Commissioner Monzel moves to stop MSD funds from going to support the Streetcar

COAST allies in streetcar fight abound

In August, COAST asked the City for records showing the costs associated witht he streetcar for relocation of facilities of Cincinnati Water Works, Metropolitan Sewer District and Duke Energy. As a result, the Cincinnati Business Courier ran this story.

 

What the story revealed was that the City was pushing for MSD to shoulder a share of the costs associated with the Streetcar construction between $2 million and $3 million.

In response, Commissioner Chris Monzel proposed a motion to prevent MSD from spending any monies to support the Streetcar project.

 

Please call Chris Monzel's office at 946-4410 to thank him for this important initiative and call Commissioners Hartmann (946-4405) and Portune (946-4401) asking that they support the Monzel resolution.

A vote on September 26th is expected.

Eager to clean the carcass

Reeling from multiple blows this week, Cincinnati's streetcar project is knocking at death's door. County Commissioner Todd Portune wasted no time grieving before before making a play for its funding.

At Wednesday morning’s Hamilton County commission meeting, Portune suggested that the county seek part of the money to begin building long-planned decks over Fort Washington Way. The decks, which would connect Second and Third Streets, could be used for commercial development or as green space.

That's just what we need while struggling to cover basic services: more non-revenue-producing space that costs money to water, landscape, mow and patrol.  Let the dead rest in peace.

Lame Duck Commission tries for yet another sales tax hike

Your urgent action needed
-- Lame duck County Commission --
~ COASTers need to call TODAY
to stop yet another sales tax hike ~

 

            COAST has just learned that one last attempt is underway raise the County sales tax, and to do it before the term of liberal democrat David Pepper's term expires at the end of December.

            The urgent action of COASTers is needed NOW to stop Portune and Pepper from advancing this tax increase during the lame duck session between now and year's end.  Please call or write your Commissioner immediately indicating your opposition to this tax rip-off that already has been rejected twice by the voters:

Todd Portune              (513) 946-4401

David Pepper              (513) 946-4409

Greg Hartmann           (513) 946-4405

Please ask them not to raise the sales tax before year's end!

            In 2006, Todd Portune joined a unanimous Commission seeking to raise $333 million from a 1/4¢ sales tax increase that was put to a vote of the people that same year.  The voters rejected that increase by a 57% margin.

           In 2007, the democrats took over control of the Commission with the election of liberal democrat David Pepper and their first major act was to impose a 1/2¢ sales tax increase without a vote of the people.  This plan was designed to raise $777 million for a new jail and social services -- a Super-sized sales tax!  The legendary WeDemand coalition was formed to oppose that tax, and in 45 days, the NAACP, COAST, the Libertarian party, the Green Party, Cincinnati Progressive Action and others gathered 56,000 signatures using more than 350 volunteers to place the issue before the voters.  That fall, tax proponents spent more than $1 million (including $100,000 from David Pepper's mother) and still the tax lost by 56% of the vote.

             Now, some 30 months later, they are at it again.  Todd Portune is advancing yet another plan to secure an unvoted 1/2¢ sales tax increase, this time to pay the stadium fund deficit.  Yes, that's right, Todd Portune wants yet another tax increase for Mike Brown's pleasure palace on the riverfront.

             Apparently the Todd Portune did not get the message about voter rejection of tax-and-spend policies from the fall election.  Please call all three Commissioners explain it to them one more time.

            (We do not at this time have any indication of which way David Pepper is leaning on the issue, we just know how he has voted int he past.  Commissioner Hartmann has already stated his firm opposition.)

After $17 million, spigot for Democrat Commissioners’ outside counsel is cut off

Will someone, anyone stop them from wasting our money, please!

More than two years ago, Prosecutor Joe Deters noted that the democrat Commissioners were wasting money on their political advisor and outside legal counsel, Tom Gableman and the firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease.  He asked repeatedly and politely for the Commissioners to properly supervise the work of the Vorys firm, and to rein in the spending.  Because the Commissioners were also getting free political counsel from the Vorys firm, the democrat Commissioners refused.

In October of last year, at Deters’ request, 12 of 13 Judge on the Common Pleas Court signed an Order terminating the Gableman/Vorys relationship.  Over the next few weeks, the Commission held a series of illegal secret meetings that culminated in Portune and Pepper voting to hire themselves as attorneys to represent the Commission in a lawsuit against their own Common Pleas Court Judges at the Ohio Supreme Court.  This suit has eaten up hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees on both sides.

Wednesday, the Ohio Supreme ruled that the Pepper/Portune suit was filed in the wrong Court (great legal work David and Todd!) and lacked merit.  In short, the Common Pleas Court Judges were correct in terminating the Vorys relationship.

So, Messrs. Pepper and Portune, the fountain of taxpayer funding for your political consultants has been cut off.

COAST extends a hearty “Thank You” to Joe Deters for taking on this fight to cut off this waste of tax moneys!

Hartmann Directs Obamacare Dividend to Local Benefit

County Commissioner Greg Hartmann is proposing to redirect $22 million of indigent care levy funding to bail out the bankrupt stadium fund. He is the only commissioner so far who has presented a well thought out, workable plan for this, and the only one who has committed to fixing what's broken without doing further harm to peoples' budgets through tax increases. He should be applauded for his effort.

Hamilton County's indigent care levy is a leftover relic of a bygone era when we had to care for our own. Recently Congress passed Obamacare making it illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, requiring every american to purchase health insurance, and providing coverage for those unable to afford it. Thus there are no more uninsured people to receive indigent care, and therefore no need for an indigent care levy. The feds will be handling it from here on out.

However the 1/2 cent sales tax passed to construct two new sports stadiums has been abused by previous commissioners to fund all sorts of things the voters never intended. In addition to the two stadium boondoggles, funds were redirected to the Ft Washington Way boondoggle, part of the Freedom Center boondoggle, portions of the Riverfront Transit Center boondoggle, and The Banks boondoggle.

Now the stadium fund is approaching insolvency and would have to be bailed out with dollars from the county general fund. Those dollars are already barely funding the statutory needs of the county such as courts, sheriffs, etc. Any bailout would necessarily result in a reduction of government services.

Commissioner Todd Portune proposes to fix the deficit strictly through new taxes, while commissioner David Pepper wants to erase the red ink by eliminating the property tax rollback (an old tax cut) which he previously promised was a "deeply illegitimate act" and therefore off the table.

Greg Hartmann's proposal to use the Obamacare dividend to makeup the shortfall in the stadium fund is a responsible and logical strategy to play the political cards we have been dealt. It should be implemented.

2010-06-08 Supplement: Read Hartmann's proposal to the Tax Levy Review committee here. Local 12 coverage of same here. Enquirer Politics Extra coverage here.

Portune’s Charter plan is massive power grab

Liberal democrats Todd Portune and David Pepper have empaneled a “Reform Commission” that appears to have been charged in advance with recommending that the County adopt a County Charter with a new “County Executive,” (like a Mayor) and a “County Council” (with more members than the current 3-member Commisison).  However, more pernicious than these dramatic structural changes would be massive new “home rule” legislative and taxing powers.  The new form of government is designed to accelerate the tax, spend and regulate desires of the Commission’s majority.

COAST will be testifying in opposition to the power grab on Monday, May 17^th.

Because of massive over-spending, Stadium Fund faces deficit

There is no question that Commissioners Bob Bedinghaus, Tom Neyer and John Dowlin sold out the voters when they negotiated the Bengal’s stadium lease in September 1996. However, the Stadium Fund would not be in the fix it is today were it not for the continued spending by Commissioners Todd Portune and David Pepper from a fund that already is insolvent. Their over-spending has accelerated the day of reckoning to the middle of today’s recession, when tax revenues are depressed and the problems even more pronounced.

Since the democrats have taken control of the County Commission, and knowing that the fund was broke, Portune and Pepper have committed to $90 million in new spending on the Banks infrastructure, and Commissioners have spent more than $20 million on outside counsel. This and other mis-spending has driven a Stadium Fund deficit that requires a tax increase or a subsidy from the County’s general fund in 2011.

Perhaps even worse than the negligent financial projects of a prior commission, Portune and Pepper have committed to spending millions on future phases of the Banks project, knowing that the fund was hopelessly insolvent, thus committing County voters to a nearly inevitable tax increase.

Breaking a solemn campaign promise, David Pepper has proposed eliminating the property tax rollback that was a fundamental part of the stadium tax deal. Pepper also relies upon a new ticket tax from ticket sales at the two stadiums to close the gap, but fails to mention that these two revenue sources will not pay for the estimated $30 million annual Stadium Fund deficit. Pepper could not find a second vote for his fundamentally dishonest plan.

So, Commissioners Portune and Pepper have decided to pursue a sales tax increase to fund the Stadium Fund deficit. It is on four separate sales tax increase proposals that they are having public hearings this week and next, including two that will again bypass voters.

While Portune and Pepper are playing the same broken record that we can blame Bob Bedinghaus for the fiscal straits of the County, the reality is that Portune and Pepper have significantly worsened the deficit, and did so when they well knew the fund was insolvent.

County Commission holds hearings on yet another sales tax increase for Stadium Fund

February 10 and 17 at 9:30 AM
Apparently unable to understand the meaning of the word “no,” Commissioners Todd Portune and David Pepper will hold hearings on yet another proposed increase in the sales tax this week and next week. Again, not learning the lessons of the past, among the options on which hearings will be held is increasing the sales tax without a vote of the electorate.

The hearings will be held Wednesday, February 10 at 9:30 AM and again on Wednesday, February 17 at 9:30 AM. Both public sessions will be in the County Commission offices on the 6th floor of the County Administration Building, 138 East Court Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.

COASTers are encouraged to attend the meetings and testify, or call or write their Commissioners at the addresses and numbers noted below:

	Greg Hartman	David Pepper	Todd Portune
Phone:	513-946-4405	513-946-4409	513-946-4401
Fax:	513-946-4404	513-946-4407	513-946-4446
E-mail (Click)	Email Greg	Email David	Email Todd

COASTers will recall that in 2006, voters rejected a sales tax increase for a new jail. Not understanding that message, Portune and Pepper tripled the size of that tax and implemented a sales tax in2007 without a public vote. A unique coalition of the NAACP, COAST, the Green Party and the Libertarian Party united to place the issue before the voters and defeat the tax, despite more than $1 million spent by tax advocates, including $100,000 spent by David Pepper’s ultra-wealthy mommy and daddy.

The desire of Portune and Pepper for more of your tax money is congenital and can only be counterbalanced by a vocal and resolute public telling them our objections. Please speak out once again, because apparently they did not hear you the last two times.

Portune, Pepper act to raise sales tax yet again

Behind the scenes at County government

            Todd Portune and David Pepper have voted again to hold public hearings to raise the County sales tax to fund the deficit they have created in the County’s stadium fund.  Commissioners attempted in 2006 and 2007 to raise the sales tax, and each time the voters rejected the cash-grab.  In 2007, Portune and Pepper passed the tax without a vote of the electorate.  Only due to the effort of a unique coalition of COAST, the Cincinnati NAACP, the Green party, the Libertarian Party, Cincinnati Progressive Action and others, was the issue placed before the voters and defeated.

Nearby Butler County already has an advantage over other surrounding counties, which any hike would amplify. Do we really want to incentivize people to take their business elsewhere?

            The hearings take place on February 10 and February 17.  The location has not yet been announced.

            In November, David Pepper showed his low character by breaking his clear promise to taxpayers not to eliminate ore reduce the property tax rollback that was a part of the stadium deal.  His fellow democrat Todd Portune surprisingly rejected that tax hike, hanging Pepper out to dry all alone. 

Portune, far from being an advocate of fiscal restraint, finally came out of the fiscal closet, openly declaring he favors an increase in the County sales tax.  Pepper, while publicly claiming to oppose s sales tax hike (does his word mean anything?), voted in January to hold public hearings on the hike, a legal prerequisite to a sales tax increase.

Insides are predicting that Portune and Pepper will compromise on some tax increase.

The third Commissioner, a Republican, Greg Hartmann has said he opposes any tax hike and instead prefers spending cuts to balance the County’s stadium fund.

City, County leaders want new metro tax to fund transit

Apparently forgetting the 69% rejection in 2002 of the County-wide 1 cent increase in the sales tax to fund an expanded county-wide bus system, and a light rail system, Todd Portune, Roxanne Qualls, and Chris Bortz are promoting a new County tax to fund SORTA and other big-government transportation plans. Maybe Bortz can use this to fund his trolley.

Photo courtesy of here.

Behind-The-Scenes Intrigue of Stadium Property Tax Rollback

"et tu, Todd?!?"

There’s plenty of back-stabbing and intrigue on the intense Stadium property tax rollback story in the halls of the County Courthouse.

We got ourselves into the Stadium financing mess in Hamilton County not because of the Reds, Bengals, and unprincipled politicians.  Indeed greedy team owners and selfish politicians did what they are expected to do – act in their self-interest. 

However, the media and the voters were asleep at the switch following the Stadium Sales Tax vote in 1996, leading to the disaster that generated many headlines, including the recent New York Times feature story.

Even worse, the voters and media are ignoring the story happening right under our noses today, exacerbating the misery of Hamilton County taxpayers.

·                     The local media steadfastly refuses to cover the continued spending of hundreds of millions of dollars from the bankrupt Stadium Fund by Commissioners Portune and Pepper, making the fiscal prospects of the fund without a tax increase or general fund subsidy impossible and the situation more urgent than it otherwise would be.  Why do they insist on ignoring the story?

·                     The Stadium Fund fiasco and Pepper’s broken promises has created a significant rift between Commissioner Portune and Pepper, including last-minute back-stabbing and name calling.  Their character shines through.

·                     Lost in the story of Portune’s vote against a property tax increase is Portune’s continuing drive towards yet another massive sales tax increase.  Methodically throughout the County’s budget processes since the failure of his sales tax hike in 2007, including in the recent Stadium Fund vote, Portune has resisted cutting spending, and dipping into reserves, making a sales tax more likely in 2010 or 2011.  Like all liberals, Portune never gives up.

·                     Finally, we rarely see a politician “outed” like Pepper has been on the rollback vote – calling his own position “deeply illegitimate” and providing a clear roadmap to the logic of his treachery.  Not one media outlet has covered his duplicity.

And we wonder how we got into this position to begin with!  As a community, let’s stop sweeping things under the rug.

Portune For Something, Anything

Does anyone other than the editors of the COAST Newsletter think it is funny that County Commissioner Todd Portune floats his name out there for any and every job opening? 

Just like the media chased the story of the boy in the balloon, perhaps the only thing funnier is that the pliant editors of our local news rags – with no confirmation from anyone other than Portune – dutifully continue to run each of these self-promoting rumors.  Perhaps we should call Portune “balloon boy” for his all-too-frequent attempts at self-promotion.

COAST here takes a tour of the recent Portune trial balloons, all of which have fallen flat.

Read here how Portune promoted himself for Chairman of the Ohio Democrat Party.  This effort failed.

Read here how Portune promoted himself for Ohio Lieutenant Governor. 

Read here how Portune floated his own name for the United States Senate.

And here how he promoted himself for Ohio Attorney General

COAST also remembers him toying with the idea of running for Congress against Steve Chabot, but can’t immediately find that link. 

Don’t get us wrong, we want Portune to go – leave the County Commission.  It’s just that no one will take him!

Portune & Pepper's Reverse Robin Hood Scheme

Faced with shrinking revenues, Commissioners Portune and Pepper will do anything rather than curb spending. Their latest conspiracy is a new low. The merry duo want to continue giving millionaire sports teams free or reduced rent for the stadiums, and continue underwriting private real estate moguls for the $800 million Banks waterfront apartments and luxury retail development. In order to do so, they will renege on the $5 million payment promised to Cincinnati Public Schools as part of the same deal.

Cincinnati NAACP President Christopher Smitherman highlighted that a majority of CPS students are African-American and many of them are too poor to afford to attend a game at the stadium. Pepper and Portune are, in effect, robbing the poor to payoff the rich.

Inexplicably, the School Board voted 4:3 last night to approve the scheme. Just 21 days ago, voters approved a renewal levy based on CPS' insistance that they were desperate for money. Now that they are giving it away so freely, voters can plainly see they were lied to again. Smitherman, who endorsed this past levy, says, "I do not think the School Board can justify this transaction to voters in 2010 or 2011 when they ask for another levy."

Pepper and Portune plan early Christmas "present" for homeowners

Urgent COAST call to action:
Please contact Hamilton County Commissioners to urge that they keep stadium property tax rollback

The drive for higher taxes and spending from the Hamilton County Commission under our liberal democrat Commissioners Todd Portune and David Pepper continues, this time with a vote in the coming weeks on elimination of the stadium property tax rollback, a massive tax hike on single family homeowners in Hamilton County.

Please contact your County Commissioners today to urge that they retain the property tax rollback, so the taxpayers are not screwed by the politicians in the stadium deals once again.

Todd Portune, (513) 946-4401, fax (513) 946-4446

David Pepper, (513) 946-4409, fax (513) 946-4407

Greg Hartmann, (513) 946-4405, fax (513) 946-4404

When running for office, both Portune and Pepper made solemn pledges that they would retain the property tax rollback. However, Portune and Pepper have since spent the stadium fund into the red, and they are now claiming a tax increase is their only option: read yesterday's articles in the Cincinnati Business Courier and the Cincinnati Enquirer. Consider this:

1. Commissioners have spent more than $11 million on outside counsel from the stadium fund over the objections of Prosecutor Joe Deters and the Common Pleas Court Judges, who oversee outside counsel. Deters claims he can do the work for less money and the Commissioners actions are wasteful. Commissioners are so insistent on spending these monies on Thursday they sued the Commissioners at the Ohio Supreme Court to keep the money flowing to their favored counsel. (COAST reported here on how we intend to countersue the Commissioners over this illegal contract and spending.)
2. Commissioners have committed to proceed with tens of millions of dollars of improvements and development subsidies at the Banks project from the Stadium Fund, knowing they did not have the ability to pay for these improvements without a tax hike.
3. As COAST reported here, in August, rather than cut their profligate spending, Commissioners borrowed an additional $5.5 million to subsidize the stadium fund.

As COAST reported here, Commissioners Portune and Pepper have made it an article of faith, beyond mere fiscal considerations, that they would not eliminate the property tax rollback under any circumstances. Consider this unequivocal statement from Commissioner Pepper just one year ago:

Far beyond a debate over tax policy . . . this is a much more fundamental issue of basic governance, and adhering to the clear consent of the governed. In that light, I consider any move to divert dollars from the PTR to be a deeply illegitimate act. It lacks fundamental integrity. And it's simply not an option.

David Pepper, PepTalk Blog, Nov 18, 2008

When Hamilton County voters passed the stadium sales tax in 1996, a key part of the bargain was that 30% of the revenue from the ½ cent sales tax would be devoted to property tax reduction. It is that rollback that is imperiled because of the poor fiscal policies of Portune and Pepper.

Memory has not yet dimmed of the treachery of Portune and Pepper in enacting the Super-Sized Jail Sales Tax increase in 2007 without a vote of the people, only months after a smaller tax was rejected at the polls. COAST and the WeDemandAVote.Com coalition successfully placed that issue before the voters with a petition drive, and defeated the massive tax increase.

COAST needs you urgently to contact Portune and Pepper and demand they keep their word, and retain the property tax rollback. Further, that they drop their suit to retain their expensive outside counsel, and curtail their over-spending. Finally, please contact Commissioner Greg Hartmann and thank him for keeping his word to retain the property tax rollback.

• Todd Portune, (513) 946-4401, fax (513) 946-4446
• David Pepper, (513) 946-4409, fax (513) 946-4407
• Greg Hartman, (513) 946-4405, fax (513) 946-4404

COAST Issues Taxpayer Demand to Pepper/Portune

over $13.5 million Banks attorney fee insider deal

while Commissioners confront elimination of promised tax rollback

The shameful case of wasted money and insider dealing at the Stadium/Banks project continues unabated.

Two sad chapters in this story are playing out not in the halls of the County Commission and the Ohio Supreme Court. Here’s an update:

· Prosecutor Joe Deters and Hamilton County’s Judges have criticized the contract of Ohio law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease that has sucked more than $13.5 million from the taxpayers since 2002 for legal work on the Stadium and Banks projects. In October, Hamilton County’s Judges, who under Ohio statute are permitted to authorize such outside legal contracts, revoked the agreement, forcing a showdown between Commissioners Pepper and Portune and the judges. On Friday, the Commissioners filed a bizarre suit, with themselves acting as attorneys, against their own Judges at the Ohio Supreme Court. COAST has sent the Prosecutor a taxpayer demand letter seeking to sue the Commissioners over the continuation of the illegal contract. Under the letter, Deters either must sue the Commissioners himself or allow COAST attorneys to do so on his behalf. Portune and Pepper receive thousands of dollars in campaign contributions through their contacts at the Vorys firm.

· Also, this month, the chickens finally come home to roost on the massive over-spending in the stadium sales tax fund, including the recent massive over-spending on the Banks project. As COAST reported here and here, when the stadium sales tax was passed, a solemn promise made to the taxpayers was that 30% of the revenue from the ½ cent sales tax would be devoted to property tax reduction. Both Pepper and Portune have made explicit campaign promises to retain the rollback, not just as a matter of lower taxes, but as an article of faith with the voters.

Still, when confronted with the option of cutting spending or eliminating the sacrosanct rollback in September, Portune and Pepper opted instead to take on $5.5 million more in debt in the fund for just several months, making elimination of the rollback almost a foregone conclusion.

So, prepare to be screwed again by our liberal democrats on the Commission in the next few weeks.

Stadium Sales tax rollback:

Tax? Cut? Pepper and Portune vote to add more debt

When Hamilton County voters passed the stadium sales tax in 1996, a key part of the bargain was that 30% of the revenue from the ½ cent sales tax would be devoted to property tax reduction. As the Business Courier and Enquirer report, because of continuing over-spending, including new spending on the Banks project, the fund available for bond repayments are going broke, requiring either a general fund subsidy or elimination of the promised property tax rebate.

Last week, County Commissioners were faced with a vote on the shortfall. Would they decide to finally cut over-spending? Would they reverse the firmly promised tax rebate? Rather, the Commissioners decided to take on an additional $5.5 million in debt and postpone the hard decisions until January.

Now that’s leadership!

Pepper, Portune Reneging on Tax Rollback

In yet another tragic breach of faith with Hamilton County voters, Commissioners Pepper and Portune yesterday leaked to the Cincinnati Business Courier their intention to get rid of the property tax rollback that induced County voters to approve the 1/2 cent sales tax increase for two new stadiums.

"It is a breach of faith - and a solemn pledge that both Portune and Pepper made with the voters - to do away with the property tax rollback," said COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd. "Portune and Pepper are not just increasing our taxes, they are breaking their word. We can never trust government again."

The Pepper/Portune plan is to repeal some or all of the stadium property tax rollback. The rollback was promised to voters as a part of the 1996 half cent stadium sales tax increase. Both Pepper and Portune have promised the voters that the rollback was sacrosanct. "We cannot go back on a promise made to taxpayers over a decade ago," said Commissioner David Pepper in this article. "While we have to tackle our tough budget issues, we cannot do so by raising property taxes."

"Far beyond a debate over tax policy (and we're striving to keep taxes as low as possible), this is a much more fundamental issue of basic governance, and adhering to the clear consent of the governed. In that light, I consider any move to divert dollars from the PTR to be a deeply illegimate act. It lacks fundamental integrity. And it's simply not an option."
-David Pepper, PepTalk Blog, Nov 18, 2008

If this promise is broken, commissioners will be increasing property taxes without a vote of the people. This is the second time these two liberal commissioners have increased taxes without a vote -- they did it in 2007 with the Super Sized jail 1/2 cent sales tax hike that was repealed by the voters and the WeDemandAVote.com coalition. The increase became needed because of continued profligate over-spending by the Commission, especially on the bloated Banks project.

This is but the latest heartbreaking disappointment from the stadium sales tax debacle:

• The project has run overbudget, and repayment accounts have been in deficit for years.
• The Bengals lease was an unprecedented ripoff of taxpayers, and the worst professional sports lease nationally.
• The state of Ohio reneged on its promised contribution.
• The tax has been extended beyond the date originally promised.
• Sales tax projections were intentionally over-stated.
• Ultimately the Bengals hired Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus, who negotiated the lease, at a six-figure salary.
• "The Banks" was originally supposed to be an added bonus to restore nightlife to the riverfront after Sleepout Louies, Porky's and The Old Spaghetti Factory were wasted during stadium construction, but it has since morphed into a mammoth boondoggle more expensive than both stadiums combined.
• City and county governments conspired to bury another train station in the project, despite the fact that we have no passenger rail transportation. Then they left no way to get trains into or out of it, wasting $42 million.

"This massive ripoff of the taxpayers continues to this day," said Gloyd, "and Portune and Pepper are the latest politicians to screw the taxpayers in this endless tragedy."

COAST is encouraging voters to flood the County Commission Offices with faxes, letters, e-mails and phone calls on Monday.

Name/email	Telephone	Fax
David Pepper	(513) 946-4409	(513) 946-4407
Todd Portune	(513) 946-4401	(513) 946-4446
Greg Hartmann	(513) 946-4405	(513) 946-4404

Crown Bestows Gifts; Vassels Gleeful

Prince Pepper proclaimed today that King Strickland will bequeath over $45 million in porkulus funds to Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati, including (p12):

$ 5,000,000	The Banks Transit Center
$ 8,000,000	The Banks Street Grid
$ 20,000,000	Eastern Corridor Development
$ 6,100,000	Interstate 75 Rehabilitation
$ 10,200,000	Riverfront Intermodal Center Phase 2

Alas, no tribute is, as yet, forthcoming for the aristocratic streetcar, so the weary gentry of Over-the-Rhine shall be forced to continue circumambulating like peasants.

Prince Portune has spent, all told, over a fortnight currying favour before various royal courts. Perhaps he might be persuaded to continue his supplications and obtain a few more meager scraps for our humble shire.

Of course homage for this patronage must be dutifully rendered to Emperor Obama, for it is his dubious generosity that is so freely dispensing the contents of the treasury. Methinks his approval will not be so high once his subjects discover the gifts are not gold, but debts to be repaid by the subjects themselves, with hefty interest.

Portune Panhandles DC Politicians

From: Portune, Todd
Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2009 12:25 PM
To: COAST
Subject: Out of Office AutoReply:
Action Alert-Speak Out on Trillion Dollar "Stimulus"

Thank you for your email. I will be traveling to Washington DC Tuesday February 3rd and returning late night Thursday the 5th. While in Washington I will be meeting with key Congressional Leaders and Obama administration Officials about energy legislation and energy related stimulus bill projects.

If you have a specific issue or question demanding immediate attention please contact my aides Lisa Daria and kathy Binns. They can be reached at 946-4401, or 946-4402. Their emails are lisa.daria@hamilton-co.org and kathy.binns@hamilton-co.org.

Thank you,

Todd Portune

This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain private, confidential and/or privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, employee or agent responsible for delivering this message, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original e-mail message.

Portune Two-faced on Butler County Contract

In the midst of the County's deteriorating financial picture, Commissioner Todd Portune has repeatedly blamed Republicans on "prior commissions" for entering into a contract with Butler County to house 400 inmates, costing the County approximately $10 million.

Portune, however, fails to mention that he himself voted seven times in favor of this policy and this expenditure that he now blames for undermining the County's fiscal health:

• On April 5, 2006, Portune voted to direct the County Administrator to negotiate a contract with Butler County to house Hamilton County inmates.


• Noting that the Sheriff also approves the expenditure, Portune voted in favor of a second resolution on April 19, 2006 to appropriate $3,181,750 for housing inmates in Butler County.


• On April 26, 2006, Portune voted in favor of the contract with the Butler County Commissioners to house inmates there.


• On September 13, 2006, Mr. Portune voted to approved a resolution authorizing a contract with even more bed spaces for Hamilton County inmates - now 300.


• On March 7, 2007, after the democrats had taken control of the Commissioner Portune voted to approve an additional $3 million allocation for inmate costs.


• On May 23, 2007, an additional $2,087,000 was allocated for this purpose. Mr. Portune again voted in favor.


• On August 10, 2007, Portune and Pepper co-authored a further resolution to extend the jail contract for the remainder of 2007.