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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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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Loveland, Ohio – Recent political climate critic, Ryan Kulik told Loveland Magazine this morning that he is now working on behalf of the re-election of Pam Gross to retain her seat on City Council. Kulik has been an outspoken critic of Councilman Rob Weisgerber, The Loveland Community Heartbeat PAC (LCHPAC) whom he recently called, “political motivated amateurs”, and the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance. He has called them all anti-growth and anti-development. Weisgerber is also seeking to be re-elected to Council.
Ryan Kulik has announced he is working for the Pam Gross re-election committee.
As recently as September 12 after one of his opinion pieces was published in Loveland Magazine Kulik said in an email to the newspaper, “I am currently not working with anyone associated with the city council. I have talked with a few people who are running, but I have yet to sign a contract to exclusively work for anyone. Due to confidentiality agreements I can not reveal who I have spoken with. I did want you to know all of this so it is clear where I am coming from. As long as I am free from any contracts in the city, I would like to continue to get my opinions out in this volatile political climate. I will keep you updated if any of this changes.”
Then in an email to the newspaper on September 17 concerning a guest opinion that he submitted about first-time council candidate Tim Butler, that has not yet been published, he said, “It is up to you on publishing the Butler letter. When I wrote the letter I was still an independent player in the political scene. That may change this week. My credibility, if any, as an unbiased source will be in question by the end of the week.”
Councilwoman Pam Gross
Loveland Magazine responded to Kulik by asking if he would go ahead and disclose what he was referencing. His response came this morning saying, “I just sent out a press release that should clear up my current situation. Anything I wrote before today was from my own opinion as a resident. Anything after today that I send out concerning the 2017 election will, and should, be seen as a message from the Pam Gross for Loveland City Council campaign.” In the press release, Kulik is quoted as the “Campaign Manager” for the Pam Gross for Loveland City Council campaign.
Halie Rebeccaschild is the Secretary and Spokesperson for The Loveland Community Heartbeat PAC
Kulik, a self-described blowhard and political expert has submitted several opinion pieces to Loveland Magazine and is not without his fans and critics after among other things calling community members opposed to the re-election of Gross, “anti-business” and “partisan amateurs”. He said recently, “Their political tactics consist of being filled with rage and discord” and “This group of concerned citizens ignorantly attack hard working public servants.” Kulik called them a mob and “politically motivated flame throwing amateurs.” He warned that the Loveland Community Heartbeat PAC should be well versed in what libel and slander are.
Halie Rebeccaschild is the Secretary and Spokesperson for LCHPAC. She told Loveland Magazine today that she and the group had suspected that Kulik had been working to re-elect Gross because some of the things he had written had mimicked some of Gross’ talking points at council meetings. She said that there is one thing she wants the public to know about LCHPAC, “We are a grassroots movement and not political professionals.”
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Pam Gross 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
Pam Gross is running for Loveland City Council
Four years ago I made the decision to run for city council because I believed Loveland needed new leadership, vision and direction. I promised several things:
Smart and focused economic development programs
Implement sound fiscal policies without asking taxpayers to pay increased income taxes
Innovative and creative ideas on infrastructure while maintaining quality city services
This message resonated with the voters and I was elected to serve as their council representative. I am proud to say that I have delivered on the promises four years ago and I am now seeking re-election to continue on this path of progress and looking forward to the future and new successes that will continue to grow our city and keep it vibrant and financially stable for future generations.
This is a decent enough elevator campaign speech but it doesn’t tell the real story of the progress in Loveland nor does it capture the excitement and vitality of our city.
During my first campaign, my niece, Nyla, was graduating from High School. We’ve always been very close and she spends a lot time at our home. Like most of us, we like to play, shop and eat in our community. We would ride or walk on the bike trail, and then we hop in the car and head over to Madeira to shop at the little boutiques and grab a bite to eat in Montgomery. Why, because Loveland didn’t have much to offer outside of an extremely expensive dirt pile in the middle of downtown.
My accounting office is located downtown and I would drive by that dirt pile every day and finally I decided, I’m going to run for council. I’m tired of the same people running the show – our city needed new leadership, direction and vision. Our town had so much potential. So I ran for council and I won. There is no greater honor than serving as an elected representative for the community I care so deeply about.
Fast forward to today – my niece is now a senior at the University of Dayton. When she comes to visit her favorite aunt, the first thing she says is “let’s go downtown, I love that boutique – Busy Bee – they have all kinds of cool stuff.” She also tells me not to forget to bring my credit card and after spending my money she says “I’m hungry – let’s eat at Bella’s I like their outdoor patio – and after let’s get an ice cream at Graeters.” That big pile of dirt is now Loveland Station, it is a thriving and fully occupied residential/retail space.
On any night of the week downtown Loveland is full of life – kids enjoying ice cream, adults socializing on the outdoor patios and couples walking hand in hand enjoying the people watching. We have new small businesses as well – Narrow Path Brewery, Fresh Press and Bike Trail Junction. Travel down Loveland Madeira Rd and what was once a vacant car lot is now a vibrant business center with a Starbucks, SportClips and Chipotle. Four years ago our Commerce Park, the “economic engine” of our city, was losing tenants at an alarming rate, today it is almost 100% occupied, home of the corporate headquarters for McCluskey Chevrolet and Mike’s Car Wash.
New businesses are not only a boom to our economy but it builds our local tax base which supports our excellent Police, Fire, EMS, Public works and Parks ( for people and dogs.) They are the quality city services our residents expect. I’m seeking re-election to continue this path of progress.
Recently I spoke to council and submitted my prepared statement to David Miller at Loveland Magazine. (Ryan Kulik: Political motivated amateurs have taken over) (Loveland Community Heartbeat PAC responds to Mr. Kulik) In the days that followed, it was brought to my attention that part of my spoken statement was not one hundred percent factual. I also reflected on my demeanor, and the words I chose in trying to get my larger point across to council, the audience, and anyone watching online. I accepted that I had misspoken on something in my remarks, and proceeded to apologize in the Facebook comment feed in Loveland Magazine. I had planned on making a public mea culpa when the opportunity presented itself. My conscience will not allow me to wait for that moment, I feel like the time is now to make an apology.
Ryan Kulik
I’m sorry.
I am sorry for not having my facts correct when I was trying to ask council why our economic development was in limbo. When I spoke at public forum, I was incorrect when I said the former economic developer had brought a certain amount of money into our community. That was a misstatement. Intentional or not, when someone does not make their point clear, and correct, the larger narrative will always suffer. I wanted to talk about something of great importance, positive economic growth, and my slip-up cost me the chance to move any meaningful conversation forward. I owe an apology to council for wasting their time, the community for having to double check my words, and to myself for not being professional.
I am sorry for calling people amateurs. I can clearly see that I was the one playing amateur politics. My ego, coupled with my frustration are all excuses I give myself for trying to claim the mantle of professionalism. Those excuses do not portray the skill of a professional. I am just one Loveland resident who tried to make a personal point on growth and economic prosperity. By letting my ego work in concert with my frustration towards our council, I used baseless adjectives in describing the politically active in our community That means I sought the refuge of a political amateur.
I owe an apology to council for wasting their time, the community for having to double check my words, and to myself for not being professional.
I am sorry that my greater point was lost in the all the noise generated about my inarticulate comments to council. I do believe members of our council have been acting in a manner that has stalled the positive economic growth Loveland has been experiencing the last few years. I do think it is wrong for a local Chamber of Commerce to work in conjunction with a Political Action Committee who has openly advocated for the stalling of economic development projects. I do not believe we need an extra layer of bureaucracy added to the required rules for moving any new economic development forward. Extra bureaucracy has always been a hurdle many new businesses would prefer not to jump over. I believe Loveland is a desirable community, and new residential developments would expand the tax base. New residents can help ease the economic burden, and make it less likely that council will approach the residents of Loveland with a tax increase. I believe the city of Loveland needs a proper economic development consultant, whomever that person may be. I am sorry I was not able to engage our council, and our community on my vision for an economically prosperous Loveland.
With words like amateur, illegal, and corruption being thrown around, Loveland politics has become a lot of noise and has lacked substantive debate. I added to the climate with my poor statement at public forum. I hope the people running for city council, the groups politically mobilized for the election, and the concerned residents like myself can come together and focus on the issues that make Loveland great. I know that is what I am going to do.
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Halie Rebeccaschild is the Secretary of the Loveland Community Heartbeat PAC
First, In his argument that certain sitting City Council members are “anti-business,” Kulik stated, “Legally required public hearings were voted down by this Council to stop positive business growth.” It appears that Mr. Kulik has over simplified the matter, as Council has stopped a public hearing from proceeding only in one case this year, that of the city hall project. The city never moved to a public hearing because residents expressed outrage at multiple City Council meetings in May and June of this year over the planned demolition of Loveland City Hall. In fact, On May 9th, City Council deadlocked on the nature of public engagement. After Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) President Jay Stewart recommended involving residents and holding a work session with Ken Geis, Vice Mayor Angie Settell immediately motioned for a public hearing (1). Such a move would have then fulfilled the legal requirement for a single hearing prior to transferring the city hall property to the autonomous CIC, ensuring demolition of our city hall building in July, as planned.
Mayor Mark Fitzgerald, Vice Mayor Angie Settell, and Pam Gross voted no on these public engagement forums.
Residents had expressed great concern about the city hall project moving too quickly, which may be seen in both April and May City Council meeting minutes. Rob Weisgerber, Kathy Bailey, and Ted Phelps responded to residents by opposing the vote to immediately move to fulfill the single public hearing requirement. Then, Council Member Rob Weisgerber motioned for no less than three resident engagement sessions, which would have brought residents into the planning process on either a 2-story, 2.5 story, or 4-story building. Mayor Mark Fitzgerald, Vice Mayor Angie Settell, and Pam Gross voted no on these public engagement forums, while Council Members Rob Weisgerber, Kathy Bailey, and Ted Phelps voted yes. The deadlocked votes reflect a difference in how much emphasis was placed on resident engagement.
Not a single resident has come to address Council to demand that the city hall demolition move forward, so who does Mr. Kulik represent?
Mr. Kulik spoke of the public hearing requirement completely out of context of the planned demolition of City Hall, and in such a way that suggested a law was somehow broken in slowing down the city hall project for residents to give necessary sanction. Indeed, if the public hearing had occurred as pushed by Mark Fitzgerald, Angie Settell, and Pam Gross, the transfer of our city hall to the CIC would have been final. Once in possession of the CIC, residents would have had no further input. This process would have prevented residents from thoroughly engaging in the planning for our new, city hall building in Old Loveland. Instead of anti-business, as Mr. Kulik suggests, Rob Weisgerber, Ted Phelps, and Kathy Bailey’s vote for multiple hearings reflect their duty as public servants to residents of Loveland. Residents have been relieved that the planned demolition and any repurposing of city hall will wait until after elections when residents will have their say with their votes. Not a single resident has come to address Council to demand that the city hall demolition move forward, so who does Mr. Kulik represent?
Next, Mr. Ryan Kulik went on to claim that City Council acted wrongly by cancelling Mr. Stansel’s contract. Kulik said, “What is it Mr. Stansel did wrong? I can see where council should have had the discussion on his services, but we never had that discussion. Rob Stansel was hired by the City Manager, not council. Stop lying. This is what the city manager does. The council should have had a chance to vote on his contract when the spending limit was exceeded. We never had this discussion.”
Yet again, Mr. Kulik is mistaken.
Yet again, Mr. Kulik is mistaken. City Council did have a discussion about cancelling Rob Stansel’s contract just prior to their vote that terminated it on May 9th. Mr. Kulik asks, “What was illegal about the contract? Was it because the spending limit was exceeded? Okay, I understand that.” If Mr. Kulik understands that City Council voted after a discussion to cancel the contract because it violated the City Manager’s spending authority, then what’s his agenda? Why would he want Council to violate our city charter?
Then, Mr. Kulik goes on to say, “[Stansel] secured over $600,000 for, I believe, the Chestnut property.” Not exactly. The “letter of intent” brought by Mr. Stansel to the city died upon expiration on May 5th, 2017, four days prior to City Council voting to terminate Stansel’s contract on May 9th (2,3). Perhaps Mr. Kulik should speak with City Manager Dave Kennedy about why the offer wasn’t pursued. Because at this point, it appears that Mr. Kulik is speaking beyond his knowledge and expertise.
it appears that Mr. Kulik is speaking beyond his knowledge and expertise.
Last, Kulik goes on to say, “[Rob Stansel] was working on the Christman property that we’ve heard a lot about.” Yet, again, Mr. Kulik references a development project that brought Loveland residents out in droves against it. Residents from the Brandywine and Butterworth Glen neighborhoods overflowed Loveland City Hall at the public hearing on June 13th when City Council was expected to vote on an ordinance to transfer city land to the Community Improvement Corporation that would have then been sold to Drees Co. and ultimately culminated in a Drees Homes development of 10 acres nearby. Apparently, the residents of those neighborhoods believed the city years ago when it claimed to have bought the Christman property to be a park, and they weren’t too excited about the pending development deal. That’s why the city did not transfer the land to the Community Improvement Corporation, and the private deal between the developer and the commercial real estate firm dissolved.
Upon scrutiny, Ryan Kulik’s arguments fail due to his oversimplification and outright error. In any regard, I appreciate him bringing up three very important topics to Loveland residents, and hope everyone registers to vote by October 10th and comes out to vote this November 7th.
Halie Rebeccaschild is the Secretary of the Loveland Community Heartbeat PAC.
Kulik compares a political pro, like himself to politically motivated flame throwing amateurs.
Loveland, Ohio – Resident Ryan Kulik went to the September 12 council meeting and gave a speech about the state of Loveland politics. He said it has been “downright dreadful.”
Kulik said that no one wants to talk about the positive things brought by Rob Stansel, the City’s former economic development director who council voted to let go last May because the contract he had with the City exceeded the spending authority of City Manager Dave Kennedy. However, Kulik had plenty to say about Stansel in his speech and defended the work while employed by Kennedy. Some of the claims Kulik made were credible, some not.
Ryan Kulik
Kulik claimed Stansel secured over half a million dollars for the sale of property Loveland taxpayers own on Chestnut Street, however the letter of intent to buy the property was never signed and it expired.
Kulik warns of Loveland having an anti-business attitude and set his aim on The Little Miami River Chamber Alliance, the Loveland Heartbeat Political Action Committee, and Councilman Rob Weisgerber.
The day after Kulik gave his speech at the council meeting he sent the full text of his speech to Loveland Magazine with this message, “I have attached my full remarks to council, I did leave out huge chunks because 5 minutes is far too short for a blowhard like myself..” Below is that text with the following disclaimer from Kulik.
I am currently not working with anyone associated with the city council. I have talked with a few people who are running, but I have yet to sign a contract to exclusively work for anyone. Due to confidentiality agreements I can not reveal who I have spoken with. I did want you to know all of this so it is clear where I am coming from. As long as I am free from any contracts in the city, I would like to continue to get my opinions out in this volatile political climate. I will keep you updated if any of this changes.
Thank you, Council, and thank you fellow residents and friends of Loveland.
My name is Ryan Kulik and I live in Loveland. I manage a political consulting firm that specializes in local government. I worked, as in I got paid for my services, on my first campaign in 1992. We lost. Since that November in 1992, I have worked on numerous political issues, and worked on more campaigns than I wish to count. I do this because I love politics, I love America, and I love my community.
A Political Action Committee that has taken joy in stopping the discussion of positive economic growth in our city.
The narrative about Loveland, my community, in 2017 has been downright dreadful. A small group of political motivated amateurs have taken over and halted the business of the city, the mayor resigned, the council is split, and even more surprising, the local Chamber of Commerce has publicly endorsed, with money and with words, a Political Action Committee that has taken joy in stopping the discussion of positive economic growth in our city. Even members of this council have voted against legally required public hearings, read the charter, read the Ohio Constitution. These votes, along with the local chamber, and dedicated group of political motivated amateurs has made Loveland a town that is viewed as unfavorable to growth and not welcoming to new business.
That narrative is unacceptable. I have worked with numerous chambers of commerce, and to be aligned with a group that is anti-business is unthinkable. I have worked with a bunch of people who have run for local government. One of the biggest sins is to have a voting record that shows you are anti-growth and anti-business. I figure if we are going to let the political neophytes have control of our city, why not let a political professional have a crack at the bat. Maybe now we can start to correct the narrative of Loveland.
How is it I can paint these groups as anti-business you ask? Well, let me explain. The anti-business political group has recently brought up the cancelled contract of Mr. Rob Stansel. What is that Mr. Stansel did wrong? I can see where the council should have had a discussion on his services when the contract exceeded the City Manager’s spending limits, but council never had that discussion. Rob Stansel was hired by the City Manager, not council. That is what a city manager does. The council should have had a chance to vote on his contract when the City Manager’s spending limit was exceeded. We never had this discussion. A political amateur seems to always forget these things Again maybe they just don’t know. A political professional knows how a city runs.
As a tax paying resident of Loveland, I am happy that the City Manager hired Mr Stansel, and I am appalled that his services were let go in a blatant politically expedient move by a member of this council. Rob Stansel created, and was still creating, positive economic growth in Loveland. He secured over half a million dollars for the Chestnut property. He was working a deal for the infamous Christman property that would have brought another financial windfall to the city. Thank goodness, the City Manager hired Mr. Stansel. It is a shame that a politically motivated stunt by members of this council caused Loveland to lose someone who was bringing prosperity to our neighborhood. It is a big political sin to be anti-business and anti-growth.
Here’s some free advice, if you want to be a political flamethrower, be well versed in what libel and slander are.
No one wants to talk about the positive things brought by Rob Stansel, and other professionals to Loveland. The narrative has been infected with constant negativity. The refuge of the political amateur is to throw around the terms illegal and corruption. First off, be very careful when you throw those words around. The internet is written in ink, your words will live forever. Political pros, like myself, will look for any signs of behavior, or words, that are legally questionable. Here’s some free advice, if you want to be a political flamethrower, be well versed in what libel and slander are.
Second, what was illegal? The city manager hired Mr Stansel, Mr. Stansel created an incredible return on investment. In Councilman Wesigerber’s defense of the three contracts given to the lobbyists at the Colwell Group, that is right, there were three separate contracts. Managing my own politically consulting group for years I used to love to work with people like then Mayor Weisgerber. If he kept rewriting contracts for new work, I never had to deal with council votes and the public was never able to voice their concern. In my profession, it is easier to work with elected officials who like to dodge transparency.
But back to Councilman Weisgerber’s words. He claimed the three contracts secured by the Colwell group created a great return on investment. He is correct. Do you know what else is correct, the one contract with Rob Stansel created an even greater return on investment, and if this council had acknowledged this, Rob Stansel would still be working for the economic benefit of Loveland. Cancelling Rob Stansel’s contract without debate is an anti-business and anti-growth political sin, and every time someone wants to bring up the contract, I will remind people of this sin.
As for the word corruption. Again, be very careful. Words have consequences, and there is nothing but negativity with the word corruption. If you want to incite discord, then continue to use negativity. That seems to be the only plan of action from the political motivated anti-growth group. Just make sure you are in the clear, legally of course.
I was raised catholic, so I believe in the power of confession and the absolution of one’s sins. The political sin of being anti-business can be absolved, all you need to do is confess.
In 1992, I was a political amateur, I have spent the last twenty-five years learning. I am still learning. I encourage everyone who is new to Loveland politics, stay with it and keep learning. I lost my first race, but that did not deter me. Also, I was raised catholic, so I believe in the power of confession and the absolution of one’s sins. The political sin of being anti-business can be absolved, all you need to do is confess. Think about the future of Loveland. I am dedicated to returning to our pro-business and pro-growth policies. Our council, and community should share my goals. Join me.
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Loveland, Ohio – Here is an update from the City Manager’s office:
Construction is anticipated to begin on the Loveland Madeira Road Storm Drainage improvement project on Monday October 2, 2017. The project includes a five (5) day road closure of Loveland Madeira Road, scheduled to begin at 8:00 AM on October 9, 2017. The closure will be in the 1400 block of Loveland Madeira Road. A detour plan has been established (attached), routing traffic along West Loveland Ave. and South Lebanon Rd. to avoid the closure. Access will be maintained from West Loveland Ave. to all businesses on Loveland Madeira Rd. up to and including Kroger’s, New Hope Baptist Church, and Highridge Road. Access will be maintained from I-275 or Lebanon Rd. approaches to all businesses up to Johnny’s Car Wash on Loveland Madeira Rd. Access will be maintained to Pet Nation Lodge and ABRA Auto Body, although the approach direction available will vary during the closure.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Please excuse the quality of our recent video work from the Loveland City Hall council chamber. After the City recently hired Public Information Officer (PIO) Joe Wessels, LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV has been put into a small corral to one side of the room, and the podium was placed so that when the public rises to speak, they have their backs toward the audience and our camera. We have talked to the City Manager and the Clerk of Council about how this arrangement significantly degrades our video, “The old set-up allowed a video camera to swing back and forth between those at the podium and the council table. That arrangement had been used for decades.”
Our plea has fallen on deaf ears. The PIO, however, did respond saying, “Unfortunately, the arrangement of the media area will not be moved to accommodate better angles at this time.”
So, for the time being, LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV is forced to show butts instead of faces, except when Councilwoman Pam Gross uses the podium. (See this recent video)
City’s PR man Wessels paid “Almost $76 per minute of meeting” – Tom Morris
Loveland, Ohio – “Our town is a bit of an embarrassment. The actions of this Council in recent weeks have been deplorable, unfortunate, and absolutely a joke.” is how Tom Morris began his speech at the August 22 Loveland Council meeting. He wants it fixed and offered solutions.
He told the remaining three members of the “Fitzgerald Four” that the previous council meeting was, “A scripted middle finger.” He was talking to Vice-Mayor Angie Settell, Pam Gross, and Steven Zamagias when they attempted to make Settell, mayor, and Gross, vice-mayor. The meeting was later ruled illegal because of improper public notice. Morris said that that problem will hopefully be rectified in a few weeks with the November election and the replacement of a few members of Council.
Morris then laid into Joe Wessels, the City’s public information officer. He pointed to Wessels who was sitting at a desk alongside the side of the Council chamber and said he was getting paid $2 a minute, “Just to sit here in the room with us.” He chastised Council for paying Wessels $125 per hour and already $10,000 for signing up for a couple of social media accounts and, “Accomplishing what a seventh-grader does in an afternoon.”
Morris pointed out that Wessels was recently paid $125/hour to have lunch with a resident.
Morris said that Wessels charged the City $531.25, “Almost $76 per minute of meeting” to attend the June 27 Council meeting, a meeting that lasted seven minutes. “Maybe it took more than four hours to shyster a positive spin on something so mind-numbingly dumb, but all we needed was, ‘Grown man acts like a child and is unfit for his position.” Morris was referring to the meeting where then-mayor Fitzgerald called the meeting to order, gave an angry speech and then the “Fitzgerald Four” abruptly adjourned the meeting.
Morris said that the City’s Public Relations Committee has qualified members and could be doing the job Wessels is doing, with more integrity, at no cost to taxpayers.
Later in the meeting, Wessels addressed Council and outlined current projects he is working on but did not address the allegations made by Morris.
LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV will be at City Hall tomorrow night at 7 PM and be broadcasting live on our Facebook Page.
