Archive for Editorial – Page 5

Opportunities Squandered by Village Officials–By Mike Lemon

by Rich · Comments (4)
14 Sep

Opportunities Squandered by Village Officials–By Mike Lemon 

As a 34-year Mariemont resident, former Mariemont mayor and current Columbia Township
administrator, I have had my feet planted in both communities for many years.  Most recently I was involved in two recent failed projects that could have easily delivered significant financial opportunities for both Mariemont and Columbia Township, had it not been for the questionable judgment of our Village officials. As a concerned Mariemont resident, I believe it is important for all Village residents to understand the facts of what happened so that we can all hold our Village officials accountable for their actions.

The two recent projects I am referring to are: 1) the proposed improvement at the 6-way intersection of Plainville, Madisonville and Settle Roads (commonly referred to as the roundabout project; and 2) the Joint Economic Development Zone (JEDZ). Together, these projects had the potential of generating millions of dollars for the Village of Mariemont without any new tax increases to Village residents. However, our Village officials declined to participate or engage in negotiations on either project.

The “Mayor’s Bulletin” of August 2013 provided the Mariemont mayor’s slant on the reasons for Mariemont officials rejecting both projects. Unfortunately, much of the information contained in that bulletin is misrepresented, incomplete, or inaccurate. Attempting to address each point in the mayor’s report would require too much space to set the record straight and only lead to more bulletins and wasting of taxpayer’s dollars. However, there are several observations I would like to share.

Six-way Intersection Improvement – A $1.7 Million Grant from the OKI Regional Council of Governments

As the Columbia administrator, I observed Columbia Township act in good faith, seeking a collaborative, cooperative approach to this project. I also observed Trustee David Kubicki’s repeated attempts to engage with Mariemont officials in negotiations continually stonewalled. After many meetings and phone calls, Mr. Kubicki even challenged our officials to take the $1.7 million grant the township received and design its preferred intersection improvement, but Mariemont officials would not even recommend or consider a new design. In the end, the Township had no choice but to relinquish any improvement which would have been entirely paid for by Columbia Township’s grant. Columbia Township is now moving the roundabout concept to Bramble and Plainville and leaving the financial fate of the six-way intersection and entry into the Village solely in Mariemont officials’ hands.

Joint Economic Development Zone (JEDZ) – A Multi-Million Dollar Revenue Opportunity

Columbia Township made it known early in discussions with Mariemont officials that it was important to get the JEDZ issue on the ballot in November. Knowing this, Trustee Kubicki personally expended a considerable amount of energy and time trying to engage our Mariemont officials. Trustee Kubicki even offered to go to a council meeting and discuss the JEDZ. He was warned by the mayor, who advised Mr. Kubicki that he would only be allowed three minutes to talk, not to attend. After four months of phone calls, meetings and discussions without progress toward an agreement, and with time to get the issue on the ballot growing perilously short, the Township received a peculiar letter from the mayor asking for a written proposal! This led Columbia Township officials to conclude that Mariemont was not really interested in collaborating or partnering in an agreement, but only stonewalling again. As a result, the Township began discussions with other communities, while still holding open the offer to accept a proposal from Mariemont. Despite efforts by councilmen Cortney Scheeser and Jeff Andrews to schedule a special council meeting to discuss the issue (before Columbia Township signed an agreement with another community), a council vote was taken and failed by 4-2, effectively abandoning the opportunity to partner in a JEDZ. Within 10 days, Fairfax and Columbia Township had completed negotiations and agreed to form a partnership on a JEDZ.

While the “Mayor’s Bulletin” stated the Township was only willing to give the Village 10% of the revenue collected (as evidenced by the agreement with Fairfax), I know the truth is that discussions took place with Mariemont officials for figures up to 50%, although not all the township trustees were aligned on that amount. Indications from the trustees were the figure was more likely to be 20-30% in an agreement, plus repayment for the expenses for collecting taxes. There would be absolutely NO cost to Mariemont, only revenue to use as it wished.

Columbia Township officials have been accused by Mariemont officials of withholding information. Nothing could be further from the truth. All information available was provided by me to the Village, and nothing was held back. The projections on revenue from the JEDZ were completed by an economic development professional, using methodologies commonly used in industry. Explanations of how the figures were derived were also provided by the same development professional in a meeting with Mariemont officials. Conservative figures indicted the JEDZ would generate approximately $706,000 annually. Based upon the intent of a 40-year agreement with three 10-year renewal options (as signed with Fairfax), our community lost an opportunity to capture revenue for the next seventy years for any purpose it wished! How much it lost depends upon what the negotiated split would have been and the cost of tax collection. However, based upon a quick spreadsheet analysis, the following chart reflects the range of revenue lost if a 1.0% earnings tax and a 5% tax collection fee of generated revenue are used. (If a 1.25% earnings tax (the current Mariemont rate) had been negotiated, the impact would show an even more significant loss for Mariemont.)

% Split 90-10 80-20 70-30 60-40 50-50
Est. Revenue $706,378 $706,378 $706,378 $706,378 $706,378
Collection Fee (5%) $35,319 $35,319 $35,319 $35,319 $35,319
Net $671,059 $671,059 $671,059 $671,059 $671,059
           
CT Annual Share $603,953 $536,847 $469,741 $402,635 $335,530
MM Annual Share $67,106 $134,212 $201,318 $268,424 $335,530
           
MM Loss-70 Yrs. $4,697,414 $9,394,827 $14,092,241 $18,789,655 $23,487,069

If the percentage our Village received was between 20-30%, this equates to between $9 million and $14 million dollars of free money lost!

The Lost Opportunity for Our Village

So what could have happened if an agreement was reached on these two initiatives?  We could have…

  • Increased our Village revenue by millions of dollars without increasing taxes to residents and businesses. (What would these millions of dollars have done for improving our streets, for improving parks and the pool, for police protection, for fire protection and more? Would it pay for a community comprehensive plan or for a Village administrator?)
  • Replaced six-way confusing intersection with improved design and new entry into our Village at no cost to Mariemont
  • Provided pathway and design for extension of bike path from Fairfax
  • Extended the customer base for our retail and commercial businesses in Mariemont through development of Plainville Road and Wooster Pike.

 

I saw these two projects as a tremendous opportunity for Columbia Township and the Village of Mariemont to work together to accomplish three things…

  • Improve two adjacent communities
  • Support economic development
  • Help stabilize finances following the severe impact of State cut-backs and estate tax elimination.

However, our Mariemont Village officials decided that these projects were not in the best interest of Mariemont and declined to participate. While there are obviously differences of opinion on these two projects, one has to wonder what is really driving the decisions of our Village officials and whether they are in the long-term best interest of Mariemont and its residents. In the meantime, I know Columbia Township is putting this episode behind it and is moving forward with its plans to improve the township. I also know that Columbia Township will continue to collaborate with surrounding communities when it can, and I know it will certainly include Mariemont when possible.

Having served the Mariemont community for 13-years as a councilman and mayor and as a long-time Mariemont resident, just thinking of the lost opportunities is very distressing to me.  I hope you are as disturbed as I am and will begin to take a closer look at the current leadership and how it is managing the long-term interests of our Village.

Click here for more information regarding the JEDZ legislation

Click here for the Mayor’s August Bulletin

By Mike Lemon
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Categories : Community Issues, Editorial, Mariemont at Large
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Does decriminalizing all illegal drugs make sense?

by Rich · Comments (1)
01 Sep

Does decriminalizing all illegal drugs make sense?

To decrease the number of robberies to buy drugs, homicides related to territorial disputes, and to curb a huge subterranean economy anchored in drug money, why not legalize banned addictive drugs altogether? There are 1.5 million drug arrests each year and more imprisoned inmates for drug offenses than all violent criminals combined. Moreover, the Drug Enforcement Agency has about 10,000 agents and support staff who could be fighting real crime and terrorism.

William F. Buckley Jr, the conservative pundit who founded the National Review magazine, was one of the first to advocate legalizing illegal drugs. Certainly, history bears testimony to the fact that no efforts have been successful in preventing the cultivation or manufacture of illegal mind-altering substances and all interdiction efforts have failed to stop the inflow of illegal drugs through our porous borders. Meanwhile, ‘drug money’ and drug trafficking has bred gangs and gang warfare in all major cities that kills thousands each year in many countries across the globe and the illegality of drug usage has prevented many addicts from seeking treatment.

Perhaps it is time for law enforcement to give up and ‘call in the dogs.’ The U.S. Federal Government could economically manufacture, regulate, test, monitor and tax illegal drugs. The first measurable result would be a decrease in deaths from overdose due to varying purity of these products. With the tax revenues, the Government could launch a comprehensive program of education and rehabilitation. It certainly would be cheaper than policing the violent crimes related to drugs and incarcerating millions of drug dealers and nonviolent users.

Extensive drug testing in the work place would be a major force in controlling drug use by employees. Random drug testing could become a routine in the workplace. Few workers want to work side-by-side with ‘druggies’ as the effects of these agents increase work risks and absenteeism as well as decrease productivity. Mandated treatment for addicted pregnant females would need to be imposed.

MADD has had remarkable success in curtailing drunk driving and I would think that traffic offenses due to illegal drugs would respond to similar measures. The legislative battles over the recreational use of Marijuana are similar to those during the Prohibition era. Marijuana has fewer societal costs than cigarette smoking; why not offer cheap cannabis to take the drug money and cartels out of the mix; standardize the product and, track and tax it?

Some would argue that cheap, legalized drugs would skyrocket drug use and abuse. There might be an initial spike in drug experimentation when these substances become more affordable. But the side effects and hangovers from these substances are so devastating and unpleasant that I believe it would be a short-lived spike. A massive education campaign about the health and social effects of these lethal substances would be a critical center piece of such legislation as well as enhanced medical programs to treat and counsel addicts. Cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine destroy lives. An informed individual is not powerless to ‘just say no’ or quit, if already addicted, when an accessible rehabilitation program is in place.

With this societal reengineering, I feel certain there would be many unintended consequences that are difficult to predict. One positive consequence is that the FDA or a similar agency would research these drugs to begin to understand their effect on the human body and perhaps derive new medications for the treatment of medical illnesses. Certainly, it would decrease the crime rate and devastate the internecine drug culture.

Our society continues to grapple with addiction to legal prescription drugs. In the health marketplace leading edge information technology is poised to better track medications and prescribing behaviors and I think the abuse of and street market for pain killers will become less of a problem in the future.

In a more perfect world, there should be better solutions, but all else has failed dismally and it may be time to throw in the towel and search for less punitive solutions. One thing is certain, you must be able to nullify ‘drug money’, if you are going to make inroads in solving the drug problem.

Richard G. Wendel MD, MBA

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Categories : Community Issues, Editorial, Mariemont at Large
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Open Letter from a Vendor at the Farmer’s Market

by Rich · Comments (11)
01 Sep

Open Letter from a Vendor at the Farmer’s Market

To the Village of Mariemont

I am writing to you to express my concern about the cancellation of the Mariemont Farmers Market.  A farmers market is a wonderful addition to any community. When Leah Geldbaugh decided she wanted to add this to the already charming community of Mariemont, I doubt she knew just how large the task would be. As with any new market, there are bumps along the way. But one thing that is needed is village support. As a vendor, we rely on these markets. It is where we sell our produce and products, gain a regular clientele and make a living.  This is how it works. After the first of the year, we review what markets are out there. Apply to the markets, and then commit to them. That means we plant crops, or make inventory that we hope to sell. We count on these markets. It’s our job. With our commitment to return every Friday to the market, we expect a commitment from the Village in return. Imagine our surprise last Friday, September 6th when we were told that Friday the 13th would be our last day of the market! The market was supposed to run until October 26th! We planned for this, we planted extra crops for this, and we committed to this. What did the Village commit to? We have been left with extra inventory and no place to sell it. The Village of Mariemont has essentially fired us. There is something to remember about farmers markets, just like when you plant a seed, it takes time and attention to grow. The signs that you see around the Village advertising the market, they were paid for by the vendors. We advertised to our customers at other markets that we could be found in Mariemont on Fri. evenings. We showed up, rain or shine, to make the most out of this new market. In return, we show up and are told Mayor Policastro is shutting us down. Why? The market was picking up. We had people waiting for us to set up. That is a great sign for a first year market. We were told that Mrs. Policastro wanted the market moved to Wed . The people we spoke with told us they loved having the market on Friday evenings because they liked the fresh produce for the weekend. Plus, we vendors are already committed to other markets on Wed. Markets that have the commitment from the community to do what it takes to make the market successful. There are few markets on a Friday evening, with the right advertising, help from council, and support from the community this market could have become a destination. I hope that the Village of Mariemont can make a decision to hold a market and support it. In the meantime, you can find most of the vendors at the Maderia Farmers Market on Thursday evenings or the Anderson Twp. Farmers Market (voted best of the East) on Sat. mornings.

 

Sincerely,

Kim Lautman

Pet Passions & Fashions

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Is Cursive Writing soon to be relegated to the trash bin?

by Rich · Comments (0)
25 Aug

Recent Enquirer articles discuss the demise of cursive writing and ‘reading’ because teachers no longer have the time to devote to teaching this skill.

Well, many of my contemporaries are appalled by this trend as some even resist owning a home computer or iPhone and do not correspond via email. How are the younger generations going to read letters and documents from the past and how can physicians maintain their reputation as having illegible handwriting? Moreover, one cannot take hardcopy notes as fast when printing.

But, like it or not, we are headed to a paperless society where all transactions and correspondence are carried out electronically with keyboarding. And everyone carries instant electronic connectivity and internet access in their pockets with a mobile device.

It is worrisome that our privacy with be further compromised by this pervasive electronic umbrella. However, the writing is on the wall (no pun intended); cursive, grades for penmanship and the art of flowing calligraphy are rapidly becoming relics of the past. One bright spot is the fact that reading cursive as opposed to writing cursive can be taught in just a few hours. I am trying to perfect my electronic signature.

Is cursive handwriting necessary anymore? And in the future will people even be required to know how to print, and rely fully upon electronics?

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Business Wisdom for Start-up Entrepreneurs

by Rich · Comments (0)
22 Jul

Bits of Business Wisdom

Believe in yourself, leverage your passions and be prepared to work hard as well as smart… “There’s no free lunch.”

1. Study your competition and identify their ‘gaps’ in service.

2. Write a business plan that contains all the signposts for success.

3. Recognize and praise your employees for a job well done.

4. Understand your financial position based upon Cash Flows, Profit Margins and Break Even Analysis.

5. Decide to take total responsibility for all the areas that you control.

6. Live in the present tense. You cannot change yesterday.

7. Make customer service your top priority.

8. Ask for the order. 70% of salespeople do not.

9. Have adequate resources to avoid running out of money.

10. Keep your employees informed and foster teamwork

11. Personally get to know your customers and survey their ideas about how you can better serve their needs and wants.

12. Get organized.

13. Stay focused.

Unfortunately, the majority of start-up businesses fail within three years and the major causes are inadequate financing, poor management and a product or service for which there is no market.   SCORE is a nonprofit organization that offers free counseling and mentoring to start-up businesses. The Cincinnati Chapter of SCORE has 85 experienced counselors and services the needs of over 1300 new clients a year and many more old ones. To request free counseling go to SCOREWORKS.ORG and fill out a short form requesting Counseling. A SCORE mentor will contact you within 48 hours.

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Lyme Disease

by Rich · Comments (0)
15 Jul

Lyme Disease: How to avoid and treat this mysterious disorder

Lyme Disease is caused by a spirochete called Borrelia burgdorferi that is transmitted by the Deer Tick or (Ixodes tick species) and was first described in 1977 after an epidemic in Lyme, Connecticut. There are approximately 25,000 cases per year in the United States with 90 percent concentrated in the 10 middle Atlantic, northeastern, and north-central states.

Although called the deer tick, this tick rides on a range of mammals that include mice. Certain species of birds have also been identified as carriers.

When the tick bites, it deposits the organism directly into the skin and not the blood stream. In over 80 percent of cases, this produces within 7-10 days a single red oval rash (erythema migrans) usually greater than 2 inches in diameter. This rash may be accompanied by mild viral infection-like symptoms including fatigue, headache, myalgias, arthralgias and low grade fever. With no treatment, these spontaneously resolve in the vast majority of patients. But in a small percentage of case, the infection can produce cardiac, neurologic and arthritic complications.

The diagnosis of Lyme disease is difficult to make because laboratory studies are usually normal and the serologic studies to confirm the diagnosis take several weeks to become positive.

Antibiotic therapy is very effective and consists mainly of a two to three week course of a Tetracycline or Penicillin.

Prevention is the best cure. Avoidance of tick infested areas, covering bare skin, tick repellants, careful search for ticks after hikes in the woods and bathing within two hours of tick exposure are recommended.

Removing a Tick

The best way to remove a tick that is attached to the skin is to grasp the tick as close to its mouth parts as possible with a tweezers and gently tease it out.

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Carry Concealed Weapon Training

by Rich · Comments (0)
03 Jul

Most all states issue permits for qualified citizens age 21 and older to have permits to carry concealed handguns for protection. In the State of Ohio, many 10s of thousand permits have been Mike Murphy Business Cardissued to individuals that have received the mandatory 12 hour training session that includes firing 50 rounds of ammunition under supervision. These classes generally cost $80 which does not include the price of the ammunition. A short multiple choice test is a part of the training and after completion, a Certificate is issued confirming that you have met the training requirements.

To receive a license, you must complete a printed application form at the County Sheriff’s office. You must show a personal ID such as a driver’s license, bring along a recent photograph and turn in your training certificate. They also fingerprint and take a photo of you. If you qualify, the permit that looks similar to a driver’s license is issued in several weeks and has to be picked up at the Sheriff’s Office. Although the permit must be periodically renewed with a fee, there are no further training or other requirements.

Mike Murphy, a Certified Instructor, gives excellent training session monthly at the Fairfax Police Station. He can be reached for more information at (513) 520-1206 or mmurph49@hotmail.com

The course emphasizes gun safety and reviews complicated ethical issues such as ‘Duty to Retreat’ from threats when possible. Mike has a wide array of hand guns and thoroughly discusses how various makes, models and calibers function. He individually works with the students with the handgun they own.

Everyone must decide for themselves what constitutes appropriate legislation for gun control. After the session, I am even more convinced that gun registration and background checks when guns  are sold makes sense and will help keep guns out of the wrong hands, help law enforcement and decrease lethal weapon crime.

–Dick Wendel

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Possible Partnership with Columbia Township?

by Rich · Comments (0)
26 Jun
Mariemont Square

Photo by Joe Stoner. Visit Joe at Joe-Stoner.com

In a world of shrinking budgets and rising expenses, the Village has an opportunity to receive $50,000 of new Revenue annually by Partnering with Columbia Township (sharing Mariemont’s Tax Office + agreeing to no Annexation).  This agreement is called a Joint Economic Development Zone or JEDZ.  Even with committed efforts by Joe Miller and Joe Stelzer on Council over many months, negotiations are unfortunately stalled, and we have only days before losing this opportunity (a neighboring community could become their Partner).
Council should meet right away to discuss the opportunity and advance a proposal, but there is no Special Meeting planned. Council’s next scheduled meeting on 7/8 will likely be too late.

Many will say a deal isn’t possible/isn’t right for the Village. You may hear some of the following comments (counter points included as well):
1) Columbia Township owes Mariemont a proposal—Any Partnership is a two way street. Can’t we initiate? Are we motivated?
2) The Township isn’t serious about partnering—The Township has engaged Mariemont for years on portions of this proposal.
3) The Township won’t accept our offer—It’s true we have no way of knowing if the Township will accept an offer to partner; this Revenue is not guaranteed.
4) We will generate more Revenue by instead Annexing Wooster Pike businesses—After a JEDZ is in place with another Partner, tax rates are cumulative and businesses will likely not allow annexation. And, Newtown, for instance, has incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in Annexation fees so far.
5) The Township’s only motivation is new apartments that will hurt Mariemont—there is no plan for apartments, and our recent rejection of the $2,000,000 grant can’t stop the Township from developing what/where they want. That said, a Partnership does give us the ability to influence Development.
6) ”We don’t need the money”—One of Council’s important jobs is to reduce Expenses and find Revenue, even if difficult. As a taxpayer, I’d like to see every dollar chased.
7) $50,000 isn’t the real number—This is a conservative estimate, definitely achievable.
8) We won’t make any money after expenses—The Township will pay for nearly all Mariemont’s additional administrative and equipment costs.
9) The amount is much lower than earlier estimates, it’s not worth it—The value of the partnership is much lower since we’ve said no to Murray 6-way intersection improvements. How much is too little, if expenses are paid by the Township?

Please press Mariemont Council and the Mayor to 1) meet this month and 2) put forth a proposal right away. Time is running out on this great opportunity for Partnership and for Revenue for our Village.

–Cortney Scheeser

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Case For A Roundabout

by Rich · Comments (1)
31 May

A Case For A Roundabout

Roundabouts are an important design element of the English Garden City. In fact, the Village Square was once a roundabout before traffic signals. So why not consider one to improve the complicated sixway intersection at Murray and Plainville?

After examining the four alternatives (no build, four way stop, four way signal and roundabout). Studied by KZF at the request of the Village, a roundabout is the most effective solution to the traffic back-up problem. The reason my company wants to address this issue is twofold. The final phase of our development in Mariemont is directly across from the tennis courts and the front door of this project is a parking lot of cars on Madisonville Road during the morning rush hour. Secondly, if my company pursues an apartment community in Madison Place, it will be designed to create a village atmosphere with buildings close to the street. The afternoon back up on Plainville negatively impacts this site as well.

The benefits of a roundabout to the residents of Mariemont are many. The roundabout extends the 20 mph school zone on both Plainville and Madisonville roads restricting the speed by the way it’s designed, adds green space to Mary Emery Park by moving Madisonville Road north, solves the bike path route through the intersection and provides a clear and safe pedestrian crossing for both north/south and east/west directions. The roundabout would also create a beautiful gateway on the north side of Mariemont at no cost to the Village.

The roundabout will attract additional investment in the Madison Place neighborhood and stabilize the property values on the northern boarder of Mariemont. New residents will be within walking distance of the Village  quare and will have disposable income to support the new theatre expansion, restaurants, shops and services.

The total real estate valuation of our four phases in Mariemont will be $68 million when we are sold out. The new real estate taxes to the Village and the School District, along with the spending of the new residents have been very beneficial to Mariemont. Simple put, the roundabout promotes new development and progress. Sincerely,

Richard J. Greiwe

Greiwe Signature

 

 

Greiwe Development

 

ColumbiaTwp-Roundabout
Six Way Stop Proposal

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The Benefits of Sunscreen

by Rich · Comments (0)
31 May

Sunlight with its ultraviolet A and B rays is the enemy of the largest organ in our bodies, namely the skin. Sunburn and tanning causes aging, thinning and atrophy of the skin as well as skin cancer, the most threatening of which is malignant melanoma that claims over 20,000 lives yearly in the U.S.

The skin is a protective coat to the harmful rays of the sun and this natural protection directly relates to the thickness of the epidermis and melanin pigment within the skin. But even with a dark complexion and thick skin that goes along with youth, the sun is damaging to the skin and the best protection is to cover up. Wear a hat preferably with a broad brim and flaps that extend down over the neck. Wear a shirt and shorts that cover the thighs and stay under cover.

There are an almost infinite number of different sunscreens that are generally rated according to their SPF rating or Sun Protective Factor. If you must stay in the direct sunlight, especially during the high intensity time of sunlight between 10AM and 4 PM, use sunscreen with a SPF 30 or higher. Most dermatologists recommend liberally applying sunscreen 15-30 minutes before exposure and then reapplying it at a time that divides the SPF by 2. Stated differently, if the SPF is 30, apply it again in 15 minutes. Further applications are only necessary if you go swimming, sweat heavily and are involved in activities that cause the sunscreen to be rubbed off.

Senior citizens who were raised prior to the advent of sunscreen other than thick zinc oxide paste, fully appreciate this good advice as we make our appointments with the dermatologists to have our superficial basal cell cancers and senile keratosis removed and our skin inspected for the more serious squamous cell cancers and malignant melanomas.

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