Loveland, Ohio – Last Wednesday, Loveland Magazine partnered with the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance to bring the candidates for a seat on the Loveland School Board together at the Media Center of the Loveland Intermediate School to face voters and their questions. The forum was moderated by former Board President Dr. Judy McClanahan. She was elected to the Loveland Board of Education and subsequently served 12 years on the Board. During this time she served as President of the Board three times.
Candidates, Michele N. Pettit, Ned Portune, and Eileen Washburn were in attendance. Dave Blumberg could not attend because of a previous business commitment. Three will be elected to a 4-year term.
Here is the video of the forum. (Because of technical difficulties Pettit’s opening statement did not record. She repeated her statement for the camera after the forum concluded and that statement is added to the first video.)
CeeCee Collins, President of the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance said she was very pleased with the number of residents who turned out to hear from City Council candidates.
Loveland, Ohio – “Our hope was to allow the Loveland voters an opportunity to meet each of the candidates that are running for Loveland City Council and hear their position on specifics issues and topics. We were pleased to see the largest crowd ever at a City of Loveland Candidate Forum,” said CeeCee Collins, President of the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance. On Thursday, October 26 The the Chamber and Loveland Magazine sponsored a Meet the Candidate Night at the Loveland Intermediate School.
Moderator for the evening was Judge Brad Greenberg a former Loveland Mayor and now a resident of Symmes Township. Pastor Bill Hounsell selected the questions that Greenberg asked of the candidates. The questions were submitted by the more than eighty residents who attended. “We would have liked to get to more questions asked to each candidate, however, it is invaluable to put a face, personality, and position in context with their yard-signs before going to the polls on November 7.”
The forum was broadcast live on Loveland Magazine’s Facebook Page and 24-hours later, more than 1,500 people have viewed portions or all of the forum.
Collins said, “In addition, thanks to Loveland Magazine, we were pleased to offer the forum to those unable to attend in person via Facebook Live. Overall, the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance feels that the voters in the city are better prepared to vote because of the forum.”
Many of the audience had to stand when chairs ran out at the forum to meet the Loveland City Council candidates.
Candidates Andy Bateman, Tim Butler, Pamela Gross, Barry Kuhn, Neal Oury, Ted Phelps, and Rob Weisgerber were there to answer voter’s questions. Candidate Stephen Zamagias did not attend.
“We appreciate both Pastor Bill Houndshell, Judge Brad Greenberg, the staff of the Intermediate school, and Business Manager John Ames for their time in helping,” said Collins.
The video is embedded below as a rebroadcast.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE:
Loveland Magazine Publisher David Miller
Love it or hate it, Facebook served the Loveland community very well Thursday night. New technology, love it or hate it, served the Loveland community very well as well – in bringing the forum to voters that could not attend in real time. We brand our videos, LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV because residents embracing new technology can view Loveland’s “First TV station in this fairly young, 21st Century” right in their living room, whether on a smartphone, a tablet, or a smart television. Viewers could even comment in real time on how the candidates were answering questions.
In addition, Loveland Magazine is extremely grateful for the old-timey things that happened last night. Judge Brad Greenberg’s and Pastor Bill Hounsell’s call to duty, volunteering to stand in the spotlight putting their personal reputations on the line, making the forum fair and impartial to both the candidates and to the voters who attended. And we are very grateful for the old-timey call to duty of all of the residents who attended acting out their civic responsibility to be better-informed voters.
We are also so very appreciative of the calm and polite demeanor both audience and candidates displayed throughout the evening.
Personally, I want to thank CeeCee Collins, President of the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance for all of her attention to detail in ensuring that each candidate felt comfortable with the forum’s agenda, never an easy task when interacting with candidates vying for political office.
LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV is TV on the Go and on-demand with a smart-phone. It may not be long before you witness our videos being projected on the wall of a living room or bar by a viewer who owns one of the new phones that come with “projector adapters” that project video images onto a wall of up to 70-inches. We are pleased that readers are embracing the new technology we are using and we are always open to your suggestions on how to improve and pay for those improvements.
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Loveland Chamber and Loveland Magazine partner to bring you Meet the School Board Candidates Night
Loveland Middle School Media Center
801 South Lebanon Rd.
Wednesday October 25 at 7 PM
Doors Open at 6:30 PM
by David Miller, Publisher
I am pleased that Loveland Magazine can partner this year with the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance to bring the candidates for a seat on the Loveland School Board together in one room to face voters and their questions. This election is certainly one of the most consequential for District voters in decades. The Board that sits in January 2018 will choose a new superintendent, make decisions about school facilities and crowded classrooms, and possibly be asking voters for more money within the next eighteen months.
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.
The forum will be moderated by former Board President Dr. Judy McClanahan. McClanahan and her husband Stephen have lived in the Loveland District for 31 years. McClanahan has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky in Pharmacy and a PH.D. from the University of Kentucky in Pharmaceutical Sciences. She did her post-doctoral work at the University of North Carolina School of Pharmacy in Chapel Hill. She was active in the PTA and established a Publishing Center for the students in the elementary building. In 1997, she was elected to the Loveland Board of Education and subsequently served 12 years on the Board. During this time Judy served as President of the Board three times.
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.
At the Forum, residents will be putting their questions into a “hat,” and all questions will be screened for duplicates. McClanahan will 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.”
Judge Brad Greenberg is the Presiding and Administrative Judge for the Hamilton County Municipal Court.
There will be a similar Meet the Candidates Night for candidates for Loveland City Councilon October 26, at 7 PM at the Loveland Middle School Media Center. Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge and former Loveland Mayor Brad Greenberg will be the moderator.
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.
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, 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.
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– The Loveland Stage Company cut a red ribbon, hooted, and lit up their new marquee at dusk on Tuesday.
This LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video is exclusive coverage of the event and includes an interview with Bob Kessler about how for the most part volunteers constructed the new sign. Kessler led the project and is the President of the Stage Company.
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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.
bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky in Pharmacy and a PH.D. from the University of Kentucky in Pharmaceutical Sciences. She did her post-doctoral work at the University of North Carolina School of Pharmacy in Chapel Hill. She was active in the PTA and established a Publishing Center for the students in the elementary building. In 1997, she was elected to the Loveland Board of Education and subsequently served 12 years on the Board. During this time Judy served as President of the Board three times.
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