Oktoberfest - Clifton Style

On Saturday night, I took my family to the Annunciation Parish Oktoberfest in Clifton. Celebrations like this serve two purposes for any parish. First, they bring parishioners together around a common cause, raising money for the parish. Secondly, events like this bring the entire parish closer together. The planning takes months and running the event relies entirely on volunteers from the parish. Everyone has to get involved to pull off a successful event. The people who organized this celebration and those who volunteered should be very proud. The parish grounds were packed with people, the music was great, the food superb and the beers were cold. What more could anyone ask for from an Oktoberfest celebration?

Chabot Fundraiser

This past Sunday, Congressman Steve Chabot was the guest speaker at a neighborhood fundraiser for my campaign. What a thrill to have Steve participate in this event. He delivered a great speech ( I was humbled by his kind words ) and then he gave an update on what has been happening in the nations capital. Afterward Steve mingled with the crowd, watched a bit of the Bengals game and relaxed with my friends and family.
My good friends the Koenigs hosted the event at their lovely home in Westwood. Their home was constructed over a hundred years ago. It is a true three story home with a stone foundation. The intricacy of the interior woodwork is amazing and the eleven foot ceilings leave you marveling at their height. Thanks Steve, Mark, Kara and all who participated in the event. Your generosity and support is appreciated.

Vote Yes on Issue 27

As you may know, I am a strong supporter of the Comprehensive Safety Plan. When Mr. Pepper and Mr. Portune announced the sales tax increase, I was the only candidate to speak out about the importance of adopting the comprehensive safety plan. To say I am passionate about this issue would be an understatement. We NEED this jail and we NEED this comprehensive safety plan. For more information about the issues and a look at the comprehensive safety plan please follow the links I provided.

Please follow this link to the Citizens for a Safe Community website.

Please follow this link to view the Comprehensive Safety Plan.

Donald Spencer on Safety and Parks at MWCC

At the Mount Washington Community Council meeting last night, Donald Spencer spoke before the community in favor of the Comprehensive Safety Plan. Mr. Spencer is ninety-two years old and speaks very softly, but he knows how to work a crowd. It was a pleasure and an honor to watch a true master at work. He spoke eloquently about why we need the jail and why the comprehensive safety plan is so important to our regional community. His points were crisp, concise and delivered from the heart. When he finished speaking in favor of the safety plan, he effortlessly switched gears and spoke about the Cincinnati Park board. Apparently, the city is considering cutting the parks budget by twenty-five percent and Mr. Spencer was relaying to the community the ramifications of such a deep cut. Thank you Mr. Spencer for your strong support of the jail and for allowing me to watch you work a room. God bless you.

Mt. Washington 2015 Plan

Last night the Mount Washington Community Council and the Mount Washington Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation unveiled the Mount Washington Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan was developed through a visioning process that involved input from the Mt Washington community. The comprehensive plan will serve as the guide to development and reinvestment in the Mt. Washington Community. The plan has been approved by the MWCC, the Cincinnati Planning Commission, and the Cincinnati City Council. Visit the MWCC website to view the plan. Pay special attention to the implementation section of the plan (page 75). After reading through the plan if you see something of interest please contact the MWCC and volunteer to help make that portion of the plan a reality.

Bengals Defeat Ravens

I've been going to Bengals football games for years. I've seen the best the team has to offer and survived the "Shula-Era". Last night wasn't our teams best performance and thank God the defense kept us in the game, but a win, is a win, is a win.... Like most of the 66,000 fans (rocking the house) my voice is gone, but the beer after the game seemed to go down a little easier. So here's to you mister "Who-dey, screaming, Bengal-maniacs!" Great job keeping the team motivated. I love it when we beat the Ravens.

The Harvest Home Parade

Every year I attend the Harvest Home parade I'm amazed at the number of people who attend this event. The parade veterans line their chairs on Harrison and North bend Road three days prior to the parade. This parade is truly one of the best family fun events in the region. The parade last for more than two hours and features Si Leis's Army of deputies (and all their gadgets), local high school marching bands, the Shriner's, Community organizations and every politician under the sun. The parade is only the kick off to the "World's Greatest Little Fair". The Harvest Home fair runs from Friday to Sunday and is a throw back to another era. If you get the chance stop by the fair and enjoy an elephant ear ( or two ) while you tour the fairgrounds.

AFL CIO Questionnaire

Anonymous poster September 5, 2007 5:10 pm wrote:
So John, when are you going to post your answers to the AFL-CIO questionnaire? The people of Cincinnati really want to know where you stand on the "people related" issues.

Thanks for your interest in wanting to learning more about the AFL-CIO and the great work that they perform everyday. Here are few links to some of the local AFL-CIO affiliates.

Local 212 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

Local 392 Plumbers and Pipefitters

Here is the link to the Citizens Working Group Platform for the Banks Project.

Here is the link to my responses to the questionnaire from the AFL-CIO.