Welcome to the August Mailbag
Answering burning questions from readers about Issue 1, COTA, the Republican Junta, and more!
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Welcome to the August Mailbag!
I’m writing a majority of this dispatch on my phone while sitting on the patio of Parma Tavern, drinking a delicious non-alcoholic Labatt Blue, which is a product I didn’t know existed until 10 minutes ago.
As a reminder, there will be no dispatch on Monday in observance of Labor Day, my favorite holiday of the annual calendar. Please don’t get arrested! Spending a long weekend in the clink ain’t for the faint of heart!
As such, let’s dive into this month’s questions from the readers. You will have to be a paid subscriber to view this mailbag in full, so if you aren’t, here’s your chance to fix that problem ahead of what should be a hectic political season.
As always, the questions are in bold, and my responses are in normal text.
Any news or updates for the state and future of COTA? I recall seeing the former CEO resign. Is the new CEO expected to have a positive impact? Ohio's largest city could really use a mass transit W as Amtrak keeps looking for Midwest expansion.....
Yes, the long national nightmare that was Joanna Pinkerton, who lived in Washington D.C. with her boyfriend, is over at COTA.
COTA promoted Monica Tellez-Fowler from No. 2 to No. 1. And from everything I have heard, she’s been a breath of fresh air compared to her predecessor. Most recently she streamlined the company flow chart.
Most importantly, however… we need to make sure the LinkUs initiative passes in November. It it perfect? No. I wish it included bullet trains. But it’s a major step in the right direction, and frankly, if it doesn’t pass, we’re fucked.
On the other hand, Amtrak continues laying the groundwork for expanding its passenger rail network in Ohio. The last time I broached the subject with a well-respected labor lobbyist, they seemed confident we would have a network connecting Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland by the decade's end.
That could be a tad optimistic! But we are headed in that direction, and this time around, the expansion has the support of the business community, which is no small thing in this state.
How about Toledo Mayor, Democrat Wade Kapszukiewicz for Governor? He's a good guy in the Tim Walz mold.
Kapszukiewicz would be a great candidate in the perfect political system. Unfortunately, in this one, most voters would say, “Who the hell is Wade Kapszhdnalqhdwiss?”
And it would take a mountain of money to change that, and Kapszukiewics doesn’t have the network to raise that kind of money. So he has hit the glass ceiling for Democrats in Ohio.
Other than the ballot language and the published argument against it, I have seen no cohesive Republican messaging against the redistricting proposal. Do you know if there’s something big in the works to fight it or are they just half-assing it knowing they will lose?
The last poll I saw had Issue 1 passing by roughly 45 points.
The Republicans are in a hard spot because our side is well-financed, and most Americans agree that politicians shouldn’t pick their voters.
The Republicans can’t be honest that they’ve become addicted to their little racket and ill-gotten legislative supermajorities. So, as far as I can tell, their best plan of attack is claiming that Issue 1 will enact gerrymandering.
Voters are collectively dumb, but we can sense bullshit. It’s nothing more than desperate measures for desperate men. And it shows how screwed they are.
If you could summarize the City Councils of the Big 3-C cities, who would be the most efficient? Who would be the most corrupt/worthless?
Well, the FBI hasn’t arrested any Columbus council members in recent years. So we have that going for us, which is nice. And, for better or worse, it is efficient.
In that regard, it’s a horse race between Cleveland and Cincinnati for most corrupt. Cincy, however, is my pick given that PG Sittenfeld, the former Cincy council president, went to prison (since free on appeal) as president.
You’ve written a lot about your issues with Mayor Suburbs and Bibb, but why the hate for Aftab as well?
My biggest issue with Aftab is that he is a former student government body president. I think all former student government participants should be banned from holding elected office in the real world.
Because I absolutely loathe politicians who have clearly dreamed of acquiring power from a young age and moved toward that goal every step of their lives. They make abhorrent leaders.
Pete Buttigieg, Josh Mandel, and JD Vance are just some of the names that fit this profile.
My other beef with Aftab is, outside of being a jabroni who sold Cincy’s railroad and once wore jeans to play softball in a commercial, he has spent the last couple of years desperately trying to earn a federal appointment within the Biden Administration, with the Ambassadorship to India being one example.
He’s just a dude eternally in search of his next promotion, which is why he will undoubtedly try the same if Kamala Harris wins in November, despite telling local radio yesterday that he’s running for re-election as mayor.
What type of "October Surprise" would need to occur for Harris to win Ohio in November? Not a entirely national surprise, but something that would turn the Hog Voter against the Trump/Vance machine. Would Vance need to be seen wearing blue/maize or Donald saying "The Spot" was wrong?
It would take something sexual, like Vance having a love child or getting caught with a twink in bed.
Donald Trump would have to be caught using some slur… and that might not be enough!
What are the Cullings up to? We miss Sally and Josh content. Shooters shoot!
Woo, boy!
Sally Culling, after blowing $100k in her bitterly contested loss to State Rep. Haraz Ghanbari, deleted her social media after sending a terse, half-assed “thank you” note to her followers.
Joshua Culling, who lost his Republican Central Committee race, didn’t tweet until recently when he climbed out of the sewer to challenge the Secretary of Transportation to a debate.
Most recently, they are set to host a fundraiser for State Rep. Derek Merrin’s Congressional campaign in their home.
Losers of a feather flock together, and all that.
For subscribers who got your stickers in the mail, what was the return address on there? It certainly wasn't yours, since it wasn't in Ohio
40 Presidential Drive
Simi Valley, California, 93065
It’s an address that I have memorized. It’s also the grave of Ronald Reagan.
Is Dr. Acton’s life in danger if she runs for governor?