City budgets aren’t just about numbers; they’re arenas where power and transparency clash, especially when sidewalks are on the line. With the clock ticking towards a June 30 deadline, we’re breaking down the complex labyrinth of Cincinnati’s budgeting process. We highlight the slippery slope of leveraged support and the arbitrary adjustments by the mayor and […]
This morning, Brian and I discussed the city’s irregular handling of an anti-corruption audit commissioned by the city council under Mayor Cranley near the end of his second term. It had to be handed off to the new incoming Mayor in 2022, Aftab Pureval. Let’s just say that the hand-off didn’t go very smoothly. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19EQ9Bjuzv/
If you are like me and you look at the city’s Connected Communities process; the 2023 “Green Cincinnati Plan;” as well as, the “Financial Freedom Blueprint,” you must be wondering how much it cost in staff time and resources to produce these elaborate government plans. They obviously cost a lot. For example, there was a […]
When former city council member P.G. Sittenfeld was pardoned by President Trump for his federal corruption conviction, there was a lot of discussion of the pardon and all the political and prosecutorial angles. I decided to use the pardon instead to remind people about the corruption that tarnished the city’s reputation so terribly and […]
I told you so. . . . Nearly $6 million has been funneled into the shadows, and the integrity of the city’s campaign finance system hangs in the balance. Join us as we unravel the strings of alleged corruption surrounding the 2023 railway election, where Norfolk Southern, the city council, and Mayor Aftab’s roles have […]
The Enquirer published this op-ed, on-line, late on Friday May 30. I did not submit it until around 9 pm and it was publshed online that night and then again on June 8, 2025, in the printed edition of the Sunday paper. I took a different approach to the Sittenfeld pardon. Instead of talking […]
The Regional Economic Development Initiative (REDI) is a “leveraged support” partner. It is one of 40 or so external organizations that receives funding from the city. For each of the the past several years, REDI has received $250,000 from the city. In 2025, REDI underwent a contract compliance audit by the city’s Internal […]
Todd unlocks the secrets of effective city governance as we expose the tangled web of a missing audit report and the story behind it. Navigate with us through the perplexities of audit management, from the bombshell draft by Crowe LLP in December 2022 to the final report’s emergence nearly two years later. Despite the clear […]
Reference Episodes 12 &17 of the podcast EDRP Final Recommendations and Report July 2022 Crowe draft report 12.15.22 Crowe Final Report Nov 2023
This morning, Brian and I had a wide-ranging conversation about the Hyde Park Square petition drive, the condition of the city’s fleet, the Green Cincinnati Plan and the city’s budget process for making financial grants to 200 or so non-profit organizations thoughout the city. https://55krc.iheart.com/featured/brian-thomas-wkrc/content/2025-05-16-75-brian-thomas-brian-with-todd-zinser-5162025/