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S2 Ep50: That's So Cincinnati: Reds shouldn't fire Thom Brennaman, LGBTQ leader says Sep 02, 2020

Show notes

One of Greater Cincinnati's leading influencers in the LGBTQ community wants to give embattled Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman a chance to redeem himself.
And there's no better place for Brennaman to do that than the television booth, community leader Ryan Messer told The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcast.
"I don't think he should be fired," said Messer, vice president of the Cincinnati Public Schools board and co-founder of Greater Cincinnati's Human Rights Campaign. "There's good that can come out of this. The people who can make the most change are the people who have changed the most."
Brennaman was suspended indefinitely by the Reds after he used a homophobic slur on air last month. He has apologized and been meeting with LGBTQ people in order to "start improving my understanding of LGBTQ+ issues," Brennaman wrote in an Enquirer op-ed.

Messer, who is openly gay, and Brennaman are scheduled to meet at Messer's home in North Avondale next week.
"I am very grateful for the chance to listen and learn," Brennaman told The Enquirer in a text message on Wednesday, his first media comments since the Aug. 20 op-ed on Cincinnati.com. "I hurt a lot of people, and there will be good that comes from this. We, my family and I, are completely committed to that."
In his own Enquirer op-ed last month, Messer said Brennaman's "use of the slur wasn’t a mistake." But Messer, a regional executive for Johnson & Johnson, has been encouraged by the steps Brennaman has taken since the broadcaster made what he now calls a "hateful" comment during the Reds-Kansas City Royals broadcast on Aug. 19.
"My goal is to say, 'Well, how can this turn into a learning opportunity for him and for others?' " Messer said on That's So Cincinnati. "I think you always have to start with grace in every situation."

S2 Ep49: That's So Cincinnati: Ohio GOP leader Jane Timken on the hype about suburban women voters Aug 26, 2020

Show notes

The election is all about suburban women voters. You've inevitably heard that many times in 2020. Ohio GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken joined The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcast to discuss the battle for suburban women voters and whether Trump's message of safety amid nationwide protesting is working with that voting bloc.
"I am that demographic," said Timken, 53, who grew up in Cincinnati and now lives in the suburbs of the Canton-Akron region. "You’re watching on TV what’s happening in Minnesota ... Portland ... Wisconsin. I personally think it’s freighting. I’ve talked to others who think it is as well. The Democrats refuse to condemn it. I do think (Trump's message is) resonating."
Timken also offers her thoughts on the Republican National Convention, Nick Sandmann's RNC speech and the media on this week's That's So Cincinnati.
Click the Audioboom link at the top of this article to listen for free. Or subscribe and listen for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other major listening platforms. The Timken interview begins at the 15:45 mark in the episode.

S2 Ep48: That's So Cincinnati: Republican Greg Hartmann on criticizing Donald Trump and the Bengals' future Aug 18, 2020

Show notes

Cincinnati's Greg Hartmann is among a handful of Republicans who can vouch for how costly it can be to publicly criticize Donald Trump.
Hartmann made national headlines in late 2015, when the then-Hamilton County commissioner called Trump "the most offensive public figure I've seen." The comments ended up costing Hartmann a White House-appointed federal prosecutor's job.
Back in the local political spotlight to lead the GOP's campaign to kill a potential ballot initiative to disband the Cincinnati Police, Hartmann this week reflected on his criticism of Trump and opened up about his current feelings about the president in a wide-ranging interview on The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcast.
Hartmann continues to have mixed feelings about Trump, but the local GOP influencer isn't bitter about the White House stringing him along for nearly two years on the federal prosecutor appointment. Hartmann ultimately withdrew his name from being considered for U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio in December 2018.
"I don't love the way the president handles things," Hartmann told That's So Cincinnati. "I like the fact that he's significantly cut regulations and taxes, so I support a lot of the policies. I don't support a lot of the meanness and divisive approach that he's taken."
Asked specifically if he'll support Trump in November, Hartmann added: "Sure. He's our candidate. He doesn't do a lot of things the way that I would do them, (but) the alternative is not very impressive."

S2 Ep47: That's So Cincinnati: Householder scandal scares 'good people' away from running for office, Ohio lawmaker says Aug 11, 2020

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Ohio Rep. Brigid Kelly joins The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcast to discuss the Larry Householder scandal; the dangers of dark money in politics; how the House moves forward; and what Hamilton County office she may run for in the future.
The Hyde Park Democrat says she's concerned the alleged $60 million Statehouse bribery scandal against the now-former House Speaker could deter "good people" from running for elected office and get involved in politics and government.
The Kelly interview begins at the 13:30 mark in the episode.

S2 Ep46: That's So Cincinnati: Ex-mayor takes aim at Reds and Bengals on The Banks project Aug 04, 2020

Show notes

Former Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken has emerged as a leading critic on the city and county's embattled riverfront development project, also known as The Banks.
And the former Congressman and local TV anchor didn't hold back in his criticism of The Banks on That's So Cincinnati this week, calling for new leadership on the project. Luken is a member of the city-county Joint Banks Steering Committee, which is supposed to provide oversight and decision-making power on the project.
But the committee rarely meets.
Here's just a sampling of what Luken said on That's So Cincinnati:
"We've lost our way," Luken said of the committee. "And I think we've lost our way for so long that we have ceased to be effective. I do not believe that group can be repaired. There needs to be a new approach, and that falls to the elected people to lead on. I hope that they do. I don’t think it’s going to change much as long as (county attorney) Tom Gabelman and (Reds owner Bob) Castellini view this as their little project. As long as that happens, I see more fighting and more difficulty in the future."

S2 Ep45: That's So Cincinnati: Attorney Chris Finney talks Larry Householder scandal, COVID-19 orders, ballot initiatives Jul 29, 2020

Show notes

Cincinnati Attorney Chris Finney talks about his challenges of going against energy company-led efforts to reject a ballot initiative last year on Larry Householder's House Bill 6. Finney also discusses his legal battles against Gov. Mike DeWine's coronavirus-related orders.
Also this week: Co-hosts Jason Williams and Sharon Coolidge breakdown the scandal in Columbus and discuss a leisure trip on the Ohio River.

S2 Ep44: That's So Cincinnati: New Cincinnati city manager, surprise parks levy, take the stairs Jul 23, 2020

Show notes

On this week's episode:
-- New Cincinnati City Manager Paula Boggs Muething talks about her personal and professional journey.
-- What's up with the under-the-radar Hamilton County parks levy
-- Taking the stairs at Eden Park

S2 Ep43: That's So Cincinnati: Whatever happened to Downtown marina project? Jul 16, 2020

Show notes

It's been four years since Cincinnati Parks leaders announced that the long-awaited riverfront marina was finally going to be built.
Nothing has happened since, though. What happened?
New Cincinnati Parks Director Kara Kish told The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati Podcast that the Parks Board earlier this year requested and got an extension until 2023 for the $1.5 million state grant being used to help get the project going.
"I am optimistic about (the marina)," Kish said. "I think it's in the future of the city."
Learn more about Kish, the parks and the marina plan on this week's episode.
Also this week: Co-hosts Jason Williams and Sharon Coolidge breakdown the 2021 Cincinnati mayor's race in the wake of P.G. Sittenfeld's official campaign launch.

S2 Ep42: That's So Cincinnati: GOP candidate explains his idea for selling Paul Brown Stadium Jul 08, 2020

Show notes

The burden of paying for future maintenance and upgrades to Paul Brown Stadium continues to loom large for Hamilton County taxpayers.
As the bill is coming due in a few years on deferred costs, Republican commissioner candidate Andy Black is proposing a solution:
Sell the stadium.
It's not a new idea, but Black is well-intentioned and has gathered a team of experts to work on a plan.
The former Mariemont vice mayor talks in-depth about his idea on That's So Cincinnati. Black's interview begins at the 13:40 mark in the episode.
Also this week:
-- What the mask-wearing mandate means in Cincinnati
-- Adventures in kayaking around Greater Cincinnati

S2 Ep41: That's So Cincinnati: Dusty Rhodes makes no apologies, doubles down on 'Black Lives Matter' comments Jun 30, 2020

Show notes

Dusty Rhodes says Democrats can censure him "until the cows come home," but the long-time Hamilton County auditor isn't going to apologize for his recent tweet asking why Black Lives Matter isn't also focusing on children lost to abortions and shootings.
Instead, Rhodes is doubling down on his comments and hopes it drives a conversation about emphasizing that "all black lives matter," he told The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcast his week.
A anti-abortion Catholic and conservative-leaning Democrat, Rhodes said:

"This whole Black Lives Matter thing has gotten in my craw real good. I appreciate the sentiment, but not the organization, which is a Marxist outfit hellbent on destroying our country as it stands right now. ...
"They're killing more black babies in abortions than white as a ratio. And I think those black lives matter just as much as the three little kids who were killed (by gun violence) in Chicago this weekend. And nobody's talking about that. ...
"Black lives matter in the womb as well as in life outside the womb. I think it's a valid point and it ought to be discussed."

To listen to the full podcast episode for free, click the Audioboom link at the top of the article. That's So Cincinnati can also be found for free on most podcast listening platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Rhodes' interview begins at the 13:50 mark in the episode.
Rhodes enraged some members of the Hamilton County Democratic Party on June 19, when he tweeted: "Just wondering when they are going to paint 'Black Lives Matter' on Auburn Avenue, you know, in front of that building where they terminate black lives and white ones, too, almost every day of the week."
Planned Parenthood, the city's only abortion clinic, is located on Auburn Avenue in Mount Auburn.
Democratic Party Chairwoman Gwen McFarlin issued a statement three days later calling Rhodes' tweet "racist" and sexist," adding that she would begin the process of censuring the 30-year county auditor.
Rhodes said McFarlin contacted him before she released the statement. He called McFarlin a "good person" whom he's known for 30 years, but she caved to the party's progressives.
"I like Gwen personally, but she couldn't stand up to them and she buckled," Rhodes said.
Former local party chairman "Tim Burke would have never allowed this to happen," Rhodes said. "Tim Burke believed in a big tent and brought us all together. His only thing was do your job well and don't reflect badly on the party. That's what I've done consistently. I've never brought scandal to the party, and they can't say that about some of their favorites in City Hall."
Rhodes said he'll continue to criticize Black Lives Matter for pushing a narrowly focused political agenda and ignoring taking up the cause of the importance of all Black lives.
"I'm going to say what I think, because I'm not going to let the party do my thinking for me," Rhodes said. "It's a horrible thing (George Floyd's death). But to use that as an excuse to destroy buildings and blocks and take over cities and everything else, I think that's a bridge too far. But everybody (politicians and media) is scared to say it. I can't believe it. They're hiding under their desks. It's time to step up."
Rhodes was first elected auditor in 1990, and he's always consistently held pro-life views. He's also been outspoken about those beliefs, often tweeting about it. Rhodes was asked if he thought the party issued the public rebuke now to put pressure on him to retire.
"I'm not going to hide my opinion under a bushel basket," Rhodes said. "I've been pro-life from the start. They knew I was pro-life when I first ran for Delhi trustee. I was pro-life when they asked me to run for auditor. I was pro-life when they endorsed me two years ago. To expect that I'm going to keep quiet about that (is) ridiculous."
He added: "The Democratic Party is not going to save my soul. My church comes before my party and that's the way I am."
Rhodes, 80, reiterated that he'd already been thinking about retiring after his term expires in 2022. If he does decide to run again, however, Rhodes didn't definitively say whether he'd remain loyal to the Democrats or switch parties.
"I'd rather fight than switch," Rhodes said.

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