LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: Cory O’Donnell

  • [Watch] Re-Broadcast of Loveland City Council meet the Candidate Forum

    [Watch] Re-Broadcast of Loveland City Council meet the Candidate Forum

    Loveland, Ohio – On Wednesday, October 16, Loveland Magazine and the Little Miami River Chamber Chamber Alliance co-hosted a Meet the Candidates Night for those running for Loveland City Council in the November 5 election. The event was held in the Media Center of the Loveland Middle School.

    Loveland Magazine broadcast the forum live on our Facebook page and this is our re-broadcast.

    Our moderator for the forum was Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Brad Greenberg, and Pastor Bill Hounshell sorted and asked the written questions that were submitted by the audience.

    Candidates Kathy Bailey, Andy Bateman, Kent Blair, Cory O’Donnell, and Angela Settell participated. Pat Ahr was unable to attend due to a previous engagement.

    PUBLISHER’S NOTE of THANKS:

    Thank you to John Ames the Loveland School Business Manager for the hours you spent on the details of room logistics and the sound system. Thank you, Pastor Bill Hounshell, for perhaps the hardest job of the evening – sorting through the many audience submitted questions and fairly and impartially asking them to the candidates. Thank you, Judge Greenberg, for adding your dignity to the forum and for keeping things running so smoothly. Thank you Loveland Voters for attending and your community engagement. Thank you, Chamber – CeeCee Collins and Meredith Taylor – for the important roles you played in making the evening a success and allowing us to partner with you again this year. – David Miller, Publisher

    If you find this story useful and helpful in your daily life…

  • Meet the Council Candidates Wednesday evening

    Meet the Council Candidates Wednesday evening

    Loveland, Ohio – The Little Miami River Chamber Alliance and Loveland Magazine will co-host a Meet the Candidates night this Wednesday.

    The forum will be in the Media Center of the Loveland Middle School at 7 PM.

    The school is at 801 South Lebanon Road.

    This event is FREE and the public is encouraged to attend

    The format will follow the same as in the past:

    • Candidates will each present for 2 minutes to open the forum.
    • Questions will be asked for 60 minutes allowing each candidate two minutes to reply or pass.
    • After 60 minutes candidates will close with a 2 minute speech.
    Residents will be putting their questions into a “hat,” and all questions will be screened for duplication. The Honorable Judge Brad Greenburg (Hamilton County Courthouse) will serve as the emcee.

    LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV will broadcast the event live on our Facebook Page.

     

  • Council candidate asks, “Who’s watching out for Loveland’s resident taxpayers?”

    Council candidate asks, “Who’s watching out for Loveland’s resident taxpayers?”

    by Cory O’Donnell

    Who’s watching out for Loveland’s resident taxpayers? Our city leaders have ventured down a road with a questionable road map. The city is in the midst of possibly the most expensive civic project ever with $7+ million of resident taxpayer money on the line to construct a parking garage. 

    Cory O’Donnell lives in the White Pillars Subdivision and is a Loveland City Council Candidate

    Who would argue the need for a parking facility given the explosion of visitors to the downtown area? Certainly, there needs to be adequate parking to support the masses that want to enjoy the available offerings.  Visitors welcome the day when they don’t have to circle the downtown area for what seems to be an eternity to secure a valuable parking spot. Alternatively, some come to spend their time and money only to turn around and go home…nowhere to park.

    Imagine the business owners that are giddy with the prospect of the resident taxpayers footing the bill to get more cash through their doors.  Who could blame them for the smiles on their faces? Not me; what a gift!

    But here’s where the roadmap leads to resident taxpayer disaster. There is no published plan to recover the $7+ million and make the taxpayers whole. Further, my calculator can’t get to a full lot, 365 days a year for 30 years, that will recover resident taxpayer investment.

    I am far from knowledgeable about developing, constructing and managing a public parking garage. My assumption is our city leaders are well versed in public policy, zoning, codes, and other daily municipal functions, but there are specialists in private development that have the knowledge and expertise to make this happen on a for-profit basis.

    Is it too late to get the proper road map that assures resident taxpayers are not left holding this massive debt?

    P.S.  Our city is already committed to close to $48,000 annually in debt service for the Christman Farm property on Butterworth Road acquired in 2007 which has remained vacant all these years and has disappeared from the city council’s interest. This translates to hundreds of thousands of resident taxpayer’s dollars being flushed down the proverbial toilet for too many more years.

    Can you afford more?  Who’s going to step up to the plate and get the answers?