The Beacon: DeWine answers Pepper’s answers on jail tax

This week, The Cincinnati Beacon’s front page features their Monday interview with Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper on the jail tax and Tuesday’s response from jail tax opponent Commissioner Pat DeWine. We’ve read both pieces, will reread them a few times, and certainly recommend our readers take a look, too. We applaud The Beacon and the Commissioners for taking the time to give voters, at least some voters, the opportunity to become better informed about both sides of this complex issue.

Meanwhile, back here on the Norwood ranch, we have not been successful yet in getting any elected official from the pro-8 mill levy side to respond to Councilperson Schneider’s 8/17 guest blog below. Two have refused our invitations, and one we invited weeks ago to blog about it has not replied. However, we did learn in conversations with one of the two that no committee will be formed to promote the 8-mill levy as was done 3 years ago for the 14-mill levy. The feeling seemed to be that it’s just simply up to the voters to decide. We take it that may mean no town hall meetings on the issue, either. While we as voters may see this as a missed opportunity to become informed about the renewal levy, our pro-levy elected officials seem to see it as airing dirty laundry. Nonetheless, our invitations remain open to them.

To our reader who left a comment stating it would be nice if City Auditor Donnie Jones and/or City Treasurer Tim Malony would guest blog about the 8-mill levy, we agree. However, we have usually had great difficulty making contact with them. Now that the media has reported that Mr. Jones spends Monday through Friday at his full time job in Florida as Treasurer of the City of Orlando, contacting him may be in the realm of impossible. However, if anyone has his Florida address, let us know and we’ll send him an invitation to blog…or should we just send it to his office address with the City of Orlando?