PG Sittenfeld flip-flops on streetcar

Dear fellow tax hikers, if there was a God we would be thanking her for PG Sittenfeld. After posing as a streetcar opponent for the last two elections - and suckering those fools into voting for him - PG announced today that he is a streetcar supporter! 

Our inside sources always assured us this day was coming.  We always knew that Streetcar Sittenfeld would be there when we needed him most.  Did you guys ever wonder why we never had anything bad to say about him?  We knew he was with us. 

For those of you who voted for PG because he personally promised you he'd oppose the streetcar, you're just going to have to deal with it.  Your opinion doesn't matter and it never has.  PG Streetcar has a Presidential campaign to run and he will not be bothered with Commoner tasks like keeping his word. PG will always do what is best for PG, and right now that means supporting the streetcar.

Now that the anti-streetcar forces are taking over Cincinnati's government, and could possess the votes to stop our beloved streetcar, PG couldn't have found a better time to join the cause.  We welcome PG Streetcar to our movement and we hope you do too. 

Turkey Contest

Dear fellow tax hikers, this week we are hosting a special contest.  To wrap up the 2013 political season we will name the Turkey of the Year and we are calling for reader participation.  This contest is open to all political participants.

Was there a candidate whose performance was comically inept?  Perhaps a campaign manager who brought nothing but chaos to an otherwise winnable effort?  Or is this year's turkey a wannabe operative who kept trying to help but could do nothing but sabotage the candidate they thought they were helping?

You make the call.  Submit your nomination and state your case for the 2013 Turkey of the Year. 

1% of Qualls supporters gather

Dear fellow tax hikers, those of us who supported Roxanne Qualls for Mayor are pissed off.  We refuse to accept our landslide defeat.  We are going to get our way and we don't care what John Cranley or the 58% who supported him think. 

This manifested itself with our infamous meeting at the Cincinnati Mercantile Library last week.  1% of Qualls supporters gathered to decide how we are going to run the city, and step #1 is to save the streetcar.  We will not let Crowbar Cranley stop our beloved streetcar.

We are determined to govern Cincinnati with the impressive 42% majority that we produced on Election Day.  This photo shows that we're serious. 

It has been settled.  We Qualls supporters are in charge now.  We only have two questions left, and both of the answers are in this picture:

1)  Where's Waldo?
2)  Where's the minority?

A bad, bad week

Dear fellow tax hikers, TGIF because this week can't get much worse.  First we were completely shocked that John Cranley and 7 incoming Councilmen were able to kill the parking deal that we loved so much.  This plan would have taken future parking profits and spent them now, making it more likely that we would see a future tax increase to replace those lost annual revenues.  Our chances of getting a future tax increase have been reduced because of this terrible move to stop the parking plan. 

Then we find out that our awesome City Manager Milton Dohoney has been forced out.  He did not deserve this.  Milton was the guy who came up with the streetcar, parking plan, trash tax, Red Light cameras, and Water Works sale.  Whenever we needed more taxes, more spending, or more streetcars, Milton always came through. 

Worst of all, Crowbar Cranley still wants to stop our streetcar!  But we're not going to let him.  Did you know that 300 Qualls supporters came to a meeting tonight?  At this meeting, we came up with an unbeatable plan to save our streetcar.  Here it is:

Nothing is going to stand in our way.  After we engage residents and businesses, lobby people, and threaten to file lawsuits, Cranley and Council will have no choice to but to abide by our demands.  The streetcar shall be saved!

Roxanne Qualls still surging

Dear fellow tax hikers, we have some wonderful news to share.  Our downtown friends tell us the Qualls campaign is still surging and will catch Cranley any day now.  She has all the momentum!  Are you ready for another weekend of door-to-door in downtown and Over the Rhine?

The Qualls campaign is also organizing a new group to Save The Streetcar.  We will not let Crowbar Cranley kill the streetcar, no matter how many people voted for him to do just that! 

Qualls supporters are also scheduling a bunch of meetings to sit around and talk about how much they hate John Cranley and the 58% who voted for him. 

And finally, 18th-place Council candidate Mike Moroski has announced he will mount a petition drive if and when Cranley and City Council shut down our beloved streetcar.  We are proud to be the first to endorse this campaign.  We will work just as hard on this petition drive as we did to elect Roxanne Qualls.  We have told you for years that we will make these streetcars happen and we will not let you down. 

Dissecting our major loss

Dear fellow tax hikers, we know that all of you - as well as us - are still grieving over the landslide loss of our Stadium Queen Roxanne Qualls.  Yesterday we even fell ill, as it literally made us sick to see Mayor-elect John Cranley celebrating his win and moving to kill our beloved streetcar.  It is important that even as we grieve, we still try to move on.

It is time to begin understanding our loss.  We ask you, our loyal readers, to send us your thoughts as to why we badly lost this most important race.  Is it because Cincinnati is dominated by Republicans, Tea Partiers, and COASTers?  Is it because voters didn't understand the awesomeness of the streetcar and parking plan?  Is it because voters weren't aware of all the good work Roxanne did to pass the Bedinghaus Stadium Tax?  Is it because the Qualls campaign blew it in the black community? 

We believe it is all of the above.  Voters were too stupid to understand all of the brilliant ideas Roxanne has produced over the years.  We also believe the one mistake Qualls made was not taking our advice regarding the black vote.  We told her to return their calls.  We pleaded with her to repudiate the comments of her surrogates that Cranley's black supporters were bought off.  What black person would vote for Qualls if her people were accusing Cranley of not hiring enough white people? 

Now it is your turn.  Please share your thoughts why Roxanne Qualls was destroyed Tuesday night.  

Cranley crushes Qualls

Dear fellow tax hikers, it is 6:30 AM and we are still at our computers crying our eyes out at the devastating losses we suffered tonight.  Roxanne Qualls didn't just lose the Mayor's race, she got destroyed. 

This defeat is a huge shock.  We were assured by Qualls supporters that she had closed the gap to within the margin of error.  We were told she had the momentum.  We were advised that Qualls was surging and poised for a win if only we got our people to the polls. 

All of us are in a state of mourning over this terrible tragedy.  But now we must come together to deal with our grief.  This is a safe place for everyone to communicate their feelings of loss and despair. 

Our sense of community will get us through these dark days.  We invite all of you to share your feelings.  We will get through these tough times, together.

Renew the Zoo

Dear fellow tax hikers, there is a Zoo renewal levy on Hamilton County's ballot tomorrow.  We urge you to vote Yes!  This money goes to zoo operations, including the feeding and care of animals.  It's important that Hamilton County taxpayers spend money to house and feed animals.

And let's face it, some animals require a LOT of food.  Such as....

an elephant:

a rhinoceros:

a hippopotamus:

a Craig Hochscheid:

This is a tax levy so vote yes!  And, a lovely animal's next meal may depend on it.

Green Township Endorsements

Dear fellow tax hikers, we are proud to endorse David Linnenberg and Rocky Boiman for Green Township Trustee.  This is because they are the best and most qualified candidates in the race - well, it's either that, or we have make-work jobs in Green Township's government that we want to keep.

Dave Linnenberg is one of our favorite elected officials.  Dave was the Volunteer Coordinator for Citizens for a Major League Future - otherwise known as the Bedinghaus/Qualls Stadium Tax!  Stadium Dave did more than almost anyone to make those stadiums a reality.  For some reason Stadium Dave deleted that from his official Green Township bio, but before he did we saved a copy of that reference. 

We also believe Rocky Boiman deserves another term.  We were guardedly hopeful when Rocky was appointed to this position, considering that his Political Action Committee had donated to Democrats P.G. Sittenfeld and the far-left Jason Riveiro.  Rocky has done a fine job, putting in a solid 3 or 4 hours per month at the job. 

Thankfully, both candidates have proudly retained the "friends and family" culture of Green Township's government.  They have either voted for or extended the employment of those who were hired based on their family relations. 

Most importantly, do NOT vote for Jeffry Smith.  This insolent peasant has repeatedly questioned the use of Green Township tax dollars and the policies of hiring unqualified friends and relatives of Green Township's royal families for township jobs.  We need to stop Smith, and that can be accomplished by voting for Rocky Boiman and Stadium Dave Linnenberg.

Finally, we will leave you with a heartfelt letter of endorsement from Alex Triantafilou.  This election is of prime importance for Alex - part of his household's income depends on the re-election of Stadium Dave and Rocky.


***********************************************

Most of you getting this email are friends and neighbors who we believe live in Green Township.

As some of you may know, I've been leading the County Republican Party for 5 years and in that capacity, you may have seen me pop-off in the local media and most certainly in social media about the GOP and our efforts.  I try, hard, to not bring it into my social life with friends and associates like you.  (edit - but he's happy to insert his family's employment needs into Green Township's government)

In what is an absolute first, I'm emailing my personal email list today to seriously ask you to look at the candidates running in our home township, Green Township, and be sure to go and VOTE for Rocky Boiman and David Linnenberg on Tuesday.

I make this personal plea because having Dave and Rocky as our local Trustees is important to our home values and our way of life every day in our neighborhoods.  (edit: not to mention his wife's job)

This email is even going to some Democratic friends--and that's okay.  I feel so strongly about Boiman and Linnenberg that I think you will agree that they are good men doing a great job.  (edit - Democrats should appreciate Stadium Dave's high-tax past)

Dave Linnenberg went to Oak Hills High School, my alma mater and yours, possibly, too.  Dave is a wonderful guy.  He has two beautiful daughters, he manages the business of Cincinnati's Art Museum--one of the preeminent art museums in the country.  He RUNS the day-to-day of that business.  If you knew Dave as I do, you would know that he cares about his home township and he knows about finance sound management.  Without hesitation, I know you would entrust Dave with your business and affairs because he's bright and is a man of high character.  As much as I hate to say it about my buddy because I know he'll probably see it--Dave is very, very smart.  He brings that intellect to the day-to-day business of running our home township and that means better results for all of us!  Dave's parents still live in our Township and his roots run deep here.  (edit - thankfully we had Stadium Dave's intelligence, character, and roots to help Bob Bedinghaus and Roxanne Qualls pass the Stadium Tax)

Rocky Boiman grew up on Reemelin Road, in the heart of Green Township, and was a football star.  You learn some key lessons playing 8 years in the NFL and those qualities of hard work, dedication and leadership make Rock one of the greatest candidates we can field, anywhere.  Rocky won a Super Bowl playing on the same team as Peyton Manning.  Do you think you learn about hard work and dedication doing that?  Did I mention that Rocky Boiman graduated from the prestigious University of Notre Dame?  Can we find a better guy to elect to run our Township?  No way.  Rocky and his wonderful wife live in our Township and are expecting a baby boy soon.  Rocky's father and mother both live in the Township and his roots run very deep here, too.  Rocky currently runs his own business training other athletes and is a budding sports commentator with a huge future in his other professional life.  Like Dave, Rocky is well-educated, smart, and understands our local
 community very well.   Aren't we lucky to have someone of his caliber managing our business in Green Township?  (edit: Rocky played football, and he does what we say, so vote for him)

Again, I've never sent this kind of personal plea to my friends and neighbors.  And I am unlikely to do it again. (edit - do you promise?)  (I didn't do anything like this even in a presidential election year!)  But, our local community government is too important.  I can vouch for the personal integrity and intelligence of both of these guys as I consider them both personal friends.  They work hard, they are smart, and they care about OUR community.  They are not ANGRY and they're not doing this to achieve some higher political office.  They are both accomplished guys outside of politics and they are in it to serve.  I believe this to my core.

Finally, you might ask: "Alex, what have they done for the Township?"  Well, I could make this already long email even longer.   But, here's a few highlights.

-  They SUED the public housing authority to PROTECT us from public housing.  In an unprecedented move, these guys fought the federal government to protect your home values and our neighborhood.  They were successful!  The federal government insisted on building a large number of units in our Township, but the lawsuit changed that!
-  They make basic services, like police and fire, a priority by spending money wisely and investing only in places where it can help our community as a whole.
-  They have built new parks to keep our Township attractive to new and growing families.  Balancing that need with the fiscal sanity necessary to run our Township in tough times is serious business and they've been leaders in that regard.
-  They are working to bring positive development, like the new Mercy Hospital and the new Deweys/First Watch coming to Harrison Avenue.
-  They have negotiated pay freezes with unions during a down economy so that your money is being frugally managed during a tough budget.  Township staff is down and raises have not occurred in years as the Trustees have grappled with cuts to estate taxes and the local government funds coming from Columbus.  They have been wise with OUR MONEY!
I could go on...

Please consider SHARING my email with any of your friends in Green Township and be sure to VOTE for Rocky Boiman and Dave Linnenberg for Green Township Trustee this coming Tuesday, November 5!

For voting information, visit www.votehamiltoncounty.org.

Thanks for reading and SHARING my email with your other friends and neighbors.

Alex

Roxanne Qualls - 2013 Tax Hiker of the Year

Dear fellow tax hikers, we are proud to name Roxanne Qualls our 2013 Tax Hiker of the Year.  As you'll see, nobody is more deserving of this prestigious award.  Consider Roxanne's fabulous record:

1)  Was the leading advocate for the Bedinghaus Stadium Tax that has brought so much wealth and prosperity to this area.  It was the tv ads from Roxanne Qualls The Stadium Queen that pushed public support for this excellent tax increase over 50%.

2)  Endorsed the 2007 Jail Tax that was sadly rejected by 56% of Hamilton County voters, and rejected by an even larger margin in Cincinnati.

3)  Endorsed a Light Rail tax, which would cost us billions.

4)  Huge advocate of the Cincinnati streetcar, costing $133 million and counting, to run a loop under 4 miles.

5)  Huge advocate of the Parking Plan, taking money from the future to spend it now, which will necessitate a tax increase in the future to make up for those lost revenues.

6)  Raised property taxes 3 times to pay for the streetcar.  It should be noted this won't affect Roxanne much, since her downtown property receives a huge tax abatement.

We know there are plenty more tax hikes we could add to this list.  As you see, Roxanne Qualls has developed a fantastic record of raising taxes and growing government.  While we usually like to give this award to Republicans, Roxanne might be the best tax-hiker we have.  She has earned this honor. 

We need good tax hikers in office and that's why we must elect Roxanne our Mayor.  John Cranley is an unacceptable choice.  He opposes the streetcar, opposes the parking plan, supports the property tax rollback, and has criticized the Bedinghaus Stadium deal.  The stakes are too high.  If you believe in more stadiums, more streetcars, and more taxes, you must vote for Roxanne Qualls for Mayor!