One pleads guilty, one is convicted on two criminal counts, while another awaits trial. All three are former Cincinnati City Council members. All are accused of abusing the privilege of their office for personal gain in a variety of ways and purposes. The term "transactional donor" now enters the City Hall political lexicon and encrypted messages are introduced as a method of council member communication.
When U.S. Attorney Ken Parker was asked if there were going to be any more charges directed at City Hall his response was "no comment." Not necessarily a good sign.
So, what do we from here as a city and as its citizens so we are in a better place?
We have to set higher expectations on who runs for office and who we vote for. Sadly, name recognition in council elections has been the driving force in the past, but it doesn’t necessarily connotate good choices as we have seen. The expectation from the citizenry for all candidates and members of council is simple and it has to be high: a basic understanding of what is right and what is wrong. Frankly, that should not be asking too much, one would hope.
Participation in the voting process is an imperative for all registered voters to follow. Increase it. In the last citywide election, only 24% of the registered voters chose to exercise their constitutional right. For participation, the citizenry needs to kick its game up several levels. Research who you can vote for. Be informed. Don’t depend on a preprinted ballot. If we are not informed, then we have no one to blame but ourselves with the results.
The citizens of Cincinnati have to take a more active interest and role in monitoring what goes on at the nexus of power on Plum Street. It’s not just City Hall which needs to be watched. The private sector, powerbrokers of the well-connected who have influence, should be included.
How can citizens be more active and connected? The agenda and supporting materials for all City Council meetings are posted on the city website before the meeting as required by law. Read them. You might be surprised what is voted on with regularity.
All meetings of City Council committees and council itself are streamed live and available for later review from the city website. Watch them. Listen to them. You would be amazed how the business of the city – your business – is being conducted. The things taking place are not all clandestine as we experienced with the criminal cases. Not that what you witness could be breaking the law, but you can see what direction things are going. They may not necessarily be in the best interests of the city as a whole in many cases. In some cases, they aren’t and are simply bad business decisions. Even more reason to be aware of activity on Plum Street.
All forms of media in the city – print, broadcast and internet – need to enhance their participation. As the digital world continues to evolve and information availability is converted into tsunamis of data, it becomes difficult for the media and those that access their information to decide what is important and what needs to be focused on. Most importantly, when issues present themselves requiring a more detailed examination, the media should jump in with a deep dive. I have rarely watched a council committee or council meeting that a "red flag" or two didn’t go up at least once for things that required more questions to be asked, but are not pursued by council.
Cincinnati is now a one-party town and has been for quite some time. When you have a singular-affiliation default political structure, the maxing out of rules will prevail. It doesn’t matter which party it is. The proverbial "wink and a nod" eventually work their way into the system and the participants. The loyal opposition on and off council needs to up its profile and be more challenging to the process.
Our city is blessed with something that most cities don’t have– a good government committee. An organization whose roots go back over a century to reforms that changed our status as one of the two most corrupt cities in the country to one of the best. The Charter Committee now finds itself in a one-party environment in the city. It needs to reinvent itself from the traditional party model they now use to that of a 21st century influencer. That means active and high-profile activities and monitoring on a regular basis to inform the public and not just for an upcoming election.
The internet can be a "force multiplier" for their efforts to borrow a military term. In this digital age, influence for reform can be achieved effectively and inexpensively. It will reach levels with higher expectations of impact than dreamed of in the recent past. A refreshed and reboot of approach is all that may be needed.
The demand for better government on Plum Street must come from the citizenry - all of us and the institutions that make up this city. This is done by not accepting "business as usual" or "that’s the way we’ve always done it down here" as the norm. Now that the belly of the beast of corruption at City Hall has been opened, the opportunity to change it is here. If we can leverage several of these suggestions, the net result will be a better city for all of us.
Steve Deiters lives in Oakley.
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