Thursday, February 09, 2006
Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati
 UPDATED, 2/9, 5:45pm!
Next Monday, February 13th, Citizens Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) is holding a fundraiser for Phil Heimlich at the Watson Bros. Brewhouse in Blue Ash (6:30pm, cost $75, guest speaker Steve Chabot, open to the public). Christopher Finney (on the left, swearing in his friend Phil Heimlich) is listed as a leader of COAST (along with Tom Brinkman and James Urling)—which should raise some eyebrows due to Finney’s longstanding real estate associations with Phil Heimlich. This sounds like a conflict of interest at worst, or backroom cronyism and influence peddling at best.
Phil Heimlich, Chris Finney, and Jeff Eichorn (who works for Attorney General and Gubernatorial hopeful Jim Petro’s office) have been listed as principal partners in a Limited Liability Corporation known as “The Three Centurions.” That is, until they recently transferred ownership to each of their wives.
The Three Centurions seems to be a real estate investment business of some sort—the company holds several properties in the region. This business relationship should put a new spin on Finney’s relationship with an outfit like COAST. Is Finney really interested in saving the taxpayers of Hamilton County a few bucks, or does his own personal business ventures stand to make an exponentially larger profit due to the types of policy he pushes through people like Phil Heimlich?
This puts a radically different spin on stories like this recent column by Kimball Perry. Perry keeps circling the issue of these behind-the-scenes relationships, writing passages like this:
Even though he has never been elected, Chris Finney could have a big say over what Hamilton County residents pay in taxes.
Firing the Tax Levy Review Committee members (where only Chris Finney remained on the board), Portune said, proves the committees aren’t being used to further government. Instead, he said, they are being used to advance the political doctrines Heimlich and DeWine share.
“Now, (the committee) is populated with one point of view, to follow the dictates of the chair whose only agenda is to eliminate the levies. That mirrors the philosophy of Phil and Pat,” Portune said. (my italicized insertion)
Perry just never swoops down for the kill, choosing to dance around the issue of the back-scratching just beneath the surface here—clearly manifest when one examines an LLC like The Three Centurions.
Why does Cincinnati corporate news keep giving Heimlich a free pass?
And what, if anything, does Steve Chabot (the guest speaker for the COAST fundraiser) know about all of this?
I just sent him the following email:
Dear Congressman Steve Chabot:
I am writing about the upcoming COAST fundraiser where you will be a guest speaker for Phil Heimlich.
Are you aware of some strange, behind-the-scenes relationships between Phil Heimlich and Chris Finney—one of the leaders of COAST?
They have been involved in a joint real estate venture known as The Three Centurions (along with Jeff Eichorn, from Jim Petro’s office). This LLC owns several properties throughout the region. Recently, they transferred ownership of this LLC to their wives.
Saving taxes is one thing, but it is something else when it looks like COAST is working to line the pockets of real estate investors like like Heimlich and Finney.
This smacks of a conflict of interest at worst, or backroom influence peddling at best.
Respectfully,
The Dean of Cincinnati
UPDATES:
So why the name Three Centurions? A clue may be found in the recent In These Times cover story “The Cult of Character” ( http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/print/2450/ ) which describes Phil Heimlich’s connections to cult evangelist Bill Gothard:
According to Gothard’s interpretation, first century Roman Centurions were admirable figures of authority who followed their orders without question....
Coincidence? Or are Chris Finney and Jeff Eichorn - a former Heimlich aide who now works as Jim Petro’s Public Affairs Director ( http://das.ohio.gov/phone/agency/ago.asp ) - also Gothardite “Centurions”?
Additionally, I have written to all of those involved in The Three Centurions, and I even called Rebecca Heimlich. None were willing to talk. The fact that they all refuse to talk about this real estate partnership speaks volumes. Are they trying to hide something?
COAST has its own agenda and its issues come before the County Commission. How can Phil act as anything but a Finney puppet when he has so much money invested in a partnership w/Finney? Don’t they have a duty to disclose their business relationship? They didn’t. This is a charade.
They also failed to disclose their relationship during the Drake negotiations during which Finney sat on the Drake Levy board.
DOCS
Three Centurions LLC and Three Centurions Two LLC property records:
http://research.batcave.net/3cents_1-7-06.pdf
June 1, 2005 Hamilton County Recorder mortgage record naming Phil & Rebecca Heimlich, Chris & Diane Finney, Jeff & Jill Eichorn:
http://recordersoffice.hamilton-co.org/hcro-pdi/doGetDocumentDisplay.do?ctrlNumOne=4515999
Phil Heimlich’s Ethics Disclosure forms listing property addresses for Three Centurions LLC and Three Centurions Two LLC:
2002: http://research.batcave.net/2002-EthicsDiscl_PH.pdf
2003: http://research.batcave.net/2003-EthicsDiscl_PH.pdf
2004: http://research.batcave.net/2004-EthicsDiscl_PH.pdf
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