| Hamilton County, OH | November 6, 2001 Election |
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A Choice For A ChangeBy Mark F. WeberCandidate for Council Member; City of Blue Ash; Ward 5 |
This information is provided by the candidate | |
Okay, Weber, what would you do? I'm glad you asked.The direction that Blue Ash has taken in the last five years graphically illustrates the priorities of Blue Ash City Council. The effects of the recent commercial development and the many commercial projects still on the drawing board are obvious to all of us. We are told that we should embrace these projects because they generate tax revenue for the city. That is undeniably true, but let's look at some of the ways our tax revenue is spent and some ways it is not. Did we really need to expand Towne Square for the sole purpose of growing Taste of Blue Ash into a bloated event where less than half of the restaurants are from Blue Ash and a very small percentage of the total attendees are Blue Ash residents? Was it an appropriate expenditure of our tax dollars to construct the Millennium Bell Tower with its granite portraits of Sakajawea, Walt Disney and Andrew Carnegie? Should we have ripped out the perfectly acceptable sidewalk from Reed Hartman Highway to Kenwood Road and replaced it with red-brick pavers? Are our recreational needs served by passive parks, which are nothing but drive-by landscaping? There is a common thread here. These projects are all for show. They look good, but do they enrich our lives as residents of Blue Ash?
You are probably saying, "Okay, Weber, what would you do?" I'm glad you asked.
The Fire Department is seriously understaffed. The literature, which addresses staffing issues for fire departments, indicates that Blue Ash must double its number of firefighters in order to provide appropriate protection for the people of Blue Ash. Multiple paramedic runs, coupled with a fire, would put our city at serious risk. Blue Ash did not send firefighters or rescue personnel to New York City after the World Trade Center disaster because we did not have the manpower. Additional firefighters will impact the City's budget, but they just might save your life.
Blue Ash needs more usable recreation space where families can picnic, rollerblade, play catch and run with their dogs without being hassled by guys in golf carts. This means active, not passive, parks which are accessible to everyone in Blue Ash and which foster a sense of community.
Blue Ash must address problems in its zoning code. A factory emitting neurotoxins and carcinogens must never again be permitted to be located next to a day care center, adjacent to a residential community and proximate to the new Blue Ash Elementary. For too long, Council members have cited the zoning code as the reason why we are unable to exercise control over development. Memo to Council: that's why we have a zoning code. It should be a tool, not an excuse.
Blue Ash needs to rediscover land use balance. Do not be misled by statements that the relative percentages of ground dedicated to commercial and residential purposes have not changed. A 150,000 square foot office building will house 750 workers who all drive cars to work and need a place to park them. The recent development frenzy has dramatically increased the land use density and the result is stress on city services.
A small group of party insiders has selected people to run for Council over the years. Candidates are not chosen necessarily for their creativity or independence, but for their willingness to toe the party line and accede to the wishes of those who truly wield the political power in Blue Ash.
Of the 35 Council seats that were on the ballot during the 1990's, only one seat was contested. It is only logical that those who are selected to run feel that their Council seats are an entitlement, not a privilege. Since they did not have to rely on voter approval to ensure retaining their seats, they began to lose sight of whose interests they were supposed to represent.
Three current members of Council have been on Council since 1973. With apologies to Ms. Stoller, Blue Ash City Council is a good old boys club, which perpetuates itself by the anointment to Council of political clones of departing members. Issues facing Blue Ash today do not have party labels. Partisan "politics as usual" should be irrelevant to the selection of Council members.
If I am elected to Council, I promise to be accessible, responsive and accountable. Now that's a choice for a change. |
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