In response to a Nextdoor Mariemont post about the removal of sidewalks and putting up of a fence around the tax building by Mr. Dan Spinnenweber, I replied to resident Stephanie Eversole’s post where she shared that the elementary school has now opened the lower lot near the playground for parents to park in for pick up and drop off. Here is my added comment to her post, and then the continuation in response to Cynthia Wolter’s post, sharing a few of my experiences with the Mayor and Council and how I have seen things work.

“Stephanie is right. However, Steph, the school sent that letter only a couple of weeks before school let out. I’m hoping they advise parents/grandparents/guardians again as school starts up so perhaps more people will take advantage of that lower lot. I happen to know the school is also looking into other possible parking lot expansion solutions, but many are cost prohibitive right now, especially with the hill at the edge of the existing lot that goes down into the field. Options are being considered, though, so know that the school board is on top of this. It’s just a shame that talks weren’t pursued more aggressively with Mr. S and the Mayor prior to this sidewalk removal being given the go-ahead.

Cynthia, regarding political posts on Nextdoor Mariemont, the site is great for curb alerts, sales and upcoming events, but it is also a forum for discussion on community issues that all residents need and deserve to know about. Nextdoor andMariemont.com are the only two places people can do so freely. Not everyone can make council meetings, and in many, many cases, the public isn’t informed of “hot topics” and so they don’t know they NEED to go. (Although I strongly urge residents to call Sue Singleton at the Village Administration Office and ask to be added to the email list for Council Meeting agendas and minutes.) And even if residents do make it to meetings, the “3 minute limit” that was put in place a couple of years ago stops people from having their full say – or the Mayor threatens to have police throw you out (check out ICRC tapes if you don’t believe me). Town meeting speakers get shut down from talking about topics of importance – or get dirty looks from certain council members, as my husband and I did this year when we brought up the sidewalks, others tried to chime in, and the Mayor kept redirecting the issue.

I do agree that residents should reach out to their Council reps as well. I have personally called my Council rep, Dennis Wolter, regarding chalking tires in the tax lot to see if METRO riders were actually parking and taking up parking space back in 2012 – in hopes of targeting the real issue in Spinnenweber’s lot and avert any sidewalk removal or fence building. Nothing ever came of it, except for the Mayor presenting it as Dennis’ idea during a Council meeting. But it was never pursued.

I called Dennis and Chief Hines about putting crossing guards at the Inn crosswalk to PNC due to the ridiculous timing of lights and the drivers who whip around the corner into the crosswalk without looking. I was told the lights can’t be changed as they are on timers and it’s very intricate, and I was also told there was no money for a crossing guard/officer there. So, I suggested putting up bright “children crossing” signs or those bright green safety men at the crosswalks during school drop off/pick up times. The Chief was really good about getting this together, but the signage was not permanent and eventually disappeared. The Village never did anything else to provide better safety, and the numerous signage posted at stop light level is to confusing for drivers to take in, especially if they are not from around here.

I asked Dennis and the Chief about trimming the overgrown bushes along the tax building’s lot on Madison Rd. because drivers coming out of those driveways could not see around them and it was a safety hazard for students/parents walking in the morning.  The Chief did address this immediately and worked with Spinnenweber to cut down the bushes.

And I asked Dennis about finding a suitable route for kids to walk to school this past year since the sidewalk after the alley by Mios had been torn up due to construction of the new condos. Dennis said he was going to look into it, but I never got any answer or resolution to the issue. Dennis may have pursued this, but I never heard back, nor was anything ever done.

Cynthia, I am aware of the commitment and time Council members give to the Village. I have had several friends who’ve served on Council over the years. They do care about the community, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t problems with leadership. Just a few of these are:

• Bad decisions being made at the top – some of which are out of the Mayor’s jurisdiction but which he is involved in anyway,
• Lack of regular and accessible communication with the public,
• A long-needed for an overhaul of our Village Codes and Ordinances to allow for smoother decision-making and less emergency votes and one-off changes of the code as issues come up,
• Too much oversight from the Mayor, who sits on almost every resident-seated committee (these are supposed to be separate to allow for fair decision-making),
• No term limits on the Mayor’s seat, which does not allow for fresh ideas and leadership as needs and dynamics in our Village change.

And these are just a handful of items.

People in Mariemont feel intimidated by the Mayor and are quickly belittled or ignored by a couple of Council members, and so they choose not to spend time and energy where their voices won’t be heard. So, regarding posting political action items on Nextdoor – and Mariemont.com – I say let people share what they know and voice their concerns where it works for them and where fellow residents can support and encourage eachother to take action toward positive change. AND I would strongly encourage residents to contact Council members – the more we bring issues of concern to light, the more attentive residents will be on future items of public concern so they won’t mysteriously slip through the cracks like this sidewalk issue did.

Suzy Weinland