Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor

Since 2004

Tag: council

  • Meet the Council Candidates Night on Thursday, October 26

    Meet the Council Candidates Night on Thursday, October 26

    Photo not provided by Stephen G. Zamagias

    Loveland Chamber and Loveland Magazine partner to bring you Meet the Candidates for Loveland City Council Night

    Loveland Middle School Media Center

    801 South Lebanon Rd.

    Thursday, October 26 at 7 PM

    Doors Open at 6:30 PM

     

    by David Miller, Publisher

    Will City Hall be demolished? One, two, or four-story? Who will be Loveland’s next Mayor? Who will be appointed to fill the remaining two-year term vacated by former mayor Mark Fitzgerald? Will pro-growth or slow growth protect our values and environment candidates be elected? Which candidates will be more transparent? Which candidates will have the best temperament when their actions are brought into question? Who will shorten your commute time? Who has the thickest skin and a pleasant disposition? Will new bosses be just like the old bosses?

    What would you like to ask those who want a special seat of trust at City Hall for the next four-years?

    I am pleased that Loveland Magazine can partner this year with the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance to bring the candidates for Loveland Council together in one room to face voters and their questions. Voters will have the opportunity to meet the candidates at 6:30 PM and at 7 PM the candidates will begin presenting their case and asking for your vote.

    LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV will be broadcasting the forum “live” on Loveland Magazine’s Facebook page, so, people that cannot be at the forum to meet the candidates in person, can watch it wherever they are. Folks can watch on their smartphones, tablets, computers, or even on the widescreen of their smart TV in their family room. Organize your own watch party.

    The forum will be rebroadcast on both our Facebook Page and at www.lovelandmagazine.com so folks can watch at any time leading right up to election day.

    Residents can comment in “real-time” on the Loveland Magazine Facebook page during the live broadcast or afterward by watching the re-broadcast.

    Judge Brad Greenberg is the Presiding and Administrative Judge for the Hamilton County Municipal Court.

    At the Forum, residents will be putting their questions into a “hat,” and all questions will be screened for duplicates by Pastor Bill Hounshell. Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge and former Loveland Mayor Brad Greenberg will be the moderator for the evening and ask as many questions as time allows.

    CeeCee Collins, President of the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance said, “I feel it is important to allow the residents and voters to meet and ask questions prior to going to vote on November 7. Our intent is to provide the community the opportunity to ask questions and make an informed choice when voting.”

    There will be a similar Meet the Candidates Night for  voters on, October 25, at 7 PM at the Loveland Middle School Media Center. The School Board Meet the Candidate Night will be moderated by former Board President Dr. Judy McClanahan. 

    The doors will open at 6:30 PM on both nights.


  • Campaign Statement of Neal Oury

    Campaign Statement of Neal Oury

    EDITOR’S NOTE:
    Neal Oury is a candidate for Loveland City Council and provided this Candidate Statement to Loveland Magazine.
     

    Loveland Magazine invites all candidates for public office in the 45140 zip code or within the Loveland City School District boundary to send a similar Candidate Statement for publication. Send to lovelandmagazine@cinci.rr.com

     

    Neal Oury aspires to serve our community

    After being asked many times by several people, I have decided to run for Loveland’s City Council. It is time to give back to the community where I was raised and currently live. I remember Loveland before I-71 or I-275 existed. Loveland was rural, quaint, quiet and residents were involved in their community. Today, Loveland is still quaint, with many changes. The railroad track is now the Bike Trail, Rolke’s is now a multi use development, the Crist Theater is now the Loveland Stage Company. The current Loveland Early Childhood Center was Lloyd Mann School, where I attended starting in the 2nd grade.

    My father worked at the railroad tower that was located behind today’s Cindy’s Tavern. I remember going to work with him, watching him pull large wooden levers in order to switch the tracks. We saved cardboard milk cartons for Harry Andrews to make the bricks to build the Loveland Castle. As a child; I played LYO baseball, enjoyed Eats & Treats candy store and shopped at Millitzer’s that was our “mall” located where Pizazz’s is today.

    My wife Lynn of 34 years and I have lived in our Loveland home for thirty years where we raised our two children. We are parishioners at St. Columban Parish where I served on Parish Council and as Chairperson, Spiritual Director for the Christ Renews His Parish program, coached girls & boys basketball and volunteered with the HANDS program. I have maintained a Real Estate Brokers License since 1980 and started my business in 1984. I served as Secretary, Treasurer, President, Past President for the Greater Cincinnati chapter of the Institute of Real Estate Management. I have served on the Board of Directors of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Apartment Association. I have managed portfolios in excess of 7000 units, as well as, for Fortune 500 Companies. I served on the Loveland Finance Committee, volunteered with the Loveland Farmers Market, The Loveland Amazing Race, the Loveland Stage Co. and Lowe’s Heros. I was awarded the Business Enhancement Award from the City of Loveland in 2005. My company rebuilt Loveland Stage Company after the devastating fire in. 2008.

    Communication with people is important to me. Understanding your concerns and opinions on issues, programs and development will help move our community in the direction WE desire. Together we can make it happen through dialogue and resident engagement. Transparency will be visible as we openly discuss future development and other priorities. I envision neighborhood meetings to openly listen to what’s on your mind. I want to get to know resident and personally inviting neighborhood representatives to attend council meetings.

    If elected, as a member of Loveland’s City Council, I will listen and respect the opinions of all council members. I will bring to this body a skill set of organization, rational decision making and a inclination to detail with honesty, common sense and integrity.

    I ask for your vote November 7th.

     

    Pizazz Studios and Gifts in Historic Downtown

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  • Gentry says only politics played into the absence of three council members

    Gentry says only politics played into the absence of three council members

    by Shanda Gentry,

    Once again the citizens of Loveland were denied, by three council members, the right to undertake the business of the city. This is the second meeting of 2017 where, from my perspective, the same three council members failed their oath to the citizens of Loveland.  Loveland Charter outlines that two council meetings are required to occur, on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month.

    In researching the absences of councilmembers during the last four years, there has never been a time where three council members were missing for a monthly meeting.

    • There were only 3 times that 2 council members were out for a required charter council meeting

    I also looked at what percentage of meetings councilmembers missed during their time on council (this specific calculation is the only way to determine what affect their absences has had on council) because a straight numbers calculation over different periods is not meaningful.  

    • Two council members have missed almost 17% of the required charter meetings, only one is currently on council – Steve Zamagias
    • One council member has NEVER missed a required charter council meeting – Kathy Bailey
    • Another council member has only missed one meeting in the last four years, the one where that absence caused a lack of quorum- Vice Mayor Angie Settell
    • Rob Weisgerber has missed 10% of meetings, Ted Phelps has missed 7.78% while Pam Gross has only missed 5.56% of required charter council meeting during the previous four years.

    Based on this review I can am left to believe that only Politics played into the absence of three council members for one required by charter council meeting.  Loveland fails when the business of the city is disrupted by officials who sign a pledge to follow the Charter of our city and then fail to live up to that pledge.

    Shanda Gentry is a twenty-year resident of Loveland

    More Background:

    Golladay says three blind mice Settell, Gross, and Zamagias must fully explain their absence immediately

    No Council quorum – no meeting

    Off and on again Council meeting for Tuesday?

    City council no-shows: “Alignment of planets” or “Act of political cowardice?”

    Rob Weisgerber: “Their absence was intentional.”

  • Rob Weisgerber: “Their absence was intentional.”

    Rob Weisgerber: “Their absence was intentional.”

     

    Only one conclusion can be reached – that their absence was intentional

    by Rob Weisgerber

    I recently attended the September 26th city council meeting with council members Ted Phelps and Kathy Bailey. This was a scheduled meeting and had been on the calendar, as per the charter. Unfortunately, the meeting never took place due to a lack of quorum when the other three members of council did not show up. (City council no-shows: “Alignment of planets” or “Act of political cowardice?”)

    To cancel a meeting requires a vote of the council – there is no unilateral authority by any one member to cancel or reschedule a planned meeting.  

    Most importantly, I did not find a case where there was a lack of quorum to do the business of the City.

    If and when an individual member of council cannot make a meeting, it has not been an issue. However, In my history on council I can’t remember a time when 3 members had last-minute plans come up which caused a lack of quorum, halting a regularly scheduled meeting.

    Council members do sometimes have to miss meetings. Almost always council votes to excuse him or her. The fact that people miss meetings is not disputable or even in question in my opinion. As a matter of openness, I have missed roughly 18 meetings over 7 years (that is about 165 meetings). This is about an average of 2 to 3  meetings per year. With legitimate reason or cause, being excused is appropriate for any member of council.

    I could not remember in my history on council when we have had 3 members of council miss the same meeting or, even worse, not having a quorum to conduct city business. Nor could I find any request to move a meeting because a couple of members could not make the meeting. This is the real issue. Looking back through the last 8 years of records, I could find about 4 or 5 meetings where 2 members missed the same meeting. No meetings in that time had 3 members missing a meeting. Most importantly, I did not find a case where there was a lack of quorum to do the business of the City.

    Several times while on our family vacation, as happened this year in August, I flew home at my own expense to make the scheduled meeting.

    The first I had received any information from Vice-Mayor Angie Settell was through the city solicitor, about 60 hours following our last regular meeting. The email stated that there may be a problem and she wanted a special meeting the following week. This discussion should have taken place at the council meeting just 2 and 1/2 days prior. My schedule is very busy and full and I could not accommodate her request. Council members Bailey, Ted Phelps, and I did propose other dates but I received no feedback regarding our offer. I did make it clear that priority has to be given to the scheduled meetings as we all know they are coming and can plan. If I make plans that I can control I schedule them for non-council weeks. Several times while on our family vacation, as happened this year in August, I flew home at my own expense to make the scheduled meeting. There are times outside of my control when I can’t make a meeting due to work commitments.

    I did not receive Ms. Settell’s email claiming to be a press release. I also noticed a real issue with the date of the notice being September 19th as meeting alternatives were offered following that date.

    In the last several months we have now had Pam Gross, Steven Zamagias, Settell, and former mayor Mark Fitzgerald vote to schedule a meeting where Bailey, Phelps, and I could not attend, a walk out meeting where Gross, Zamagias, Settell, and Fitzgerald created a lack of quorum to do the business of the city by abruptly ending it and walking out. Now we have the same members not showing up so no meeting can occur. Only one conclusion can be reached – that their absence was intentional – again.

    While I have missed meetings before, not once did any absence of mine preclude the business of the city getting accomplished.  I take my commitment to you and the city seriously.

    Rob Weisgerber is a member of Loveland City Council

    More Background:

    Golladay says three blind mice Settell, Gross, and Zamagias must fully explain their absence immediately

    No Council quorum – no meeting

    Off and on again Council meeting for Tuesday?

    City council no-shows: “Alignment of planets” or “Act of political cowardice?”

     

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  • Golladay says three blind mice Settell, Gross, and Zamagias must fully explain their absence immediately

    Golladay says three blind mice Settell, Gross, and Zamagias must fully explain their absence immediately

     

    These three blind mice chose to offend we Loveland residents by disappearing for the week

     

    by Walter D. Golladay

    On 26 September, Loveland City Council was scheduled to meet on the 4th Tuesday of the month. Because a quorum of four council members did not happen, the meeting did not officially take place.

    For unknown reasons, these three blind mice of Vice Mayor Angie Settell, and Council members Pam Gross and Stephen Zamagias were absent without just cause from their appointed duty station. That being, City Hall, Loveland, Ohio, 7 pm.

    These three blind mice chose to conduct personal business elsewhere, not for the benefit of Loveland residents, but for another business, another individual, or themselves.

    This Loveland resident has the firm belief that the 3 blind mice chose not to appear in order to prevent a council quorum being established with the City Council members present of Kathy Bailey, Robert Weisgerber and Ted Phelps. Kathy, Robert and Ted would have been the majority council members for the evening.

    The three blind mice, need to be held accountable. In explicit detail, they must explain to the Loveland residents where they were that evening, and why they could not attend a long established council meeting date.

    The three blind mice must explain to the Loveland residents where they were that evening.

    They must also explain why none of them were available to attend alternates council meeting dates of Monday through Thursday, 25 – 28 September.

    These three blind mice chose to offend we Loveland residents by disappearing for the week and preventing scheduled City of Loveland business from being conducted.

    Should any or all of the three blind mice not be able to offer a valid reason for their absence, then we Loveland residents need to seriously consider not voting for them in the upcoming 2017 General Election.

    These 3 blind mice must fully explain their absence at the 26 September Council meeting. 

    Immediately.

    Walter D. Golladay is a resident of Loveland, Ohio

    Three blind mice. Three blind mice.

    See how they run. See how they run. 

     

    Three Blind Mice.ogg
    Author: CambridgeBayWeather
    Date:

     

     
     
  • City will not issue subpoena for former city manager

    City will not issue subpoena for former city manager

    Solicitor responds to request by Tim Canada to subpoena former city manager Tom Carroll

    Loveland, Ohio – On Tuesday, August 22, local business owner Tim Canada gave a speech at the Loveland Council meeting and said that former City Manager Tom Carroll spent $15,000 in 2013 when he hired a lobbyist group called the Colwell Group. Canada said that a total of $25,000 was paid to the Colwell Group throughout 2013, but he could not find any authorization from Council He suggested Council issue a subpoena to Carroll to investigate the $25,000 expenditure. He was essentially asking the question to Councilman Rob Weisgerber who was on Council at the time and is seeking re-election. Weisgerber said that he would respond to Canada at a later time.

    Later in the meeting, Councilmember Pam Gross did respond to the allegations made by Canada. She also said that the contract with the Colwell Group was illegal, and was the same argument Council Members had for Rob Stansel’s contract. Stansel was the former economic director that had recently been let go because his contract exceeded the spending authority of current City Manager Dave Kennedy. Gross said she appreciated the fact that Mr. Weisgerber wanted to move forward, however she felt it was important to note that the Colwell Group contract was the same as Stansel’s contract and questioned why Stansel’s contract caused such an uproar, but Weisgerber wanted to gloss over the Colwell Group contract.

    At the Tuesday, September 12 meeting, Weisgerber responded. He said that there was nothing illegal about the contracts with the Colwell Group, nor were there any City procedures or spending authority violated. He noted that in the 1990’s, Loveland had a city manager that did break up contracts to get around the spending limit and at that time, Council changed the rules to be very specific about the spending limit and how to break up contracts into separate issues/engagements, which are the rules today. He explained that the Colwell Group was used for three separate engagements, had separate contracts, and separate rates for specific issues. He reiterated that nothing illegal was done, no rules were violated, and the City Manager acted within his authority. He turned to Joe Braun the City Solicitor and asked him to confirm what he was saying.

    Braun said that he reached out to Canada when he said the City had acted illegally and asked for a subpoena to be issued to the former city manager. He said that he also researched the Colwell Group contracts and asked the clerk of council to pull documents for him so he could check the facts. Braun stated that he came to the same conclusion that Weisgerber did, there was nothing illegal done, there were three separate contracts with the Colwell Group for three separate amounts, three different hourly rates, three different time periods, and three different objectives. He reiterated that there was nothing illegal done and no rules were violated.

    In these three LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV videos you can watch Councilwoman Pam Gross and Tim Canada raising the issue of the Colwell Group contract and Weisgerber and Braun saying there was nothing illegal about how Carroll handled them.

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  • Loveland Council Voter Poll

    Loveland Council Voter Poll

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  • No Council quorum – no meeting

    No Council quorum – no meeting

    Loveland, Ohio – There was a scheduled Loveland City Council meeting for Tuesday, September 26 at City Hall. Three members of Council were in attendance… Kathy Bailey, Ted Phelps, and Rob Weisgerber. Vice-Mayor Angie Settell, Pam Gross, and Steve Zamagias did not attend. Without a quorum and a fourth member in attendance the meeting was never called to order, no business was discussed, and no legislation passed.

    Near the -20:53 minute mark of this video Councilman Ted Phelps addressed the audience and gave his explanation of why there was no meeting.

  • Off and on again Council meeting for Tuesday?

    Off and on again Council meeting for Tuesday?

    by David Miller, Publisher

    Loveland, Ohio – Apparently Tuesday’s City Council meeting will take place, however, there may be no business conducted. On Thursday, September 21 Loveland Magazine received the following email from Loveland’s Vice Mayor Angie Settell:

    Never before receiving a press release from an individual member of the council, Loveland Magazine proceeded cautiously on reporting the press release. In this highly charged election season, it seemed prudent to verify Settell’s message and verify that it, in fact, came from her. Press releases are almost always either sent out from the City Manager’s office or the Clerk of Council. Add to that, the release sent by Settell referred to “We” as if it was being sent on behalf of others or from City Hall.

    After receiving the “Press Release” we looked on the City Web site to see if in fact the meeting was canceled as the release might suggest. It was not. It was still listed as a public meeting and there was no “Press Release” on the website such as the one Settell sent out, the City Facebook page, or the City Twitter page. Looking at the City Facebook page also confirmed that there was a council meeting on Tuesday, September 26.

    An email was sent to the Clerk of Council and the City Manager asking for clarification. We asked two questions. Did it come from Settell? Is there a meeting?

    City Manager Dave Kennedy answered at 2 Pm on Monday simply saying, “There will not be enough members for a quorum at tomorrow’s meeting.”

    Clerk of Council Misty Cheshire responded at 5:43 PM on Monday by saying, “The press release did not come from the City and was independently done by an individual council member. The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow night and will take place if a quorum is present.”

    After the recent resignation of former Mayor, Mark Fitzgerald there remains six members of Council. A quorum of Council would be four. Settell’s release would suggest that three of the six council members do not plan on attending Tuesday’s meeting. She did not say which members would not be attending.

    Not on the meeting agenda, but a decision that could be made at any future meeting is a vote on who will take Fitzgerald’s seat and serve the remaining two years of his vacated term. It will require at least four members to agree on a replacement. A 3-3 split council as it is today is a delicate attendance balance.

    You can read the Agenda for the meeting where apparently none of the business listed will be conducted.

    LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV will be at City Hall tomorrow night at 7 PM and be broadcasting live on our Facebook Page.

     

     

     

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  • Hamlin asked why lifelong resident would not receive same privilege as a business owner

    Hamlin asked why lifelong resident would not receive same privilege as a business owner

    Rule 19. Appearing Before Council (Five-Day Rule).

    Any person, group or delegation wishing to be placed on the agenda to appear before Council shall direct a letter to the Clerk of Council so it is received by the Clerk no later than 12:00 Noon on the Thursday preceding the regularly scheduled Tuesday Council meeting, or the fifth day prior to the scheduled meeting if it is scheduled for a day other than Tuesday. The Mayor may suspend the Thursday rule in the event of unusual or emergency circumstances.

    Loveland, Ohio – Life long Loveland resident Sherry Hamlin prepared a presentation to give at the September 12 council meeting, but while practicing it she discovered it was too long to fit into the five minutes allotted if she spoke during the Open Forum agenda item of the meeting. She said, “As I practiced my presentation it was running long and I didn’t want to cut it short.”

    Anyone is allowed to just go to a meeting and sign a sheet at the doorway to the council chambers and they are given five minutes to address any subject on their mind, but Hamlin also knew of the “Appearing Before Council (Five-Day Rule)” which allows people to contact the Clerk of Council by noon on the Thursday preceding the meeting, and be allowed ten minutes of speaking time.

    Hamlin said she wrote the required request three days before the cut-off, and it was the first time she had ever requested to speak in that time slot. “What happened next surprised me. I received a reply that Vice-Mayor Angie Settell denied my request to speak before council and suggested I consider speaking during the Open Forum instead. It seems I don’t have much choice since I was omitted from the agenda published on Friday.” She said there were no other requirements, “I just had to do was ask by Thursday at noon. I asked on Monday, nearly three full days before the deadline and I saw nothing in the rules that allowed the Vice-Mayor to deny my request.”

    After the meeting, Hamlin told Loveland Magazine that what she originally wanted to talk about at the council meeting would have to wait for another meeting because the denial of speaking rights suddenly took precedence.

    Hamlin said that business owner Tim Canada who does not live in Loveland or pay personal income taxes to the City has appeared during the ten-minute time slot four times since the beginning of the year. She asked Settell, “So I would like to ask this question. Why is it that a local business owner is permitted to speak during persons before Council, but I a resident am not?” 

    You can watch these LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV videos to see Hamlin asking her question, Settell’s response, and Councilwoman Kathy Baliey’s response. The Vice-Mayor defended her actions however Bailey raised some of the same questions as Hamlin.

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