Do you want to be an American? You got for them till seven hundred ww Here we go in this Monday morning, a little bit better, a little wind at our back because the Reds take two of three in Boston. How do you like that?
I say?
In Boston against Boston is what I meant to say. Home game that continues to night against the Pirates. Reds keep on rolling. They're looking pretty good, looking pretty good. Also happening in Cincinnati. Of course, you may remember this histor always repeats itself. We may have Mahogany's two point zero at our hands right now. There is, in this time of very very delicate budgets, the city trying to save some money. The city is underwater somewhat too, and
they're asking for budget cuts. At the same time, the City of Cincinnati is handing out money to people who in I guess private's a private sector. You go to get a loan and you can't back up your claims and you don't have any collateral. You got problems. But the City of Cincinnati, it's your money. We're just going to hand it out. On this It's a very interesting story. Is council Member Mark Jeffers Mark welcome. How are you.
I'm doing well.
Thanks, I'm doing before we began, of course, we had and I have a chance to talk to you. But what happened Thursday at the banks relative to the outbreak of crime there too, and some said it's a riot, but it was a bunch of individuals out there just wreaking havoc, shutting things down. They closed the banks, early crime,
crime and more crime. I know the Teresa Thiji report is due out any minute now, and there was a praamp to strike by her attorneys to say, well, it's gonna be a bunch of bs and it's gonna be a lot of noise. But there's nothing there, any word on when that report's coming out.
By the way, I don't know on the report. Got what I would say about Thursday. I mean, honestly, it was disgraceful. I was down for the parade as usual, an amazing day.
Parade was great, everyone was good.
Opening day. The game itself wasn't too great, but we did recover.
It's all right.
But look, I mean, you know, I use the word hooligan. Some people attack me online, but you know, I mean, it's so different than the hooligans to disrupt soccer matches in Europe.
I mean people who disrupt the perfectly.
Peaceful day, beautiful day, and you know, I mean, we can't have this in our city. So you know, we got to I'm grateful that. You know, it looks like some of the folks are going to have you know, higher bond, which I think is appropriate. So you know, we need to send a message. Is the same reason why next week will be taking up my motion to impound cars for up to six months on street takeovers.
We have to send a message to.
People that you know, this is not behavior that is acceptable in our city.
Yeah, I want to get you back onto the street takeovers thing because Northern Kentucky is doing something there where they seize your car and crush it. I don't know if you want to go that far constitutionally speaking, but we'll circle back on it. But it's part of pressure for a bigger issue. I guess the biggest is show I have is people are clapping back at you because use or hooligans. That's a pretty kind term considering what they were doing.
Yeah, I mean it.
I mean anyone who's disrupted of like that. It is a bunch of hooligans and look, I mean, you know there were three parts of it, right. There were the kids at Washington Park making each other, there were people on Byne Street. You can't block an entire street, it's just inappropriate.
And then down to the bank it's the same thing.
So part of it got does come back to you know, we need to make sure that people in their neighborhoods, you know, I mean that part of the attraction is people want to come downtown because it's fun and.
They want to hang out over the right things to do.
We need to make sure that people in their neighborhoods have things to do. You know, this Friday for example, word that doing a groundbreaking first gate park. All right, make sure kids and people have things to do in their neighborhood rec centers, libraries, other activities. So, you know, and especially in opening day. I think next year we got to look at that. It's like, hey, what kind of events attraction can we make for kids and other folks you know, to hang out in their neighborhood enjoy
the day rather than you know, everybody gathering down. Yeah.
Yeah, and it's a problem too that looks like it's going to get worse. I mean, that was a sample of warm weather. We're gonna have a stretch of that before you know. It's starting well this week as a matter of fact, in the next and you just wonder if all Hull's going to break loose to some degree because of all this pent up. I want to get outside, But it also brings out some hooligans, as you said,
and other people. I'm going to bring that up because right now as we speak, I mentioned the Teresa Thigi controversy, and that report is coming out. Hitter in Chief Henny is going to testify before Budget and Finance because you're working on that right now, and across the board, departments are told to cut five point one percent. So a five point one percent budget reduction for police equals about
eleven million dollars. And the only way to cut that, because ninety percent of the budget is personnel, the only way of cutting the five point one percent is to layoff cops. Can we really afford to lay police officers? Though from this environment, Yeah, that ain't happening.
I mean I think look, I mean the city manager rightfully, at every department, if you had to cut five point one percent, what would that look out like which Franks, I think is a good exercise to do. I mean I did it all the time at PNG. Most private companies do it. Hey, what would what would happen if you had to cut five percent? And then you go through the exercise and maybe there are efficiencies you can do. You can automate different things, you can be a little more efficient.
Good exercise to do. Are we going to cut police officer? Should?
We know? We were going to do the opposite? I have my budget priorities, and I think my colleagues would agree. We have to continue to invest in new recruit classes. Uh, you know, that's that has increased the size of the force. We need to continue to invest in recruit classes. So that's just not going to happen. I think it's a good exercise for every department to go through the you know, where are their efficiencies?
Uh?
You know, and then you know, we need to push ourselves on, hey how can we operate more efficiency? I know the police, you know are doing that even with how they leverage groans for example. Uh, you know, there are still a lot of ways that they can be more efficient. You know, going I think through technology, you know, automating, you know some of the reporting, which I think they would love to do. Sure, you know, so I think
it's a good exercise to go through. But no, we're not going to and nor should we see we should be doing the opposite, and we will be doing the opposite. Is adding more officers to the force.
Yeah, okay, So here's where this comes in. There's a you know, as members of councils said, hey, you know there's a lack of sit down restaurants in the West End.
We need to sit down runt.
So residents there have been trying to renovate a space on Lynd Street to fill that need. You guys a council approved four hundred and fifty five thousand over the last three years to fund that. But the problem is this the property owner. So this is a lease. They terminated the West End Sports Bar and Grills year long lease at the property. They said they haven't paid any rent. They're back like thirty seven thousand dollars. The landlord changed
the locks. The owner, Nick Johnson, I believe it's a man's name, said you can only go in there to retrieve his personal property. And and so what happened was we had this money, we had four hundred and fifty five thousand dollars. It's been invested by the city, but didn't check to see that he was locked out of his place and he was behind, and other members of council stuff and said, well, this is for reparations for I seventy five ripping apart the neighbor and I'm not
quite sure you picked one individual. This is looking like Mahogani's all over again in that in twenty twelve the city voted on council. I know you were around that, but six hundred and eighty four thousand dollars for Mahoganies at the banks and three hundred thousand loans for furnitures, fixtures, equipment, all that stuff, nearly a million dollars in financing for Liz Rogers. And from day one, it turns out Liz
Rogers had multiple leans against her. She fell behind on her loan payments rather quickly, and the city got I think didn't even get the one hundred thousand dollars back of the near million, because it was a very bad deal from the get go, and they just kept throwing money. Council then and the city manager, Harry Black, just kept throwing money, like it was a bottomless pit out of some sort of guilt trip to say we have to lift this particular African American woman up and essentially give
her money in order to open this business. Well, that's all well and good, but again, you've got to have a tracker of success before you scale that up into something as prominent as one of the early buildings on the banks. How is this any different than what we're talking about today with this place on Lend Street.
Yeah. Look, I'd take a couple of thanks Scott. First. I mean, it's a disaster there.
There has been about sixty thousand that has been spent no more, and the question is how can we claw that back? When this came up, I offered an amendment emotion to set in a mechanism to claw back any of this money and make sure that you know, hey, we can take back control of you know, whatever that investment is that didn't pass.
It wasn't even seconded, you know, So.
What we have to figure out how do we get that six thousand. I think the bigger question is, you know, the status quo in the West End, any of working right, there's poverty, lack of opportunity, lack of a safe place for people to gather. Just like we were talking about what we want to create, what I'm trying to do on like youth football fields. A dire part in uh, in the in the West End is to create places for kids to go play, places for people to gather,
and we do need places for families together. The question is how can we accomplish that, you know, and you know, I've hacked conversations with several private sector companies including you know, you know folks who invested have invested in the West End. How can they help out to create a place, uh, you know, for people to sit down and families to sit down and gather. So I think the objective is right.
I think clearly you know, the execution and the way that it went went about and the city has to figure out how we get back up sixty six.
Thousand dollars and uh and not let the history repeat itself.
Well, what are you talk about like a playground or something a park? What when you said just a place for families to sit down and gather? Are you talking commercial what?
What? So there's there are several parts.
So if you think of the West End, there's a library, now there's a rec center. There are plans for a romac like an art art center, you know, community center, which is great. Uh separately, yeah, I mean there there should be, And the question is how can you get there a place for people to sit down and have a burger and you know, have to have a coach if you will. How you get there is the question. You know clearly, Uh you know this was not and is not the right plan.
Uh.
You know, how can you incent private sector folks to help out those who've invested in the West End. I mean there's a couple of blocks from Sam Adams a few blocks and City Cincinnati. Uh, you know, so how can you leverage that to create a state where people can walk over and sit down and have a burger.
And relax with their family.
And as a result, you know, families are hanging out in their neighborhood and they're not going downtown, and kids are not going downtown. They're hanging out. And whether it's a skate park, a football field, a community center, some place where there's also state where they can also get mentored and they can have some opportunity to get out of the current situation.
Because the current situation in the West End. It ain't working.
But if you look at it though, you say, okay, we need a place to gather. If you go from Ezu Charles all the way up to Liberty which is several city blocks, and then between Land and where where Tiquol Stadium is, you have Laurel Playground, you got the Laurel Rec creer. You've got plenty of green space there. Don't we already have that?
Oh green space?
Yeah, I mean I do think I am working, as you know on a dedicated youth football field and dire park which is in the West End.
So you do have some green spaces.
You do have a rec center and you will we will soon have you know, like an art center for kids to come and sit down. You are and you know, I mean stay out of you know, have some productive use but having to play some families together and you know, have a burger great.
How we get there is the question.
You know, and how can we have private sector folks and the right investor you know, stepped in and you know and help take that.
That's possible. That's the question going forward.
He is accountsmember Mark Jeffreys on The Sconsland Show seven hundred Wow, there's a sports bar of the West End that's never gonna get off the ground. City threw some money at it. It's like Mahogani's all over again, on a smaller scale, but still, I think if you're a taxpayer, you hear this and go, okay, let me let me get this straight. And here's what people are here. They're going,
we've got this crime going on right now. You're going to have budget meetings and you're told the departments prepare, what would it look like if you cut five point one percent, give yourself a five percent haircut across the top. Chief Adam Henny is going to present to you.
Guys.
You said it's not going to happen. We just this is part of the process here as we ask departments to do that. It doesn't really mean we're going to But people hear that and go, wow, they're going to lose eleven million dollars at a time where violence is on the way up, crime is on the way up, and not all over the place, but in many areas,
especially the high profile ones. A top of that, we just ate eight million dollars riverbend two point zero, and of course we know the symphony has tons of cash, but we're going to give them money anyway. In the meantime, we're going to give business to someone who is in default, already already been locked out. We're giving him money for a place that's shuttered because he didn't pay his rent. We didn't bother the check that before we wrote the check.
How do you think that's playing with your average voter or your average citizen in Cincinnati, Mark, Yeah.
I mean, look, first of all, the reason that there's a reason why I voted against the eight million for the Music Center is because I don't think that we should be investing and things like that. And eight million is a lot when you have a budget deficit of thirty million. And I think rightfully to the other reason why I'm also non in favor of an increase in
the earning sects. We have to live within our meetings, and I've been the one outspoken voice on that, and you know, I mean, look, I think we need to make sure that we are smart about our investments. I do think the objective is right in the West End, which is, how can we make sure that folks do have safe spaces to go when you have two kids
who are shot at playgrounds. You know, if I'm a pair in the West End, I'm like, no, I don't really want my kid to hang out on a playground, Which is why we're pushing four things like cameras, things like lights, lighting, and playgrounds, you know, And so the objective of yees having a place for people together. I
think how we get there is the question. And how can we have private sector come in and help out to to create a place for people to have a burger and a beer and a coke, you know, with their family on a you know, on an evening.
All right, all well and good because I like nice slices to go. But you know, I look at what's happening in Cincinnati. We have shootings at playgrounds for crying out a lot. I mentioned Laurel Playground and the rec center their queens gates fairly close to they at a rec center. A lot of green space in that area in the West End. And yet okay, we'll put place where see people can sit down, have a burger to coke. All right, I'm down, But what makes us think that
the violence isn't just gonna end up there? I mean, we had a shitting at we had a shooting on Fountain Square at City Bird people firing through the glass at each other right there on Fountain Square. They're gonna do that on Fountain Square, and they're gonna do that in the West End.
Yeah.
Well, look, I mean this is a bigger problem if you well know God right, I mean, when somebody shoots someone and a police officer of the incident you mentioned in Fountain Square was literally twenty feet away. We need officers. We need more officers than we will recruit more, but we can't. And police will be the first person say that police our way out of it, because when somebody shoots somebody twenty feet away, it's a tigger care. So
we have to create and it starts with kids. But to create opportunities, job opportunities, you know, making sure that folks are getting, you know, into the trades. You know, we're building things like the Branston Bridge Western Hith Viaduct, and we get people trained as iron workers and laborers
and plumbers. And that is the only way you know, to give people opportunity and uh, you know, and get out of the poverty that we see in the West End through education and job opportunities and showing kids that you know, people adults can be responsible. You know, I want kids in the West End seeing people, you know, uh vote and the bus stop with a bus driver or the security guard and they're resusponsible. They're getting on the bus and they're coming home in the afternoon and
they're taking care of the family. That's the kind of that's the only way out. We're not going to be able to police our way out of it, you know. Uh. And but we also do need police, We need both, yes, and so that's the only folution to go forward.
Yeah, you mentioned the earnings tack and earning stacks and this is part of it. And saying hey, we cut five percent, we do the earnings tax. But again, giving money to riverbend money to people already in default.
Uh.
That that really if you that's really going to hurt that vote? Is that for nerd? I'm not debating whether or not in New to raise the earnings tax, but boy, that's gonna be a hard hell to climb for you guys based on this.
Yeah, I mean there's the reason why.
I mean I said this before the last campaign, and I haven't changed my position. You know, you eat your carrots before you eat your dessert. There are plenty of efficiencies and things, and I am laying them out in my budget parity motion. I've got a lot of efficiencies and opportunities. You start there before you.
Ask, you know. I mean it's the same thing with kids.
You know, you don't give them a stake increase in their allowance if they're not doing their tour correct.
So you got That's why I want the city Cincinnati be my parents. You seem kind of like generous about that, kind of lax about that, if you will.
I'm not laxibotic, my friend.
I'm talking about I'm talking about it in general. It's like it's like, I know, you guys are like the cool parents. You're buying my weed for me. I know you're fighting against this mark. That's why you on the show. And I appreciate that because five percent is not going to happen with the police department. But also just be more responsible and running it like a business in some regards instead of just handing money out Willy Nilly probably would go a long way. I know that you're in
the heat of budget meetings right now. Chief Heny's going to testify and give his proposal and I'll take your word for it that the city will now touch a dime of police money because we really can't afford it, and I think they'd be the dumbest thing to do. And I'm sure there's a couple of members of council that will vote for it. But again, it sounds like a winner to me. Mark Jefferies, appreciate the time as always, Buddy, appreciate you.
Thank ye.
You got money for River Bend. You're wanting eleven million dollar haircut for the police. Crime and violent crime at that is starting to pick up quite a bit from the cold summer, because the cold winter months before we're heading the summer here. And on top of that, you're going, well, maybe an earnings tax for the people that work still work downtown. Okay, great, we got money. We need more money coming in because they're thirty million dollars upside down.
But meanwhile, we're gonna hand out money to Riverbend. We're gonna hand out money to a bar who has absolutely wouldn't pass like the first test if you went to a bank and asked for that com money, you know, I get the city is there to hand some cash, how to help people out by I get it, but you have to show that you'll be a good steward of that money, and clearly we forget that lesson when it's public dollars. Scott's Loan Show, seven hundred w Alwa