Straight
talk about the parking plan decision and the budget
Thursday’s decision by
Judge Robert Winkler to suspend implementation of the proposed parking lease
plan until a possible referendum is placed on November’s ballot was
breathtaking in its sweeping scope and impact.
His decision immediately
impacts public safety, the #1 concern of Cincinnatians, by forcing drastic
police and fire layoffs. At the eleventh hour, with a balanced budget required
by law no later than July 1, the city manager must begin laying off 189 police
and 120 firefighters. The new police recruit class will also be cut.
Judge Winkler’s decision
makes a political pawn out of city services. In addition to the cuts to public
safety, his decision forces cuts that include closure of six pools and three
recreation centers, elimination of all human services funding, cuts in litter
control and more. These cuts threaten the fresh momentum in places like
Avondale, Evanston, Bond Hill, College Hill, Madisonville, Walnut Hills, Westwood
and other neighborhoods.
A sizable portion of the
City’s deficit is the direct result of deep cuts by the Ohio legislature. The
parking plan gives the city the ability to recover from the cuts without the
deep cuts in core services that are required to fill a deficit of this size.
Those who call the layoffs
a scare tactic and claim to offer solutions for a balanced budget with no
layoffs are using magical thinking and fuzzy math. Their proposals fail the
‘arithmetic’ test.
The decision wreaks havoc on managing and governing Cincinnati. All Ohio municipalities use emergency clauses.
Judge Winkler’s decision to suspend the city’s powers to enact emergency
legislation (which allows laws to take effect immediately) prevents the city
from passing laws to take immediate action with money and manpower in disasters,
like floods and chemical emergencies, and will make the city less competitive
in development deals, where time is money to investors.
I voted for the parking
plan because it would have not only avoided the painful layoffs and cuts in
services that the manager is now beginning to implement, but will also allow us
to continue the city’s growth and momentum. The parking lease is a significant
source of investment in Cincinnati’s future at a time when the city is attracting
new businesses, younger generations and immigrants. It supports projects that create jobs, like
the I-71/MLK interchange, and enhance quality of life in our neighborhoods,
like the Wasson Way bike trail. Read more here.
What can you do?
· If you're approached to sign the petition, remember what Mayor Mallory said: 'if
you’re signing a petition, you’re signing a pink slip for a cop or
firefighter.'
·
Learn the facts about the proposed parking lease plan. Click on the links I’ve
provided in this letter.
·
Make your voice heard. Contact the media, your friends, your neighborhood
association. Tell them that the parking plan allows Cincinnati to continue our
current momentum in neighborhoods and downtown alike on a scale that we have
not enjoyed for a long time.
We will vigorously appeal
Judge Robert Winkler’s decision. Even if
court cases drag beyond the July 1 budget deadline, the city will fight for the
right to manage its own future.
Judge Winkler’s decision hits
the ‘pause’ button on Cincinnati’s progress. Whether it’s decided in court or
at the ballot box this fall, the stakes for Cincinnati are high, and the choice
over which direction we take – forward or backward – is stark. Together, let’s
do what we must to give Cincinnati its best chance for a vibrant future.
