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Guest article by Josh Krekeler, convener for the Southwest Ohio Green Party

The Southwest Ohio Green Party has endorsed Christopher Smitherman for Cincinnati City Council.  Mr. Smitherman is a financial planner and Cincinnati native who served on City Council from 2003-2005.  During his term, he was a champion of environmental justice legislation for the city.  He opposed giving away Fountain Square’s parking garage revenues to 3CDC for the next two generations.  He also called for greater accountability in the police department on issues such as overtime pay and targeted use of money seized in drug-related arrests, and supported collecting taxes on stock options.  Cincinnati is the only city in Ohio that does not tax stock options.

More recently, Mr. Smitherman has been a very visible supporter of inclusion and democracy on two major local issues.  City Council and the Hamilton County Commissioners are working to develop a piece of prime riverfront real estate known as the Banks, between the Reds and Bengals stadiums.  A Banks Working Group comprised of local business leaders is overseeing the project.  The original members of the working group were five Caucasian men.  Mr. Smitherman, together with the local NAACP and a coalition of churches, helped to secure the addition of two African-Americans to the group earlier this year.  Their votes will help ensure that the project guarantees a meaningful level of inclusion for women- and minority-owned businesses, minority entrepreneurs, and organized labor.  Mr. Smitherman serves as president of the Cincinnati branch of the NAACP.

The Hamilton County Commissioners passed a resolution earlier this year to raise the county’s sales tax by 1/2% to finance the construction of a new jail and expansion of treatment programs for prisoners.  Under Mr. Smitherman’s guidance, the NAACP led a referendum campaign to put the tax increase on the ballot and allow citizens to vote on the plan.  Hamilton County voters defeated a similar, less costly tax increase in November 2006.  The referendum campaign was supported by a diverse alliance of other groups, including the local Green and Libertarian Parties, Cincinnati Progressive Action/No Jail Tax PAC, and the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxation (COAST).

The Green Party is the only political party consistently working for fair and accessible elections, environmental conservation, economic equality, single-payer universal health care, fair trade agreements that respect local environmental and labor laws, and peace among neighbors and nations.  Mr. Smitherman’s commitment to Green values such as social justice, diversity, and protecting the environment is evident in both his personal and public life.  Please join us in helping him bring these values back to City Hall!  For information about events and volunteer opportunities, call Josh Krekeler at 368-4062.

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