyrations of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center to grab more and more of our tax monies have become more desperate and more dramatic as the finances of the institution spiral downward.  Just in the past two weeks, City Council gave the NURFC yet another $300,000 taxpayer bailout and the NURFC’s renewed drive to become a full-time federal project was revealed.

First, a visit to its 2009 Federal 990 form, a document filed by non-profits and available to the public.  You can get your copy here.  A few highlights from that document:

·         The NURFC (page 9, Part VIII, line 2(a)) had revenue from admissions of only $525,690.  At the $12 adult admission price, that’s a mere 43,807 paying attendees for an entire year.   That’s 120 persons per day.  That’s less than the daily attendance at the basement-dwelling Cincinnati Bengals and fewer persons than the Reds attract to two average homes games.

·         The NURFC saw contributions in 2009 drop by more than half, from $6.1 million in 2008 to $2.3 million in 2009 (page 1, line 8).

·         The NURFC’s investment income dropped in from $1.2 million in 2008 to a loss of $4.3 million in 2009 (page 1, line 10).

·         The NURFC sustained a loss of $12.3 million in 2009 (page 1, line 19).

·         Of its contributions and grants, more than half ($1.182 million came from government grants).

·         The NURFC sustained a net loss on the sale of securities of $4.8 million last year (page 9, Part VIII, line 7(d)).

·         Its cash from the beginning of the year to the end of the year deterioriated from $2.8 million to $700,000 (Page 11, Part X, line 1).

·         The NURFC spent $348,953 on lobbying expenses in 2009 (page 3, Part II-B, line 1(f)).

·         NURFC Executive Director Donald Murphy is taking home a cool $259,419 in salary and benefits for running the place so nicely. 

To date, the total infusion of government cash into the NURFC exceeds $65,000,000.  If you amortize that investment out over 30 years, the useable life of the building, the subsidy per year is $2.167 million per year.  Divided by the estimated 43,800 annual paying attendees, equals a government subsidy of $49.47 for every single man, woman and child that enters the facility.

In late December, astonishingly, Cincinnati City Council voted to give the NURFC another $300,000 from the coffers of a flat-broke City.

And then Friday, the Enquirer reported that, once again, the cash-hemmoraging NURFC is pinning longevity homes on the National Park Service adopting the institution as a federal institution, thus forever freeing the losing proposition from market forces and any semblance of common sense in its operations.

Majority of Cincinnati City Council members have lost their minds

New budget cuts nothing; spends reserves; and adds $300,000 in funding for the Freedom Center

Hopelessly irrational and politically self-serving,
City Council has reached a new low of fiscal insanity

Apparently unable to learn the lessons of fiscal irresponsibility that the world-wide financial meltdown has brought, Cincinnati City Council taken our fair City ever closer to Chapter 9 bankruptcy last night with a series of 5-4 votes.  The Enquirer Editorial Board called the decisions a "recipe for disaster."

For six months or more,Cincinnati City Council has known that it had a $60 million deficit for 2011 (read: spending lots more than they had in income).  The solutions proposed were various combinations of a massive earnings tax increase (by Cecil Thomas), a garbage tax (by Mayor Mallory), or laying off up to 360 municipal workers, including 275 police and firefighters (by Mayor Mallory).

Rather than work to structurally balance the budget and put the City on solid footing going forward, they elected instead to borrow from their own emergency reserves, self-insured health insurance pool, and workers compensation fund, and to count on budget gimmicks that will not pan out.  All this leaves an even deeper deficit for 2012, virtually guaranteeing that a massive tax hike will appear on the ballot that year.

To add insult to injury of Cincinnati taxpayers, a Council majority voted to give the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center an additional $300,000 in capital funding, on top of the more than $65 million in public funding it has already received. COAST has exposed the waste and lies from the Freedom Center  here. Most notably, the Freedom Center promised that once the initial government funds were provided for construction, it would not seek or accept more taxpayer funds for capital or operation needs.  It repeatedly has broken that promise.

The five Council members who voted for this fiscal insanity are:

Roxanne Qualls,  (513) 352-3604

Laure Quinlivan, (513) 352-5303

Cecil Thomas,     (513) 352-3499

Charlie Winburn  (513) 352-5354

Wendell Young,   (513) 352-3466

The Cincinnati Enquirer has an excellent editorial about the depth of irresponsibility undertaken by this Council.

These terrible budget decisions are made, of course, in the context of an unresolved $800 million deficit in the City pension fund and a new $143 million the City has committed to the 3-mile trolley line from the Freedom Center to Corryville. 

COAST is asking its readers to call and write these five council members to express disappointment in their terribly poor decisions made by those entrusted with a fiduciary obligation to the taxpayers and residents of this City.  We are not overstating it when we say that the citizenry has every right to be freightened by this dramatic turn toward fiscal irresponsibility taken by our Council.

Pepper Seeks New Government Teat To Suckle

Freedom Center in talks to lean on Federal Government

Too many pigs suckling on state and local government
Forces Freedom Center to look to Washington

After sucking more than $70 million from the City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County, and the State of Ohio with over-hyped attendance projections and financial performance (read: lies), the National Underground Freedom Center appears to have run out of luck getting more state and local funding. 

Thus, it has now turned to the Federal government as a new teat to suckle for its endless operating losses and capital budget needs.  The Federal Government, as everyone knows, is the source of endless largess and unlimited funds, and will hold no one accountable to  silly standards like attendance and fiscal performance goals.  The failed Freedom Center is brought to you courtesy of former Procter & Gamble Chairman and Current Walt Disney Corporation Chairman John Pepper, who of course could affored to endow the institution against the losses he created if he so chose. 

Luken, Enquirer Shine Spotlight on Wasteful Riverfront Transit Center

SORTA defends enormous misuse of public monies

"Cincinnati's Other Abandoned Subway"

Usually, true stories about wasted government money and misplaced priorities are better than we could make up. This is one of those. Right under our noses, our elected officials have squandered more than $42 million on a subway station that has sat empty for six years, and has no prospects for use in the coming five years. Former Congressman Luken has shined the spotlight on this profligate waste of public monies, including asking for an investigation by Ohio’s Inspector General.

In 2003, with great fanfare, elected officials from City, County, State and Federal governments cut the ribbon on the Cincinnati Riverfront Transit Center – extending from Great American Ballpark to Paul Brown Stadium on Cincinnati’s riverfront. The project is a 316,628 square foot leviathan designed to serve 500 buses per hour, heavy or light rail trains, complete with tiled floors and walls, mosaic murals and elevators, escalators, restrooms and staircases. The public can get a glimpse of the Center from the out-of-place and unused “subway-style” entrances near Great American Ballpark and the other waste of money on Cincinnati’s Riverfront – the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Photos of the white elephant are here.

Today, due to construction defects, disuse and leaks, the structure is falling into disrepair and rusting. Since its opening it has hardly ever been used, and yet SORTA officials defend its construction. Exactly what evidence would they need to concede this project is an abject failure?

COAST suggests ever so gently that maybe, just maybe, this type of spending orgy could be averted if the current anti-boondoggle Charter Amendment had been in place before 2002.

Freedom Center Funding Killed in Ohio Senate

Republican senators stand firm against wasteful proposal

COAST stopped NURFC dead in its tracks in seeking an additional $3.1 million State of Ohio operating subsidy

COAST’s calls and e-mails have worked: the Ohio Senate stripped $3.1 million in additional spending for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center from the state’s budget bill.

“COASTers calls and letters worked,” said COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd. “Thanks to those who wrote their senators. And COAST especially want to thank Senate President Bill Harris and Clermont County Senator Tom Niehaus for their leadership in killing this wasteful spending. The NURFC promised not to accept tax money for its operations and we want to help them to keep that promise.”

The final budget bill also stripped the Ohio House’s implementation of speeding cameras on State Highways.

Hamilton County representatives Connie Pillich (D-Montgomery), Denise Driehaus (D-Delhi), Dale Mallory (D-Cincinnati) and Tyrone Yates (D-Cincinnati) all supported the House version of the budget bill that included the two bad ideas from the Governor.

Proposed Senate Budget Cuts Freedom Center Funds

Republicans strip all earmarks from House Budget Bill; Call your Senator to encourage discipline
The bottomless pit of tax dollars known as
the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Finally freeing itself from the failed legacy of tax-and-spend Governor Bob Taft, the Ohio Senate has introduced an alternative to the budget from the liberal democrat House that strips all earmarks from the plan. The House Budget bill contained more than $8.6 million in earmarks, including a whopping $3.1 million for Cincinnati’s National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
After the Ohio House passed its budget, the administration announced that Ohio was facing a $3 billion deficit for the coming biennial. Of course, that means a massive tax hike!

Leaders in the Ohio Senate have assured COAST that Freedom Center funding will not be negotiated back into the bill during budget conference.

COAST encourages its members to call their Senators to encourage them to stand strong against Freedom Center funding.

State Senator	Serving:	Telephone
Eric Kearney	Central Hamilton County	(614) 466-5980
Bill Seitz	West & North Hamilton County	(614) 466-8068
Bob Schuler	East Hamilton & Warren Counties	(614) 466-9737
Tom Niehaus	Clermont County	(614) 466-8082
Gary Cates	Butler County	(614) 466-8072
Bill Harris	Senate President	(614) 466-8086

After four years of fighting against Freedom Center funding, victory appears close at hand.

Freedom Center seeks $3.1 million in additional tax money

Only your swift action can stop them

Later this month, the Ohio Senate will be voting on yet another $3.1 million in tax subsidy for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Your swift action in contacting your Senator will help stop this inexcusable waste of money. Read more here.

Ohio House votes to give Freedom Center $3.1 million operating subsidy

Please contact your Senators immediately to stop this waste of money

Earlier this week, the Ohio House of Representatives passed its version of the 2009-2011 Biennial Budget, and it included $3.1 million in operating subsidy for the failed National Underground Railroad Freedom Center -- $1.55 million per year for the next two years. The subsidy is the most devoted to any museum in Ohio, although the Freedom Center attracts fewer than 62,000 visitors per year – a small fraction of Ohio’s successful museums.

COASTers still have a chance to influence the outcome of this debate by contacting your State Senators NOW, and asking them to support an amendment to strip the wasteful funding from the bill.

When it originally sought Federal, State, County and City subsidy for its $110 million construction cost, Freedom Center executives promised that it would not ever require any operating subsidy. Then, three years ago, Freedom Center CEO John Pepper announced that because the Freedom Center was not meeting its financial and attendance projections, it required millions of tax dollars per year in perpetuity. Since then, multi-millionaire Pepper has greased legislators’ palms to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to start and keep cash flowing to the failing institution. Read here the COAST story on the graft.

When the museum was originally promoted, it promised to bring one million visitors to Cincinnati from all over the world. Today, the Freedom Center attracts fewer than 62,000 paying visitors, and they are mostly children from the area forced to go there on school field trips. These visitors generate near-zero economic activity for the City, because they come and leave on school buses, not stopping to spend additional cash.

Read the COAST story here about the Freedom Center’s 2007 federal income tax return (the most recent available) that showed that the institution generated a mere $827,084 in ticket sale revenue. The Freedom Center originally received $55 million in public subsidy for its construction and has received more than $10 million in infusions of tax cash in just the last 36 months. Read the COAST story here about the Freedom Center’s continued waste of precious resources on over-paid executives.

Please contact your State Senator at the e-mail address (click name to mail) and/or phone number below to ask them to strip Freedom Center funding from the State budget bill.

State Senator	Serving:	Telephone
Eric Kearney	Central Hamilton County	(614) 466-5980
Bill Seitz	West & North Hamilton County	(614) 466-8068
Bob Schuler	East Hamilton & Warren Counties	(614) 466-9737
Tom Niehaus	Clermont County	(614) 466-8082
Gary Cates	Butler County	(614) 466-8072
Bill Harris	Senate President	(614) 466-8086

Your urgent action is needed to stop this shameful and continuing waste of our scarce tax dollars. Please call or write today.

Cincinnati Requests $12.6 Million of Federal Stimulus Package For Trolley

Boondoggle railroaded on voters

Ignoring the WeDemandAVote.Com coalition’s petition drive to force a public vote on Council plan for a $400 million trolley system serving only three neighborhoods, Mayor Mark Mallory in January asked its Congressional delegation to support inclusion in the federal stimulus bill of $12.6 million for the nascent trolley plan. A copy of the City’s request is here.

The request is part of an overall request by the City of nearly $333 million in Stimulus funds. Read the entire request here. COAST supposes we should be happy there is no request for funds for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in there.

Cincinnati City Council first approved the trolley plan in April of last year. The Council resolution called for raising $32 million of the costs for the plan from private sources and charged the City Manager with doing the private fundraising. The April resolution called for the City Manager to report to Council quarterly on his fundraising results. To date, the City Manager has never issued such a report and no private funds have been donated.

The City did, however, extract $3 million from Duke Energy as part of a complex kick-back deal in which the City consented to a higher rate increase than Duke requested, and sold them 20,000 city-owned streetlights for $200 a piece. Cincinnati previously maintained the lights themselves to save money under a recommendation by the Smale Commission. The city sellout abandons that strategy to raise some quick cash.

The WeDemandAVote.Com coalition, which has placed three issues on the ballot in the past two years, has committed in 2009 to placing an issue on the ballot preventing the expenditure of major funds by the City for passenger rail transportation without first receiving the approval of voters. Call Mark Miller at 513-617-2263 for your copy of the petition and instruction sheet, or e-mail Treasurer@GoCOAST.Org.

African-American Exhibits Bypass Freedom Center

Even developers of freedom-themed shows avoid NURFC

Subsidized with more than $65 million in tax dollars, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center has tried to position itself as a center for African American culture and study in the Cincinnati region. However, those who develop and fund exhibits with themes involving the history of slavery and the civil rights movement in America have consistently bypassed this institution bloated with tax dollars that it does not deserve.

Here is just a partial list of prestigious exhibits that have avoided the Freedom Center in favor of the Museum Center, less than two miles away.

• 2006- Celebrating 100 Years of Service: The Alpha Kappa Alpha Story: The story of the nation's first African American Greek sorority.


• 2007- National Geographic 'Real Pirates' Exhibition – The story of the Whydah, a real pirate ship that began as a slave ship, and the stories of the diverse people whose lives converged on the vessel.


• 2008- Freedom’s Sisters is the first and most comprehensive traveling exhibit on women in the Civil Rights movement. Produced by Cincinnati Museum Center and touring nationally by The Smithsonian.


• 2009-“America I Am: The African American Imprint” A commercial enterprise created by the noted African American television personality and author Tavis Smiley with Cincinnati Museum Center.


• 2009- RACE: Are We So Different? An award winning exhibit from the Science Museum of Minnesota. It explores races from a sociological and scientific basis.


• 2009-Inauguration coverage. Cincinnati Museum Center, with support from Radio One and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1099 (UFCW) presented a community viewing of the inauguration events. The NURFC tried to accomplish the same type of thing, but failed miserably.

It appears that even projects devoted to themes of slavery, African American freedom and civil rights avoid the Freedom Center like the plague. Why can’t our lawmakers figure this out?

The Museum Center, in contrast, appears to be an institution that has responsibly used its tax dollars and leveraged these and other tremendous exhibits that bring praise for our community. Some other CMC facts:

• The CMC combines the formerly independent boards of the Historical Society, Natural History Museum, Museum Center Foundation, and Children’s Museum into one entity.


• Instead of devouring public funds to construct a new building, they took over Union Terminal, a national historic landmark that Cincinnatians wanted to preserve, and gave the building a new purpose in our community.


• The CMC had 1.3 million visitors last year; more than the Art Museum, Contemporary Art Center, Taft Museum and Underground Railroad Freedom Center combined!

Today’s point is that CMC has been remarkable in their success and has developed a national reputation for the Museum, our city and amazingly exhibits on African American issues and history.

NURFC Botches Obama Inauguration

A packed house gathered in the 300 seat theater of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC) to view the historic inauguration of President Barak Obama. For many it was the culmination of a dream that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shared with millions in his famous speach on the National Mall in Washington, DC in 1963, and in a BBC interview where he predicted a black president "within 40 years".

But just as that dream was about to come true, the NURFC had technical trouble with its internet feed. They had no alternate source lined up, and told the crowd to go somewhere else to witness the momentous occasion.

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

-Langston Hughes

The few who stuck around wound up gathered around a small screen on the third floor, craning for a glimpse. "They didn't use TVs because it would have required 250 feet of cable wire and more manpower than they have," said a Cincinnati Enquirer reporter who was blogging the event.

The NURFC laid off 17 of its 64 staff in December for budgetary reasons. So presumably it's the taxpayers' fault for failing to fund the NURFC as lavishly as they'd like.

Freedom Center Again Reports Bloated Executive Salaries

Lays off 17 in December

In November, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center released its 2007 federal income tax return showing that its top two executives earned salary and benefits of more than $546,842 in 2007. Less than a month later, the NURFC, facing a 28% budget shortfall, laid off 17 of its 64 full-time employees. Read the Business Courier story of the layoffs here.

According to the tax return, its CEO Donald Murphy earned $282,720 in salary and benefits in 2007, an increase of 4% over his $272,000 package in 2006. Its President, Spencer Crew, who left the employ of the NURFC in 2007, raked in $264,122. You may view the NURFC 2007 income tax return here.

COAST reported here that, according to those same tax returns, attendance revenue for all of 2007 was only $735,125. The Business Courier reports that the NURFC’s 2009 operating budget is $5.8 million.

Freedom Center Attendance Falls Further

Pepper’s bottomless pit continues to waste tax dollars

Paid attendance at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC) fell in 2007 to approximately 61,260 persons compared to 69,000 in 2006, according to its IRS 990 income tax returns. The decline is yet more evidence that the monies invested in the NURFC by City, State and Federal governments is utterly cash dumped down a bottomless pit. Former Proctor and Gamble Chairman John Pepper has spread tens of thousands of dollars in contributions to politicians to leverage the tax subsidies to his pet project.

“When, oh when, will our politicians learn,” asked COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd, “that the Freedom Center is a complete waste of tax dollars? It is comical that City, County, State and Federal governments complain about the shortage of tax dollars, and then profligately waste enormous amounts of money on the Freedom Center.”

The NURFC filed its required tax return for non-profit corporations for calendar year 2007 at the end of October 2008. The return shows that in 2006, ticket sales generated $827,084. In 2007, that number dropped 11% to $735,125. The $12 ticket price yields the paid attendance numbers noted above. The NURFC, which offers a variety of free admission opportunities to pump up its attendance numbers, had projected 1,000,000 visitors from throughout the world per year when it solicited $55 million in taxpayer subsidy to construct the facility.

The NURFC announced in 2004 that it would seek $3 million in tax subsidies for its operations per annum to sustain itself, after it failed to meet its income and attendance projections. Since that time, the City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County and the State of Ohio have pumped more than $7 million into its operations.

Since that time, John Pepper and other NURFC board members have contributed tens of thousands of dollars to state legislators, Cincinnati City council members and Hamilton County Commissioners to assure the continued flow of tax dollars into NURFCs coffers.

In 2007 the NURFC reported that it had operating expenses of $7.4 million. That means the actual cost of operating the facility for every person who came through the turnstiles is a shocking $121! See the tax return here and run the numbers for yourself; it's astonishing!

Republicans Sell Out (Again), Giving Freedom Center $875,000

In a continuation of the policies of the disgraced Taft administration, the Republican-controlled house and senate have approved $875,000 of additional funding for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Speaker Husted even refused to recognize Representative Brinkman to allow him to introduce an amendment to the bill for a vote before the House.

COAST had launched an extensive lobbying effort to educate and persuade legislators against voting for further taxpayer support for this failed and wasteful institution, including more than 500 postcards sent to each of Governor Strickland and Speaker Husted. During his eight years as Governor, Bob Taft consistently supported funding for the Freedom Center. Now, Speaker Husted, Governor Strickland and Senate President Harris have continued riding the Freedom Center’s train toward excessive spending.

COAST has documented here the excessive salaries for its executives and here how John Pepper and Freedom Center executives have greased the palms of powerful statehouse officials to gain favor for their funding.

Representative Brinkman followed through on his promise to offer an amendment to strip the funding, however Republican Speaker John Husted refused to recognize him to allow the amendment to be presented.

“Speaker Husted appears to have graduated from the Bob Taft school of governance,” said COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd. “He not only ignored the will of millions of Republicans throughout Ohio to cut off this funding, he prevented his own Republican legislators from having a say on the issue. When Republicans are slaughtered in November, Speaker Husted and other Taft-like Republicans will have no one but themselves to blame.”

Freedom Center executives have said they intend to seek $3 million in taxpayer funding every year in perpetuity.

Representatives and Senators voting against Freedom Center funding were: Representative Tom Brinkman.

Representatives and Senators voting to support Freedom Center funding were: Senator Gary Cates, Senator Bob Schuler, Senator Bill Seitz, Senator Eric Kearney, Senator Tom Niehaus, Representative Jim Raussen, Representative Lou Blessing, Representative Bob Mecklenborg, Representative Dale Mallory, Representative Steve Driehaus, Representative Tyrone Yates, Representative Michelle Schneider, Representative Courtney Combs, Representative Bill Coley, Representative Joseph Uecker, Representative Shannon Jones, and Representative Danny Buhp.

Drake Declines Portune's Tax Levy

Four years ago, Commission Phil Heimlich and COAST leader Christopher P. Finney exposed the profligate waste at Drake Center, raging out of control at $1 million per month in unnecessary taxpayer losses. Fortunately, they negotiated the sale of the property to the Health Alliance. A crucial part of that agreement with the County was that the Health Alliance would not seek renewal of the five-year levy when it expired in 2009.

Amazingly, over the past few months, Todd Portune and members of the County administration at his urging, pushed the Health Alliance and Drake to ask for a renewal or expansion of the levy anyway – at a cost to the taxpayers of between $12 and $20 million per year.

On May 29, the Health Alliance and Drake politely declined Mr. Portune’s generous offer of even more of your tax dollars with this letter.

“The taxpayers of Hamilton County owe a debt of gratitude to the Health Alliance for sticking to its promise upon the sale of Drake,” said COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd. “Unlike the National Underground Freedom Center, which has repeatedly broken promises when it comes to tax cash, the Health Alliance has started a new trend away from unbridled greed when it comes to tax dollars.”

COAST condemns Todd Portune for this shameless attempt to re-instate a tax that has already been eliminated. The Health Alliance has now clearly indicated that the tax money is not needed to run Drake, which was COAST's position all along. The sale of Drake to the Health Alliance has saved the taxpayers more than $12 million per year. “That Commissioner Portune would want to un-do this is nothing short astounding and treacherous,” said Gloyd.

Despite denials, Freedom Center is greasing legislators' palms in Columbus

As reported in this Enquirer blog, on April 15 (tax day!), the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center hosted a cocktail reception at the offices of its high-priced lobbyists in Columbus to lubricate legislators for inclusion in upcoming the State Capital Budget Bill.
The Freedom Center has $3.75 million in pending requests, including an astounding $1.4 million to relocate its front door.
Last week, the Blue Chip Young Republicans joined the opposition to further NURFC tax funding, prompting this blog item in the Cincinnati Beacon.
Surprisingly, Paul Bernish the official spokesperson for the NURFC replied to that blog entry, challenging the Blue Chippers stating that the Blue Chippers press release essentially accused them of trying to "buy a legislator," which was "close to accusing the Freedom Center of commiting [sic] a criminal act."
So, COAST decided to research campaign finance records to see how much money NURFC executives and Board members are spreading around to powerful legislators. What we found was nothing short of astounding. The entire COAST compilation is here.

NURFC executives and Board members donated a total of more than $80,000 over the past three years to the Governor and key members of the Ohio House and Senate.

Of that amount, these executives gave more than $45,500 to Democrat Ted Strickland's campaign for Governor alone, including $20,000 from ultra-wealthy NURFC supporter John Pepper and his wife. NURFC executives have pinned their Capital Bill hopes on the Governor's insistence on including it in the bill.

They gave an additional $6,300 to Democrat State Senator Eric Kearney, who is the chief legislative champion for funding this year, going so far as to organize a Black Legislative Caucus bus tour of the NURFC all the way from Columbus.

Republican Michelle Schneider, who carried the NURFC's water for 2006 Capital Funding received $3,750 for her efforts. Not a bad return for the NURFC - the raked in $2 million in state funds that year.

Bill Seitz, who is working behind the scenes in the State Senate for NURFC funding at present has received more than $2,800.

The only local elected official to openly champion NURFC funding, liberal democrat Todd Portune, received more than $28,705 from a fundraiser hosted at the home of John Pepper. How did the Peppers' obtain this favor for their failed project? Perhaps from the contributions they helped funnel to Portune?

Bernish concluded his blog entry by challenging Blue Chip President Jeff Cappel about the claimed implication of illegality: "Surely that's not what you intended."
Well, COAST does not know what Capell intended, but it suggests to its readers that the actions of the NURFC speak for themselves.
URGENT, the capital budget bill will be released any day: Please contact your legislator soon to tell them you oppose further taxpayer funds for the NURFC:

Senator Gary Cates SD04@mailr.sen.state.oh.us
Senator Bob Schuler sd07@mailr.sen.state.oh.us
Senator Bill Seitz sd08@mailr.sen.state.oh.us
Senator Eric Kearney Senatorkearney@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Senator Tom Niehaus sd14@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Representative Jim Raussen district28@ohr.state.oh.us
Representative Lou Blessing district29@ohr.state.oh.us
Representative Bob Mecklenborg district30@ohr.state.oh.us
Representative Steve Driehaus district31@ohr.state.oh.us
Representative Tyrone Yates district33@ohr.state.oh.us
Representative Tom Brinkman, Jr. district34@ohr.state.oh.us
Representative Michelle Schneider district35@ohr.state.oh.us
Representative Courtney Combs district54@ohr.state.oh.us
Representative Bill Coley district55@ohr.state.oh.us
Representative Joseph Uecker district66@ohr.state.oh.us
Representative Shannon Jones district67@ohr.state.oh.us
Representative Danny Buhp district88@ohr.state.oh.us

Finally, please send an e-mail to COAST to let us know you contacted your legislator and their response on NURFC funding. Thank you.