News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area
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Have the voters spoken?
The council seat of former mayor Mark Fitzgerald will remain vacant after newly elected members take office on Monday, December 4. They will appoint a new mayor who can then nominate someone for the remaining two-years of Fitzgerald’s term.
Eight people ran for election to the council on November 7 for four open seats and Andy Bateman received the 5th most number of votes. Have the voters spoken? Should Bateman get a seat on City Council?
VIEW ELECTION RESULTS
by David Miller, Editor
The announcement continued, “Thus in 2017, the plan is for the current City Hall to be demolished. The planned replacement (elevation renderings shown above) is a four story building.“
The story sounded a little fishy to Loveland Magazine as we keep a pretty close eye on City Hall and we had never heard of the proposal, let alone how it could be a done deal. Also to be sure we did not miss something we 
researched past meeting minutes and found no council vote… no discussion… nothing. Someone at City Hall had written a story that wasn’t true, yet that didn’t stop the Loveland Herald from running with the story. Why wouldn’t they, they would not know better as they had stopped attending Loveland Council meetings years ago. Never-the-less, the Herald was able to gather enough quotes to write about the imminent demolition of Loveland’s City Hall.
Loveland Magazine never reported the story because we knew it was not true.
The newsletter and the Herald story fit the textbook definition of “fake news”, except it wasn’t going to end up being “fake” if City Hall could get away with the backroom scheming it took to hatch the plan. Many residents had different ideas.
The other things residents became aware of was the sudden announcement to impose very high fees and severe restrictions for community groups holding public events. Many residents had different ideas.
Add to that, the announcement that Donna Bednar would not be re-appointed to the Loveland Beautification Committee, and the subsequent resignation of all but one member.
Add to all of this upheaval was when behind City Hall’s closed doors a decision was made to “Trademark” the name Christmas in Loveland and the surprise announcement that City Hall had usurped the event that belonged to the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance.
It’s where the hashtag, “#lovelandtransparency” comes from.
This is where the stories below start and will give readers a final chance to catch up on our City Hall reporting (including the successful re-call effort of the sitting mayor) before they go to vote next Tuesday. These are resident views, candidate views, and some of the legal challenges both residents and council members faced this past year.
These stories below appear in the order they were published – oldest to newest.
“Let’s talk about character, by all means.”
by Halie Rebeccaschild,
Neal Oury has offered to dedicate himself to the good of the Loveland community though public service as a city council member over the next four years. He has fought to remove those who have sought to exploit our city, selling it off without your input, and for that, he’s facing serious backlash. Many people might not have had the courage to do what he did, standing up to Mark Fitzgerald this year. People are afraid, and we can see why from the character assault on Neal Oury. It takes tremendous character to bravely face down those with very little themselves.
Many people might not have had the courage to do what he did, standing up to Mark Fitzgerald this year.
Now, he’s being accused of hiding financial difficulties he faced nearly a decade ago. Let’s talk about that.
Neal Oury filed Ch 13 bankruptcy years ago and has continued to pay his debts, overcoming a serious financial setback. That’s exemplary! His family has a proven track record of overcoming obstacles. When asked, he has responded with openness, honesty, and humility about a painful time in his life.
Previous life lessons do not necessarily create bad people.
Previous life lessons do not necessarily create bad people. In the case of Neal and Lynn Oury, it’s created warm, compassionate, community-minded survivors whose record of volunteer service in the last ten years right here in Loveland would put most people to shame. They served this community even as they worked to overcome their financial difficulties of the past.
Neal Oury is an honest and humble community-minded, public servant who has overcome challenges, which is exactly what we need leading our city going forward. He’s proven that he has the life experiences and fortitude to lead us out of the mess Mark Fitzgerald and his majority voting block on city council created. More, he’s pledged to give residents a voice by driving neighborhood representation.
I say, bring on Neal Oury for city council. Let’s see what he can do to help move Loveland forward and out of the mess of the last 2 years.
Vote Oury on November 7 with pride!
Best regards to you, Loveland neighbors.
Halie S. Rebeccaschild B.A., M.A. is the Secretary of the Loveland Community Heartbeat Political Action Committee
Photo not provided by Stephen G. Zamagias
801 South Lebanon Rd.
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.
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.
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.
by James McKenna
I find in myself a sliver of common ground with Ryan Kulik concerning Rob Weisgerber. (Ryan Kulik: Loveland Deserves a Better Class of Politics)
In years past, I haven’t been thrilled with some things Mr. Weisgerber has done. But that’s the extent of my agreement with Mr. Kulik. In total, my experience of Mr. Weisgerber’s tenure on council has been positive. I wasn’t so happy about his part in the mess that eventually became the hulk at the corners of Loveland, Second, and Broadway, but it’s done and the city seems to be more or less the better for it. Certainly more business is being transacted. The basis for Mr. Kulik’s position that Mr. Weisgerber is anti-business is not clear to me.
During the years when Mr. Fitzgerald’s group managed things, we saw back-room dealing, attempts to subvert the rule of law, and forceful silencing of the public.
My money is on Mr. Weisgerber and those who, I hope, will bring balance back to council.
James McKenna lives on Maple Avenue in Loveland
by Ryan Kulik
Labor Day is the unofficial start of the political campaign season. Our landscape is soon to be dotted with yard signs, our mailboxes will become filled with campaign literature, and our civic minded neighbors will be knocking on the door to urge us to vote for the candidate of their choice. For the majority of Americans, the 2017 political campaign season will be quiet. In Loveland, it will be quite the opposite.
I would be lying if I did not say that I was happy to see their plot fail.
When my family moved to Loveland in September of 2013 the city council race was essentially a matchup of outsiders Linda Cox and Pam Gross vs Councilmembers Rob Weisgerber, Brent Zuch . The rumor on the streets of Loveland was that Councilmen Weisgerber and Zuch purposefully recruited several of their political allies to run in the 2013 council race. The hope for this coalition was that their slate of candidates would occupy the top four positions on election day, and then Linda Cox and Pam Gross would not be able to get enough votes to win a seat. The plan failed. Ms. Cox and Ms. Gross were the top two vote getters while the scheme seemingly cooked up by Councilmen Weisgerber and Zuch cost the latter his seat. I had never seen such a blatant political stunt like the one allegedly from Weisgerber and Zuch in a local election. I would be lying if I did not say that I was happy to see their plot fail. I learned in my first few days in Loveland that the local political scene was filled with partisan amateurs who were always good for some campaign season entertainment.
By the time the kids were going back to school, this local group had forced the resignation of Mayor Mark Fitzgerald
The scheming of the 2017 campaign season did not wait for Labor Day in Loveland. A group of residents seemingly came out of nowhere to claim the “heartbeat” of our community. They started to pack city hall in the early part of the year, and they were demanding transparent from their city leaders. The local media started to take notice of this community driven movement, and their numbers began to grow. By the time the kids were going back to school, this local group had forced the resignation of Mayor Mark Fitzgerald and promised to make the last few months of the 2017 campaign season one that would be memorable.
Through all the noise, and confusion, caused by this local group, the truth has yet to make an appearance. This “concerned” citizens coalition has shown itself to be nothing but a partisan group dedicated to the campaigns of long time councilman Rob Weisgerber and his hand selected council wannabes. The failed tactics of the 2013 election seem to be rearing their ugly head once again. This time instead of just putting a large slate of candidates up to unseat rivals, Councilman Weisgerber has used a small minority of “concerned” residents to attack his rivals. It is sad as much as it is comical to see this amateur display of politics play out in our backyard.
Their political tactics consist of being filled with rage and discord.
The tactics being used by this “concerned” group of citizens reveals everything one needs to know about their electoral plan. No new, positive, ideas are being proposed by this coalition. Their political tactics consist of being filled with rage and discord. This group, who supports Councilman Weisgerber and his hand selected candidates, have stopped the business of the city while they try to score political victories. Their anti-growth agenda has stalled the positive progress Loveland has experienced the last four years. While Councilman Weisgerber and his allies at city hall votes against public hearings for initiatives that will bring visitors and their money to Loveland, this group of citizens loudly protect him by attacking their perceived enemies. While Councilman Weisgerber and his allies at city hall vote against public listening sessions that aim to mend the political discord in our community, this group of citizens disseminate misinformation to get the public unnecessarily enraged. While Councilman Weisgerber and his allies at city hall continue to push an anti-business agenda in Loveland, this group of concerned citizens ignorantly attack hard working public servants. The pure comedy of Councilman Weisgerber’s, and this group of “concerned” citizens, political strategy has produced real consequences of loss of growth and potential loss of future income. Cheap political tactics are robbing Loveland of a rich and profitable future. It is sad and maddening for the good people in our neighborhood.
The political stunts being perpetrated by Councilman Weisgerber’s mob of “concerned” citizens is embarrassing to the good people of Loveland.
Councilman Rob Weisgerber has been on Loveland City Council for over twenty years. That is an extremely long time for any one person to have power over the economic health of our community. Two decades produces a long, and questionable, record. He may try and use different political tactics to stay in power, but Loveland deserves leaders who think of our economic wellbeing and not their own hold on power. The political stunts being perpetrated by Councilman Weisgerber’s mob of “concerned” citizens is embarrassing to the good people of Loveland. We deserve a better class of politics in Loveland. We deserve leaders who do not use divisive political strategies for their own personal gain. Thank you for your service Councilman Rob Weisgerber. It is time for you to exit the stage.
Ryan Kulik shares his home in Loveland with his wife, son, and dog.
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)
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.
Who is Joe Wessels and what does he do at City Hall?
Mayor’s Kumbaya Moment pivots to Bye Y’all as Council meeting abruptly…
Solicitor tells Council their meeting was not proper and Settell is…
Mark Fitzgerald resigns as Loveland Mayor and councilmember
Loveland, Ohio – Former mayor Mark Fitzgerald’s resignation from City Council leaves an opportunity for someone wishing to serve the remaining two years of his term. Fitzgerald resigned his position when faced with a recall election this November. A successful candidate must pass the muster of four of the remaining six members.
The City Manager issued this press release inviting residents to apply for the empty seat:
Loveland City Council will begin the process of filling the unexpired term of Councilman Mark Fitzgerald, whose term was set to expire on December 2, 2019.
Loveland residents interested in serving in this position are encouraged to submit an application and a resume to the Clerk of Council by 4:30 p.m. on September 5, 2017, at City Hall, located at 120 W. Loveland Avenue, Loveland, OH 45140. Applications are available at City Hall or on the City’s website, www.lovelandoh.gov.
Applicants must be a registered voter, must reside within the City, have lived within the City limits for at least one year preceding the appointment, and be at least 18 years of age.
Click here for the application form: Loveland City Council Member Application-1
– Halie Rebeccaschild
Loveland, Ohio – In the former Loveland mayor’s resignation speech at Tuesday’s council meeting, he made some blistering comments towards his political opponents. There was no open forum on the agenda for the meeting Mark Fitzgerald called to discuss his political future.
The Loveland Community Heartbeat Political Action Committee was particularly targeted in the speech so their spokesperson, Halie Rebeccaschild was asked if she would like to respond on the pages of Loveland Magazine.
You can view Fitzgeralds speech at the bottom of this page.
“Look Out for a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing,” said Mark Fitzgerald. This statement from him came at the end of a long, accusatory speech at the end of his unfortunate political career here in Loveland, Ohio. Residents signed a petition for Mark Fitzgerald’s recall election twice this year, the last time driving by the hundreds to sign at a remote location; yet, Mark Fitzgerald still does not get the big picture. And on 8/14, residents were treated to his pathetic attempt to discredit those brave enough to dare question his history of fraud allegations. He belittles both us and our demands of honesty and integrity from him and our elected City Council. And he would have residents believe that holding our elected public servants to a high standard of accountability makes us, the informed and politically engaged residents, the problem. But let’s take a look at a couple of his points to see if they hold merit.
First, Mark Fitzgerald accused the Loveland recall committee of having a singular origin of a small group of people. False. Loveland Community Heartbeat was only one organization of two behind the recall. Neighbors for Loveland, also supported the recall campaign (https://www.facebook.com/groups/NeighborsforLoveland/), and together, with other unafilliated residents around the city, we comprised more than thirty resident circulators who span the political spectrum. More, the recall committee takes no singular position on “growth” other than fiscal conservation, and we do not yearn for nostalgia, unless dreaming of a time when politicians served the people who elected them. Instead, the recall committee focused on the unethical behavior of Mark Fitzgerald, and in doing so, we collected over eighteen hundred signatures on the final petition.
Second, In addition to misinforming residents about the members of the recall committee, in his lengthy diatribe, Mark Fitzgerald acted coy about any reasons for recall. Of the complaint stated on the recall petition, he mocked, “What does this mean?” Of course, the reasons for recall, were posted since April on the website, www.lovelandheartbeat.org/recall, with links to primary sources revealing the nature of the fraud allegations brought forth by two whistleblowers during his employment as city administrator in North College Hill, and more recently, the disastrous Ohio state audit of North College Hill during his tenure (http://lovelandheartbeat.org/train_wreck/). The fact that Mark Fitzgerald failed to inform residents about the two fraud allegations during his 2015 campaign for City Council is at the basis for recall. This singular lie-of-omission is enough; yet, Loveland residents may also point to abuse of power, exemplified in the following third point.
Third, Mark Fitzgerald accuses the resident-stakeholder organization driving the recall, Loveland Community Heartbeat, of having no platform. False. Loveland Community Heartbeat advocates for resident engagement. We have promoted a resident-led master plan (http://lovelandheartbeat.org/about/masterplan/) and have addressed City Council in the past year to promote the positive benefits of residents at the table to determine the future direction of our city. Yet, our addresses to City Council repeatedly fell on the deaf ears of Mark Fitzgerald, Angie Settell, Pam Gross, and Steve Zamagias. We can see this in action when looking to the votes around the 4-story city hall project. Although, Rob Weisgerber advocated for residents’ concerns by motioning for interactive conversations with residents prior to any public hearing, his motion was shot down by the majority four. As a public hearing was the final step needed by law before the project and land would be turned over to the Community Improvement Corporation where it would be out of residents’ hands, Weisgerber’s motion could have led to resident engagement around the city hall project. Instead, the majority blocked such engaged discussions and have gone silent ever since (https://youtu.be/Z8215klQaAg).
Mark Fitzgerald doesn’t want to talk about the 4-story city hall project, and he certainly doesn’t want you to know that the mayor he voted into office on 8/14, Angie Settell, defended a 4-story city hall building as “among the most original and creative business decisions the city has made” (Cincinnati Enquirer, 12/16, http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/loveland/2016/12/20/loveland-get-new-city-hall/95706160/)
And if Rob Weisgerber, Ted Phelps, and Kathy Bailey hadn’t blocked the vote for the public hearing required by law before setting that project in motion, residents would today be looking at a demolished plot at 120 W. Loveland Avenue with two years of construction smack in the middle of Old Loveland. Did Mark Fitzgerald, Angie Settell, Pam Gross, and Steve Zamagias do their job as public servants to speak with residents across all neighborhoods before pushing to a final vote? It appears not, as the project was politically unpopular and failed miserably under resident scrutiny. Loveland Community Heartbeat was there to slow this project down until residents can be at the planning table.
Finally, Mark Fitzgerald threw around some interesting conspiracy theories to discredit our resident movement. He made veiled threats to reveal all the dirt on our identities, our past employment, our financial histories, you name it. Yet, nothing about the identities of Loveland Community Heartbeat stakeholders is private. By law, our contributions and identities are made available for anyone willing to take a drive to the Hamilton County Board of Elections, so why all the veiled threats? Does Mark Fitzgerald feel powerful by insinuating that residents who don’t appreciate his service are horrible people with histories and lives more scandalous than Mark Fitzgerald’s himself? The truth is, Loveland residents don’t care about the intricacies of stakeholders’ lives. Loveland residents just want an honest and ethical local government. Mark Fitzgerald just doesn’t get it.
But to momentarily entertain this unprofessional personal attack, I’ll say, Loveland Community Heartbeat comprises the voices of residents who are brave enough to take a stand against Mark Fitzgerald and this corrupt majority regime who claws with all their might to keep a stranglehold around our necks. And we are the few willing to make a serious sacrifice to address corruption head on, risking such personal attacks as seen here by Mark Fitzgerald. We are not a small group of residents, and we will grow even larger as we talk with our neighbors about the scandalous abuse of authority on display at the 8/14 Special City Council meeting. Residents should be outraged by Mark Fitzgerald’s political manipulation to place his chosen majority in power with a vote from him before he resigned from City Council. We would have residents ask, was that vote even legal?
This coordinated and pre-planned theatrical display by Mark Fitzgerald, Angie Settell, Pam Gross, and Steve Zamagias, (not unlike the staged majority walk out https://youtu.be/rZkh0LpYxt4) with their families present to witness, makes crystal clear their repeated and brazen violation of Sunshine Laws. Loveland just moved to settle a Sunshine Law suit; yet, it’s clear the majority City Council Members, including our new mayor, Angie Settell, care nothing about the law or the tax payer dollars spent to fight their corruptions of power.
Mark Fitzgerald, in his effort to cling to power, wants residents to look everywhere but at him to see the wolf in sheep’s clothing. He wants us to fight among ourselves and to blame each other for the problems that he repeatedly creates for Loveland. He wants to claim the high road, with a resignation letter that doesn’t recognize the legal outcome of our successful recall petition but claims he’s resigning out of respect for non-existent term limits. Loveland, we are much better without Mark Fitzgerald, and we can, and will, do much better than those who propped him up. We will continue our good work by voting out this majority power on November 7th, 2017.
