Updates

1) Woodland Meadows. The buildings are still there. Columbus has been granted the authority to raze them, but the next several updates will all still be about a collection of abandoned buildings. First of all, Jorge Newbery and his attorneys are apparently considering an appeal of the most recent ruling. I personally have no idea what could possibly be gained, even if they won their appeal, but that's just me. Next, a new entity moves to the forefront, as the Bank of Oklahoma forecloses on the property. Part of me wonders, in a rhetorical and somewhat hyperbolic way, whether or not they'd be better off simply walking away, if the value of the asset is actually greater than the potential liabilities. For instance, the next step by the city is to inventory the asbestos present in the 122 buildings. Who knows how much has already been released in the process of scavenging the wires and pipes? Finally, does anyone have any experience with Columbus City Attorney Richard C. Pfeiffer Jr.? If he's not actually a condescending right-wing something-or-other (update - and of course he's not, he's a Democrat who's held various offices ranging from judge to State Senator, and I blame sleepiness for not putting two and two together before posting), then he has a legitimate bone to pick with the Dispatch for making him sound that way.

2) GIRFOF. The Getting It Right For Ohio's Future Amendment will be the subject of a series of meetings around the state held by The Campaign For Ohio's Future (ht to who else?, Pho). My impression is that this is meant to be the first wave of volunteer organization for the signature drive. The first round of meetings includes a Columbus session:

February 21 5:00 p.m. Educational Service Center of Franklin County, 2080 Citygate Drive, Columbus, OH 43219

3) Streetcars and Hockey. I don't like to blog about things that I know other people are already doing a better job on, so... If you would like continuing updates on the progress of the downtown Streetcar project, you should be watching Columbus Retro Metro, which not only is tracking the Columbus project, but tracking streetcar-related stories from Metro Areas around the country. If you want to read what a lefty blogger from Central Ohio thinks about the Columbus Blue Jackets, you can wait for crumbs here, or read the Neutral Zone Trap, the new blog from the former proprietor of Creative Class Warfare.

This leaves me free to blog about stuff like Pat Tiberi's comments on the anti-surge resolution. Which I'll be doing tomorrow.

Pat Tiberi Accuses Deborah Pryce of Recklessly Threatening 200 Columbus Jobs

The Columbus Dispatch delivered a blanket endorsement back in October for Tiberi, Pryce, and Dave Hobson (OH-15,12, & 7), in this last election, claiming that the incuments' ability to bring home the pork justified any of their problematic enabling of the President. One cooperative endeavor was rightly highlighted in the endorsement:

When the Base Realignment and Closure committee had the Defense Supply Center Columbus and its 6,000 jobs on the chopping block last year, the three members, along with state and local officials, were instrumental in arguing that DSCC not only should be spared, but that the Defense Finance and Accounting Service on DSCC grounds should be expanded.

In the recent continuing appropriations bill, spending was re-structured such that the BRAC recommendations would have to be funded separately. Pat Tiberi voted against the appropriations bill, and he gave one solitary reason for doing so:

U.S. Congressman Pat Tiberi (OH-12) voted to protect 200 new jobs at Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC) created during the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Process. The jobs are currently scheduled to be transferred to DSCC in 2007, but are threatened because a Democratic $464 billion dollar spending bill cuts funding for BRAC by more than $3 billion...

...they will restore funding for BRAC in an upcoming emergency supplemental bill, but that’s not good enough. The Ohio delegation worked together to bring these new jobs to Ohio and with one quick vote, all of those jobs are threatened,” said Congressman Tiberi. “BRAC is not an emergency, the BRAC process is complete and its obligation to provide funding for this process and delaying it just doesn’t make sense.”

You can almost hear the pain in his voice as one member of that delegation, Deborah Pryce, a member of the Franklin County Three, abandoned Central Ohio and made a mockery of the Dispatch by callously dismissing, with one quick vote, those jobs they had worked so hard to bring here.

Of course, it's possible that Mr. Tiberi simply thinks Ms. Pryce is stupid and naive, that she has been duped into thinking that he, Pat Tiberi, is overstating the threat. Either way, I wonder what happened. They seemed to get along so well back in those majority days.

bonobo on BSB

As some of you might have seen, Jerid at Buckeye State Blog has invited me to be a front-pager at BSB. I'm honored, and it will mean a lot more eyes on my writing. Blue Bexley will, however, still be my primary outlet. Blue Bexley has always been a place where I wanted to focus on issues directly relevant to the people who share a district or districts with me. It still is. I just happen to have a place to spout off about topics with a broader interest. So just like BSB isn't the place to talk about Woodland Meadows or CSG, Blue Bexley won't be where I discuss the 2008 presidential primary, should I fall to temptation and actually weigh in.

And BTW, in between Bexley and the Buckeye State sits Franklin County. I'm still looking for a few good local bloggers.

Ed Amendment, then Tiberi on ONN this morning

Jim Betts and Bill Phillis discuss GIRFOF on Capitol Square (10am and 8pm), Pa(rro)t Tiberi on On the Hill (10:30am and 8:30pm). Note, if you watch Pat at 10:30 on ONN, you'll potentially miss "Johnny Smoke" Boehner on Meet the Press.

Update: I spent the day out and about with Charlotte, and I planned to catch On the Hill at 8:30 pm. It turns out that the Dispatch listed the wrong times, so I missed it (along with Capitol Square, which I thought I was going to get as a bonus). Obviously, I don't have a DVR, so I won't be able to catch the final broadcast tomorrow afternoon. There'll be an audio podcast at some point, which in some ways is preferable anyway, but I'm still pretty annoyed. You know what would be cool? If the Dispatch would buy ONN, and have one of their reporters host the show. Then they might know what times the program actually aired.