Blue Ash's $33,000 Sister City Bonanza

Dear fellow tax hikers, we have more great news about Blue Ash's legendary Sister City program.  Earlier this year we broke the story that the City of Blue Ash is spending approximately $24,000/year to send Councilmen and their friends on taxpayer-funded junkets to Germany. 

We just discovered that Blue Ash taxpayers also subsidize the German delegation's visit to Blue Ash!  Read this Enquirer excerpt:

The 16 Ilmenau residents visited Blue Ash from Sept. 27 to Oct. 4. This is the 12th year of the Blue Ash and Ilmenau’s partnership. The city of Blue Ash covers the cost of lodging, food and local transportation for the Ilmenau visitors. The city spent about $33,000 on the visit, public relations coordinator Emily Shaffer said in an email.

We can see why former Blue Ash Councilman Walt Reuszer calls this program a "success".  We estimate Wheezer Reuszer's age to be 90 - in other words, the average Rick Bryan supporter. 

It gets even better.  Make sure you read this important paragraph from Blue Ash's 9/27/14 letter to the German delegation:

That's right, in addition to everything else, Blue Ash taxpayers are also paying for the alcohol consumption of their German visitors!  We wonder how many German alcoholics were on this trip. 

There is no question that this is a very successful program.  However, our enemy Jonathan Dever suggested in April that he would not spend taxpayer funds this way, and for that he must be punished.  We call on Tax Hikin' Rick Bryan, Jack Buckman, Walt Reuszer, and others to send a message to Dever that tax dollars deserve to be spent providing hotels, food, transportation, AND FREE ALCOHOL to Sister City German visitors. 

Vote YES for free alcohol and Council's taxpayer-funded vacations, and NO on Jonathan Dever. 

Blue Ash honors Sister City Comrades

Dear fellow tax hikers, Blue Ash's Sister City compatriots from Ilmenau, Germany are visiting us next week and we have all been invited to meet them!  On Monday September 29th at 6:00 PM Blue Ash is hosting a public cookout to meet our German guests, and their Councilmen have personally asked us to help drive turnout. 

The Blue Ash Sister City Program is extremely important to us.  Our exclusive report on the $120,000 Blue Ash spent in just 5 years to send Blue Ash Councilmen and their friends on taxpayer-funded junkets to Germany brought lots of new readers to this site.  And, we believe it's a fantastic program and great use of taxpayer funds.

We are greatly looking forward to this cookout.  We just wish it was being held in the $75 million park.

New Rick Bryan Campaign Theme Song

Dear fellow tax hikers, in light of the recent discovery that Rick Bryan and his friends have been taking taxpayer-funded German Junkets courtesy of Blue Ash taxpayers, we believe it is time to change the theme song for the Rick Bryan for State Representative campaign.  We are very, very proud of High Flyin' Rick Bryan and his Council Comrades for consuming over $200,000 of Blue Ash taxpayer funds so that they vacation in style.

We were previously using the song from Mr. Ed as the Bryan campaign theme song, in honor of Ricky Baby's work to force a disabled girl to give up her service miniature horse.  But that's old news, as thanks to Ricky's great work the handicapped in Blue Ash have learned their place.

With that, to honor High Flyin' Rick Bryan's European Vacations, we introduce to you the new Rick Bryan campaign theme song.  We think you're going to love it.  And Clark W. Griswold will too.

Breaking: Rick Bryan's taxpayer-funded vacations

Dear fellow tax hikers, we are just learning that our man Rick Bryan and Blue Ash City Council have spent over $200,000 of Blue Ash taxpayer funds sending Rick and his Council Comrades on junkets to Germany.  You see, Blue Ash has a "Sister City" program with Ilmenau, Germany, a small city hours away from anything - well, except great German beer.

Every year or two, Blue Ash sends approximately 15 people (Council members and their closest friends) on a delegation vacation to Ilmenau, subsidized by YOUR tax dollars.  For example, High Flyin' Rick Bryan, Jack Buckman, and Blue Ash Council spent $120,200 of Blue Ash tax money from just 2008-2012 on these German junkets, and this program started back in 2002.  Council sends the money to the Blue Ash Sister City, Inc, (funded 99% from Blue Ash taxpayers, and housed in the Blue Ash Municipal Building), who then subsidizes the big vacations.

For the record, we strongly support this program and the $200,000 (and counting) spent on it.  We repudiate the Jonathan Dever campaign for their video making fun of these expenditures:





When High Flyin' Rick Bryan gets a chance to go, he doesn't have to be asked twice.

Here's Rick enjoying the 2002 vacation:

High Flyin' Rick Bryan in 2005:

High Flyin' Rick Bryan in an undetermined year:

Rick was obviously headed to a very important business meeting.

He's been there so often he's acquired the nickname of "Ricky Baby" by his good German friends, who no doubt appreciate the infusion of Blue Ash taxpayer funds into the Ilmenau economy. 

Oh, and did we note this "Sister City" program was created under....... Former Mayor Rick Bryan!  We believe this is a perfectly appropriate use of over $200,000 of your tax money.  If we can get Rick to Columbus, he can use his great leadership to create Sister City Vacation Funds all over Ohio!  Until then, enjoy the taxpayer-funded vacations Ricky Baby!