Citizens For A Better Norwood 2

Highlights from Bradley King's resume

2011-08-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Bradley A. King, R.S., M.P.H.

EDUCATION
Master of Public Health, Wright State University, March 2006
Bachelor of Science in Biology, University of Cincinnati, August 1999

WORK HISTORY
2011 - Present - Director of Environmental Health, Warren County Health Department
2010 - 2011 Environmental Health Program Coordinator, Warren County Health Department
2000 - 2011 Public Health Environmentalist, Warren County Health Department
1994 - 2000 Unit Coordinator Monitor Watcher, Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati
1991 - 1996 U.S. Army Medical Specialist Active Duty and Ohio National Guard,
Five years experience as United States Army Medic

INTERESTS & ACTIVITIES
- Ohio Environmental Health Association Secretary, 2010-2012
- O.K.I. Groundwater Committee Representative for Warren County, 2011
- District Director, Ohio Environmental Health Association S.W. District, 2009
- Certified Pool Operator 2009
- Commander, Springboro Post 805 in Springboro, Ohio 2011
- Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America, 1991
- Open Water Scuba Diver, August 1998
- Second year class representative to the Wright State University M.P.H. Executive Committee, 2005

Registration form for NCLTI

2011-08-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

Norwood Community Leadership Training Institute

Registration Form

To register, please complete this information and return to Norwood Service League, 2071 Lawrence Avenue, Norwood, Ohio 45212. You may also send this form as an attachment to lhoyt@norwoodserviceleague.org or fax 924-1600

Name_____________________________________________________

Address___________________________________________________

Telephone_________________________________
Cell______________________________________

Email Address___________________________________________________

Why do you want to participate in the Norwood Community Leadership Training Institute? __________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

How the Energy Alliance program for homeowners works

2011-07-08T05:07:00.000-07:00

Homeowners Save Money, Live More Comfortably & Conserve Energy

The Energy Alliance helps homeowners and non-profit organizations identify ways to save money, live more comfortably and conserve energy through an energy assessment – a process that determines measures to reduce utility bills. The average home energy improvement is estimated to save the homeowner 20 percent or more on monthly energy bills.

Energy Assessments - Save Money & Energy
Much more than a simple walk-through, this 3 to 5 hour comprehensive assessment performed by an Energy Alliance-approved contractor examines air leaks, mechanical equipment performance and safety, insulation levels and air quality. Normally a $400 to $500 cost, the Energy Alliance is able to offer this service for $50 to eligible homeowners in Hamilton, Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties for a limited time. (The $50 cost is reimbursable when investing in a home energy improvement.)

Home Energy Incentives - Save 35% on Energy-Saving Upgrades
The Energy Alliance’s grant funding provides an incentive of up to 35 percent to reduce the cost of each measure on the energy assessment report. In addition, the Energy Alliance also offers low interest loans, financing programs and connects homeowners to other available federal, state and utility incentives. No income restrictions apply.

Determine Investments that Save the Most
The energy assessment identifies measures to reduce utility bills, the cost of each improvement and the return on investment (through energy savings) starting with those that have the highest impact per dollar. Typical measures can include adding or replacing insulation, sealing air drafts and upgrading to high efficiency furnaces.

Work With Qualified Contractors - Save Time & Ensure Quality

The Energy Alliance saves time and ensures quality by providing project management services and a list of professionally certified and insured contractors. All home performance professionals are certified by the Building Performance Institute, a leading nonprofit organization that provides standards for energy efficiency professionals. The Energy Alliance routinely performs quality assurance testing on all approved contractors to ensure the highest quality work.

Norwood Community Gardens Application & Waiver

2011-06-10T04:05:00.000-07:00

Won’t you join us?

Community Gardening can be a fun way to connect family, neighbors, friends and co-workers!

Gardening tips and information are available if you’re a beginner or experienced gardener.

Co-sponsored Gardening workshops provided by Xavier University-NEXUS Gardens & Norwood Service League.

Raised garden plot size – 4’x 10’ in a compass-star layout - Designed by SHP Leading Design

· All soil and organic amendments

· Watering hoses, watering available dawn to dusk

· Bring your own gardening tools, gloves, and plants/seeds

A great Thank You to Al Neyer Inc for the use of land, providing all materials/labor for building the garden plots; The City of Norwood for water and mulch; SHP Leading Design for their ideas in making a great community garden; Jim Tarbell who had the vision for this project; Scarlet Oaks-Adult Welding Class for creating Metal Flower Sculptures; Miller’s Furniture-Adams County for the picnic tables and benches.
Norwood Service League is a co-sponsor, promoter, recruiter for Norwood Community Gardens. Check www.norwoodserviceleague.org for updates.

Community Garden Plots are assigned by compass point and number combination, starting left to right with your back to the center of the Gardens.

See map at NCG community bulletin board.

Norwood Community Gardens Application

Suggested Pledge for Norwood Community Garden members:

· I will keep weeds down and maintain the areas immediately surrounding my plot, if any.
· If my plot becomes unkempt, I understand I will be given one (1) week’s notice to clean it up. At that time, it will be reassigned or tilled in.
· I will keep trash an litter cleaned from the plot, as well as from adjacent pathways and fences.

· I will participate in the fall clean-up of the garden.
· I will help pick crops.
· I agree to volunteer 1 hour toward group community gardening efforts.
· I will NOT bring pets to the gardens.

I understand Norwood Community Gardens is an organic gardening project and does not use pesticides, nor does it permit gardeners to use pesticides in their plots.

I understand that the Norwood Service League, the garden committee, nor owners of the land are responsible for my actions.

I therefore agree to hold harmless Al Neyer, Inc (owner of land), SHP Leading Design, City of Norwood, Norwood Service League, et al for any liability, damage, loss or claim that occurs in connection with use of the gardens by me or any of my guests.

Gardner’s Signature___________________________________________________________

Print Name ___________________________________________________________________

Date: ___________________________________

Phone _______________________________

Email address _________________________________________________________________

Initial communication between Lupe Hoyt and the gardeners is via email lhoyt@norwoodserviceleague.org or call 924-1200 opt. #2
Garden bed assignments will be provided up receipt of this completed form.

PLEASE MAKE AND KEEP A COPY FOR YOUR FILE.

This form must be submitted to: NSL, 2071 Lawrence Ave. , Norwood, OH 45212 or fax to 513-924-1600.

Norwood Health Dept. featured in Enquirer article

2011-05-16T04:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday’s Enquirer had an in depth article about the pros and cons of consolidating Hamilton County’s six remaining independent health departments, although of the much focus was on the possible merger of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County departments. Enquirer reporter Barry Horstman did some of his research for the article by attending a Norwood Health Commission meeting, interviewing Norwood Health Commissioner Pamela Walker-Bauer, and accompanying NHD nurse Chandra Corbin on one of her regular home visits to check on Norwood resident Marsha Lingo. (A picture of Chandra and Ms. Lingo appears with the article.) Here’s an exerpt that quotes Ms. Lingo:

Marsha Lingo, 55, left largely bedridden by a stroke, describes her regular home check-ups from Norwood nurse Chandra Corbin as "a visit from a friend I look forward to" each week.

"Without her, I'd probably be in a cemetery," said Lingo, for whom Corbin's visits briefly expand a world largely limited to the bed pushed against a wall in her small living room where she spends nearly every hour, awake and asleep. "I describe it as like having an angel on my shoulder."

As most Norwoodians know, the Norwood Health Department, which operates on a shoestring budget like most of City departments, was at risk of being closed in favor of a contract with Hamilton County Public Health nearly 3 years ago. In the end, City Council voted to keep NHD, in large part because many of the current services would be either lost completely or greatly diminished. Mr. Horstman cites the fact that contracting Norwood Health Department services would negatively affect 16 of the 23 services NHD provides to the community. Click here to see which 16 services would be impacted.

NCT's schedule of candidate forums on Cable Channel 4

2009-10-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 31:

Start Time & Title
12:00:00 AM Candidates - Treasurer
12:30:00 AM Candidates - Council at Large
1:45:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 1
2:15:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 2
2:30:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 3
3:00:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 4
3:30:00 AM Candidate - Council President
3:45:00 AM Candidates - Auditor
4:15:00 AM Candidates - Treasurer
4:45:00 AM Candidates - Council at Large
6:00:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 1
6:30:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 2
6:45:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 3
7:15:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 4
7:45:00 AM Candidate - Council President
8:00:00 AM Candidates - Auditor
8:30:00 AM Candidates - Treasurer
9:00:00 AM Candidates - Council at Large
10:15:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 1
10:45:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 2
11:00:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 3
11:30:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 4
12:00:00 PM Candidate - Council President
12:15:00 PM Candidates - Auditor
12:45:00 PM Candidates - Treasurer
1:15:00 PM Candidates - Council at Large
2:30:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 1
3:00:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 2
3:15:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 3
3:45:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 4
4:15:00 PM Candidate - Council President
4:30:00 PM Candidates - Auditor
5:00:00 PM Candidates - Treasurer
5:30:00 PM Candidates - Council at Large
6:45:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 1
7:15:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 2
7:30:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 3
8:00:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 4
8:30:00 PM Candidate - Council President
8:45:00 PM Candidates - Auditor
9:15:00 PM Candidates - Treasurer
9:45:00 PM Candidates - Council at Large
11:00:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 1
11:30:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 2
11:45:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 3

Sunday, November 1:

Start Time & Title
12:15:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 4
1:00:00 AM Candidates - Auditor
1:15:00 AM Candidate - Council President
1:45:00 AM Candidates - Treasurer
2:15:00 AM Candidates - Council at Large
3:30:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 1
4:00:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 2
4:15:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 3
4:45:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 4
5:15:00 AM Candidate - Council President
5:30:00 AM Candidates - Auditor
6:00:00 AM Candidates - Treasurer
6:30:00 AM Candidates - Council at Large
7:45:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 1
8:15:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 2
8:30:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 3
9:00:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 4
9:30:00 AM Candidate - Council President
9:45:00 AM Candidates - Auditor
10:15:00 AM Candidates - Treasurer
10:45:00 AM Candidates - Council at Large
12:00:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 1
12:30:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 2
12:37:50 PM Candidates - Council Ward 3
1:15:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 4
1:45:00 PM Candidate - Council President
2:00:00 PM Candidates - Auditor
2:30:00 PM Candidates - Treasurer
3:00:00 PM Candidates - Council at Large
4:15:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 1
4:45:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 2
5:00:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 3
5:30:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 4
6:00:00 PM Candidate - Council President
6:15:00 PM Candidates - Auditor
6:45:00 PM Candidates - Treasurer
7:15:00 PM Candidates - Council at Large
8:30:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 1
9:00:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 2
9:15:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 3
9:45:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 4
10:15:00 PM Candidate - Council President
10:30:00 PM Candidates - Auditor
11:00:00 PM Candidates - Treasurer
11:30:00 PM Candidates - Council at Large

Monday, November 2:

Start Time & Title
12:45:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 1
1:15:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 2
1:30:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 3
2:00:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 4
2:30:00 AM Candidate - Council President
2:45:00 AM Candidates - Auditor
3:15:00 AM Candidates - Treasurer
3:45:00 AM Candidates - Council at Large
5:00:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 1
5:30:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 2
5:45:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 3
6:15:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 4
6:45:00 AM Candidate - Council President
7:00:00 AM Candidates - Auditor
7:30:00 AM Candidates - Treasurer
8:00:00 AM Candidates - Council at Large
9:15:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 1
9:45:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 2
10:00:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 3
10:30:00 AM Candidates - Council Ward 4
11:00:00 AM Candidate - Council President
11:15:00 AM Candidates - Auditor
11:45:00 AM Candidates - Treasurer
12:15:00 PM Candidates - Council at Large
1:30:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 1
2:00:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 2
2:15:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 3
2:45:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 4
3:15:00 PM Candidate - Council President
3:30:00 PM Candidates - Auditor
4:00:00 PM Candidates - Treasurer
4:30:00 PM Candidates - Council at Large
5:45:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 1
6:15:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 2
6:30:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 3
7:00:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 4
7:30:00 PM Candidate - Council President
7:45:00 PM Candidates - Auditor
8:15:00 PM Candidates - Treasurer
10:00:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 1
10:30:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 2
10:45:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 3
11:15:00 PM Candidates - Council Ward 4

Candidate blog series: Auditor candidate Jim Stith (R)

2009-10-25T03:19:00.001-07:00

Jim Stith, Auditor.
Hard Work and Common Sense

In January 2008 I was appointed to the position of Auditor for the City of Norwood. I must now run for the remainder of the unexpired term. I have dedicated myself to this position and brought a strong work ethic and common sense to the office. I now ask for the chance to finish the job I started.

Since becoming Auditor I have brought responsibility, professionalism, transparency and a strong work ethic to the Auditor’s office. I continue to fight for a balanced budget, fiscal responsibility, and excellence in financial reporting.

As Auditor I have made myself available regularly during weekly office hours for department heads, elected officials and our citizens. I also attend every City Council meeting making the Auditor’s office accessible to City officials. I have modernized our City’s financial systems and technologies and updated and converted the City’s accounting system to be compliant with Federal and State accounting practices. We have worked with the law department to save the City over $13,000 a year in property taxes and uncovered almost $50,000 in available stagnant funds.

Since becoming Auditor I have appointed an excellent staff with financial, accounting, and technological experience. This staff includes the Deputy Auditor Marcus Patterson who holds a Masters Degree in Accounting. Together we have created true Transparency in Government identifying and correcting inefficiencies, finding and correcting problems. There are those who want to hold this against me. I insist that finding problems and correcting them is not a bad thing, hiding problems and sweeping them under the rug is!

Every month we generate reports for City Council and the Administration. We prepared and filed the 2006 & 2007 Annual Financial Reports, prepared a Five Year Financial Forecast for the City and we are completing the first Comprehensive Annual Financial Report since 2003. Every report is available for viewing by the public in the Auditor’s office or online www.NorwoodAuditor.com.

I am not a life long resident of Norwood, Jen and I moved here 9 years ago. This is where we choose to live, where our children go to school. We do not have generations of family in the City, we are the start of new generations for the City. We represent people who see how special this community is and come here to raise our families.

I am not City government as usual. I became involved in local politics because I care about our community and noticed problems which were not being addressed. There was a need and I knew I could help. I had to take a stand for what is right. This is not about pride, this is not about personal gain, this is about the community in which we choose to live and raise our children.

I am hopeful that the voters of Norwood will give me the chance to finish the job that I started.

Keep Responsibility,
Keep Professionalism,
Keep Transparency,
Keep Fiscal Responsibility,
Keep Jim Stith working hard for You!

For a detailed bio and more information please see my web site www.VoteStith.com.

Jim Stith

Candidate blog series: At-large candidate Victor Schneider (R)

2009-10-25T03:15:00.000-07:00

For too long Norwood has been struggling under a cloud of senseless negativity. It is time to put those attitudes and destructive criticisms in the past. I am committed to bringing positive energy and a resurgence of honest civic pride to our great City.

I feel confident that my background qualifies me to continue to represent the citizens of Norwood. I have held the position of Mayor, Service Director, and Superintendent of Public Works. I have also had the honor of being elected to 2 terms as a Council at Large member of Norwood City Council. I have completed the State of Ohio Police Officer Training Academy. I have received all certifications necessary and worked as a firefighter. I have maintained water and gas systems as a General Mechanic/Technician in the private sector as well as worked as a production and business manager for a $100 million dollar international corporation. I have many years of experience managing people to maximize productivity and results. Currently I am working as a Community Manager in the private sector.

Please carefully consider the candidates for Norwood City Council, President of Council, Treasurer, and Auditor. I will commit to asking questions, getting answers and doing my best to protect the overall best interest of Norwood. I would appreciate your support.

Please vote for Victor Schneider.

Candidate blog series: At-large candidate Michael Gabbard

2009-10-25T03:12:00.000-07:00

As a lifelong resident of Norwood it has been my honor to serve my community on council.

Family: Wife Vicki and 4 children

Education: Norwood High Grad 1983, BA Biblical Studies from Temple School of Ministry, Paramedic since 1986, former firefighter (12 years), Police officer (3 years).

Employment: TriHealth PTS (Sales, Marketing, Customer Service)

Committees: Finance & Audit Committee, Chairman of Safety, Police & Fire. Past member of Community Development, Streets and Infrastructure, Parks & Playgrounds

Affiliations: Member of New Bethel Baptist Church and serve on the Children & Youth Leadership Board, Norwood City Schools Business Advisory Council, Norwood Soccer Association (President, coach, sponsor), Relay for Life (chairman), Voice of NHS Boys & Girls Soccer Games.

As your representative I have:

Pushed to make our sexual predator ordinance stronger to keep the children of Norwood as safe as possible.
Pushed to have a juvenile court held here in Norwood.
Pushed to streamline the grass cutting of vacant properties.
Pushed to keep our own health department here in Norwood.
Supported more attention to our parks - addition of restrooms in Hunter, Saving Burwood Pool and new equipment at Fenwick.
Supported:

Vacant Building Ord. and removal of vacant properties.
New CRA Ord.
Street Resurfacing Program
New developments

This council has accomplished much over the last few years but we still have much to do. We have been able to work through some serious financial issues without losing any of our vital services. We have worked through loses of companies by seeking new companies and developments.

As your councilman I DO NOT play political games. As your elected official I don’t represent just a certain group of people – I represent and serve ALL the citizens of Norwood. I don’t seek attention and do most work off camera and behind the scenes. I don’t speak a lot on council floor but when I do it is to bring a strong voice for YOU.

I would like to continue to be your strong voice on council as we work to continue to improve our city. Please Vote and keep Michael Gabbard as your Council at Large on Nov. 3rd. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at 531-4999 – I will actually respond to your call.

Michael Gabbard

Candidate blog series: At-large candidate Andrew Clark (R)

2009-10-25T03:09:00.000-07:00

I am excited to be running for a seat on Norwood City Council. I love the City of Norwood and know I can help take our city to the next level. Norwood needs a combination of all ages on city council. A combination of wisdom and experience with new and fresh ideas is powerful. I promise you that I will never be outworked. My grandpa and dad have shown me the importance of hard work and dedication and I want to put that to use for you and our city.

Here are some facts about me you may want to know:

I am a life long resident of Norwood and attended North Norwood for preschool, Sharpsburg for kindergarten through 5th grade, the middle school for 6th through 8th grade and the high school for 9th through 12th grade.
I just recently (May 2009) graduated from Miami University (Oxford, OH) with a B.A. in Political Science with a focus in English Literature and Creative Writing.
In February of 2009, my mom, Vicki (life long resident and NHS graduate c/o 1977), and I started the Norwood Star Newspaper after the loss of the Norwood Times. I was writing for the Times when it shut down and knew Norwood needed a newspaper to keep the positive news flowing.
I am a member of the Norwood Community Chorus and have been since it started in January of 2008. I truly love being a member of this choir. Judy White is a great instructor and I would love to see more of you join the chorus. It is more fun than work!
I attend Trinity Pentecostal Church on Norwood Avenue and have been a life long member. At times I have been the Youth Leader, Drama Director, Choir Member, and responsible for the Media Relations in the Youth Department.
I currently work at the Cincinnati Area Board of REALTORS in the Education Department. I hope to bring the tools I have learned about real estate to Norwood and help us attract more businesses to fill our vacant developments and new families to fill our vacant residences. If elected I will also work with the board to set up a showcase of our schools and community for local realtors so they can see the available housing and commercial properties available and better communicate our city to potential buyers.

Here are more specific things I hope to do for Norwood:

Improve Norwood’s Reputation
My experience with the Norwood Star and as a Communication Director at Trinity Pentecostal Church has shown me the importance of positive press. I will work with the media to ensure that we receive more coverage on the good things rather than just the bad. I am willing to take on anyone who thinks Norwood is an awful community-even Tracy Jones!
Improve and Maintain Norwood’s Infrastructure
I will work to improve our roadways, parks, and public facilities to ensure that Norwood has better roadways and great facilities for us to use.
Ensure that Public Safety is a Top Priority
I will work to make Norwood the safest place it can be. I will work closely with the Norwood Police Department and the Norwood Citizens on Patrol to find ways to build upon the great work they are already doing and find new ways of making Norwood safe.
Help the School Board to Improve our Schools
As a NHS graduate, I was given a great education, which landed me in a top public university. I want to ensure that every child in Norwood has the same opportunity and better. I want to see our kids excel in the classroom and on the field. I want them exceeding expectations, not just meeting them.

I am excited for what is in store for our community. We have a lot of great people here in Norwood who are willing to work hard to make our community better. I am excited to work with these great people. I promise I will never forget that I serve you and I will always be available by phone (706-6893) or email (Andrew@clarkfornorwood.com) to address any concerns you have or any suggestions you have to make our city a better place.

Andrew Clark
www.clarkfornorwood.com

Candidate blog series: Treasurer candidate Tom Brown (R)

2009-10-25T03:08:00.000-07:00

My name is Thomas Brown and I am the Republican candidate for Norwood City Treasurer. I have always been concerned about the City of Norwood’s financial stability and business growth, but none more than now. The City Treasurer’s office needs leadership, organization, and efficiency so that your tax dollars are used wisely. I am apprehensive that the current treasurer does not have these ideals as his main interest. It is for this reason I have decided to offer the voters of Norwood a real choice in this November’s election.

My dealings with the Norwood Treasurer’s Office started when I worked for the City of Norwood. In 2000, I raised concerns to City Council about the inefficiencies, disorganization and overall poor performance of the Treasurer’s Office with other City Departments and the public.

Nearly ten years later, nothing has changed.

There are many problems in the Treasurer’s office that impact taxpayers:

The closing of the office every day in the mid-afternoon, thus making it impossible for the public to pay their bills owed to the City.
The current City Treasurer does not keep regular office hours, attend City Council meetings or attend Finance meetings.
The current City Treasurer does not employ a full time Tax Commissioner to run the Tax Office.
The Treasurer’s poor communication with other City Departments and City Council.
The mailing of tax evasion letters to Norwood citizens whom in fact have paid their taxes properly.

The most recent State Auditor’s Review of the City Treasurer highlights many noncompliance citations and material weaknesses relating to the poor management of the accounts by the current City Treasurer.

In the State Auditor’s Review, they stated, "The City Treasurer did not prepare accurate cash reconciliation of the general account during 2004 and 2005."

The State Auditor commented the following while discussing the lack of balancing of the City Treasurer’s checkbook bank accounts by stating, “There is no evidence that the monthly reconciliations are reviewed upon completion.”, “The Auditor of State does not “approve” methods and components used in completing reconciliations.” and “the City could not account for differences between their book and bank balances in the amounts of $21,455 and $17,142 at December 31, 2004 and December 31, 2005 respectively.”

Even more shocking, the State Auditor was so critical of the way the Treasurer’s Office is run, they “recommend that Council or an appointee of Council, review and sign off on the reconciliations thereby indicating approval and promoting timeliness of reconciliations.”

While council has no statutory authority over other elected officials, the State Auditor is so concerned they are recommending oversight nonetheless. Norwood’s citizens should be concerned about the lack of accountability in the Treasurer’s office.

I stand ready to offer the voters of Norwood the leadership experience and commitment to excellence needed in the Treasurer’s office. My experience with staff supervision and meeting goals in the private and government sector will serve me well. My previous jobs have required me to streamline processes and initiate new procedures to save my employer money. My engineering degree provides me with the analytical skills needed to get the Treasurer’s Office running properly.

My wife and I are very involved in community events. From the Norwood 4th of July Fireworks Committee, Norwood Moose Lodge, and Relay for Life to WCET’s Action Auction, we are always looking for fulfilling volunteer opportunities. We have lived here for 12 ½ years and are proud to call Norwood home.

I understand that too much government, as well as too little, is a waste of taxpayer’s money. The basic and efficient operation of our government offices is critical, so our tax dollars are spent wisely. So I pledge to have the office maintain regular business hours, hire a full time qualified staff to work to restructure and modernize the office, as well as work with both the City Auditor and City Council to balance the city’s budget.

I will be accessible to the Administration, City Council and Department Heads to assist in any financial issues. Additionally, I personally pledge to keep regular office hours and to attend City Council meetings.

Finally, I will bring accountability, efficiency and real change to Norwood’s Treasurer’s Office.

You can contact me via the web at www.NorwoodRepublicans.com, via email at ElectBrown@current.net, my website at www.vote4brown.com or by phone at 396-6683.

I am running for City Treasurer because…it’s Your Money, My Money, Our Money.

Tom Brown

Candidate blog series: Ward 4 candidate Todd Tittle (R)

2009-10-19T05:27:00.000-07:00

My name is Todd Tittle, candidate for Norwood City Council in Ward 4. For the last 10 years my wife Missy and our four children have enjoyed living in the neighborhood surrounding our home on Warren Avenue. In that time I’ve been active in the Norwood Relay for Life, the Norwood Fireworks Committee, and in serving our church community.

I work in the Information Technology field but have also committed myself to using my skills to help others in both the local and global community, including efforts in developing countries in southern Africa and in our local community. My belief is that your community is what you make it and that when you give back with your time and talents it benefits the city as a whole. As your elected representative I will bring my skills and commitment to community to my job on Norwood City Council.

Over the last several years I have walked the streets, spoken with residents, participated in community events and listened carefully to your concerns about our Ward. I’ve heard you talk about quality of life issues like street repair, sidewalks, safety, parking, traffic, litter and our parks. As a private citizen, I’ve advocated for change and action. As an elected official, I’ll make sure your voice is heard, your concerns are respected and that action is taken

During Council’s evaluation of the Norwood Health Department, I joined the voices of those supporting the continued operation of this valuable department and its critical services. I heard many wonderful stories about how our Health Department helped a loved one, responded to a health-related issue, and generally made our community a better, safer place to live. That is why I stood in support of our Health Department. My opponent instead chose to stifle the voice of the public. Several people I talked to felt he was disrespectful of those who chose to express their concerns. Public input and opinion are an important part of what makes Democracy the greatest political system in the world. It provides each of us the freedom to speak our mind and to vote to make a difference in where we live.

With your vote, I can continue efforts to improve our neighborhood and our city. As your elected representative, I can give you a voice in our great city’s future. As always, feel free to contact me via email at todd.tittle@gmail.com or by phone 631-7268 just to ask a question or voice a concern.

Todd Tittle

Candidate blog series: Ward 4 candidate John Mumper (D)

2009-10-19T05:26:00.001-07:00

Dear CBN Readers:

I am John Mumper and I am running for re-election to Council Ward Four.

Here are a few comments:
We have brought the City of Norwood back from financial disaster, but there are reasons to believe that this economy and the loss of some of our earnings tax base may cause us to experience some slippage in the next year and a half. We must continue to tightly monitor our expenditures and secure our revenue sources to guarantee that we do not slip back into fiscal trouble. There are no government entities that are currently in better shape that we are, at present, but there is still a threat of the recession hitting us in the near future.

During the past term, Norwood City Council held open meetings to review the expense of maintaining our Norwood Health Department. During these meetings I constantly tried to inform the public that the review of any city department was a function of city council. I emphasized that it was a review. During this review we brought in the Hamilton County Health Commissioner to inform us on the cost of having them provide the service of our health department. At the end of this departmental review council voted to maintain our own health department. These meetings were never intentionally slanted to one side or the other on the question of keeping our health department. This was a review of the health department. We had similar reviews of our Building Department and the 911 Communications Department. We found out during these reviews that these
departments were well run and much better for our city to maintain. I feel that I must set the record straight because of comments arising during this election season.

I promise to continue a careful watch on our City by maintaining a balanced budget and reviewing the city departments and their expenditures.

Please see my Bio below.

Experienced:

Chairman of Committee of the Whole, Active Member of Safety Committee, Finance
Committee and Law and Ordinance Committee.
Prior Council Experience: 1976-77, 1984-85, 2004-present.
Lifelong resident of the 4th Ward.

Professional:

BSBA in Accounting from Xavier University.with 39+ years experience in accounting.
Currently working for Wayne Coates, Hamilton County Recorder, as his Finance Director.

Involved:

Past: Norwood Knothole, Norwood YMCA, Norwood Bi-Centennial Committee
Present: Norwood Day Parade, Holy Trinity Festival, Variety Players, Men's Club and Building & Grounds.

Family Man: Married to Kathy (Dettmer) 39 years. We have been blessed with 6 children and 11 grandchildren, most currently residing in the City of Norwood.

Real Results:

Active member of Finance Committee that maintained city services during three years of negative cash flow brought on by past Administrations.
Instrumental in obtaining grant funds for 2009 Hunter Park addition of restrooms.
Linden Pointe development has replaced a 20 year eyesore and will continue to progress. The majority of the first building is now occupied.
Old Kaesemeyer Dairy building, at Carthage and Dale, has been dramatically remodeled for a new Norwood business, Cinna Health Products.
Support aggressive procedures in dealing with absentee landlords and problem properties. We have been responsible for the demolition of 11 “eyesore“ vacant properties, 6 in Ward Four, and continue to pursue more.
Approved the funding of new playground equipment for Fenwick Park in 2009 with a NatureWorks grant providing the majority of the funding.

I can be contacted at 531-3863 or John@theMumpers.com with your issues and concerns.

John Mumper

Candidate blog series: Ward 3 candidate Donna Laake (R)

2009-10-19T05:24:00.001-07:00

“Working for the good of the City.” It’s more than just a campaign slogan…it’s been my way of life since moving to Norwood in 1975. You probably know me best as the health commissioner at the Norwood Health Department since I served in that capacity for over 13 years and as a public health nurse for over 3 years. My years serving you at your health department were very rewarding and I saw the need for services in the community every day. That is why I fought so hard to keep the Norwood Health Department open in 2008 despite attempts by several members of the current Council to shut it down. With your help, we won and the health department continues to serve Norwood residents. With H1N1 (swine flu) at our doorstep, imagine the difference in planning and preparation if the opposition had their way and the health department were closed. Today as we speak, personnel that were hired during my tenure are continuing to implement the “Pan Flu Plan” that I authored several years ago and are working closely with Norwood City Schools to protect your children and grandchildren. I heard you loud and clear in 2008…now it’s our turn to make government open and honest and receptive to residents’ concerns.

A registered nurse by profession for over 38 years, I currently work part time at a local pediatric hospital as an Injury Prevention Coordinator. I was the first woman elected to Norwood City Council in 1979 and served 4 years during some of the hardest financial times in Norwood history. I served as Clerk of Council for 2 years and organized that office from years of neglect. I am involved in many activities and organizations in our city. I am a member of the Norwood Tree Board (you’ve probably seen me planting flowers throughout the city each year), Norwood Business & Professional Women’s Club, Norwood City Schools Health Advisory Council, Norwood City Schools Business Advisory Council, Norwood Moose, Norwood Relay for Life and several other civic/service organizations. I was fortunate enough to receive the “Indian Award” from the Norwood Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008, the Knights of Columbus “Woman of the Year” in 2007, “Distinguished Service Award” from the Association of Ohio Health Commissioners in 2008 and the Kiwanis “Woman of the Year” in 1994.

I have been married to Robert (Bob) Laake, a lifelong Norwood resident, for over 37 years. We have two adult, married children: Kevin (Norwood class of 1995) and Rebecca, Norwood class of 1999). We were blessed two years ago with our first grandchild and have been the typical grandparents. I am very active at Holy Trinity Church.

I will bring the same dedication and passion to City Council that I brought to the Norwood Health Department. My top priorities if elected include financial stability, improving city infrastructure and marketing Norwood as a great place to do business, work and live. I believe that we need to keep a very close watch on our housing stock and assure that complaints are investigated promptly and to a conclusion. We must keep our local court system so that offenders are dealt with quickly and firmly in Norwood. City personnel should be provided with what they need to do their jobs efficiently and effectively. I believe that your councilperson should answer phone calls and emails from constituents and work to help resolve concerns of residents in Ward 3. My only promise is this: to be PROFESSIONAL when representing you and your concerns and to keep you informed, not just during campaign season, but throughout the year. Norwood is a much different city than it was in 1979 because of planners and visionaries who believed we could survive and even thrive. I would like to be a part of the planning for what Norwood can be in the next 30 years. I ask for your vote in November to help me continue “working for the good of the city.”

Visit www.dlaake.blogspot.com for more information or email me at dmlaake@gmail.com.

Donna Laake

Candidate blog series: President of Council candidate Jane Grote (R)

2009-10-18T04:03:00.000-07:00

I have spent the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (except July) for 23 of the last 24 years at Norwood City Council meetings as either the President of Council or Clerk of Council. This has given me a unique position as an observer of the tremendous changes which have occurred in my hometown.

I have seen Surrey Square built and I have seen it transformed. I have seen factories closed and I have seen retail stores never known in Cincinnati opening. in Norwood. I have seen railroad tracks removed from the Central Business District and debates on light rail which would return railroad tracks to Montgomery Road. I have seen police cars sponsored by local businesses because the city had no money to buy them and new police officers hired when no other community could afford to do so. I have seen houses change from multiple sleeping rooms to one-family dwellings and over 150 houses disappear altogether. I have seen grade schools close and technical colleges open. I have seen Norwood made the butt of jokes and Norwood admired for its progress. I have seen lawsuits, bickering, and citizens coming together for the good of the City. I have seen three Mayors, two Treasurers, two Auditors, five Law Directors and nearly a hundred different council members. In the words of the poet, what a long, strange trip it has been! And one that I have enjoyed thoroughly. I hope to have another two years as a witness to history of the town I truly love.

Jane Grote

Candidate blog series: Ward 2 Steve Thornbury (R)

2009-10-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

Today, the CBN Blog has invited all of us who are running for office to tell you why we think we deserve your vote. In a minute I’ll tell you why I think I’ve earned your vote to once again represent the great folks in Ward 2. First, however, I want to talk about what I think is the most important vote you’re being asked to cast on Tuesday, November 3.

Roughly a month after I was sworn into office on January 1st of 2008, Jim Stith was chosen by the Norwood Republican Central Committee to fill the vacant position of Auditor for the City of Norwood. He inherited a department that was badly in need of, well, just about everything. What it needed most, however, was strong leadership to re-energize a demoralized the staff, re-organize its operations and update a seriously antiquated IT system. What Jim Stith has achieved in the last 20 months as Auditor is nothing short of miraculous. In less than two years he has taken a department that was spiraling into chaos and transformed it into, without question, the smartest, most efficient office in City Hall. He has been present for administrative reports and to answer any question asked of him at every Council meeting and nearly every Finance Committee meeting and has created the most open, transparent and informative web site in Norwood City Government. (http://www.NorwoodAuditor.com)

Now, because of a ruling by the Ohio Secretary of State (a Democrat), Mr. Stith is being forced to run in November for the remaining two years of the Auditor’s four-year term. Frankly, the ruling was a procedural victory for the local Norwood Democrats who understood that, given four total years of outstanding work by Mr. Stith and his staff, they would have no chance of unseating him. Their hope this November is that enough people will still be unaware of Jim Stith’s outstanding work and will, instead, choose to vote for an old Norwood political family name in the person of the son of the current Safety/Service Director. And while “Junior” appears to by a nice guy, clearly he’s no Jim Stith.

That’s why it is so important that when you fill out your absentee ballot in the coming days or visit your local polling place on Tuesday, November 3 to make sure you cast your vote for Jim Stith for Auditor.

So, why have I chosen to spend roughly half of my 700 words allotted to this blog entry advocating for Jim Stith? The simple answer is that if I’m going to remain involved in Norwood City Government, I want Jim and more people like him running our City. He proves the point I’ve been trying to make to anyone who will listen for the last ten years: That, with the right people in office, government works. Sometimes it just has a hard time getting the word out.

That’s why in my first term on Council as a member of the Streets and Infrastructure Committee I took it upon myself to publish details of the 2009 Street Maintenance Program in the Norwood Star and online here on the CBN Blog (as well as on my Ward 2 web site - www.norwoodward2.com). And why, when the current Administration began quietly pushing the idea of shutting down the Norwood Health Department, I forced the discussion about the future of the Norwood Health Department out of the back rooms and onto the floor of Council.

Keeping citizens informed has been a big part what I do for my constituents and will continue to do as long as I’m representing the people of Norwood.

Bottom line: As an elected representative and I take the idea of representation very seriously. That’s why I am asking for your vote for re-election to Norwood City Council and asking for your vote for Jim Stith for Auditor. Thanks, and congratulations for reading this far.

If you would like to speak to me about any issues or concerns, please call me anytime on my cell phone at 373-9653 or email me at sthornbury@fuse.net.

Steve Thornbury

Candidate blog series: Ward 2 candidate Gordon Williams (D)

2009-10-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

My name is Gordon Williams and I'm running as the Democratic Candidate for Norwood Council in Ward 2. The question that I have been asked a lot is why am I running? One of the reasons that I chose to run, is that in the neighborhood I grew up in (Regent Ave), there has always been problems between Xavier students and the residents. But it has gotten worse in the past two years.

To give you an example on Friday September 25, 2009 at the corner of Regent and Wayland two doors up from the house I grew up in (My brother still lives there), Xavier students that live there had a block party that got out of hand. You had people throwing beer bottles across the street (almost hitting some of the residents’ cars) and 15 to 20 people urinating outside. At one point, a bus from Xavier brought students to the party. I will give credit to our police force because when they were called, they broke the party up in about 10 minutes. The problem I have is that we are reacting to the problem, and I would like to be proactive to these problems.

I have already had a meeting with James McShane Senator, Xavier Student Government Association and Kathryn Rosenbaum Editor-in-Chief Xavier Newswire on this subject, and we are working on solutions to resolve these types of issues.

If I'm elected to council, these are some of things that I will address for the residents of Ward 2.

Gordon Williams

Candidate blog series: Ward 1 candidate Al Boehme (R)

2009-10-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

Blah! Blah! Blah! Blah! Blah! Blah!
Blah! Blah! Blah! Blah! Blah! Blah! and Blah! Blah! Blah! again.
I am tired of the political rhetoric. Promises, promises; but only partially kept. Oops I’m sorry I ended a sentence with a verb: or was it an adverb? I wasn’t very smart in school but I sure am now!

I’m tired of our governments, both federal and local, being on this agenda and forgetting about us. That’s one reason why I am running. I also want to serve my community with my lifelong residence experience.

I will use my several years Zoning Board Experience to help correct the zoning errors of the past: my 40 years as an electrician/contractor on safety and building issues, my 10 years as a Real Estate agent to help with the local housing issues.

I wish to demand more clarity in government, not keep secrets. Professional politicians and bureaucrats hide under rocks in the dark with their political works and bring them out to dazzle people in time to win elections, like now.

The present administration hasn’t done anything great. What has been accomplished is what I expect my government representatives to do. Oops I ended a sentence with a preposition. Sorry Mrs. Schmidt. Forgive me!

Any government official elected, or appointed, is expected to work hard in the best interest of the citizens, regardless of the party in power.

I am a middle of the road person politically with Christian/conservative values. I am not a professional politician! I am not a bureaucrat! I am a regular guy. I feel comfortable going to dinner with my congressman or at your back yard barbeque. I’m a retired Real Estate Agent and a semi- retired electrician. I was relieved of my Zoning Board appointment as my term expired.

I still work and get my hands dirty. I do volunteer work in and around the city. I do electrical work for schools and churches at no charge. I put back into the system.

I think it is appalling that all 16 years old must file taxes, especially if they are non-working students; that an attempt was made to sub lease our health service out to another government agency; that we have a childish recycling program; that criminals are terrorizing the community and then being released back to repeat again and again and that major city projects are not being bid out and just given to select people. I am tired of closed door meetings which are a violation of Ohio Sunshine Laws.

Let’s get a clear plastic suggestion box in the main area of city hall so residents can express themselves or make suggestions. Of course the president of council and/or the secretary should have the key.

Less government, open government, fair government: I will keep my nose in our ward, not the whole city.

I will get my motorcycle out now that election time is here and the roads are being repaired.

I need your vote on Nov. 3rd so I can serve you.

Al Boehme
AKA: Big Al, Too tall
Any questions or thoughts call me.
Home phone: 631-6607
Email: bafo@current@net

Candidate blog series: Ward 1 candidate Keith Moore (D)

2009-10-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

Dear CBN Readers –
I’m Keith Moore, and I’m running for reelection to Council Ward One. Before we get to who I am and why I’m running, let me ask about something that recently came up. Not a totally new idea, but a slightly different focus.

Over the years, there have been a number of groups formed to work on quality of life in Norwood. The more notable ones include CBN (which produced this blog) and the Norwood Citizen’s Association (or something like that), which kind of morphed into the West Norwood Neighborhood Association, which produced the Substation and Citizens on Patrol. Members of WNNA also worked on a Neighborhoods of Choice program for Norwood.

But I was recently asked about a Housing Committee, and it was the Housing part that stuck in my head. I like that. It’s focused. There are a hundred ideas out there with potential, maybe too many. But narrowing the field down to housing could be a great start.

I’m curious whether there would be support for a group like that and, more importantly, people willing to get and stay involved. Personally, I’d start with the Neighborhoods of Choice materials and work from there. Let me know.

And now back to our regularly scheduled campaign blog:

I’m Keith Moore and I’m running for reelection to Council Ward One. I live on Carter with my wife Lisa and two sons, Nathan (9) and Elijah (9 months). On Council, I serve as Chairman of the Community Development and Small Business Committee, Chairman of the Law and Ordinance Committee, and President Pro Tem.

We have made a lot of progress over the last few years putting Norwood on solid financial footing, addressing neighborhood problems, improving streets and infrastructure, and attracting new and better businesses. Some recent highlights are:

Commercial Development
■ Linden Pointe
■ Surrey Square with Kroger, Chipotle and Daata India
■ New Medical Buildings at the old MAB and on Sherman and Norwood
■ Seek Research’s first class rehab on Norwood Avenue

Parks and Buildings
■ Waterworks Pool renovations
■ Waterworks/Lindner Park upgrades
■ Hunter Park restrooms
■ Burwood Park repairs
■ Fenwick Park playground & lights

Neighborhoods
■ CRA Tax Abatement for improvements to property and new construction.
■ Comprehensive Housing Study
■ Eyesores torn down
■ Building Permits Streamlined
■ Shopping Cart Containment Systems at Kroger and Walgreens

I also arranged for Property Advisors and the Community Building Institute to identify problems areas and the best next steps to pursue - at no cost to Norwood. Some have been implemented, like the CRA.

Certainly, there is a lot more to be done, and I would like the chance to keep working on issues like these. What happens in the next two years depends on how the economy does. Revenues are up significantly through the first half of the year, but we’re starting to see some slippage that makes me think that things will be tight next year. But thanks to the work we have already done, we are in a better position than Cincinnati, Hamilton County, or the State.

If reelected, my priorities will be continuing work on the ideas from the Comprehensive Housing Study, full implementation of the CRA and Vacant Building programs, and a Sidewalk and Curb Assistance Program. And, depending on the response, a Housing Committee.

I welcome your comments and questions, whether here or at moore4norwood@aol.com.

Thank you for the opportunity to make my community a better place.

Keith

Part IV: Clue of the Killer’s CALLING CARD

2009-07-15T04:10:00.000-07:00

Parts I, II, and III of this Real Detective article are below

The two officers went rampaging through the place, using their training to single out the obvious hiding places of so incriminating a piece of evidence as a murder gun. But they couldn't find it.

Then Dockum spied a suitcase which, when picked up, seemed fully packed. He pried its lock open, rummaged through an assortment of men’s clothing, and finally struck a hard metallic object with his hand.

The Norwood detective drew out a fully-loaded .38 caliber revolver. Familiar as he was with Anthony Overberg's .38, the officer could not believe he had it in his hand after two and a half years.

It took Kiley to verify the discovery. "Sure, there's Davis's special grips and Wilson's trigger guard!" he exclaimed. "Wait'll Fritz hears this."

Mrs. Linna Louise Carter, wife of the suspect, was revived and taken to Louisville headquarters. There, shown the weapon, she fainted again. With a doctor now in attendance, the wife refused, between sobs, to talk. But she did agree to go back to Norwood the following morning with Kiley and Dockum.

Her arrival on Saturday, January 20, was an event, what with half the city already celebrating, news of the case's solution. Flashlight bulbs popped and Mrs. Carter fainted twice more.

At headquarters, Dr. Ventress, the deputy coroner, restored Mrs. Carter. Waiting with questions were Prosecutor Carson Hoy, Assistant District Attorney Royal Martin, Fritz and his detectives.

Mrs. Carter realized the hopelessness of the situation, hut she refused to speak. She seemed overwhelmed by the crowd around her. Martin was aware of this and that she had taken a liking to Detective Dockum, so he urged the others to leave her alone with the officer.

It was not long before Dockum was able to summon Assistant District Attorney Martin into the room. Mrs. Carter then confessed to the assistant prosecutor that her husband, Frank Dudley Carter, had murdered Anthony H. Overberg. She consented to make a full statement before Prosecutor Hoy and a stenographer from his office.

"Frank told me he had killed the officer the night it happened," she began. "I went to the movies and he left me. 'I'm going to knock over a sucker or two,' he said.

"Later, when I met him again, he had a bad cut on his left leg, his trousers were torn, and he smelled of vanilla. When I asked him what happened, he told me of getting into a fight with a police officer. He said a lot of bottles were broken, his leg was cut and vanilla spilled on him.

"He showed me the officer's pistol, saying he had lost the one he usually carried. Then Frank said, 'I. had to shoot that fellow when he was getting the best of me. I guess he's dead.'

"The next morning we read in the papers that he was dead, so Frank and I. skipped to Louisville, where we used to live."

When this statement was signed, Chief of Police Fritz, on Prosecutor Hoy's order, wired the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Chicago to arrest Frank Carter at Great Lakes. He also asked the detention of Mrs. Florence Klawson as a material witness.

Then Fritz dispatched the Overberg pistol and the three lethal bullets to the FBI laboratory in Washington, asking for an immediate report. This, received the following Monday, confirmed the fact that Overberg had been slain with his own pistol.

In Chicago, Frank Carter, arrested just one hour before he was scheduled to go overseas at his own request, made no attempt to deny the crime. He told the FBI men, "They've got plenty on me, and I know it."

On Tuesday Martin, Fritz, Dockum, Kiley, and Hein reached the Windy City. Hein, the Norwood druggist, immediately picked Carter from a lineup as the bandit who had held him up on June 27, 1942. Carter admitted this holdup and more than fifty others in the Greater Cincinnati area.

Furthermore, he readily confessed the Overberg murder.

"I had to shoot him," he told, Martin and Fritz, "or he'd have shot me. He was a game guy. I've never forgotten his face."

The Klawson girl, in Carter's presence, told how Carter had committed holdups while he left her waiting in her car, and how he had threatened her life when she became engaged to another man. Carter laughingly agreed that she spoke the truth.

The Naval authorities released Carter to the Norwood authorities. They also discharged him dishonorably on the grounds that he had concealed his criminal record when enlisting. Carter waived extradition back to Norwood, where he was identified by Lawson, Coors and Mr. and Mrs. Burroughs as the Overberg slayer.

Now the Covington police became vitally interested in the youth, never having been fully convinced that Minch was the actual slayer of Conry, the liquor store proprietor. Chief Fee and Detectives Seiter and Hall questioned Carter about this crime, and although he admitted several Covington holdups he denied the shooting of Conry.

On January 24, Prosecutor Hoy went before Judge Frederick L. Hoffman and requested the convening of a special grand jury. The court issued the call. The next day two indictments were voted against Carter. One charged commission of a murder during a felony, and the other the shooting of Sergeant Anthony H. Overberg.

Carter, immediately arraigned before Mayor Frank J. Ward, sitting as magistrate in Norwood Municipal Court, pleaded not guilty. Subsequently, through attorneys, he claimed insanity, but on February twenty-eighth two state alienists adjudged him sane.

Carter went to trial on March 20th. Eight days later the jury brought in a verdict of guilty without recommendation of clemency. This meant a mandatory death sentence for the erstwhile holdup man whose vanity in retaining the pistol of the man he killed resulted in his undoing.

The name Florence Klawson is fictitious and is used here to protect an innocent person-EDITOR

Part III: Clue of the Killer’s CALLING CARD

2009-07-14T03:58:00.000-07:00

Parts I and II of this Real Detective article are below

In spite of these disappointments, Fritz had been keeping the promise to himself and Sergeant Overberg that he would overlook no lead in the crime no matter where it took him. Although other duties encroached on his time, the officer was ever ready to plunge back into the murder mystery at the drop of a clue.

Thus it was on April 25, 1944, that Fritz, Flower and Hein rushed to Colorado Springs, where a prisoner, seized in a $3,700 diamond robbery, had confessed he once killed a policeman and left his gun behind.

The man, who looked discouragingly unlike the Norwood bandit, was later found hopelessly insane.

Often, when alone at his desk, Chief of Police Fritz would open a drawer, remove the .45 caliber automatic and the three leaden pellets and study them. He wondered, with a shake of his head, whether an opportunity ever would come when he might tie them up to a callous killer.

THE year 1945 arrived, and on January 18, Detective Kenneth Vassie received a visitor at police headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky.

It was a friend who during war-times held down the position of auxiliary policeman. He had a problem which seemed to demand professional attention, and Vassie was an offcer to whom he could talk freely.

"It's about a fellow who's threatened my life," the auxiliary officer said.

Vassie's brows knitted. "Why don't you grab him and bring him in? We'll cool him off down here."

The friend shook his head. "It's not as easy as that - he isn't around right now. Anyhow, I am not so concerned for myself. I could handle the guy. I'm worried about my girl."

"How come?"

"He threatened her, too. Rather, he threatened both of us through her. I've never seen the mug face to face."

"What are these threats all about?"

"It's a long story, but I'd better go back to the beginning. I guess you know my girl-she's Mrs. Florence Klawson."

Vassie whistled Mrs. Klawson only nineteen, was a Louisville society belle. She had made and dissolved an unfortunate marriage. This was no hysterical woman, Vassie decided, but a well-educated, poised post-deb. His friend’s story increased in importance.

Several questions were on the tip and of his tongue, but the auxiliary policeman was already launching his story, so Vassie allowed him to continue.

"This girl of mine," Vassie's friend said, "met this fellow about a year ago, right after her divorce. He was a young chap, with good looks and apparently a lot of money. She had a convertible coupe and they did a lot of driving around.

"Every once in awhile this fellow would tell her to stop the car and wait for him. He'd get out and leave her for about half an hour or so; then, when he came back, they'd resume the evening activities--visit night clubs or roadhouses. As I said, he always had plenty of money.

"Well, one night the coupe was stopped in a police search for a bandit who had just robbed a store. When the cops approached, this fellow said to the girl, 'Tell them I was with you all evening.' He backed up his words with a pistol, which he stuck into her ribs.

"My girl gave the fellow his alibi, but before the cops left she realized he was the bandit they were after. He admitted it. Furthermore, he showed her the pistol and said 'I got this from a fellow I once killed. I call it Tony in his honor. Not a bad idea, eh?'

"Mrs. Klawson was horrified. After that, although he kept persisting, she never went out with him again.

"Then she met me. This fellow became jealous. Last week, when he was on a furlough, he came around to see her. He said, 'If you don't give that guy up, I'll hide in your rumble seat some night and bump both of you off.'"

Vassie rubbed his chin. He had heard plenty of stories in his day, but this was one of the strangest of all.

"You said something about a furlough," he declared. "Is that bandit in the armed services?"

"Yes-in the Navy. It seems things got a little hot for him about three months ago, so he decided to hide out in a uniform. But how he got in, I don't know-seeing he told my girl he'd served time in the Texas State Penitentiary."

"What's his name?"

"Frank Carter. He's married, and his wife lives in Middletown, right near here."

Vassie knew Middletown as a tiny village with a population of not over fifty.

"What do you think we ought to do?" the auxiliary policeman asked.

"Keep your girl away from this fellow and let me know if he comes back to town."

"My girl's in Chicago."

"Then there's nothing to worry about."

"But he's at Great Lakes."

"That's bad. Anyhow, keep your eye out for him."

Vassie didn't know anything he could do, since the alleged bandit named Carter was out of the state.

That night, however, he went to the Louisville criminal files and discovered a record for Frank Dudley Carter of Middletown. His prison sentence in Texas was included in the file.

Vassie recalled a few sentences from his friend's story, "'I got this from a fellow I killed. I call it Tony in his honor.' "

A man, Vassie thought, had been killed. The gun taken from him had been christened Tony by the murderer.

Vassie tried to remember the victims of the unsolved Kentucky murder cases, but could recall none whose name was Tony.

Casually he walked over to a stack of wanted notices supplied by out-of-town police agencies, and after considerable desultory reading he came across the Norwood, Ohio, crime in 1942.

As he read the victim's name Anthony H. Overberg-the Louisville detective wondered whether, by any stroke of coincidence, this could possibly have been the death referred to by Carter, the self-admitted murderer.

Reading the circular further, Vassie saw that Overberg's gun was wanted almost as badly as the killer.

Tony! Missing gun! The course he must pursue began to shape up in Vassie's mind.

FRITZ regarded Vassie's telephone call with the same skepticism he had been viewing all leads of late. Even the nickname given the gun failed to impress him.

But he appreciated the Louisville officer's thoughtfulness in relaying the information, though he put little stock in the tip. However, having vowed to follow up every lead, Fritz told Vassie he would send some men down.

"They can go out and talk to this Carter's wife, anyhow," Fritz said.

Vassie told Fritz that he knew two of the three principals involved and they were trustworthy people.

"The only convincer," Fritz answered, "would be Anthony Overberg's revolver. If this Carter's got a pistol, it isn't likely he took it into the Navy with him. Maybe his wife knows where it would be. It's worth taking a chance on."

That noon Kiley and Dockum, on orders from Fritz, took the train to Louisville, about seventy-five miles to the southwest. By 7 o'clock they were in a car with Vassie, heading for the home of the Carters in Middletown, just outside Louisville.

The cottage was lighted, indicating someone was there.

"It's his wife," Vassie told the pair. "I made one of those ‘who is this’ telephone calls this afternoon and Mrs. Carter admitted her identity before I hung up on her."

Kiley and Dockum got out of the car. "This probably won't take but - a few minutes," the veteran Kiley told Vassie. "You want to wait in the car or come in with us?"

"I'd better wait here. We don't want to scare the woman. If she's not frightened by us, she might make some admissions."

Kiley pressed the doorbell. Soon the porch light went on, the door swung open and a young, slim woman stood before Kiley and Dockum.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," Kiley began, removing his hat, "but we're police officers from Norwood, Ohio, and --"

That was as far as he got. The woman's mouth dropped open, her eyes widened, a painful expression crossed her features, and she collapsed in a heap.

"Fainted, by gosh!" Kiley exploded. "And all I. said was Norwood! Hey, we're hot! Oh, Vassie!"

The last was a call for the officer in the car who had witnessed the scene in the lighted doorway. He came running.

"This gal's out," Kiley said, "and we've got the chance of a lifetime. Norwood means plenty to her. That gun could be in this house. You and Dockum take a quick look."

Part II: Clue of the Killer’s CALLING CARD

2009-07-13T02:41:00.000-07:00

Part I of this Real Detective article immediately below

By morning the haggard, sleepless police of both cities found themselves empty-handed in more ways than one. Not only were they lacking a definite suspect, but the fingerprint men had found no worthwhile impressions either in the drugstore or on the .45 caliber pistol dropped by the slayer.

Fritz, before retiring for a few hours of needed rest, dispatched the weapon's serial number to the manufacturers, asking for the name of the dealer to whom it had been sold.

By nightfall, back on the job, he learned the gun was part of a consignment to a Louisville, Kentucky, sporting goods establishment which had gone out of business within the past year. Contact with a member of this firm revealed that no records of gun sales had been kept.

Fritz was disappointed.

To make his disappointment more keen, Fritz's pawnshop squad reported no results in connection with the Overberg pistol. The bandit apparently had made no effort as yet to dispose of it. Fritz ordered the weapon's description circularized to police departments throughout the by middlewest.

By this time, the Sergeant Overberg slaying had stunned the city of Norwood and brought its 35,000-odd citizens rallying to the raising of a fund to aid Overberg's young widow and her two small children, Carole Ann and Kathleen.

In addition, rewards totaling $700 were immediately offered for the apprehension of the slayers. Soon business firms began contributing sums until the price on the killer's head went over the $2,500 mark.

A FLOODING Of the police department with tips was the result. Fritz kept Kiley, Schultz, Dockum, and Flower always available to run them down. These particular tips involved only Norwood and its environs.

As they fizzled, the officers began spreading out. Thus on Friday, July 10, Fritz, accompanied by Flower and Hein the druggist, raced to Middletown and Hamilton to view suspects and check possible evidence.

In Hamilton the police had detained a youth whose shirt was found bloodstained, but he laid it to a nosebleed and produced a perfect alibi for the night of the murder.

At Middletown, a pawnbroker reported the recent sale of a .45 caliber automatic, giving the name of the purchaser. But the buyer, and he was not the wanted killer, still had the gun.

A military prisoner at Fort Thomas, just across the river from Cincinnati, was investigated by Schultz and Dockum, but this youth, returning A WOL with" a blood stained uniform, could not have been involved in the crime.

The weekend was the busiest ever put in by the Norwood and Cincinnati police, but no trace of Sergeant Overberg's killer was found.

The Monday morning teletype, however, brought Chief of Police Fritz news that a police officer had been slain in Oklahoma City on Saturday night.

According to the report, this officer, Patrolman James A. Long, thirty-two, had been shot four times while attempting to arrest a youth who was molesting a girl in the Municipal Park. The weapon used had been a .38 caliber revolver.

By this time Fritz was in possession of an autopsy report submitted by Doctors Ventress and Frank M. Coppock, the coroner, and the three bullets taken from Overberg's body. Overberg had died of internal hemorrhages, and the ballistic tests revealed that he had been shot with his own gun--a thirty-eight.

Fritz telephoned Oklahoma City for the slugs taken from Long, and these were dispatched airmail. Although Fritz held great hopes that the Oklahoma City killer might be the youth they were looking for in Norwood, examination of the slugs revealed that they could not have been fired from Overberg's gun. They did not match the bullets removed from the sergeant's body.

The Cincinnati police were also aware of the Oklahoma City crime. And on Monday night, July 13, Detective Chief Kirgan arrested three youths driving a car which bore Oklahoma plates.

The trio had no good reason for being in the Cincinnati area, and their replies to Kirgan's questions were suspicious. He notified Fritz who hurried over with Lawson and Coors, two of the drugstore murder witnesses.

When they failed to recognize any of the youths as being Overberg's slayer, Kirgan held the trio for the Oklahoma City authorities. Eventually they were absolved in Patrolman Long's death, though they were convicted of other charges.

Immediately following this incident, Fritz was without a definite lead of any kind for more than a month. Then the police of New Philadelphia advised him they were holding Ralph Straka in $10,000 bail on charges of attempting to kill a railroad detective.

Straka not only resembled the Norwood slayer, but he was carrying a .38 caliber pistol with special grips. But when Fritz, Flower, and Hein drove across the state for a talk with him, they soon realized he was not their man. Ultimately, Straka was found guilty of assault and theft charges.

All this time the police throughout the Midwest were closely cooperating with Fritz, having received from him numerous circulars describing the slayer, his abandoned .45 caliber weapon, and the .38 caliber pistol he had stolen from Overberg.

A number of robberies through out northern Kentucky, which state adjoins Ohio, kept the authorities there particularly busy, and in many instances they obtained a good description of the lone gunman who was committing the robberies. They found him not unlike Norwood's killer-young, tall, slim, and light-haired.

Then a crime occurred near Covington, late in November, which shocked the entire state. An armed thief broke into a crossroads store, held up the aged woman proprietor and sought her money.

When she protested and said she had none, he brutally held her hands over a hot stove until, agonizingly blistered, the woman was forced to reveal the cache of her savings. Obtaining the money, the thief then beat the store proprietor insensible and escaped.

Police Chief Chester Fee and Detective Al Seiter and Leroy Hall worked on this case for weeks, but all they could obtain was the victim's description of her tormenter. This tallied very closely with the description of the Norwood bandit killer.

STILL more violence lay ahead. On New Year's Day, 1943, Thomas Conry, 65-year-old proprietor of a liquor package store in Covington, turned from his cash register to find an armed youth standing in, front of him.

Conry, previously the victim of a holdup man, decided not to submit again. He dove for a pistol.

The bandit's gun exploded and Conry fell dead. Pursuit of the killer started almost immediately. Citizens were joined by police, and in the roundup of suspects was one Oliver Thomas Minch, a Kentucky "bad boy."

Minch had no weapon when seized, but witnesses identified him as the youth who ran from the Conry store. Plus this, the suspect had no alibi for the time of the crime.

Then to top it off, the aged woman proprietor of the crossroads store positively identified him as the bandit who had tortured her, on a November day of the year just past.

Chief of Police Fritz was exceptionally interested in Minch, since he closely resembled Overberg's slayer. With Detectives Kiley and Flower, he took Lawson, Coors and Hein across the river to view the suspect.

The witnesses were unable to pick the bandit suspect from a lineup.

Minch admitted the crossroads store robbery but emphatically denied he shot down Conry. However, he was put on trial for this crime convicted. On May 13, 1943, he received two consecutive life terms. The youth went to prison still protesting the Conry conviction.

Although Fritz was disappointed that Minch had not proven to be the killer he was after, he had reason to rejoice shortly afterwards when Kirgan's men caught a bandit red-handed in the Cincinnati water front area. As Detectives cornered him on a dock, he tossed an object into the river.

"What was that, a pistol?" Kirgan demanded.

"Find out," the bandit sneered.

He identified himself as Howard Rann, twenty-one, of Covington. Although about the right size and age, he lacked the Norwood killer's curly light hair.

Fritz's witnesses could not make up their minds.

"That pistol would settle it-if we could get it back," the Norwood - chief told Kirgan.

"We'll go after it," the Cincinnati detective chief replied. For a week a squad of officers used electromagnets on the bed of the Ohio and eventually recovered a revolver. But it wasn't the Overberg weapon.

Rahn was likewise convicted, but it wasn't in connection with the Norwood murder. And so Chief Fritz had suffered still another rebuff.

Part I: Clue of the Killer’s CALLING CARD

2009-07-09T11:31:00.000-07:00

PISTOL pressed against the holdup man’s belly Sergeant Anthony H. Overberg, of the Norwood, Ohio, police, snapped a command, "Lay that gun of yours on the counter-and make it fast!"

Facing Overberg, hands upraised, stood a surprised youth. A moment before he had started backing the drugstore's proprietor, Howard J. Lawson toward a rear room where the robber knew there was a safe. He hadn't figured that an armed policeman would be concealed there.

Overberg was only one of ten Norwood officers hidden that night July 8, 1942, in as many local establishments --lying in wait for the boasted return of a bold young thug who had been terrorizing merchants in the greater Cincinnati area.

The trap had been arranged by Chief of Police Charles Fritz at the urging of Mayor Allen C. Roudebush and business leaders, following visits of the bandit to Wester's and Hein's pharmacies on Section and Sherman avenues respectively.

On June 27, the thug had taunted Hein as he relieved the druggist's cash register of $200 receipts. "When you see your cops," he had said, "tell them this town's soft pickin's. I'll be around some more." Now on this July night, it seemed as if the egotistical youth had fallen victim to a snare of his own making.

At Sergeant Overberg's command, he put down his .45 caliber automatic pistol on the glass counter. Looking on were Lawson and three customers--Mr. and Mrs. M. H. Burroughs and Joseph Coors--rooted to their positions near the soda fountain, where the thug had ordered them to remain.

Occasionally they would shift their eyes toward the two large plate glass windows, but it was 10:30 P.M. and the streets were deserted. There was no further help in sight.

They then saw Overberg make a move toward his handcuffs. In that very instant, the bandit snaked his hand back toward the counter. He seized his .45 and at the same, time hurled himself at Overberg. His left hand got a grip on Overberg’s gun.

The momentum of the thug's leap sent Overberg plummeting back against the prescription counter, where a cascade of bottles tumbled over the pair of struggling men.

The .45 went off with the boom of a cannon, its slug ploughing high into the woodwork of the partition upon at the rear of the store. It sent another shower of' glass down upon the men.

Overberg was powerful, but his opponent was lithe and tough. And the sergeant gradually felt his own .38 caliber service pistol being pressed back against him.

Then, to the horror of the watchers, it exploded violently three times. Sergeant Overberg loosed a strong deep groan and the .38 slipped from his grasp. Now it was in the possession of the thug, whose own big automatic had been knocked from his hand during the struggle.

As Overberg slumped to the floor, blood gushing from three severe wounds, the bandit whirled and brought the policeman's pistol level with the awed quartet.

"Don't make a move!" he snarled. "I'm getting out."

The left leg of his trousers was torn. His suit was smeared and reeking with vanilla, which had splashed over him from one of the bottles that had showered down upon him while he was struggling with Overberg.

Lawson and the customers watched him race into Franklin Avenue, run up the block and turn the corner of Alison.

Druggist Lawson then rushed into a phone booth.

Chief of Police Fritz, Mayor Roudebush and Hellman Buse, President of the Norwood Taxsavers' Association, were among a group of city officials waiting at police headquarters for the results of the bandit trap. Lawson's message deeply shocked the group.

Fritz hurriedly summoned Dr. W. H. Ventress, police surgeon and deputy coroner, an ambulance from the Good Samaritan Hospital, and every available officer. He dashed to Franklin and Courtland avenues, site of the Lawson store, and an intersection not far from the business center of the city.

Sizing up the situation, Fritz spread a cordon around the neighborhood. Obtaining a description of the thug -- about twenty-four, five-feet eleven, 165 pounds, light curly hair, suit stained with vanilla, trouser leg torn-he ordered it phoned back to headquarters and then flashed out to all squad cars.

"That guy can't get away!" he snapped to Detective Lee Kiley, one of his veteran officers.

Then he turned for a look at Sergeant Overberg, who lay unconscious. Dr. Ventress shook his head.

"Hit in the chest, groin and leg," he said. "He's in bad shape. Blood's going to be needed right away."

Fritz snapped an order to Kiley, who dashed into a phone booth and notified headquarters to rush a squad of blood donors to the hospital where Overberg would be taken.

Overberg was then loaded into the ambulance and rushed to the operating table. An hour later he was dead.

CHIEF OF POLICE FRITZ was stunned as this information reached him at the Lawson store, where he was still directing the work of fingerprint men and interrogating the witnesses.

The .45 caliber automatic had been gingerly lifted from the floor, dropped into a, cellophane bag, and rushed down to the laboratory. Fritz held high hopes of obtaining usable impressions from this gun, or a serial number that might point to its purchaser.

The chief was flabbergasted when his detectives and the squad officers began reporting back. Although plenty of passersby had seen the bandit run into Alison Avenue, none were able to say where he had gone from there. The police found no further trace of him, and figured he must have made a getaway in a parked car.

According to the accounts of the witnesses, the bandit's routine had varied little from the scores of other crimes he had committed in the Cincinnati area. He had walked in, ordered a soft drink, looked the situation over carefully, then gone to work behind his big, black, .45.

Lawson, the Burroughses, and Coors were certain he had run out with Overberg's pistol, and since this was missing, Fritz knew it would tag the youth as the killer if he could be found with the weapon.

Further, if he attempted to sell or hock it, the pistol might lead to his ultimate undoing. But there was a possibility Chief of Police Fritz feared: the bandit might dispose of the gun in the Ohio River. However, he made a mental note to put his pawnshop squad to work tracing the weapon on the following morning.

Overberg's gun was not an ordinary pistol, a fact which Fritz considered noteworthy. Special grips for the weapon had been designed the sergeant himself, and Norwood's ballistics expert, Harold Davis, had built and installed them. Furthermore, the weapon had a trigger guard rebuilt by armorer Oakley Wilson.

Word of the killing had been flashed to Cincinnati, where the bandit had been active before invading adjoining Norwood. As soon as he heard the news, Detective Chief Emmett D. Kirgan rushed his night staff out to comb the resorts for a youth who smelled of vanilla.

Fritz, speeding back to his own headquarters, directed the activities of a crack detective staff, which included, besides Kiley, such seasoned homicide investigators as Joseph Flower, Meredith Dockum, and George Schultz.

These men were directed to shake down stool pigeons and other sources of information for a line on the thug, and to raid several gambling dens which were known to be openly flaunting the law.

Fritz also notified the State Police and the Hamilton County sheriff's office to watch the highways for a lone youth smelling of vanilla, whose trouser leg was torn, and who, possibly, was in possession of Anthony Overberg's specially designed service pistol.

The combined efforts of these agencies filled both the Norwood and the Cincinnati headquarters with people. On hand to view photographs and suspects personally were Lawson, Mr. and Mrs. Burroughs, Coors and Peter Hein, the latter being the druggist victim of the bandit on June 27.

None of them were able to recognize the killer from pictures. And the negative shakes of their heads rapidly eliminated the numerous suspects caught by the police net.

2009 Norwood Street Maintenance Program Summary

2009-06-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Prepared by Steve Thornbury, Council representative and member of the Streets and Infrastructure Committee member based on the “Street Survey” document provided at the June 10, 2009 meeting of the Streets and Infrastructure Committee.

Note:
Numbers in parenthesis (1.) indicate the “rating” assigned to each street based on its condition.
1. Excellent
2. Good
3. Fair
4. Poor
5. Critical

Section 1.
Streets receiving just “Polyfil”/“Hot Pour” – Crack and joint sealing

Ward 2.
· Hudson (1.5/2) – From Montgomery to Floral

Section 2.
Streets receiving both:
“Partial depth repair “ – Patching of bad spots
and
“Polyfil”/“Hot Pour” – Crack and joint sealing

Ward 1
· Carter (2.) – From Williams to Sherman
· Weyer (2.) – From Ivanhoe to dead-end
· Courtland (2.) – From Montgomery to dead-end
· Ridgeway (2.) – From Elm to dead-end
· Maple (2.) – From Smith to dead-end (entire length of Maple)
· Elm (2.) – From Smith to Allison (entire length of Elm)
· Harper (2.5) – From Wesley to Linden (entire length of Harper)
· Norwood (2.5) – From Beech to Ash
· Moundview (3) – Indian Mound to Indian Mound (entire length of Moundview)

Ward 2.
· Forest (2.) – From Williams to Smith
· Madison (2.) – From Lafayette to Williams
· South Madison (3.) – From Williams to Duck Creek
· Grove (2.) – From Williams to Forest
· Floral (2.) – From Smith to Elsmere
· Lafayette (2.) – From Smith to Monroe
· Ashland – From Monroe to Smith (3.)/ Montgomery to Monroe (4.)
· Cleaney – From Spencer to Montgomery (1.5) /Montgomery to Corporation Line (2.5)

Ward 3.
· Roseland (2.) – From Sheridan to dead-end
· Beech (2.) – From Norwood to Harris
· Harris (2.) – From Oak to Forest
· Kenilworth (2.) – From Smith to Beech

Ward 4.
· Glenside (2.) – From Homer to Fenwick
· Alvina (1.) – From Glenside to Lysle
· Pemberton (1.) – From Lysle to Glenside
· Moeller (1.) – From Montgomery to Quatman
· Fenwick (1.) – From Montgomery to Quatmen
· Irving Place (1.) – From Montgomery to dead-end
· Laura Lane (1.) – From Irving Place to dead-end
· Homer (1.) – From Lysle to Quatman
· Warren (2.) – From Ross to dead-end past Dale
· Hannaford (2.) – Form Fenwick to Carthage
· Quatman (2.) – From Carthage to Fenwick
· Section (4.5) – From Ross to Foraker

Section 3.
Streets receiving full “pavement planing” and resurfacing

Ward 1.
· Allison (3.5) – From Hopkins to Sherman
· Carter (4.) – From Sherman to dead-end
· Ivanhoe (4.5) – From Montgomery to Mills (For some reason the chart does not indicate “planing” for the section of Ivanhoe from Williams to Mills but, like the remaining stretches, does have dollars put toward “2 course micro” and “SAMI” repaving materials)

Ward 3.
· Forest (5.) – From Norwood Ave. up to the concrete that goes under the train tracks

There is also a “contingency” amount of $8250 included in the event they get into some of the patching and determine the base underneath more fundamental repair.

2009 Forget Me Knot Walk

2009-05-19T03:06:00.000-07:00

Empire Tavern notice of appeal

2009-04-14T04:55:00.000-07:00

March 18, 2009

Liquor Control Commission
77 South High Street 18th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-0565

Re: APPEAL NOTICE reference
2008-2009 Renewal Application
Permit #2714575, Class D-2-2X-3-3A-6
50Five Group, Inc.
dba Emprie Tavern
2008-2010-2012-2014 Worth Avenue & Patio
Norwood, Ohio 45212

Dear Sir or Madam:

Please consider this communication a notice of appeal of the order dated March 3, 2009. Please take note that the appeal is based on the following:

1. There is no evidence in the record that the location of the permit holder’s premises constitutes a substantial interference with public decency, sobriety, peace, or good order as a result of the permit holder’s operation at the location of the permit premises.

2. There is no evidence in the record before the Division of Liquor Control that the applicant demonstrated a disregard for the laws of the state or operated a business in a manner that demonstrated a disregard for the laws, regulations or local ordinances of the state.

3. There is no evidence in the record to demonstrate that Ronny Givens sold or transferred any cocaine at the permit premises or that Crystal Chambers sold cocaine at the permit premises with the shareholder’s knowledge. Further, there is no evidence in the record to demonstrate that Donald Proud, the sole shareholder, allegedly perpetrated or facilitated any drug buys at the permit premises. Further, the sole shareholder has not been convicted of any drug offenses at this time.

4. At the time of the execution of the search warrant on June 27, 2008, the sole shareholder was not present on the premises while cocaine was present. Further, the incidents alleged were after the period when the City of Norwood objected to the renewal of the renewal of the liquor permit.

5. There is no evidence contained in the record that any fights, public urination, cocaine sales or marijuana was present at the permit premises at any time when the sole shareholder was present. Further, the permit holder demonstrated that the permit premises are not a drain on the resources of the Norwood Police Department and other liquor establishments in the City of Norwood have the same number of runs to permit premises in the City of Norwood.

6. There is no evidence in the record to demonstrate that 57 dispatch calls were directed to the permit premises or that 162 incident reports were generated as a result of the permit premises. The Division of Liquor Control cannot quantify the number of fights at the premises as the fights occurred on surrounding streets which the City of Norwood simply ascribes to the permit holder. There is no demonstration in the record that any citizen of the City of Norwood suffered as a result of the City of Norwood responding to the permit holder’s premises and the officers fulfilling their duties to maintain the peace within the City of Norwood.

7. The permit holder objects to the extra changes before the Liquor Control Commission as none of the charges have resulted in any finding of any improper conduct on the part of the permit holder and the permit holder’s premises were regularly inspected by the City of Norwood, and no citations were issued to the permit holder for any of the deficiencies listed.

8. The permit holder objects to the Division’s denial and rejection of the 2008-2009 renewal application, as the permit holder was never afforded a hearing on any allegations against the permit holder, and the permit holder has been in safekeeping for approximately nine months.

9. The permit holder requests a full hearing on this appear before the Liquor Control Commission and a hearing on all pending charges before the Commission.

Very truly yours,

Robert G. Kelly

Pc Christopher S. Brown, Esq., Norwood Law Department
David Proud

Highlights from Pamela Walker-Bauer’s resume

2009-03-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

Butler County Health Department
Butler County is the 8th largest county in Ohio with a 2005 population estimate of over 350,000 people growing at an average annual rate of 5.3% since the year 2000.

2003 - 2008: PHI Epidemiologist, Department Head for the Division of Public Health Preparedness
Supervisor of a team of 2 Emergency Preparedness Coordinators, 1 Health Educator, and 1 Administrative Assistant who prepare for and respond to emergency public health events both natural and man-made.

2001-2003: Food Safety Supervisor, Environmental division
Interviewed, hired and trained public health sanitarians focusing on job responsibilities as set by ORC and the State Board of Sanitarian Registration standards.

1997-1998, 2000-2001: Public Health Sanitarian, environmental Division

Hamilton County General Health District
1998-2000: Implemented problem-solving, analytical and organizational skills to conduct inspections and research complaints in all state mandated environmental health programs and department specific programs ensuring the protection of the public health of the community.

Education
Master of Public Health: March 2007
Ohio State University. Columbus, OH

Master of Business Administration Program: March 2000- September 2001
Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH

Bachelor of Arts in Zoology: December 1993
Miami University, Oxford, OH

Professional Credentials
Registered Sanitarian, State of Ohio
Registered Environmental Health Specialist, National Environmental Health Assn.
Certificate in Epidemiology, Ohio State University
Certified Trainer, National Environmental Health Association
Certified Pesticide Applicator, Ohio Department of Agriculture

Xavier's proposal for Allison Elementary

2009-02-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

NORWOOD CITY SCHOOLS AND XAVIER UNIVERSITY ALLISON INTERGENERATIONAL SCHOOL AND CENTER FOR LIFE LONG LEARNING

Mission:
To create an Intergenerational School modeled after The Intergenerational School of Cleveland and based on the work of Catherine and Peter Whitehouse.

Vision:
The Intergenerational School will honor the dignity, charism and individuality of all children, adults and elders by building on the unique strengths of individuals throughout their life cycle. The Intergenerational School will encourage members of surrounding communities to participate in an educational model which inspires people of all ages to enjoy life long learning experiences that result in an integrated, value based and responsible society. This renowned educational model incorporates these concepts of life long learning, respect, dignity and human value while successfully operating under the educational mandates of the Ohio State Department of Education.

The Allison School:
Allison School is a traditional elementary school under the administration of the Norwood City Schools. It is proposed that Allison Elementary School be converted to a Laboratory Model Intergenerational' School developed with acollaborative effort between Xavier University and Norwood City Schools. The school will be created using the following conceptual and factual framework:

• The Intergenerational School will be a non-graded school which provides opportunities for adults and elders to participate in a child's educational process from an early age. The Mentor's (adults and elders) will be able to participate in teaching phonics, reading, and other educational basics thus freeing the classroom teacher to have more individualized interaction with students as well as more opportunities for creative instruction.
• The Intergenerational model is similar in comparison to the Montessori Method of teaching which allows for students to progress at their own pace while exploring a variety of learning methods.

• The Intergenerational School uses a holistic approach when designing curriculum. All aspects of a child are taken into consideration including, their existing knowledge, talents, culture, interests and experiences.

• The Intergenerational school employs a "meaning-based" approach to teaching. The emphasis is first on developing a broad conceptual understanding. The tasks the student undertakes are real and authentic. An approximation to the final task is both accepted and celebrated as steps toward eventual competency.
• The Intergenerational School uses a"constructivist" approach. Each learner actively constructs his or her own understanding of a task or concept. Rote learning is de-emphasized and the student is given the opportunity to delve into the topics of study. The emphasis is on the process of learning and on the application of that process to specific areas of study.

• The Intergenerational School also uses many principles from the "Nurtured Heart Approach," developed by Howard Glasser and Jennifer Easley. In this approach, children's negative behaviors are deemphasized thereby decreasing their frequency while the child is redirected and positive behavior is reinforced.
• Older adults are in a unique position to be able to enrich the lives of children. Over the course of an adult's lifetime a sense of self is nurtured as a result of one's life experiences. Wisdom, intuitiveness, values and coping skills become more finely tuned in adulthood and can be shared with the students. In turn, a child can share their unique perceptions, innocence and positive energy with the adult Mentor. Ultimately, this shared experience increases mutual and self respect, human value, personal integrity, and sense of responsibility leading to more productive relationships in the broader community.
• Beginning in the 2010-2011 school year, students entering grades 3-6 will participate in the traditional school curriculum currently offered. Students entering K-2 and possibly pre-school will participate in the Laboratory Intergenerational School. Each progressive year will add the next grade in the Intergenerational School and phase out a grade of the traditional school. By the school year 2014, Allison school will be fully converted to the intergenerational model.

• Allison Intergenerational School will collaborate with various community organizations as well as nursing homes to generate support and identify interested older adults. Adults with dementia and related conditions will also be included as research indicates that these individuals have retained learning capabilities as well as intact remote memory capabilities. School participation could result in a slower loss of cognitive abilities. Students would benefit from the unique experiences of these adult Mentors as well as develop a sense of acceptance of all people. Other possible collaborative organizations includ: Partners for Livable Communities, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, and the Metlife Foundation.

• The intergenerational curriculum would be developed by representatives of the Norwood Board of
Education, Xavier University Department of Education, classroom teachers as well as experts in the field of Gerontology.
• Experts such as Cathy and Peter Whitehouse and Danny George, who are pioneers in the field of intergenerational education, will be brought in as consultants to assist in curriculum development as well as teacher education. This can be funded through grants from organizations such as the Mayerson Foundation, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Cincinnati Bell, Fifth Third bank and Carl Lindner. Capital funds and grants can also be accessed to fund needed building renovations.

• Students from Xavier University's School of Social Science, Health and Education would conduct a segment of their field experience at the Allison School. Intergenerational Education would be a part of the curriculum and field experience of students in the Departments of Education, Nursing, Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Occupational Therapy and Health Care Administration.
• The Intergenerational model would produce increased scores on the Ohio Achievement Tests as evidenced by current data from the Ohio Department of Education website. For the 2007-2008 school year, Allison school achieved a rating of "continuous improvement" with 6 out of 12 indicators met and a performance index of 87.3. In comparison, The Intergenerational School of Cleveland achieved a rating of "effective" with 8 out of 10 state indicators met and a performance index of 97.5. The Allison School and Xavier University could receive state and national recognition for implementation of this innovative model. The Intergenerational school of Cleveland has received the following awards and recognition:

o Named 1 of 7 of the nation's most effective and innovative charter schools by the U.S. Department of
Education.

o 5 consecutive years of being rated "excellent" or "effective" by the State of Ohio.
o Named an "Ohio School of Promise"
o One of 3 schools in Ohio to receive a competitive grant to
disseminate their model to other public schools.
o Named one of 13 Cleveland schools "Making a Difference."
o The first school in Ohio accepted as a member of "Schools That
Can", a national organization that selects and vets high
performing urban schools fro membership.
o Received the national "Mind Alert" award from the American
Society on Aging for it's life-long learning program.

The Allison Intergenerational School has the potential to provide a number of university level educational program possibilities. Some of these include:

v A Department of Nursing certified training program for Nursing Assistants.
v A Department of Social Work Associate of. Science degree
in Social Service Technology.
v A Department of Occupational Therapy C.O.T.A. Associate
degree program.
v Department of Education Gerontology courses as well as
student teaching and student observation opportunities.

The Allison Intergenerational School has tremendous potential benefit to the community at large with programs being taught by community members, students and Mentors as well as other professionals. Many of these programs could be offered as summer programs and in collaboration with organizations currently providing summer programming for school age children such as the local Y.M.C.A. Some of these programs may include:

*A "Learning in Retirement" program for senior community members in the neighborhoods of Hyde Park, Oakley, Mt. Lookout, Evanston and Avondale.
*Computer Technology
*Local History
*Religion
*Philosophy
*Ethics
*Literature, Art and Music
*Nutrition and Health
*Pet Therapy
*Medicare
*Social Security
*Caring for an Older Relative.
*Aging
*Economics
*Exercise
*Yoga and Meditation
*Downsizing
*Writing Your Memoirs
*Ballroom Dancing, Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Hip Hop

An Intergenerational Theatre Program could be created and implemented using the current auditorium in the Allison School. Some components of this would include:

o Cooperative participation by students, Mentors and staff from the
Intergenerational School.
o Participation by Norwood High School's Theatre Group.
o Involvement with Xavier University's department of Theatre, Music and
Fine Arts.
o Collaboration with the Children's Theatre of Cincinnati.

In conclusion, it is anticipated that the Allison Intergenerational School would be under the administration of the Norwood City School District and Board of Education. Xavier University would collaborate with the Norwood City Schools in the development of curriculum and standards for measuring success while adhering to state regulations. Xavier University students from the School of Social Sciences, Health and Education would participate in school activities as they relate to the student's required field placement component. This is a core element of the Laboratory Model concept.

If accepted, the program would commence, as previously described, with the 2010-2011 school year. It is essential for representatives from the Norwood City Schools and Xavier University to begin deliberations now to further advance this concept and ensure timely implementation. Grant applications must also be submitted. Parent representatives and community members of the Norwood District would also need to have an opportunity to participate in discussions, planning and information gathering.

Guest blog: The Question of the Norwood Health Dept.

2008-10-14T06:15:00.000-07:00

By Steve Thornbury
Norwood City Council, Ward 2
October 12, 2008

Part 1.
The chronology of events, from my perspective, relating to the current question regarding the Norwood Health Department:

In May of this year, Health Commissioner Donna Laake submitted her resignation to the Mayor of Norwood and the Norwood Board of Health. In response, the Norwood Board of Health immediately began conducting a search for a replacement.

On July 17, Norwood Safety/Service Director Joseph Geers sent a letter to Hamilton County Public Health (HCPH) asking for an estimate of what HCPH would charge to provide certain services currently being provided by our own Norwood Health Department. At the time, neither Norwood City Council nor the Norwood Board of Health was either consulted or informed of this request for an estimate.

On July 30, the HCPH director Timothy Ingram sent a letter in response with an initial estimate.

On August 13, the Safety/Service Director sent a letter to Norwood City Council to advise Council that “I have been in discussion with the Hamilton County Health District regarding their services.” This is the first time Council has been made aware of the Administration’s interest in contracting with HCPH.

On August 18th an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer stated that “the Norwood Health Commission has suspended its search for a replacement for Laake.... There's been no decision about whether an interim health commissioner will be appointed.” Upon reading this I sent an email to Gary Arthur, President pro-tem of the Norwood Board of Health asking for confirmation of the report that the search for a new Health Commissioner had indeed been suspended. To that point, Council had not been informed of such a move. That same day Mr. Arthur responded via email:

“The search for the new Health Commissioner HAS NOT been suspended, unless it was done without my knowledge. My suggestion to the Health Commission when I left for vacation was to move forward as planned. I asked Mayor Williams to schedule the next round of interviews at his earliest convenience so we could have a candidate to present to council by the end of August. I was contacted by the Enquirer and played phone tag and never had the opportunity to give them any information regarding either the search or outsourcing any of the services we provide for our citizens. The Health Commission is NOT considering any option other than to continue the Health Department with a new Commissioner. We believe it would not be in the best interest of Norwood to contract any services with Hamilton County, Cincinnati or any other Health Department. My understanding is Norwood City Council is reviewing these options.

I would suggest that we move forward with the selection process. If Dr. Perrino is in agreement, I believe we can work with him as an interim director until we can agree on a new Commissioner. I am sure that if we all work together in a timely manner, we can bring this to an agreeable conclusion.”

Despite Mr. Arthur’s statement “Norwood City Council is reviewing these options,” there had been no action on Council to that point in response to the letter from the Safety/Service Director.

On August 29th Gary Arthur suspended the search for a new Health Commissioner after the Board had narrowed the field down to three finalists. In his email to the Mayor, Mr. Arthur stated: “We would like to be included in any future discussions relating to the future of the Health Department. It is important for the Health Department and the City of Norwood as well, that we keep an open dialogue during this discussion process. If this had been a consideration in the past, much of this confusion could have been eliminated.”

On September 25th the Director and Assistant Director of HCPH were invited to make a presentation at a meeting of the Norwood City Council Committee of the Whole. The estimate provided by HCPH had raised several questions as to how many of the services currently offered by the Norwood Health Department could be adequately met by HCPH. The Committee meeting was called to help address those questions. In addition to the presentation by HCPH, the meeting featured comments from over two dozen citizens including the former Health Commissioner, the current interim Health Commissioner.

At the conclusion of the Committee of the Whole meeting, I requested that a report be submitted by the Committee affirming City Council’s support for the continued operation of the Norwood Health Department and that Council encourage the Board of Health to renew their search for a new Health Commissioner. Lacking the support of the majority of Council for the resolution, and in accordance with the rules of Council, I submitted the document as a Minority Report with the signatures of myself and Councilperson Gabbard.

On Friday of this week I received my Council packet containing the agenda and discovered that the minority report I had submitted was not included on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting. I inquired with the Secretary of the Clerk of Council’s office and was told that the report had been submitted to the Law Department. No reason was given.

In my conversation with the Assistant Law Director, I was told that the Chair of the Committee of the Whole had submitted the report with a note attached asking for an opinion on the question of if it were possible to have a minority report when there was no majority report submitted. In my conversation with the Assistant Law Director, I was told that the Law Department’s response was to simply provide the Committee Chair with a copy of the rules of Council, a portion of which he read to me over the phone.

I also sent an email to the Chair of the Committee of the Whole asking for an explanation as to why the minority report was not included on the agenda.

The relevant section in the rules of Council is item #4 under the section regarding Council Committees. It states:
“Every committee shall report in writing and every report shall be signed by not less than a majority of the committee except: A minority member may prepare in writing a special report.”

As of this writing I am waiting for a response from the Chair of the Committee of the Whole to my request for an explanation as to why the report was not included on the agenda. I have asked the Assistant Law Director to provide a written response to my question. I have also sent an email to the Norwood Law Director asking to speak to him on the matter.

Part 2.
Where I stand on the issue.

At this point, I remain of the opinion that the City should continue to operate our own health department. This opinion is based on several points:

A detailed comparison of the services currently provided by the Norwood Health Department and those offered by Hamilton County Public Health have convinced me that contracting with the HCPH will result in a significant reduction in both the quality and quantity of services offered to our population.

The numerous phone calls and other communications I’ve received and other discussions I’ve had with Norwood citizens have revealed an overwhelming preference among the citizenry for maintaining the operation of our own health department.

This preference was also clearly on display at the September 25th Committee of the Whole meeting when over two dozen individuals addressed the committee. All of whom expressed their support for the continued funding of the department. Of particular interest and influence were several individuals who described the many ways the services and individuals of the Health Department had made a significant difference in helping them deal with a variety of health-related issues.

In this time of economic uncertainty, it is more important than ever that our local government, that level of government which is closest to the needs of the community, be empowered to provide the most comprehensive level of safety and security possible.

I understand the motivation on the part of the Mayor to pursue this question. Norwood operates on a razor thin margin between needed services and available revenues. And I fully support any effort to look for ways to make our government more efficient and effective.

However, based on the poor communications coming from the Administration and the lack of concrete action taken by the Administration in the past four months since they first decided to address the issue of the Health Department, I am concerned that their unwillingness to move forward in a timely and responsible manner is seriously effecting the delivery of important services by the Health Department.

We are at a point at the end of the year when important reports need to be filed and applications for grants need to be completed and processed. Lacking a full-time Health Commissioner at this critical stage of the department’s operations increases the risk that funding and oversight will be lacking and that important services and operations will deteriorate.

I am concerned that so little has been done to move the discussion forward. To my knowledge, since the recent Committee of the Whole meeting, there has been no follow-up with Hamilton County Public Health to further refine what was universally acknowledged to be an entirely inadequate estimate. No public meetings have been scheduled to gain further input from department heads or citizens. No committees have met to discuss options and next steps.

Indeed, since the time of her notice of resignation, Council has still not been officially informed of the Health Commissioner’s action or made aware of her letter. Nor were we at any time consulted on the plan to ask HCPH for an estimate or on the administration’s efforts to stop the search for a new Health Commissioner.

Council is not alone in being left in the dark regarding the future of the health Department. With the resignation of the Health Commissioner, the Norwood Board of Health immediately began the process of searching for a replacement. At no time, however, did the Health Commission receive any communication, official or otherwise, from the Administration as to their interest in pursuing an alternative provider of health department-related services. This, despite the fact that the Mayor is “President of the Board of Health by virtue of office.”

Only after the Board of Health had narrowed its search to three viable candidates and was preparing to choose a new Commissioner did its members hear, via a second-hand RUMOR, that the Administration was considering an alternative provider of health department-related services.

The only official communication between the Administration and the Norwood Health Commission regarding the Administration’s interest in pursuing an alternative provider of health department-related services was in a response to a communication from President Pro-tem of the Norwood Board of Health to the Mayor seeking to confirm the rumor.

Why didn’t the Mayor, at the first moment of contemplating such an action, approach the full Council or one of its committees such as Safety, Police and Fire or Finance and Audit to discuss this issue? Why didn’t he approach his fellow members of the Norwood Board of Health to gain insight and perspective on such a proposal? By his own admission during the Committee of the Whole meeting on September 25, the Mayor lacks expertise in the area of public health. Why then did he proceed to instruct the Safety/Service Director to seek an estimate from Hamilton County Public Health that, by everyone’s admission, does not come anywhere close to presenting a true “apples-to-apples” comparison of services and costs?

The unfortunate conclusion to be drawn from the above observations is that the Administration has little interest in hearing the views of those outside their immediate circle on this important issue. They have not consulted Council. They have not consulted the Norwood Board of Health. They did not consult the former Health Commissioner in the time between her announcement and her final day at the Department. Nor have they communicated their intentions to Norwood Citizens.

Simply put, I am concerned that the Administration has already made up its mind and is not interested to having a full and open discussion of the issue.

Even if we had the time and the cooperation of the Administration, I have serious doubts as to whether Hamilton County Public Health could provide the level of service that would match that currently provided by the Norwood Health Department.

In his letter to Council, the Safety/Service Director states “we could transfer some duties to the Building Department when it comes to inspections.” It is my belief that to do so would risk placing onerous operational and financial burdens on existing City departments that are already stretched to the limits of their capacities or that we would be forced to hire extra personnel, thus effectively negating most, if not all of the presumed financial benefits of contracting out to the County.

And finally, by moving our services to Hamilton County Public Health, an entity wherein we would be one of 44 communities served, I feel that we will lose valuable insight into unique local needs that have, in the past, helped drive the acquisition of grants that have been so helpful in serving our diverse population.

There is an organizing principle with its roots in Catholic social teaching known as subsidiarity. It states that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority. The Oxford English Dictionary defines subsidiarity as the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiary function, performing only those tasks which cannot be performed effectively at a more immediate or local level. This strikes me as a perfect example of the principal of subsidiarity.

All of which is why I am calling on Council to re-affirm their support for the Norwood Health Department by pledging to continue funding the department for the foreseeable future and to encourage the Board of Health to continue their search for a suitable replacement for the position of Heath Commissioner.

Update: Monday, October 13, 10:31 a.m.

I just received a voice message from Council member John Mumper who Chairs the Committee of the Whole meetings, and he has agreed to add my minority report to the agenda of tomorrow’s regular Council meeting. He apologized for not responding to my email on Friday and explained that he did not have access to that email address until today. I apologize for not having also attempted to reach Mr. Mumper by phone. I appreciate his quick response and look forward to a discussion of the issue on Council floor.

-Steve Thornbury

HCPH Commissioner Ingram's letter with contract cost

2008-08-18T22:40:00.000-07:00

July 30, 2008

Joseph C. Geers, Director
Department of Public Service-Safety
City of Norwood
4645 Montgomery Road
Norwood, OH 45212

Dear Joe,

As you requested in your July 17, 2008 letter, I have prepared an estimate of the cost to use Hamilton county Pubic Health (HCPH) services. I based this estimate on the City of Norwood Health Department’s (NHD) 2008 Appropriation Documents, Annual Report, and Fee Schedule you provided. Attachment 1 provides a comparison of fees and services for HCPH and NHD that are similar in nature. The fees structure is comparable although there are some variations based on type and size of facility.

The services provided for Environmental Health, Disaster Preparedness and Vital Statistics programs are similar with the exception that HCPH no longer investigates high weed complains unless vermin and rodents are involved. We respond to all other types of nuisance complaints such as housing, trash, and standing water, etc.

There are differences in Nursing Services provided. HCPH provides immunization clinics, flu shots, TB testing and reportable disease follow-up. We do not provide blood pressure clinics, home nursing for chronic disease or school health programs. However, we do assure that persons needing these services are referred to the one of the many service providers in Hamilton County.

Based on the 2008 Appropriation Documents, the City of Norwood is currently appropriating through four funds - health grants, administration, health/medical services, and health/environments - $541,077.01 for the NHD. These appropriations are for salaries, supplies, and contractual costs.

Based on the same assessment formula that all townships, villages and contracting cities pay into the general fund of HCPH, your cost for 2009 would be $21,901.81. We would also carry out the licensing and other permitting functions with those revenues coming to HCPH.

Providing public health services does not have to be a one size fits all approach. If you would prefer to continue your home nursing, blood pressure clinics and school health programs, HCPH could hire a nurse to continue these services as an additional expense.

I am happy to answer any questions you may have. HCPH is ready and willing to assist the City of Norwood in this important decision. Let me know if you would like to meet and further discuss your options.

Sincerely,

Tim Ingram
Health Commissioner
Hamilton County Public Health

Joe Geers' letter to HCPH requesting cost to contract

2008-08-18T22:30:00.000-07:00

July 17, 2008

Mr. Tim Ingram, RS MS
Health Commissioner
Hamilton County Public Health
250 William Howard Taft Road, 2nd Floor
Cincinnati, Ohio 45219

Dear Tim:

Enclosed please find the following:

1. Health Department 2008 Appropriations
2. A copy of the Norwood Health Department 2007 Annual Services Report
3. Health Code - Codified Ordinances of Norwood Part Seventeen
4. Pay in sheets for the Norwood Health Department

The City of Norwood is interested in getting an estimate as to what it would cost to contract for health services with Hamilton County Public Health. Thank you for your assistance in this matter and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Joseph C. Geers, Director
Public Safety-Service

Mayor Williams’ verbatims re Health Dept. review

2008-08-13T06:09:00.000-07:00

Verbatims from 8/12/08 City Council meeting

Mayor Williams: Other issue, discussion going on, a lot of people are anguished, and I understand it.

First part of July, we were notified USPC would be leaving With the earnings taxes starting to go down some…Take UPCS announcing they’re leaving and announcement of the health commissioner retiring, the discussion came up among a couple of council members, the idea was maybe to look into the future of that health department.

I know it’s caused some problems. I think it’s the prudent thing to do. If I remember, going back when we were in Fiscal Emergency, (we were asked) “Did anybody look at anything; did you make any adjustments; did you see it coming?” As hard as this is, I still think it’s the right thing to do.

How it’s going to turn out, I don’t know. I had a brief conversation with the health commissioner (Donna Laake) tonight, and, basically, what she said to me was true. She said, “You know we were interviewing people, and you never said anything. That’s true. Mainly because it didn’t come up at the time they were having their first round (of interviews).

I did have a conversation with a member of the health commission, and I said, “Maybe you should look at this. Maybe we should not be in that big of a hurry.” It went from there…it went downhill. People got very emotional, uh, and I can understand it somewhat. The way I look at it is so…what we decided to do is, we contacted Hamilton County. We had a brief conversation with them. A little bit of information was given which we will share, and he made contact with the health commissioner.

Now, this is one of the issues where, and I can tell you this, before the year is up, there’s going to be another area we’re probably going to be looking at to review. And it’s going to be, basically, what you’ll be doing is a cost analysis.

You know, what seems to be a good economical decision does not always turn out to be that way. It doesn’t turn out to be worth it. And there’s several reasons. By the City and the residents, if another agency takes over, lack of service, uh, and the, once again, chipping away at our independence. Do I still think it’s worth reviewing? Yeah, I think we’ve got an obligation to look at it, and I mean everybody included, the health commissioner, the medical director, the retiring health commissioner. Get everybody involved. Let’s do it openly. That way, we say, “Okay, what we provide is good, and that’s all we need. And this is a dead issue.” But, once again, with going through it like we did at one time, I don’t believe there’s anything with reviewing it.

I do understand that it causes some problems, and I’m sorry for that; but, on the other hand, I go back to when we were in Fiscal Watch and Fiscal Emergency, and I had people come up to me and say, “Why didn’t you do this; why didn’t you do that; did you ever check into it?” I said, “No.” You know, I wasn’t willing to make a change. I guess it was partially due to Donna. Donna and I go back 27 years, and I had a loyalty. But now, you know, as I said, it’s a combination of both issues. And I think it’s worth looking at in an open process. And it’s not really something we should do, that it should be done quickly. It should be done over time, and everybody who knows anything, who’s go anything to contribute, contribute and say something.

I’ll take my share of the responsibility and my position. One of the things, and we all know this, one of the problems that we have is our proximity to each other. Yet, on the other hand, all the information that’s flying around, the rumors get out, and nobody calls. I was the recipient of some really bad rumors, and there was an individual, and I’ll let them on their own stand up and say who they were, that called me up and asked me. That was a refreshing thing. And so, I know how it works, but I believe, still believe, that there’s this obligation to at least look at it and include people in it, the health commissioner, retiring health commissioner - include everybody. I’m not saying hide it from anybody. Just everybody have their say and speak for themselves.

Then, I think we can look at our taxpayers and residents and say, “We did the right thing. We looked at it, and they decided to change it, or not change it, or alter it.” And, I’m telling you, there could be another issue coming up where the same thing could happen in another area. I mean, we’ve taken action over the past few years and months and….subcontracted some things out that needed to be done. Was it the normal course of business? No, because we felt strongly that something had to be done. We’re not finished. It goes back to the same thing: open, honest discussion, and go from there.

I truly wish, you know, with all this going on, somebody would have called me. Of course, they didn’t call me when I said I lived in Harrison, Ohio, so, I don’t know why they would call me over something like this. That’s a ticklish subject, so…I’m open to questions, but I’m hoping that we at least, okay, we’re going to take a look at it.

Steve Thornbury: In your discussion with the health commission member who sent the letters, if we’re going to have open discussion, which you say you want to have happen over a period of time, they obviously are going to be in need of finding a replacement for Ms. Laake fairly soon. Has there been any discussion between you and them about how to proceed?

Mayor Williams: No. I’m on that commission, but in the past, I’ve told Donna when she had a member for the commission, I said, “You know better than me. Tell me who you want, and I’ll put them on.” That’s the way I’ve done it. I don’t know enough, I’m smart enough to know what I don’t know. And I’m not a health expert. So, no, do we need a health commissioner right away? Good question. I’m not sure. You know, Ms. Lake told me tonight, “Well, that scares everybody off.” Well, I know, I know. I’m sorry about that. Once again, I told the one commission member, they wanted some immunity for residency. I oppose that. Maybe that’s wrong. Council may want to override it. But, once again, I’m stuck on that. I mean, the health commissioner we have now, Donna is a good example of that, I mean, you…once again, get involved in the community. So, if we do this review, I think it’s like…garbled.

Victor Schneider: I agree if you’re going to review what the health department does, it should be done out in the open. You have some public meetings and discuss what’s going on. A lot of people benefit from the City of Norwood having its own health department. Enough about that, you’ve already made your thoughts well known.

8/13/08 Note: If you'd like to comment on the verbatims, please return to the main page and leave them there. Thank you.

Gary Arthur's 7/22/08 email to Chuck Barlow

2008-07-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

From: Gary Arthur, President Pro Tem, Norwood Health Commission

To: Finance Chair Chuck Barlow and 11 others, including Councilpersons Mike Gabbard, Victor Schneider, Keith Moore, Steve Thornbury, Council President Jane Grote, and Mayor Tom Williams

Date: Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Subject: Finance Committee Meeting

Mr. Barlow,

The impression I have after conversations with Mayor Williams and yourself is that Council has been discussing the future of the Norwood Health Department upon Mrs. Laake’s retirement at the end of August. The Health Commission is in the process of selecting a replacement for Mrs. Laake, and we would like to discuss the options decided on by City Council since it could affect the outcome of our selection process.

I would like to suggest that we set the finance committee meeting we discussed regarding the Health Department for July 28, 2008. this would be best for the members of the Commission.

As you know from our previous conversation, I will be leaving for vacation on July 30, so I ask that you please let me know your decision before the end of this week.

By the way, Donna did not receive your e-mail regarding her phone call she made to you.

…Thank you for your consideration.

Gary Arthur's 7/25/08 email to Mayor Tom Williams

2008-07-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

From: Gary Arthur, President Pro Tem, Norwood Health Commission

To: Mayor Williams and 15 others including Councilpersons Chuck Barlow, Mike Gabbard, Victor Schneider, Steve Thornbury and Council President Jane Grote

Date: July 25, 2008

Subject: 2nd Round Interviews

Mayor Williams,

We have completed the first round of the selection process for the replacement of the Health Commissioner. We have narrowed the search to three candidates and are ready for the second round. The Health Commission would like you and Dr. Perrino to sit in on the next interview sessions.

As previously state to you, I will be out of town beginning Wednesday, July 30 and continuing through the 25th of August. Since the Health Commission has already discussed the strengths and weaknesses of each of the remaining candidates, we do not feel that my not being there will in any way hinder the outcome or the selection of the strongest candidate for Health Commissioner. I will be monitoring my email while I am away and will be available by cell phone for any necessary discussion.

I would like to add a note regarding the residency of appointed officials. With the current housing problems facing everyone, I am of the opinion that if we are to find a viable replace for Mrs. Laake, it would not be in the best interest of our city to ask someone to relocate to Norwood at this time. Since none of the candidates interviewed are residents of Norwood, City Council does have the option of granting a waiver to the residency requirement.

I understand there has been some discussion among Council members with regards to the future of the Health Department. May I say, we are a growing city, and the Health Department needs to continue for the betterment of our neighborhoods. Too much will be lost if we underestimate the effectiveness the Health Department has on so many.

While I would like to meet on Monday or Tuesday afternoon, July 28 or 29, I realize that this probably cannot be done. Therefore, I respectfully request that you schedule this meeting at your convenience as soon as possible.

Thank you for your consideration.

Guest blog: Steve Thornbury explains gas aggregation

2008-05-12T02:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we received a “free gift” from Councilperson Steve Thornbury - this guest blog about a natural gas aggregation plan that may wind up as a ballot initiative for us to vote on. We thank him for taking the time out of what we know is a very busy schedule to provide this informative piece for our readers:

At the recent Committee of the Whole meeting (Tuesday, May 6) the sole item on the agenda was a presentation from a gentleman representing Integrys Energy Services regarding the idea of “gas aggregation.” It was a very enlightening evening. I’m sure many Norwood residents are like me in that we’ve heard the term before but have never had a good explanation of what it really is.

First, a bit of background (much of which is lifted from the Ohio PUCO web site)…

Beginning in 1997, residential and small commercial customers throughout the state were, on their own, allowed to choose their own natural gas suppliers. They still do for that matter. More recently however, local communities have been given the right, by law, to join their citizens together to buy natural gas as a group and, on the group’s behalf, negotiate with a private company the terms, conditions, and price of the natural gas supply.

The people who presented to us at the COW meeting are from such a company.

First of all, before expectations run rampant, programs such as these are not sold with the promise of huge savings. Just as an investment advisor cannot promise a return on a mutual fund and can only point to past performance, this company presented a few instances of other communities which have done gas aggregation and the savings average out to be, at best, $50 per single family home over a four to five month period. But, savings are savings.

What the company primarily touts is stability. Today, when you get your Duke Energy bill, the cost of gas is reflected in a number called Gas Cost Recovery (GCR). If you look closely, you’ll notice that number fluctuates from month to month much like the cost of gas at the pump fluctuates. As you can well imagine, the GCR tends to go up almost every month on our bill. Recently it’s been going up quite a bit every month. What companies like Integrys offer is the opportunity to lock in a price now that will be guaranteed throughout the life of the “contract.” The length of the contract, apparently, can range from a year on the high end to six months on the low end.

Here’s a FAQ from Integrys that answers many of the questions we asked at the meeting.

The biggest news is that doing it would require approval of a ballot initiative by the voters. The other tricky aspect is that, if it were approved, all residents would be included unless they specifically chose not to… each of us would be given the opportunity, in other words, to opt-out.

Other key facts:
-It only involves residents and very small businesses. It does not affect large companies, the City’s properties, or the School District’s properties… (They all have their own aggregation programs they could set up.)

- It doesn’t change a thing about your current billing. Opted-in or opted-out, you still receive your same Duke Energy bill.

-While there are several pricing options, the one that was recommended is something known as “Locked-in Price with Flex Down OpportunitySM Rate” in which “the price for your gas commodity is locked-in. However, if the market falls significantly, then a lower rate will be provided on a month-to-month basis.”

In general, from where I sat, the other members of Council seemed receptive to the idea. The consensus was that we would continue discussion at the next COW meeting. If we wanted to do it and have it on the ballot by the November election we’d need to have decided and have the request sent to the Board of Elections sometime mid- to late-summer. Even then, if approved by the voters, the system would not kick into place until late 2009.

Feel free to contact me or any other member of Council if you have questions, comments or concerns.

-Steve Thornbury
Ward 2, Norwood City Council
Ph. # 373-9653

4/21/08 Emersion Design press release

2008-05-02T06:35:00.000-07:00

The Greater Cincinnati Earth Coalition (GCEC) has selected Emersion Design as a recipient of the 2008 environmental award in the business category. The award was presented during the Cincinnati Earth Day event at Sawyer Point on Saturday, April 19, 2008.

This yearly award is given in five categories, (citizen, business/organization, student, government agency, and teacher) to those who have demonstrated their dedication to the environment and its natural resources. Emersion Design is an Architectural, Planning, Interior Design, and Structural Engineering Firm. In the first eight months of existence, Emersion has become a leader in the Greater Cincinnati area for sustainable design within their field. Emersion is expanding their office space which is currently designed at the LEED CI Platinum level, helping to create a more sustainable workplace. Smaller initiatives Emersion has demonstrated include instituting a recycling program before their computers or office furniture were in place. Twenty percent of Emersion employees carpool at least one day a week or use alternate transportation such as Metro bus and bicycling. To help keep garbage out of the landfill, Emersion has a vermicompost where more than 100 worms eat coffee grounds, apple cores and other left-overs. Of Emersion’s six registered architects, two are LEED Accredited Professional who are both on the local USGBC Board. Emersion staff also conduct outreach to help educate the public about sustainability by giving various lectures and presentations. Emersion staff is actively involved within the community, volunteering time for events such as the Great American clean-up to make it a better place to work live and play. Emersion’s commitment to sustainability goes beyond our professional resumes and into our personal lives as a way of living.

Emersion Design and other award recipients received awards onstage at the GCEC Earth Day Celebration at Sawyer Point on Saturday, April 19, 2008. The Earth Day celebration is a free event open to the public featuring local environmental organizations and attractions to teach children young and old about environmental issues.

Prior to forming Emersion Design, our founding members worked together for nearly 20 years, leading projects that range from small community buildings to $240 million laboratory facilities. While the company is new, our management and staff are proven, experienced design professionals with exceptional personal resumes and a track record of delivering success to our clients. Emersion Design has worked in seven states for clients such as the U.S. Navy, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Healthy Beginnings, and NASA. For additional information about Emersion Design, please visit their website at www.emersiondesign.com or contact Nikki Marksberry at nikki.marksberry@emersiondesign.com or 513.841.9100.

"Introduction to Tristate Medical Reserve Corps" flyer

2008-04-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

Imagine that you are watching TV when a newscaster breaks in and announces that officials believe that Anthrax spores have been released in the air over Cincinnati and Norwood. Health officials are making plans to activate “Points of Dispensing” to administer medication to all Hamilton County residents within 48 hours in order to make sure no one becomes ill with the often fatal disease Anthrax. Does this sound far fetched? Actually, all health departments in the greater Cincinnati area are making just such plans, and they need your help.

With only 6 fulltime employees, the Norwood Health Department will need many trained volunteers to assist them in protecting Norwood and Hamilton County residents and workers in case the unthinkable happens right here. That’s where the “Tristate Medical Reserve Corps” (TMRC) comes in to play. “The Medical Reserve Corps is a group of average citizens, both medical and non-medical, who have volunteered to receive basic training and assist us in an emergency, and we are very grateful for their unselfish help.” TMRC volunteers can be as active as they choose and can respond in areas that they designate. If someone wants to only volunteer in Norwood, that’s fine. If they are available to respond anywhere in the country, their availability is indicated on their application. There are two steps that need to be completed in order to become a part of the Tristate Medical Reserve Corps: participants need to complete an application (either on line at www.serveohio.org or on paper) and complete a two hour introduction to the Medical Reserve Corps. The introductory course gives volunteers information about the TMRC, how they might become involved, what jobs they might be expected to perform and how to complete their own Family Emergency Plan.

The Norwood Health Department will host an “Introduction to the Tristate Medical Reserve Corps” on Thursday, April 24th from 6 – 8 p.m. at Norwood High School in the Mini Auditorium. A light meal and refreshments will be provided. Health Commissioner, Donna Laake, encourages anyone who might be thinking about volunteering to attend this event. There is no requirement to sign up for the Tristate Medical Reserve Corps after taking part in the training, but she hopes that many folks do. “We know that we will need many trained people to help us in distributing medications or in any potential disaster that could hit. We would love to have a list of Norwood residents that we could call upon to help: from doing paperwork, helping with traffic flow, nurses and doctors to pass out medication, people to do data entry and the many other jobs that go along with responding to emergencies” said Laake.

To sign up for the “Introduction to the Tristate Medical Reserve Corps” training, contact the Norwood Health Department at (513) 458-4600 or Donna Laake at dlaake@norwoodhealth.org to reserve your spot. Heroes are not born, they volunteer!

Wage increase ordinance for appointed employees

2008-03-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

ORDINANCE PROVIDING RAISES FOR APPOINTED EMPLOYEES, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY, AS AMENDED

WHEREAS, THIS Council wishes to provide raises for appointed employees; now therefore,

BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the City of Norwood, State of Ohio, that:

SECTION 1. Appointed personnel working for the City of Norwood, who are not covered by a Collective Bargaining Unit for the purpose of raises are hereby provided a three percent (3%) raise. This raise shall be effective retroactive to January 1, 2008 and shall apply to both full and part time employees. If an appointed employee’s raises are additionally subject to approval by a commission, board or supervisor, then such commissions, boards or supervisors are hereby authorized to provide up to a three percent (3%) raise if they deem such a raise appropriate.

SECTION 2. This ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency ordinance and a measure necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety and general welfare and shall go into effect forthwith.

Inauguration Ceremony 2008

2008-01-01T12:14:00.000-08:00

Mayor Tom Williams

Steve Thornbury, Ward 2 Council

Keith Moore, Ward 1 Council

Victor Schneider, Council-at-Large

Ted Kiser, Law Director

Below: Chuck Barlowe, Ward 3 Council

Pastor Kevin Jobe’s Cincinnati Post editorial

2007-09-28T05:26:00.000-07:00

What in the world is wrong with us? We are the nation for whom the Statue of liberty, symbolic beacon to the world’s tired, poor and wretched, stands as a symbol of welcome. We are the nation that calls itself the melting pot; the one which supposedly prides itself on being an unparalleled tapestry of races, cultures and ethnicities living together in a harmony the rest of the world cannot muster. Why then, after largely ignoring our own immigration laws for a generation plus, are we now so bent on enforcement that we stand on the verge of committing ourselves to one of the largest forced human migrations in all of recorded history? Does no one in a place of power have any idea of the ramifications of such thinking? What sort of behaviors will it lead us into?

Will it lead us to large scale raids for “criminals” which net overwhelming majorities of people whose only crime has been to overstay a visa because they love the USA? Last week, it did. Will we coerce, mislead, and lie to these men and women (without criminal history) we have rounded up in order to force their signatures on deportation papers? Last week, we did. Will we become so bent on carrying out “law enforcement” that we are willing to trash the spirit of our own US Constitution, spit on the Statue of Liberty and then raise ourselves up as champions of the American way? Last week, that happened. Shame on us all.

There is no question that our immigration policies need major reparations, but our current course of action is insanity. If this goes unchecked, the world’s greatest defender of human rights will go down in the annals of history in a manner that will not read well. Alongside the Trail of Tears and the shiploads of slaves, we’ll be known for the mass deportation of 11 million people and their children. The last world leaders to do this on such a level were named Stalin and Hitler. Is this what we want for the greatest country on earth?

Please don’t let this stand! Raise your voice! Call your US Representative or Senator, State Senator or Representative, the office of ICE or Governor Strickland and insist that this madness stops. What in the world is wrong with us?

Pastor Kevin Jobe
Grace Church
A United Methodist Congregation in Norwood

2006 NPD Annual Report - 3rd shift anecdotes

2007-09-17T05:45:00.000-07:00

3/16/06: Officer Kilby was stationary on Montgomery Rd. at Prentiss running radar in the stationary mode when he observed a vehicle south on Montgomery Rd. at Williams Ave. at a high rate of speed. Radar unit picked the vehicle up 42 mph.

The officer pulled out to stop the vehicle and was following the vehicle south on Montgomery Rd. when he observed the vehicle cross the double yellow line three times. He activated his emergency lights, and it took the vehicle three blocks to pull over…on the Butternut Bakery lot. The driver was found to be operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage and/or drug abuse and was taken into custody.

During the search of the vehicle the officer found two loaded magazines in the glove compartment. Officer read the defendant his Miranda Warnings and asked him about a firearm. The defendant stated that he had a weapon in the center console. Recovered from the center console was a Taurus Millenium 9mm automatic. Defendant charged with OVI, Speed, Marked Lanes and Improper Transportation of a Firearm.

5/15/06: Officer Nelson received a radio run in reference to the complainant being sexually assaulted by a neighbor in her apartment building. He interviewed the complainant and initiated an offense report. With the information Officer Nelson received, he took the initiative to respond to the apartment that the suspect was thought to live in. A subject answered the door and Officer Nelson was able to get information from this subject, and he ran the subject through dispatch and found the subject had an open warrant for Failing to Report as a Felon. Officer Nelson took the subject into custody and contacted the Hamilton County Identification Section and had a lineup put together. The victim was able to make identification of the suspect through the lineup and gave a written statement to Officer Nelson. The suspect was held at the Hamilton County Justice Center until Criminal Investigation Section came in to continue the investigation. Officer Nelson’s initiative made the follow up investigation by detectives much easier and immediately took the suspect off the street, which was a big relief to the victim.

6/21/06: Officers received a trouble run at 4571 Smith Road #2 in reference to a shot fired. Sergeant Rankin was the first officer on the scene and complainant pointed to a white SUV that was leaving the scene. Officer followed the vehicle until backup arrived. The vehicle was stopped on Robertson Avenue in Oakley with four occupants. All subjects were taken into custody without incident with a weapon recover.

It was ascertained that the victim was tricked into opening the door by one suspect when another suspect rushed the door with a gun forcing his way into the apartment. The victim and suspect struggled over the gun, and a shot was fired into the hallway door. the victim was struck over the head, receiving minor injuries.

One suspect was charged with Aggravated Robbery and had two warrants out of Shelby County, TN for Aggravated Robbery. The other three suspects were charged with Complicity to Aggravated Robbery. The weapon was a Kel-Tec 9mm semi-auto weapon, which was reported stolen out of Pennsylvania.

6/22/06: There was an All County Broadcast reference on an Aggravated Robbery that occurred at the Shell Station on Madison & Edwards. Officers Manning, Cintron & Price located the vehicle and suspect and placed him in custody before Cincinnati officers arrived on the scene. The suspect was turned over to Cincinnati officers at the scene and was subsequently charged with Aggravated Robbery.

6/26/06: Sgt. Rankin stopped a vehicle for Disregarding a Traffic Control Device-Red Light on the United Dairy Farmers lot a 5023 Montgomery Rd. The suspect was found to under the influence of an alcoholic beverage and/or drug abuse and was taken into custody. While performing an inventory search of the vehicle prior to towing the vehicle, Sgt. Rankin recovered a large piece of rock cocaine under the driver side floor mat. Also recovered was a .357 magnum handgun behind the passenger seat, a scale with cocaine residue, and a box of .357 magnum ammunition. the field test of the cocaine was positive, and it weighed 11.8 grams TPW. The stop resulted in the suspect being charged with three traffic charges, a Felony two Drug Possession, Carrying a Concealed Weapon.

2006 NPD Annual Report - 2nd shift anecdotes

2007-09-10T05:48:00.000-07:00

2/1/06: Officers were dispatched to Fenwick Park to investigate a male white who was suicidal. Officer Ward and Sgt. Rankin arrived and observed a subject sitting in his vehicle holding a knife to his throat. Both officers were able to talk the distraught individual into putting the knife down, and he was taken to University Hospital for treatment.

3/22/06: Officers attempted to serve a warrant at 1818 Cleveland on Darryl
Isbel…who was wanted out of Clermont county on a warrant for Breaking and Entering. He was also suspected of several other break ins. Isbell fled on foot and was caught after a foot chase and K-9 track…

4/23/06: Officer Whitford stopped Langile Lewis…at 4539 Montgomery for a traffic offense. Located in the vehicle was a stolen firearm and crack cocaine. Lewis was charged with Felony Receiving Stolen Property, Weapons Under Disability, and Felony Drug Abuse…

5/1/06: Officers Ward and Lang went to 1941 Elm Ave. They arrested Tina Overbay…on a warrant for Voluntary Manslaughter. They also located drugs, and as a result, she was charged with Felony Drug Possession…

9/4/06: Bennie Taylor…entered the UDF at 3941 Montgomery Rd.; he pulled a knife out and began attacking the employee. He then reached into the cash register drawer and grabbed money. Taylor ran from the scene but was apprehended by officers in the area of Hopkins and Ivanhoe. He was charged with Aggravated Robbery.

9/17/06: A distraught subject barricaded himself in his home at 2012 Delaware. He refused to come out and turned all the gas on in the house bringing the concentration of natural gas in the home to very dangerous levels. Hamilton County SWAT team responded and was able to bring the subject out safely. All officers on 2nd relief did an outstanding job of keeping the residents safe and assisting SWAT…

2006 NPD Annual Report - 1st shift anecdotes

2007-09-04T04:48:00.000-07:00

2/17/06: A male and female were arrested at 4500 Montgomery Road after buying a quantity of cold remedy capsules. A search of their out-of-state car revealed over 900 more pills. This investigation continued and resulted in the discovery a meth lab in the State of Indiana. Charges of illegal possession of chemicals to manufacture drugs.

2/19/06: Police were called to Surrey Square for a call of male suspect with a shotgun which he took from his trunk and placed in the passenger compartment. Car was stopped in the parking lot and the suspect was arrested. A 12-guage shotgun and ammo were recovered from the car near a two-year-old child. Charges of improper transportation of a firearm and child endangering.

3/1/06: Male suspect arrested for theft and resisting arrest after fleeing Dollar General. Suspect had to be tased when arrested. Officer sustained injuries to his hand while pursuing the suspect over a fence.

4/23/06: A traffic stop in the 1500 block of Sherman Avenue resulted in arrest of male suspect for DUS, felony drug possession, trafficking in drugs, and recovery of several bags of drugs and $4,000 in cash.

6/4/06: Female suspect arrested for forgery and the Secret Service was notified after she was stopped at Krogers with the forged check. Recovered from the suspect was stolen ID and $600 in counterfeit money.

6/6/06: Male suspect was arrested for Criminal Enticement at a Cleveland Avenue residence after trying to get a child to come to his vehicle.

7/15/06: All Officers working First Shift assisted in the evacuation of a residence in the 3900 block of Spencer Ave. The evacuation was due to unstable dynamite being discovered in the residence. Cinti. Bomb Squad and other Units from Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office responded. All involved worked for a safe disposition.

8/9/06: An Aggravated Robbery was reported at Check Smart. After a thorough investigation by 1st Shift and CIS, an employee was charged with theft of $26,000.

11/4/06: A tenacious business owner in the 4500 block of Montgomery Road pursued two juveniles on foot while talking to dispatch on his cell phone. Both were arrested in the basement of a vacant building located in the 2000 block of Mills Avenue. Property worth $190 was recovered.

11/13/06: A deranged emotionally disturbed man was arrested after knocking over merchandise in a Worth Avenue store. After leaving the store, the suspect became disorderly in the street, blocking traffic and disrobing prior to officers arriving. Suspect had to be tased when arrested.

2006 NPD Annual Report: Lt. Cain's letter re 1st Shift

2007-08-27T03:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Chief Schlie:

The 1st Relief of the Norwood Police Department, aside from normal patrol duties, handles most of the miscellaneous errands within the department. Vehicle maintenance, for the most part, is coordinated with the Public Works garage by 1st Relief. We also keep electronic equipment in repair through Camp Safety Equipment Company and Moibilcomm. Evidence from most cases, which requires transport to the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office or the Cincinnati Health Department for processing, is also done by 1st Relief…

Parking complaints other than hazards, such as blocked hydrants, blocked driveways, cars blocking traffic of violations on the expressway are held for 1st Relief. These complaints mostly involve abandoned vehicles left on the streets, which are chalked and then tagged after one day, generally after two more days, the vehicle is impounded. Most of the impoundments originate from either complaints from citizens or officer-initiated investigations and result in the removal of many junk cars from our City streets, and thus reduce the amount of eyesores in our community.

The 1st Relief also assists the Norwood Mayor’s court in security when detail officers are not available. We also retrieve prisoners from other jurisdictions and locations such as the Hamilton County Justice Center for hearings in our Court. We also transport prisoners to the Justice Center and our Criminal Investigation Section as required.

…We are, as are almost all communities, seeing more and more counterfeit money. A majority of it passes at stores where customers are in line and hurried. It is a crime in which we all lose. A bit more precaution at the cash register could drastically reduce the traffic of counterfeit money If you suspect a bill is bogus, call the police.

…We are still experiencing a large amount of daytime curfew and skipping school violations, resulting in the transport of students to school, a cititation, or physical arrest and transport to Juvenile Detention…

We continue to experience a great many complaints about dogs running loose, which we handle with the SPCA, which impounds the dogs upon capture. Unfortunately, on too many occasions some of these dogs have been vicious, and incidents have resulted in injuries to people and other animals.

1st Relief continues to handle a great many Child Endangering cases, mostly involving unattended children, in which we work with the Hamilton county Children’s Protection Services (241-KIDS).

EDP’s (Emotionally Disturbed Persons) are frequently encountered and require a level of expertise in handling. Norwood has a large amount of group homes that house these people, and a large percentage of them do not have employment, so they have lots of free time. Most of the complaints on these individuals come from them spending hours in a business or engaging in bizarre but not necessarily illegal or dangerous behavior. Often these individuals are taken to the hospital to be checked or evaluated after displaying behavior resulting in a complaint.

Identity Theft continues to be a serious problem with reports being made more frequently by victims who suddenly receive a large bill for purchases they did not make. People need to guard their sales slips, deal only with reputable businesses, and shred any financial papers before discarding.

We are seeing a lot of cars stolen not only because of the keys being left in them, but also because they are left running. The owners often seem in disbelief that this could happen because, “I only went inside for a minute.”

In 2006, we held on to our own equipment and saw five new cars equipped and put on the road. They now have about 20,000 miles on them, and despite an aggressive service program and maintenance schedule, are having more problems a year later. We have lost all of our old white cruisers as none were fit for road patrol any longer. We hope to get five new vehicles in 2007 to replace our older cars...

2006 NPD Annual Report: NDTF anecdotes

2007-08-12T04:45:00.000-07:00

1. Based on several complaints from neighbors and Norwood High School parents, NDTF executed as search warrant at 2028 Elm Avenue. Two subjects were arrested and a 20-year-old male was charged with several counts of Trafficking in Marijuana; he was specifically selling small baggies of marijuana to Norwood students.

2. After several complaints from many West Norwood residents, a drug investigation was opened on James “Andy” Clemmons of Cleveland Ave. After two months, Clemmons was arrested for two counts of Trafficking and one count of Possession of Crack Cocaine.

3. During the summer of 2006, NDTF was able to arrest a father and son team of heroin traffickers. Mark Wombles, Sr….was arrested for three counts of Trafficking in tar heroin. Mark Jr….was arrested for one count of Trafficking in tar heroin and possession….Several neighbors are credited with making their drug trafficking activities known to NDTF.

4. With the assistance of Kenilworth Ave. residents, NDTF began an investigation of the occupants of 2424 Kenilworth Ave. On August 4, 2006, a search warrant was executed by HCPA SWAT team. Our investigation resulted in the arrests of three adults for 8 counts of Trafficking in Drugs and two counts of Felony Child Endangering. With the assistance of the Norwood Health and Building Departments, the house was vacated for building code violations and unsanitary living conditions.

5. After several tips from residents, NDTF opened an investigation of 5144 Hunter Ave. #2. A search warrant was executed by HCPA SWAT, and two residents of the apartment were arrested for 3 counts of Trafficking in Crack Cocaine and Permitting Drug Abuse.

8-Mill Levy Renewal Resolution

2007-07-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

RESOLUTION DECLARING THE NECESSITY OF LEVYING A TAX FOR CURRENT OPERATING EXPENSES IN EXCESS OF THE TEN-MILL LIMITATION AND REQUESTING THE COUNTY AUDITOR TO CERTIFY MATTERS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY

WHEREAS, Council for the City of Norwood anticipates levying a tax in excess of the ten-mill limitation as described herein; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 5705.03 of the Ohio Revised Code, Council for the City of Norwood is required to certify to the county auditor a resolution requesting the county auditor to certify certain matters in connection with such a tax levy; now therefore

BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the city of Norwood, State of Ohio:

SECTION 1. That pursuant to the provisions of Section 5705.19(a) of the Ohio Revised Code, it is necessary that a renewal of an existing tax be levied in excess of the ten-mill limitation for the benefit of the City of Norwood, for the purpose of current operating expenses at a rate not exceeding eight (8) mills for each one dollar ($1.00) of valuation which amounts to eighty cents ($0.80) for each one hundred dollars ($100.00) of valuation, for five years.

SECTION 2. That the question of the passage of said tax levy shall be submitted to the electors of the City of Norwood at an election to be held on November 6, 2007. If approved by the electors, said tax levy shall be placed upon the 2007 tax list and duplicate, for collection in the calendar year 2008 and continue for five years.

SECTION 3. That pursuant to section 5705.03 of the Ohio Revised Code, the county auditor is hereby requested to certify to Council for the City of Norwood the total current tax valuation of the City of Norwood, the dollar amount of revenue that would be generated by the number of mills specified in Section 1 hereof, and the Clerk of Council of the City of Norwood be and is hereby directed to certify forthwith a copy of this resolution to the county auditor at the earliest possible time so that said county auditor may certify such matters in accordance with such Section 5705.03 of the Ohio Revised Code.

SECTION 4. That is found and determined that all formal actions of the Council for the City of Norwood concerning and relating to the adoption of this resolution were adopted in an open meeting of the Council of the City of Norwood, and that all deliberations of Council of the City of Norwood, and of nay of its committees that resulted in such formal actions, were in meetings open to the public, in compliance with all legal requirements, including Section 121.22 of the Ohio Revised Code, and the rules of Council for the City of Norwood adopted in accordance herewith.

SECTION 5. This resolution is hereby declared to be an emergency resolution and a measure necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety and general welfare and shall go into effect forthwith. The reason for said emergency is the necessity to certify a copy of this resolution to the county auditor so that the county auditor may certify such matters in accordance with Section 5705.03 of the Ohio Revised Code.

6/29/07 Institute for Justice Press Release

2007-07-13T06:55:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 29, 2007

Ohio Passes Weak Eminent Domain Reform, Property Owners Left Unprotected

Arlington, Va.—The Ohio Legislature could have protected property owners across the state. Instead, they passed some of the weakest eminent domain reform in the nation.

On Wednesday, June 27, the Ohio Senate passed a weakened version of Senate Bill 7. The legislation originally offered substantial eminent domain reform to home and small business owners across the state, but the House removed all of the significant protections. A companion measure, Senate Joint Resolution 1, which would have applied SB 7 to all local governments in Ohio, earlier failed to pass the House. SB 7 now awaits the governor’s signature.

“There was a real chance for reform this year, but in the end, very little will change for home and small business owners in Ohio should SB 7 become law,” said Steven Anderson, director of the Institute for Justice’s Castle Coalition, a national grassroots advocacy group committed to ending the private-to-private transfer of property using eminent domain. The Institute for Justice successfully defended homeowners in Norwood and Lakewood, Ohio, from eminent domain abuse. Anderson testified before last year’s Eminent Domain Task Force and committees in both the Senate and House this session.

As originally passed by the Senate, SB 7 would have better-defined blight, using objective criteria to designate a “blighted parcel” and requiring at least 90 percent of the parcels in a neighborhood be blighted for the government to forcibly obtain non-blighted ones. The weaker reforms passed by the legislature allow a combination of subjective—and likely impermissible under the state constitution—factors, such as age and obsolescence, dilapidation and deterioration, excessive density, faulty lot or street layout to be used by condemning authorities to take property for private gain. The final version of SB 7 does include better notice for property owners when their land is under threat, as well as procedural and compensation changes, but they will do little to prevent perfectly fine property from actually being taken.

“Real protections against eminent domain abuse were whittled away,” Anderson said. “While the Ohio Supreme Court unanimously ruled, just one year ago in Norwood v. Horney, that the right to property is fundamental, the Legislature unfortunately doesn’t share that conclusion. I have no doubt that Ohioans will continue to make their case until their representatives finally listen.”

In all, 40 other states have passed legislation responding to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Kelo v. City of New London decision. For a review of those states and the effectiveness of the reforms, see the Institute for Justice’s 50 state report card, available at http://www.castlecoalition.org/publications/report_card/.

Latest Senate Bill 117 update from Local Voice Ohio

2007-06-13T15:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Well, the Public Interest took it on the chin yesterday in the Ohio House Public Utilities Committee.

We did make some minimal gains including:
1. A deadline of 60 days for video service providers to pay their franchise fees following the end of a quarter.
2. The Department of Commerce has been given enforcement authority over a limited set of customer service/consumer protection standards, with modest fines/penalties possible, collectible by court action.
3. Communities that have three or more PEG channels operating on January 1, 2007 can keep three of them on the basic tier. The rest go off to the digital gulag.
4. Video service providers have to accept PEG channel content and programming that at the least, meets the transmission standards of the national television standards committee in effect on the effective date of this section instead of in a format required by the company.
5. Video service providers must provide PEG transmission at no cost until the expiration date of a franchise agreement or until January 1, 2012, whichever comes first.
6. PEG funding still continues until the expiration date of a franchise agreement or until January 1, 2012, whichever comes first.

The rest is a disaster including:
1. SB 117 still fails to protect local governments financially with meaningful changes to the definition of gross revenue for purposes of calculating video service provider fees.
2. SB 117 still fails to permit local governments to effectively audit the payment of video service provider fees.
3. SB 117 still fails to appropriately grandfather PEG funding and I-Net obligations, meaning these valuable resources will be lost in many communities.
4. SB 117 still fails to provide a reasonable definition of "substantial utilization" for purposes of reclaiming PEG channels, allowing cable companies to do away with community bulletin boards and local channels in many smaller communities.
5. SB 117 still fails to provide that complimentary service to public facilities may be required in return for private companies' use of public right-of-way property.

We would not have gotten what little is in the bill for the public interest without your assistance. There is still the possibility, though slim, that the tide could turn. The bill goes before the full House tomorrow, Thursday June 14th. Please use this link to get your representative's phone number and call to tell the them to vote NO on SB 117, and/or fax them via the LVO Action Page to also tell them to vote "NO" on SB 117.

Thank you for your support so far. Without you, this bill would be an even bigger disaster than it is now.

3/23/07 Rec. Commission communication to Finance & Audit Committee

2007-05-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

Norwood Recreation Commission Budget needs 2007

The reasons we have asked for additional funds

Employees Cost-Minimum wage, workers comp & PERS* increases

Minimum Wage went up to $6.85 an hour. We had started our employees at $6.25 an hour. So we have 19 employees that need to be paid $6.85 over what we have previously paid them. Besides minimum wage going up, Workers Comp and PERS have increased. With these increases our employees for all of our programs will cost us an additional $14,000 to $15,000. This would include our pool workers, gym workers and all other programs we do through out the year.

Operating Expenses
Chlorine cost have increased 11% in the last two years. We have shopped around for better cost but Miami Chemical does have the lowest price. Other chemicals that we use such as acid, cleaning solutions, paper products have all increased in cost. As we all know these cost have increase at a rate of 2 to 3% each year. We have lawn chairs that need to be replaced at Waterworks, last year we had to remove about 15 to 18 chairs that we not repairable. We will have added expenses of traveling this year with the pools and the office being in 4 different places.

Recreation Van
The recreation van is a 1991 and needs to be replaced. We use this van for many things, transporting children from the centers to the pools, getting supplies for our programs, transporting supplies and equipment for events and programs. We need to have this vehicle replaced.

As compared with other communities, for the programs we offer, this funding request is not out of line. When you compare our total recreation budget to the city’s budget, we are only asking for 6/10 of one percent of the incoming funds. In 2003 the city was contributing $127,000 to recreation, in 2004 it was cut to $85,000 and we have been given the same amount since then despite inflation. This was a 32% cut that we have struggled with over the past few years as well as inflation just like all the other departments in this city have faced.

March 23, 2007

* Public Employees Retirement System

Bessie’s COW report for May

2007-05-07T04:37:00.000-07:00

Call the police! Call the police! Call the police! That was the emphatic message for residents from the two nice Norwood police officers who spoke at last Tuesday night’s COW meeting. They were there, of course, because Councilperson Brigid Kelly put resident Tom Brown’s April letter to council regarding South Norwood problems on the meeting agenda. Mr. Brown and his wife Casey attended, too, but I didn’t see Ms. Kelly.

So, here’s what the police officers want us all to do. If we see ANY suspicious behavior, see speeders, drag racing, crimes being committed, hear loud noise, including loud car stereo’s blaring, whatever it is, call the police immediately. If you don’t think it’s an emergency, call the police non-emergency # 458-4520. If you don’t have the non-emergency # handy, call 911; and, no, we won’t get in trouble for calling 911 with a non-emergency report. Even if the police don’t catch anybody from a call, they need us to call so they know where hot spots are popping up and can then devote more patrols to those areas, or they can bring in radar and lasers. The NPD chief and captain are in the process of developing a plan for problem areas, and they really do need citizen input to help identify them, so call the police!

Other agenda items that were discussed:

1. Financial Recovery Plan - The Auditor of State‘s preliminary forecast should be ready for presentation to the Administration any day now.

2. City newsletter - Nothing new, although Keith Moore suggested they get started by collecting information from department heads and putting it on the city’s website soon, then make copies of the information and place them in businesses around town.

3. Red light cameras - Nothing new except that Joe Sanker is going to distribution 13 pages of red light camera information he has to the rest of council.

4. Front porch deck issue - This was discussed at length at the April COW meeting attended by Dan Blye, Norwood’s code expert. Since there’s no consensus to write an ordinance restricting front porch decks, the topic will stay in COW rather than go to the Law and Ordinance Committee.

5. Norwood’s codified ordinances on the city’s website - This will be a good move for everybody in and out of government, cheaper, too, than the $3,800 spent last year for books. Some of the codified ordinance books purchased last summer didn’t include the first chapter. The Walter H. Drane Company has quoted a cost of $2,400 to scan the ordinances, plus $30 per month, for an annual charge of $2,700. Other quotes will be collected.

6. ID badge making machine - With a $3,000 grant from the Norwood Health Dept., the City would kick in an additional $3,500 to purchase the machine. COW will report out that there was consensus to proceed with the purchase.

NCS Levy Committee letter to Norwood Parents

2007-03-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

Norwood City Schools Levy Renewal Campaign

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian:

Parents want what’s best for their child. They want their child to be healthy and strong and to develop an inquisitive mind. The Norwood city Schools share in that dream and goal.

The Norwood schools strive each and every day to provide education that’s challenging and meaningful and in line with state standards. A dedicated, professional staff is committed to ensuring that our students have the skills to attend college or find a place in the workforce. The road to achieving success for our children is sweeter when shared by others, such as our parents, extended family and the greater community.

What can you do to ensure that progress continues? On May 8 the Norwood schools have a tax RENEWAL on the ballot. We need your support - and VOTE - at the polls to ensure the Norwood schools continue to grow, attract and keep good staff members, and draw young families to our community. If you’re not registered to vote we have included two voter registration forms for your convenience. Complete the forms and mail them to 824 Broadway, Cincinnati, OH 45202. The Hamilton County Board of Elections must receive your voter registration no later than April 9, 2007.

Renewal of the levy will not cost Norwood taxpayers one cent more than they are currently paying. The levy generates about $1.7 million dollars annually, and has since it was first approved by voters in August 1992.

I hope we can count on your support May 8.

Thank you for your time.

Larry Parker
NCS Levy Treasurer
2320 Madison Ave.
Norwood, Oh 45212

Issued by NCS Levy Committee: Larry Parker, Treasurer

Two letters to Mayor Williams

2007-02-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

1. Keith Moore's letter

January 12, 2007

Mayor Thomas Williams
City of Norwood
4645 Montgomery Road
Norwood, OH 45212

Dear Mayor Williams:

I recently received a letter from my esteemed colleague, Victor Schneider, asking you to comply with the Ohio Revised Code by submitting a budget. His letter does not mention exactly which section of the Ohio Revised Code he is talking about, but at the January 9 Council meeting, he mentioned § 705.18

Entitled “Annual appropriation ordinance; supplemental appropriation,” that section provides in pertinent part:

An annual appropriation ordinance shall be prepared by the legislative authority of a municipal corporation from estimates submitted by the mayor . . . in the manner provided in section 705.17 of the Revised Code for the annual tax ordinance. The annual appropriation ordinance shall be submitted to the legislative authority at its first meeting in January . . . .

Unfortunately, Mr. Schneider has made a common mistake. Chapter 705 does not apply to statutory cities such as Norwood. Chapter 705 lays out the rules governing charter cities, as § 705.07 makes clear:

705.07. Sections applicable to each plan
Sections 705.07 to 705.32, inclusive, of the Revised Code, apply to and are a part of each plan of government provided in sections 705.41 to 705.86, inclusive, of the Revised Code.

Sections 705.41 through 705.86 lay out the various charter forms of government a city can adopt by charter — Commission, City Manager, or Federal.

As an example of another provision in Chapter 705 that clearly illustrates that the Chapter does not apply to Norwood would be:

705.09. Auditor; duties
The legislative authority of a municipal corporation shall choose an auditor, who shall keep an accurate account of all taxes and assessments, and of all money due to, all receipts and disbursements by, and of all assets and liabilities of the municipal corporation, and of all appropriations made by the legislative authority.

As you may be aware, the voters choose the Norwood Auditor, not Council.

Norwood is, however, governed by Chapters 731 and 733, which lay out the responsibilities of the Mayor and Council. As for the budget, the only relevant provisions I can find are:

731.47. General powers
The legislative authority shall have the management and control of the finances and property of the municipal corporation, except as otherwise provided.

733.06. Mayor and officers of cities shall attend meetings of legislative authority; mayor's written recommendations
The mayor, the directors, and the several officers provided for in Title VII [7] of the Revised Code shall attend the meetings of the legislative authority of the city when specifically requested by such legislative authority, and answer at such time questions put to any of them by any member of such legislative authority, relative to the affairs of the city under their respective management and control. The mayor shall make such recommendations, in writing, to the legislative authority for the welfare of the city as seem wise to him.

Although I would love to see someone else submit a completed appropriation ordinance for me to review, there seems to be no legal requirement for that.

Oddly enough, on closer reading, even § 705.18 does not appear to require that the Mayor submit a budget. It provides that “An annual appropriation ordinance shall be prepared by the legislative authority of a municipal corporation from estimates submitted by the mayor . . . .” So if we were a charter city, you would be required to submit estimates, but Council would still be the one required by statute to “prepare” the “annual appropriation.”

Even more astonishing, although it provides that “[t]he annual appropriation ordinance shall be submitted to the legislative authority at its first meeting in January,” it makes no mention of who exactly is supposed to do the submitting.

Of course, since § 705.18 has nothing to do with Norwood, it doesn’t matter what it says.

This, at least, is my reading of the Ohio Revised Code after an admittedly brief review. I would, of course, defer to the conclusions of the Law Department if a closer study reveals that I am mistaken.

I do agree with you (and Mr. Sanker and Mr. Barlow and Mr. Mumper and Mr. Schneider) that we need to change past practices for the budget process. In the years prior to my election, as Mr. Sanker’s predecessor as Chairman of the Finance Committee put it, “The Mayor gives us the budget and we pass it.” During my tenure, Council has taken the lead, mainly by instituting the least painful cuts to get us through the year in question.

But at no time was there long-term planning or detailed analysis of expenditures to services. We need to institute both. I support your efforts to bring in a Budget Analyst and to work with Mr. Jones to find a way for us to accomplish those changes to the budgeting process.

Sincerely,

Keith D. Moore
Norwood City Council — Ward One

cc: Norwood City Council
Rick Gibson, Law Director

2. Rick Hursh's letter

January 26, 2007

The Honorable Tom Williams
City of Norwood
Norwood, Ohio

Dear Mayor Williams:

First, let me thank you for taking the time to talk about city issues yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and believe more face to face talk between the residents of the City of Norwood and their elected officials would go a long way to improving our community.

During our conversation, you raised the concern, as I understood, it that Citizens for a Better Norwood had accused you of breaking the law regarding the city’s appropriations. You indicated that you had not read our blog but were informed of this by a supporter.

Enclosed you will find a copy of the blog in question. As you read it, you will see that, as I stated, the blog simply states the concerns raised by Mr. Schneider. In addition, the blog cites the Ohio Revised Code verbatim. If you look at the last line of the blog, you will see that we close with “If there’s been a violation, where does it rank on the scale of seriousness?”

As you can see, we did not make any accusation or draw any conclusions. Whoever misinformed you, whether out of malice or ignorance, has done a disservice to you, your office and the community.

In closing, let me thank you once again for taking the time to discuss our mutual concerns for the city.

Respectfully,

Rick Hursh

Enc.

2/27/07 Norwood City Council meeting agenda

2007-02-24T08:17:00.000-08:00

Council Chambers
7:30 p.m.

A) CALL TO ORDER
B) PRAYER
C) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
D) ROLL CALL
E) AMENDMENT OF AGENDA

F) REQUEST TO ADDRESS COUNCIL ON AGENDA ITEMS

G) REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES OF COUNCIL

H) SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE

A) ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SERVICE-SAFETY TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT UNDER THE STATE BID PURCHASE PROGRAM FOR THE PURCHASE OF FIVE (5) 2007 FORD CROWN VICTORIA CRUISERS OUTFITTED WITH THE PROPER SAFETY EQUIPMENT FOR USE BY THE NORWOOD POLICE DIVISION, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY

I) INTRODUCTORY READINGS OF ORDINANCES

A) ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE 56-2002 TO PROVIDE A PAY INCREASE OF TWO PERCENT (2%) FOR THE AUXILIARY POLICE UNIT FOR THE CITY OF NORWOOD, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY

B) ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CLERK/TREASURER TO CERTIFY UNPAID WATER AND SEWER BILLS AS WELL AS GARBAGE FEES TO THE HAMILTON COUNTY AUDITOR FOR FILING AS A LIEN ON THE TAX DUPLICATE OF THE OWNER(S) OF SAID PARCEL AND BE COLLECTED AS OTHER TAXES

C) ORDINANCE AMENDING THE PROVISIONS AND FEE SCHEDULES UNDER CHAPTER 1305.05 OF THE NORWOOD CODIFIED ORDINANCES, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY

D) ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND/OR SAFETY-SERVICE DIRECTOR TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT FOR PROFESSIONAL COLLECTION SERVICES WITH CAPITAL RECOVERY SYSTEMS, INC., AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY

J) INTRODUCTORY READINGS OF RESOLUTIONS

A) RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE CITIES READINESS INITIATIVE (CRI) PLAN, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY

K) ADMINISTRATION REPORTS
L) OTHER REQUESTS TO ADDRESS COUNCIL
M) UNFINISHED BUSINESS
N) NEW BUSINESS

O) COMMUNICATIONS
1. Letter from Mayor Re: Appointment to Tree Board
2. Letter from Liquor Control Re: Kkusum, Inc. Hearing
3. Letter from Dan Bly Re: Tropical Bar
4. Letter from Liquor Control Re: Tropical Bar
5. Letter from Liquor Control Re: Norwood Drive Thru
6. Letter from Tax Dept. Re: Norwood Drive Thru
7. Letter from Chief Schlie Re: Norwood Drive Thru
8. Letter from Chief Goodman Re: EMS Billing Review

P) EXCUSE ABSENT MEMBER/S

Q) ADJOURNMENT

Last known Enquirer article re reassessments of Rookwood Exchange parcels

2007-02-12T06:28:00.000-08:00

June 27, 2006
Tax on seized property cut
Panel: Eminent-domain ruling reduces the value

BY GREGORY KORTE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

A Norwood developer's property tax bill should be reduced because of the Ohio Supreme Court's injunction forbidding the demolition of properties taken by eminent domain, a county tax appeals panel ruled Tuesday.

That court order, which came in a precedent-setting case that will decide whether cities can take property for economic development, was an "unforeseeable and harsh" circumstance that affects the property's value.

The decision was a partial victory for Rookwood Partners Ltd., which hopes to convert 11 acres at Edmondson Road and Interstate 71 into a shopping and office complex called Rookwood Exchange

The county auditor wanted to assess the property at $21.6 million - the price the developer paid the 73 property owners. Three owners sold only after the city condemned the properties, and another three refused to sell. The city took those by eminent domain.
But Rookwood Partners complained that the property is worth next to nothing - $3.2 million - as long as the courts tie up retail development.

The Hamilton County Board of Revision said the value should be whatever the properties would be worth if the residential neighborhood still existed. That amount hasn't been determined by the auditor, but is likely to be about $11 million.

The panel also ruled that the value should be adjusted back to the sales price as soon as the Supreme Court injunction is lifted - rejecting the developer's argument that the sales prices were artificially inflated because owners held out for more money.
Richard Tranter, the lawyer for the developer, said the decision demonstrates the "unintended consequences" of the property-rights case.

"We're the owner. We are saddled with all the burdens of ownership. We have to pay taxes. We're responsible if anything happens there," he said. "But we cannot use the property."
E-mail gkorte@enquirer.com

Superintendent Collier's 1/22/07 letter to Mayor Williams

2007-01-31T09:02:00.000-08:00

January 22, 2007

City of Norwood
4645 Montgomery Road
Norwood, Ohio 45212
Attn: Mayor Tom Williams

re: Request for Chapter 725 Property Tax Exemption - Linden Pointe Development

Honorable Mayor,

We have reviewed the City's request for a Chapter 725 Property Tax Exemption on the Linden Pointe Development, delivered June 22, 2006 with supplemental financial information provided November 6, 2006.

It is our understanding that the City is requesting the Norwood City School Board of Education approve a property tax exemption on the property, comprising the Linden Pointe Development, for thirty (30) years at the exemption rate of one hundred percent (100%) of increased value. In exchange for the School Board's approval of the exemption, the City is offering to provide compensation to the School district in an amount equal to twenty-five percent (25%) of the Service Payments in Lieu of Taxes, which will be collected by the City pursuant to Chapter 725 o the Ohio Revised Code.

Our analysis of the proposed transaction indicates that the School District should receive between 41% and 56% of the Service Payments in Lieu of Taxes in order to be held harmless by this exemption. We also understand that if the School District were compensated at that amount the net available Service Payments would not support the amount of infrastructure required to make this project a success.

In the interest of assisting the City with the development of this project and being responsible to the needs of the School District, the School Board is willing to approve the property tax exemption on the Linden Pointe Development at the rate of 100% exemption for a period of 30 years in exchange for compensation in the amount of 25% of the annual Service Payments in Lieu of Taxes generated by the development and title to the following parcels of property currently owned by the City:

1. The baseball field between the School District’s Shea Stadium and the maintenance building on the corner of forest Avenue and Harris Avenue. The field is currently being used as a baseball field and the School District would upgrade the property to be used as the girls’ softball field. The School District would make the field available for general use under an arrangement similar to that of use for Shea Stadium.

2. The parking lot on the southeast corner of the high school/middle school campus across from Walgreen’s on the corner of Sherman Avenue and Station Avenue. The property is currently used for public parking. The School District would like to utilize the property as a drop off area for parents to drop off and pick up students as a safer alternative to using the road as a drop off area. some green space would be created as well as some public parking spaces.

3. The parking lot on the northeast corner of the high school/middle school campus on the corner of Station Avenue and Elm Avenue. The property is currently being used as a City parking lot. The District would like to convert the property to green space for Physical Education classes for students.

In exchange for annual compensation of 25% of the Service Payments in Lieu of Taxes and donation of the above parcels of property, the School Board is willing to agree to the 100% exemption from property taxes on the Linden Pointe Development for 30 years and to waive any rights to income tax sharing from the Project under section 5709.82 of the Ohio Revised Code. We look forward to cooperating on a mutually beneficial project for the entire community.

Sincerely,

Norwood City School District
Signed Steve Collier, Superintendent

Portune's alternative proposal for new jail tax

2006-09-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

August 21, 2006

MOTION

Amend Property Tax Resolution to Convert Property Tax Reduction to a Sales Tax Reduction

I MOVE that the attached Resolution be amended to convert the proposed property tax reduction to a sales tax reduction

_____________________
Todd Portune

Statement
As it stands the existing proposed plan would reduce property taxes for a select group of county taxpayers at the expense of the majority who do not own real estate. It amounts to a massive shift in the tax burden onto the backs of children, the poor and the middle class. It creates the likelihood of opposition to the proposal at the polls.
The goal of keeping taxes below the rate of inflation is commendable and can be met a different way that avoids this problem. By converting the reduction to a sales tax reduction all taxpayers benefit.
Moreover, this change also addresses a key complaint voiced by supporters of the jail. The property tax reduction proposed will benefit those absentee landlords who are contributing to blight and crime in neighborhoods. We should not give a tax break to the very people who are compounding the crime that communities are fighting.

Portune's Ten Year Plan to Rebuild Hamilton County

2006-09-19T17:12:00.000-07:00

ReBuild Hamilton County Ten Year Plan
A Draft Discussion of "Next Steps" in Light of Recent Population Statistics and the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Presentation

By Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune

Executive Summary
Last week two major reports converged before the County Commission in the form of the International Economic Development Council ("IEDC") Report and recent census figures on population loss. Both items detail challenges and opportunities for Hamilton County in three distinct areas: Housing, Economic Development/Job Creation and partnership with the City of Cincinnati in the downtown basin [including Over-the-Rhine "OTR"].
In response to these Reports I propose that Hamilton County embark on a ten year leadership agenda in these three areas. This document, together with its action items and supporting documents, forms the basis to begin a ten year plan that I have styled as the "ReBuild Hamilton County Ten Year Plan" leadership agenda. In it I propose steps we can take that will lead to:

1. 10,000 new homes constructed in the next decade

2. Condo Conversions in the downtown and Over-the Rhine

3. Renewing the County Campus proposal to complete the OTR transformation south of Liberty, pave the way for the northern half redevelopment and complete the Pendleton area improvements
4. Provide major support for small business facility improvements, employee benefit assistance for small business and the working poor
5. Generate a $20 Million to $110 Million economic development investment tool for businesses and community/neighborhood business districts – especially targeted to the First Suburbs Communities
6. Coordinate and leverage existing and planned investments in community public works projects
7. Promote business retention, expansion and relocation within Hamilton County by designating Hamilton County as Ohio’s investment Capitol
8. Provide support for the major employee benefit of health insurance in ways that promote small businesses
9. Create a new vehicle that will lead to over $1 Billion of targeted investment in impoverished areas of Hamilton County;
10. Create a new vehicle that will lead to business growth and expansion and new job creation in the most impoverished areas of Hamilton County

After circulation of this proposal to public officials, business , civic and community leaders, financial institutions and experts, homebuilders, realtors and real estate investors, I suggest that we convene a summit of such leadership – no later than the end of September 2004 for the purpose of finalizing the approach and tools that allow for this aggressive effort to move forward.

Each of the items can be accomplished as a stand alone measure. However, done collectively, we can dramatically impact the direction our county is going. To do so will require a concerted and dedicated effort by all. It will require the action of local municipal and township leadership, county officials and the private sector. Daunting as the task may be it is what the public wants us to do. Republicans and Democrats; East-Siders and West-Siders; Urban and Suburban; Labor and Management; Black and White; Rich and Poor; Male and Female – all of us working together for a common vision and a common purpose. The next ten years are critical. Let’s get started.

A. New Housing Construction, Housing Redevelopment and Condo Conversions:
Professor Zane Miller commented over the weekend of June 25th that nothing short of the construction of 10,000 new homes would make a dent in Hamilton County’s population loss. I believe he is correct. Accordingly I am calling upon the public leadership of the county, including county officials and the elected and development leadership of each of our 49 jurisdictions, to rally behind the charge to construct 10,000 new Homes in Hamilton County over the next decade. Coincidentally there are 100 neighborhoods in the county [52 distinct neighborhoods in Cincinnati and another 48 villages, cities and townships throughout the county]. Accordingly, to implement such a plan amounts to building 100 new homes in each community. Obviously there are some jurisdictions that may want more and others that may want less, but the point is the total to be constructed amounts to roughly the amount suggested per community.

In order to build that many new homes we must identify the structure by which this will be accomplished and the tools we will need to create to get it done. We already have a head start in this area because of improvements that have been made over the past few years. They are:

The County’s changed MSD sewer repair policy.
Commissioner Heimlich and my repeal of a decade’s old policy that improperly neglected sewer repairs in the older urban areas of the county. By changing that and beginning a new MSD capital program that is more equitably repairing sewers in the older combined sewer areas we are making those communities more attractive to live in and to invest in. Accordingly, we can leverage those improvements with a strategy that prioritizes those areas where sewer repairs are underway for new housing construction.

The county’s Home Improvement Program.
This effort, begun just two years ago, has already produced over $10 Million in private investment improving the aging housing stock of the county. It is time to revisit the program to determine if changes to it will aid in further improving the county’s aging housing stock. With two years of experience we should have a better handle on what aspects of the program are working well and what areas could be improved. Our ability to turn around population loss is largely dependent on making available the kind of housing choices that people are attracted to. One key area for consideration involves the lifestyle and choices desired by empty nesters and aging boomers. Homes that have accessible features, few or no stairs to deal with, easy to get to cabinets, closets, bath features and the like are the wave of the future. A housing improvement program tailored to meet that need will help set us apart and become more attractive place to live.

Revise the County’s QUEST Policy that links sewer improvements and tap in fees for new home construction.
The county presently has a program known as "Quest" that was established in the mid 1990’s to link an increase in sewer tap in fees to support new sewer extension into areas for new home construction. Approximately $4 Million dollars of MSD ratepayer funds are allocated for this purpose. A minor revision to that program will assist in underwriting the goal of constructing ten thousand new homes throughout Hamilton County. The MSD Assessment Policy is currently under review for revision and enhancement. One of the proposed revisions involves taking one million dollars a year of the QUEST allocation to tackle new sewer construction to replace individual septic systems in areas that pose environmental health risks and hazards. I would propose refining that proposal further in the context of these goals. To link the environmental neighborhoods or communities to our goal of constructing new homes. In other words, in each of the areas where we would redirect QUEST dollars for new sewer construction to address environmental health hazards, we would also look to those neighborhoods as priority areas for new home construction consistent with this goal. To the extent we are able to recapture new revenues produced by economic development measures described below, those dollars will underwrite costs to defray expenses of new home construction. This way we are able to leverage the work and improvement that is taking place in the individual communities in ways that will enhance our dual and mutually beneficial objectives of improving the environment, eliminating health hazards and enhancing economic development and new home construction for the purpose of retaining job and population base of the county.

Revise the HIP Program to Spark Condo Conversions.
One of the opportunities in the downtown and Over-the-Rhine areas of Hamilton County, and in the urban business district areas of the other 98 communities of the county, involve converting apartment buildings to condominiums. The county’s Home Improvement Program that has already leveraged over $10 Million of private investment in improving the aging housing stock can be re-tooled to spark condominium conversions. We have substantial added capacity in that program to do so. Each community could identify its target goal of condo conversions and mount a campaign linked with the availability of the HIP program [as refined] to encourage private investment and redevelopment of apartment housing or loft-convertible buildings to condos.

Enter into a Compact With the HomeBuilders Association of Greater Cincinnati
A long term effort such as this necessarily requires a strong partnership to develop with the industry that will be primarily affected by it. Attached to this document is a draft Compact for local leadership to consider in connection with the HomeBuilders Association of Greater Cincinnati. The Compact establishes the ground rules for a mutually beneficial relationship. The Compact must also assure that as we move forward with meeting the goal we do so responsibly and protective of the areas sensitive environmental features of hillside instability, stormwater detention and prevention and greenspace preservation – all as deemed important and desirable as expressed through the county’s Regional Planning Partnership and Community Compass process. With the goal of 10,000 new homes also comes the potential that other opportunities beyond that minimum goal will develop. We encourage that to occur as the market will bear.

Review and Revise Building Codes and Zoning to Meet New Housing Market Demands.
The built-out urban areas of the county are filled with older homes that may be unattractive for reasons beyond lack of closet space and the like. At the same time they include lot sizes that, when coupled with existing building and zoning codes, make for difficulties in addressing the next wave of lifestyle building. What I am referring to are the needs of an older population given foreseeable physical limitations and their impact on housing choices.

I found this out this past year as I dealt with my own disability. Steps, bathrooms, counter tops, cabinets etc. all posed difficulties in simply getting around and enjoying our house, much less being able to use it. The consequence was a conclusion that we had to sell our home and build. The problem we then encountered was a real eye opener – to wit: the inability to be able to build a home in the city that would accommodate our needs because of either lack of lots, or lot sizes that, when coupled with existing zoning, would permit the kind of single level construction we desired.

With every difficulty though comes opportunity. I believe the kind of issues I faced are those that more and more of the "boomers" will face in the future and we need to prepare for that potential. A community that is able to address the kind of lifestyle choices people will want in their homes is one that is better equipped to prevent population drain and co0nvert that into population gain. A housing summit with consumers and providers around these issues that target changes that can be made will produce results that help us retain our population as people grow older and the general demographic and family unit "profile" changes and it will also enable us to compete for those who are looking for that kind of lifestyle but are not finding it in their local communities. The coupling of homes that fit that lifestyle with the assets the County already has in the form of arts and entertainment, recreation, parks and leisure facilities, cultural and sporting attractions combine to make the county an attractive place for people to stay.

B. Enhancing the Downtown and Over-The-Rhine environments:
The preliminary recommendations of the IEDC outlined the tremendous opportunities the county has by taking an active and a leadership role, in partnership with the City of Cincinnati, with respect to enhancing and improving the environment in downtown and in particular in Over-The-Rhine. Hamilton County has already taken many significant steps that are enhancing our ability to improve the downtown area, solidify it as an economic engine and create new housing opportunities. Among those steps are the county’s lead role in defining and then implementing the Convention Center expansion program and enhancing the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau mission in funding; completion of the Eastern Corridor Land Use and Transportation Plan together with its transportation linkages into the downtown transit center and taking the lead role through the County Transportation Improvement District toward identifying the funding streams to implement the program; changing the approach to major public works projects in the form of completing the Great American Ballpark on time and under budget thereby reducing the demand on limited sales tax resources and taking significant steps toward remedying the current riverfront financial difficulties in order that the Banks project may be jump started, expedited and completed; annual funding of the Greater Cincinnati Port Development Authority and the Partnership for Cincinnati USA.

The IEDC specified Over-the-Rhine as a key and primary opportunity. In fact the IEDC recommendations are almost on all fours with the previously supported, but presently tabled, County Campus program. That program of course was a way for Hamilton County to invest in its primary seat of operations in the northeast section of the Central Business District and the southeast corner of Over-the-Rhine and the sphere of influence of those operations in the portions of the Downtown area. It also involved the county taking charge of the main street connector between the county’s primary seat of operations and the county’s central riverfront improvements and facilities therein.

Accordingly, I propose that we revisit the County Campus program and begin taking the steps that were outlined and recommended for approval and support in December, 2002. By doing so, the county, in partnership with the Downtown and Over-the-Rhine communities in the City of Cincinnati, will serve as the catalyst for completing the redevelopment of Pendleton, sparking the complete turnaround and redevelopment of Over-the-Rhine to Liberty Street south; enhance, solidify and secure the arterial connections from Over-the-Rhine to the central riverfront along Main Street, with a potential expansion of the same to Sycamore and Broadway; serve as a catalyst for private sector contributions to improve the "Avenue of the Arts" areas of Main Street to 12th and 12th from Sycamore to Central.
Downtown and Over-the-Rhine also provide numerous opportunities for home ownership in the form of condominiums and condominium conversions. As discussed in greater detail above, the county’s existing Home Improvement Program should be evaluated for the purpose of revisions that will enhance it as a tool to spark condo conversions in the downtown area in such a way as to spark.

C. Job Creation and Economic Development:
The IEDC offered several recommendations to the County Commissioners that, if followed, will allow the county to take a leadership role in the region in spearheading improvements in economic development and job creation. The IEDC recommended that Hamilton County is uniquely situated of all parties within the region to provide leadership, leverage, and support and chart a direction for growth and prosperity.

We have already begun that process. The Regional Planning Partnership and Community Compass effort, supported by the IEDC as an important and necessary step to the road of recovery, has begun the process of bringing the many jurisdictions and players together around a broad common vision and common purpose. The effort has accumulated vast materials, resources and data to help us chart the correct course. It has also created a sense of cooperation and collaboration among necessary parties that must be in place if we are to move forward ahead as a region. We now must take the information and use it wisely and constructively, and we must also leverage our efforts and resources with our other partners including the City of Cincinnati in concert with 3CDC, the Port Development Authority of Greater Cincinnati and others..

We have also taken a variety of other steps that will enhance our ability to make improvements in the area of economic development. The changes in Metropolitan Sewer District policy that occurred over the last year equally help new business development as they do housing development. Those areas that are unattractive for environmental reasons of raw sewage discharge are also unattractive for investors looking to invest their capital into businesses, whether they are existing ones or new ventures. By improving the sewer system throughout, we are enhancing the ability of the older urban areas including Cincinnati and the first suburban communities to become attractive places for investment capital to locate.

We have created and maintained a Port Development Authority that has been recognized as an important tool and vehicle to broker necessary players and dollars for significant new economic development projects. Commissioner Heimlich and I created a new $2 Million dollar economic development fund for the purpose of providing capital for those programs, efforts or business ventures that will produce a guaranteed return on investment in positive ways for this county. The county’s Home Improvement Program creates options and opportunities to assist in business growth and development.

And last, we have made significant strides in balancing the tension between the government’s need for resources and the citizens’ desire to reduce their individual burdens. Over the past three years we have kept spending $50 Million below the budgeted amount, allowing us to increase our "rainy day fund", reduce the size of the government and reduce the county portion of citizens’ real property tax burden. We instituted an audit process of Board controlled operations that identified solutions that will produce $17 Million a year in additional savings. We have identified steps that will enable us to reduce real estate property taxes by another $25 Million a year. We adopted Budget Goals that will ensure that spending and taxes will be kept at rates at or below the rate of inflation. These fiscally conservative approaches to the county’s finances will serve us well in positioning Hamilton County as a competitive and attractive place for people to invest, work and live.

All of these things have laid a foundation for important and necessary next steps that will greatly enhance our development posture. In order to advance our ability to spark a renaissance of development in Hamilton County that will improve our posture for business growth and expansion and with it the promise of more and new and better paying jobs we must now be creative, bold and willing to take significant steps. Among those steps we need to take are as follows:

1. Create a county-wide Port Development Authority.

Whether it is expanding the jurisdiction of the existing Port Authority or creating a new one, the fact is a Port Authority with county-wide authority makes sense and should be created and implemented post haste. The outstanding issues are whether it should become a new entity or an expansion of the existing one. The exact powers including primarily eminent domain authority need to be carefully discussed and debated but a decision made in a timely fashion.

2. Link Economic Development Opportunities, Business District Improvements and the like to Communities where the MSD Improvements are Taking Place. Tremendous momentum can be generated by the combined linkage of these public works improvements which are enhancing the quality of life and improving the environment and public health in communities along with new housing construction as previously discussed and economic development initiatives. A combined effort, momentum and positive energy generated by those 3 measures moving forward together in a community will be infectious, will improve property values, will no likely spark a new development and entrepreneurial spirit within the communities that are being positively affected in that fashion. It is common knowledge that home improvement programs or repairs in a neighborhood, typically result in anywhere from three to five other individuals fixing up their homes based on the momentum that just the one generates. A similar extrapolation can be made with respect to entire communities from these efforts.

3. Implement the $2 Million Economic Development Fund and Oversight Body.

The $2 Million dollar economic development fund that we created this year needs to begin working in earnest. One element of that is the establishment of the oversight committee that will judge projects, make recommendations and assist in assuring that the county gets a rate of return on its investment. Accordingly, the general outline that is attached of the Economic Development Oversight Commission should be put into place, the commission appointed and work begun in earnest. In addition to that we should revisit the $2 Million dollar fund concept with an eye toward: a) making this an annual investment by the county commissioners at the rate of $2 Million dollars per year; and b) trying to create a vehicle where the funds granted are recaptured and recycled time and time again. The net effect of this would be a program that produces not just $20 Million dollars over ten years for economic development purposes, but one rather where $110 Million dollars could conceivably become available for economic development purposes by the tenth year. The coupling of our $20 Million to $110 Million Economic Development Fund with the $50 Million in Federal Tax Credits secured through the efforts of 3CDC will create incredible energy and opportunity for job creation, business growth and expansion.

4. Strengthen the Hamilton County Development Company.

The IEDC recommended that the Development Company be given a greater ability to do its job. That can be accomplished by giving it additional tools to utilize. These include without limitation the Economic Development fund discussed above; considering it for conversion to become the county-wide Port Development Authority; or creating new investment vehicles as discussed above and below. The net effect of these types of improvements and the development of new tools to be used and meted out by the development authority will be to enhance its stature, structure and ability to perform.

5. Declare Hamilton County the Investment Capitol of Ohio.
Aside from being an important way to "brand" or market the region, we should also take substantive steps to distinguish Hamilton County and set it apart from all other Ohio counties as THE PLACE in Ohio where retaining, expanding or relocating businesses is a priority. Accordingly, I propose that the county repeal the county portion of the Personal Property Inventory Tax on all new investments and investment driven purchases of personal property which would include new investments that are a necessary component of retaining business, expanding existing businesses or having businesses relocate within Hamilton County from outside Hamilton County. That simple measure when coupled with other tax reform measures which are underway in the county, will greatly distinguish us from other communities. Moreover, it will help set us apart from other counties within our region that are developing at such a rate that there is no way that they can maintain their present tax structure.

The demands on the counties around us for infrastructure, sewer, police, fire and emergency medical response, and the like, is such that all of those jurisdictions will be raising taxes or raising fees and raising rates. [for example many are discussing implementing "impact fees" to cover the cost of growth] We, on the other hand, are well situated due to our budgeting, tight controls on spending and fiscal budget goals to reduce our expenditures in ways that allow for reductions in taxes to occur. Accordingly, as others around us increase the overall tax burden on their residents and businesses we in Hamilton County will be reducing taxes across the board for our citizens – corporate and individual alike. The net effect of these reform measures should greatly enhance our environment as an attractive one in which businesses will remain, expand or relocate.

6.Revise the Home Improvement Program (HIP) to Support Small Business.
The HIP program was originally developed to support investments in improving the aging housing stock in Hamilton County. To that end it has been successful having produced over $10 Million dollars in private reinvestment in improving older homes throughout the county. We have an opportunity to revisit the basic structure of the program to develop an additional enhancement to the program to support small businesses that own property. Many such properties are in need of technology enhancements, façade improvements or other repairs that will make them more attractive properties in general. The more fit properties are for their intended purpose the better suited they will be for stabilizing businesses, business districts and business growth. We should earnestly revisit the HIP program and make such changes as will allow for the program to be used to support small business retention, growth and expansion

7. Implement Revisions to Health Care Support that Address Small Business Concerns around Health Care as an Employee Benefit.
The final element in the area of job creation and economic development involves providing those specific enhancements that will support small businesses within Hamilton County and at the same time target investments and dollars into those businesses, those communities and those individuals who need it the most. In particular, I am referring to the working poor of Hamilton County and to the many small businesses that are the backbone of the county in terms of work and work on the job creation and the potential for job creation.

One area where small businesses are impacted the most and where employees, especially the working poor, are hurt the most is in the area of health care. There are in excess of sixty thousand Hamilton County residents who have no health insurance whatsoever. Businesses that offer health insurance as a benefit struggle with the high cost of providing it as a benefit to employees notwithstanding the direct and positive relationship to health care benefits on reducing employee turnover; increasing employee morale; increasing productivity, and the like. The high cost of health care also deprives small businesses of access to necessary working capital in order to be able to expand their businesses or serves as a deterrent to the business’s ability to hire and/or retain qualified employees. In any event, the issue of healthcare has a significant impact on the local economy in a negative way.

Hamilton County is separately exploring the concept of publicly supporting the delivery of healthcare in our county in one form or another through as many as five separate special levies. Under separate analysis we are going to take steps to Create a New Health Care Review Commission. A part of that review will also include an overview of the county’s public support of healthcare and whether a different approach will produce better results for perhaps less money.
There is the opportunity for the dual benefit of reducing taxes and getting a greater delivery of healthcare to our local community. One concept that could be studied in the mix of this would be a way to address the uninsured problem in the county. Such a measure would need to be very carefully evaluated under the criteria that it impose no additional or incremental public cost to this community and that it provide access to needed healthcare in ways that are better than the current delivery and accessibility system. At the same time, there is the potential that such a program, if it works under the criteria just articulated, would also be a strong generator of support for small business in which case it would work as an incentive and an aid to business retention, expansion, growth and relocation within the county. From an economic development perspective, exploring this issue carefully and prudently could lead to a recommendation that produces significant dividends that improve the health of our citizens and enhance the economic health of our businesses and community.

8. Target over $1 Billion of Economic Reinvestment in Hamilton County’s most Needy Communities.
A second element of job creation involves targeting resources to those areas of our community where a direct economic infusion into businesses and jobs will produce results that enhance the economic stability of people and neighborhoods. Again, this is a concept that could be very carefully and prudently studied. It should only be pursued if it is a concept that will produce measurable results without an incremental cost to the public and without being structured in a way that is offensive to, and therefore will not be utilized by, business.

Having said that, the concept is as follows:
Businesses in Hamilton County collectively receive billions of dollars of public money from multiple sources. Many receive money in the form of grants of public dollars, tax abatements, and direct procurement under contracts with public entities. What I propose that we study is a scenario by which any business that is a recipient of public dollars in one form or another, must, over the life of the program, contract or abatement under which the business receives public dollars, purchase a like amount of goods or services that it would otherwise need in its business from a vendor of such goods or services that is located within and hires from within, identifiable areas of the county that have been targeted under a socio-economic matrix to be developed.

In other words, there are communities within our county [see attached county maps, Appendix item 1] where citizens face a tremendous challenge due to issues of poverty, low educational attainment, lack of transportation, etc. The goal here is to create economic opportunities through investments in businesses that exist in impoverished communities by directing the purchase of needed goods or services from qualified vendors that are located in those areas. It is a way to target and recycle public dollars time and time again into the neighborhoods and communities of the county that need it the most. These would have to be businesses that provide quality goods and services that are needed by the companies getting the public assistance. The businesses would not be required to pay a penny more than they otherwise would pay for those goods or services. What would occur is, at no incremental cost to any business, we would generate over a billion dollars of targeted reinvestment overnight into businesses in the communities that need it the most.

By virtue of our targeting those businesses would be strengthened and solidified, their ability to grow and expand would be greatly enhanced and their ability to hire local individuals at decent wages with benefits would also be greatly enhanced. In other words it is a way that we can, on our own, reinvest in ourselves, into communities and into people in positive ways that will provide a great jumpstart toward addressing issues of poverty in our county. The Health Alliance is poised to demonstrate real leadership in this area [see May 19, 2004 correspondence from Ken Hanover of the Health Alliance] and voluntarily commence such a program that will lead to annual purchases of goods and services it needs from qualified vendors that are doing business in Hamilton County’s most impoverished communities in amounts equal to University Hospital’s annual take from the county Indigent Care Levy. In real terms their leadership would yield, over a five year Levy cycle, a $200 Million targeted cash infusion into local businesses in impoverished communities. That is just one example. The opportunities for us, all working together, to take a real bite out of poverty in our county are tremendous.

Attached to this summary of key steps for rebuilding Cincinnati, is an appendix of materials and a series of action item documents for the County Commissioners to address. These action item documents take the form of motions or resolutions for us to act upon. They provide the materials that are ready for deliberation and for vote that get us on our way.

I am proposing that this proposal circulate among our areas leaders for review and critique. Most of the features contained herein have already been discussed, at some level, with most. For example, I have explored the concept of being able to target reinvestment dollars in our county’s neediest communities with leaders such as Ken Hanover of the Health Alliance and Michael Fisher of the Chamber of Commerce. Both have expressed opinion regarding the potential for such a program. Both appropriately expressed a desire that such an effort advance in ways that are viewed as positives by business and not as impediments. The kind of analysis that will allow that to occur comes next, and must come next, for in order to work these measures must be embraced, not resisted, by business.

On that note, a central component of what has been proposed is that none of this costs the public anything more. In fact, what I propose costs less and should reduce taxes across the board. It simply is a reflection of my basic business philosophy – that we can do more with less. We must conservatively try to maximize every ounce of good out of every dollar that the public generously bestows upon us. Too often government spends the public’s money only once and then hopes that other good things will happen. That is both wishful thinking and a poor investment strategy. On the contrary, as stewards and fiduciaries of the Public Trust we must do better by planning and targeting ways in which dollars can be recycled time and time again we should not only get better results from each dollar but we should be able to reduce the total amount that we need.

Thank you for your consideration of these materials. These proposals are not mutually exclusive, nor do they necessarily all have to happen. They do however lay out a basic foundation for Rebuilding our County through specific steps that will enable us to expand businesses, create jobs, improve neighborhoods and therefore strengthen families and people. I thank you for your consideration of this and look forward to hearing from you and to answering any questions you may have. Most importantly I look forward to us working together to move the process ahead. Our county deserves no less.

Respectfully submitted,

Todd Portune
TBP/ld

APPENDIX
Hamilton County maps based on socio-economic indicators.
Hamilton County County Campus proposal reports and recommendations.
Proposed compact public entities and Home Builders Assn. of Greater Cincinnati
Health Care Review Commission memorandum and document.
County Home Improvement Program Brochures
Metropolitan Sewer District Quest Executive Summary Report; Hamilton County General Health District Environmental Hazard Areas; proposed MSD Assessment Policy Revisions
Hamilton County Economic Development Fund Review Commission Criteria
Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners adopted budget goals
Hamilton County Community Development Block Grant funds/funding summary, availability and eligibility by community summary.
Proposed county tax abatement policies and goals.

Portune proposal to improve public health

2006-09-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

MEMORANDUM

To: Commissioners Phil Heimlich and John Dowlin
From: Commissioner Todd Portune
Date: June 23, 2004
Re: Creation of a New Health Care Review Commission and Explore the Possibility of eliminating the lack of health insurance in Hamilton County

Dear Phil and John:

I write to you to discuss the important issue of Health Care in Hamilton County and to ask for your consideration of two specific proposals that can dramatically change the face of health care in our county in ways that will promote public health, small business, the uninsured and taxpayers. The proposals are as follows:

Create a New Health Care Review Commission:

First, I believe we need to take a different look at how we are spending and investing public money in health care. The dramatic rise in costs and requests upon us in the form of Special Levies is such that is likely not sustainable in the future. Aside from the potential increase in cost or taxation comes perhaps a far more important question – namely, if we had it to do all over again would we spend the public’s money the way we are doing so today?

I believe we need to ask that question and to do so in a way that allows for a thorough examination of all issues and in a time frame that is free from the demands and constraints that the levy process places upon us.

Accordingly, I propose that we create a new Health Care Review Commission of no less than 5 nor more than 9 Members. We need to have a good cross section of disciplines represented on the Commission. It naturally should include Members of the health care community from all angles – providers, insurers, consumers and public officials. I propose that we ask for Prosecutor review regarding the establishment of such a Commission and the legality of using unallocated health care levy dollars to underwrite its expense. We should answer these questions by the first of November to allow for a thoughtful appointment process thereafter.

The Commission should be appointed at the end of this year and charged to convene next year with the intent of delivering a year end report to the Board that becomes the blueprint to guide the Board’s decisions on health care related levy requests beginning in 2006. The Commission should receive full county administrative staff support and legal assistance from the Prosecutor’s office. Funding for the work of the Commission should come from available and existing levy funds.

I have already had discussions of this concept with Ken Hanover of the Health Alliance in April and with Chris Finney, Chair of the county TLRC in May. Both are favorably inclined toward the concept.

Hamilton County taxpayers have a history and record of being generous in the field of taking care of those least able to care for themselves. We owe our taxpayers the duty to critically examine how those dollars are being spent and whether improvements can be made in the efficient and effective use of them. It may be that an entirely different way of utilizing and distributing dollars is recommended. or it may be that the current model is in fact the best. I do not know and express no opinion other than the opinion that we owe it to our citizens, our taxpayers and the success of our Mission to critically examine this issue with the help of the best minds available on the subject.

The Potential to eliminate the Uninsured in Hamilton County:

As we move forward toward examining the overall question of health care and public dollars I would like for the county administration to evaluate the possibility of using existing and available dollars to eliminate the critical health care problem of the uninsured in Hamilton County. It is possible that we can develop a program in the county that provides for health insurance of one sort or another for our entire population at no added cost to county taxpayers.

I would like for this concept to be reviewed preliminarily by county administration so that it may be an element of the Health Care Review Commission’s evaluation and, if it is deemed worthy, could be a part of the levy recommendation for 2006 insofar as how we utilize public levy health care dollars.

First, a bit of history. When we adopted the work plan and approved the contract on how the Indigent Care hospital levy proceeds would be divided between, and spent by, University Hospital and Children’s Hospital Medical Center, advocates such as Eileen Cooper Reed of the Children’s Defense Fund and Trey Daley of Legal Aid urged that a portion of dollars should be reserved for Medicaid outreach and enrollment. It was left that we would do an annual assessment and review of the levy expenditures with an opportunity to revisit the issue. That review has yet to be done. However, an examination of existing expenditures is very revealing and demonstrates that the expenditure of a small portion of available levy dollars will increase exponentially the benefit that those dollars will be able to provide.

The vehicle to do this is Medicaid. Medicaid is the federal health insurance program that is available to people based upon income and federal poverty levels. It is a program, nonetheless, that requires an eligibility assessment and enrollment.

In Hamilton County there are 17,863 Medicaid eligible people that are not enrolled. Of that figure are 12,874 children and 4,989 are adults. It is calculated that area health care providers lose $55,303,848.00 in Medicaid reimbursements each year. Of that figure $15,784,791.00 is lost by area hospitals for inpatient care in the form of un-reimbursed charity care. Charity care that is not reimbursed is, of course, the criteria for sharing and distribution of the county’s indigent care levy dollars.

In 2003 approximately $1.3 Million of the CHMC allocated Hospital Levy dollars were not used and returned. They have not been spent but are, for want of a better word, escrowed for the moment. According to research done by Trey Daley and Keith Melson of the Children’s Defense Fund, approximately the same amount of dollars would underwrite a Medicate enrollment program that would eliminate the Medicaid gap.

Closing that gap then reveals a picture of Hamilton County’s uninsured. They constitute 13,548 children and 60,854 adults. Under a model program involving Hamilton County’s working poor[defined as those wage earners not eligible for Medicaid and earning less than 200% of the federal poverty level, totaling 35,793 adults], and county businesses that currently offer no insurance, a 3 payer program could be developed to eliminate the uninsured working poor in our county. For the cost of $1.00 each to business, insured and county, a health insurance program could be developed that would generate an incremental $26,625,600.00 to hospitals for services. The amount available for other care providers has yet to be determined.

Such a program produces a $1.29 rate of return for hospitals for every $1.00 invested. When coupled with the new revenues generated by a Medicaid outreach program, as discussed above, the combined new revenues generated to offset existing charity care mathematically covers the cost of the insurance program. I would ask that our administration work closely with providers and with Mr. Daley and Mr. Melson to explore this concept and report to us this year so that the possibility of such a program could be examined by the Health Care Commission when it commences its work next year.

I also ask that such a review occur as it was contemplated under the discussions the Board had in 2002 because, regardless of whether an insurance plan discussed above could actually be realized, the Medicaid outreach and enrollment program makes sense under any analysis.

Thank you for your consideration of these items. If you concur we can begin the process of giving the administration the proper instruction to begin work in both of these areas.

Sincerely,

Todd Portune

Cc: David Krings; Rob Seddon; Karen Ball; Rob Fredericks; Eric Stuckey