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Below is the text of the letter I delivered to Mayor Mallory today:
 

 
March 18, 2011
 
Mark Mallory
Mayor
City of Cincinnati
801 Plum Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
 
Re: Streetcar Support
 
Dear Mark:
 
As you are aware, I have been an outspoken supporter of the streetcar plan from the beginning.  In spite of overwhelming public opposition to the project, I had been convinced that the advantages of moving forward outweighed the potential challenges that we faced.  Moving communities forward sometimes requires leadership that runs against “current” public opinion.  I get that, and I was willing to take the slings and arrows that come from supporting a plan that I was convinced was workable.   
 
We have known all along that the plan we were working on had significant challenges.  Up to now, I was willing to put my concerns on the “back burner” with the understanding that we could face the tough decisions and make the plan workable.
 
No longer can I do that.  That is why I am writing to inform you that I will not vote in favor of any of the streetcar project legislative items during my remaining brief tenure on Council, and wanted to communicate to you my reasoning.
 
First and foremost, Governor Kasich’s opposition to the State’s commitment of $51.8 million leaves an enormous hole in the streetcar’s first phase, budgeted to cost $128 million.  It is obvious to me, and it should be obvious to everyone else, that the current streetcar plan no longer works. A $52 million hole (40% of the entire project cost) cannot be overcome without tax increases, a raid on the capital budget or more debt financing. Further, we cannot rely on the uncertainty of future federal grants. If we were to reduce the scope of the project, the result would be to minimize the economic impact of the investment. I do not support any of these measures in that they are not fiscally responsible. Therefore, I will not vote to move forward on any streetcar measure and hope that Council will put the project on hold until a new financing plan is in place, allowing Council members and voters to understand the entire package.
 
Additionally, after nearly four years of work, the Administration still has not produced for public review a plan to fund the operating costs for the streetcar.  It has been estimated by our consultant, way back in 2007, to cost somewhere between $1.9 million to $2.4 million a year.  This expenditure cannot be met by the General Fund, especially given our ongoing budget deficit. We should not move forward on approving construction or any other element of the streetcar project until this essential operating element is known in order to protect the general fund.  Failure to understand and budget for this expense completely undermines the credibility of the project and officials who support it. 
 
Additionally, and maybe most importantly, actions taken by you and the majority of Council have shown that we cannot be trusted to oversee a project of this magnitude.  The most recent example of this is our repeated failure to address the fiscal mess that is the City’s budget.
 
During your entire tenure as Mayor, you have proposed, advocated, lobbied and supported budgets that are structurally imbalanced and a majority of Council has played along. The most recent budget (fiscal 2011), approved in December of 2010 under your leadership, made a mockery of the budget process. Council “balanced” a budget with a deficit of $59 million through smoke and mirrors, avoiding what the City Administration had said for two years would be necessary -- the $20 per month garbage fee and the layoffs of 275 police and fire personnel.
 
You have opposed all efforts to transform City government in ways that would structurally balance the budget. You have opposed managed competition for garbage collection and other public services, which would have reduced costs to taxpayers. You have opposed even studying the idea of merging Cincinnati Police with the Hamilton County sheriff, which could have saved the City millions. You have opposed efforts to have a local hospital or private entity to administer the City’s health clinics.  Instead you cling to a status quo that the City tax base cannot sustain.
 
Meanwhile, we have seen no plan from you to structurally balance the budget – other than with higher taxes and the less safety services.  Clearly, this path would leave the City’s financial condition worse off as businesses and middle class tax payers head for other communities with lower taxes and better services.
 
During the last budget, you opposed even a modest plan for managed competition of public services.  Your opposition caused a responsible budget plan to fall apart. Cynically, you opposed that plan while privately you were planning to appear undercover as a public services employee on a reality television show.
 
The producer of that show was quoted on March 6, 2011 in the Cincinnati Enquirer as saying that, given there might be public services employee layoffs resulting from the budget, “We had to wait until after the budget was settled”.
Despite your denials to the contrary, this admission from the producer is evidence that you put your desire for a good television appearance over the financial well-being of our City.
 
The Cincinnati Enquirer said it well in its March 6, 2011 editorial titled “The dry fountain a sign of city’s poor management.” The Enquirer stated, “The money’s gone because city officials have for years neglected their central task of making sure the budget is sound and structurally balanced. Caving in to political pressures, they resist real spending reforms. Instead they use sleight-of-hand to patch together sham ‘balanced’ budgets that quickly unravel, forcing them to nibble and slice out of desperation.”
 
Yet, notwithstanding these repeated failures of leadership, you want the public to trust you to lead the City of Cincinnati in building and operating a streetcar system?  Is it any wonder that the public is opposed to this ambitious project?  Simply put, the public does not believe that the project will be a good investment as many of us elected officials have explained, but rather look at the failures of the current budget and see a program destined to further drain the resources of the City.
 
The public sees only your unwillingness to cut spending, your unwillingness to save money, and your unwillingness to make difficult choices to reduce expenses. But when it comes to the streetcar what does the public see?  They see your willingness to spend enormous amounts of  money that the public believes we cannot afford.
 
Therefore, I will not vote to move the project forward in my remaining days on Council, which is why I requested that the two streetcar account items be held on the Council calendar at our last meeting. I suggest you put the streetcar project on hold and I challenge you to immediately lead the Council and the Administration in developing a structurally balanced budget plan.  
 
Once you have done this hard task of leading transformative change, then you will have earned credibility with the public to revisit the economic promise of the streetcar. At that time, you can make your case across the City for the investment in a streetcar system, armed with a complete financing plan for its construction and operation (if possible given the recent major loss of state funding).
 
When you start leading in this manner and delivering the critical changes our City needs, I will again be ready to help the cause and expect that a Council majority would then be willing to review all of the streetcar economics and details and provide final approval of the program.
 
Sincerely,
 
 
Jeff Berding
Council Member
City of Cincinnati
 
 

January 27, 2011

Dear Friend,

I write to you today to let you know that I have decided to resign my seat on Cincinnati City Council at some point in the coming weeks, well before the end of my term this November.

As most people know, while I have served on City Council for the last 5 years, I have simultaneously maintained a private sector job and worked hard to balance the demands of both important positions. It was never my desire to be a full-time politician, and have not done so. My employer was very generous to fully support me in my desire to serve the citizens of Cincinnati and the region, knowing that the Council would take me away from the office and my responsibilities a great deal.

However, after 5 years of doing both jobs, it is now time to return to a full-time focus on my private sector position.

I have considered whether I could scale back my time and energy at City Hall to better balance my dual responsibilities and maintain my commitment to the voters who supported me. However, I hope you will understand that for me, I am either all in or not at all. I ran with a pledge to lead for change, not just vote for change, so therefore, I believe it is better for someone to come in and take my place on Council who can devote the required time and energy.

I have complete confidence in Chris Bortz, who is my successor-designee under the City Charter, to identify an experienced leader who can immediately step in and continue my work.

I am not stepping away immediately - but soon. I still hope to conclude some important work on my legislative agenda, none more critical than changes to the Cincinnati Retirement System that will prevent its insolvency. This allows time to prepare a successor who can come into City Hall ready to lead.

I am not retiring from public life – only from elected office, and maybe not for good. I have begun work on a series of ballot issues to present to the voters this fall, and will continue that work as a volunteer civic leader. Cincinnati desperately requires change, and I believe that I can have more success directly appealing to the voters than I did with my colleagues, the Mayor and staff at City Hall.

The citizens of Cincinnati were kind to give me the opportunity to serve on City Council for 5 years. I worked honestly and diligently to the best of my abilities to make the City better. When I cast a vote, I always thought how it would affect my children and the next generation of Cincinnatians, not how it would affect the next election. I have always done what I thought was right for Cincinnati even if it meant taking positions that left me without a political party or were not popular with the media or special interest groups that dominate City Hall.

Cincinnati has so much going for it – and people deserve more from its elected officials. We can be a powerhouse City – and region – if we could put aside political self-interests and align all of our energies on solving obvious problems and growing our tax base. The status quo is bankrupting our City, and my only regret is that I was not more successful in bringing needed changes over the objections of the defenders of a broken (and broke) government.

I have enjoyed meeting and becoming friends with many citizens across the City. I know that they will keep up their efforts to make our City better. And I have been blessed to serve with Chris Bortz, who has become like a brother to me, and with my good friends Leslie Ghiz and Chris Monzel. Together the four of us worked closely to achieve a shared agenda of public safety, economic growth and fiscally responsible budgets. I know that with Amy Murray and my successor, these efforts will continue and I have high hopes for them.

I am particularly glad that I have had 2 years on Council with Roxanne Qualls, who I respect a great deal and in whom I have great confidence to be the kind of intelligent, strong leader this City needs. And I want to acknowledge the personal kindness shown me by two of our other new members, Charlie Winburn and Wendell Young, and wish them and their families well.

Turning my full attention to my private sector responsibilities offers great news for my family. I so much appreciate my wife Lindsay and my children Allie, Jack and Grace. Families of elected officials make many sacrifices and without much acknowledgement. I love and thank them for their patience and support. The time away from home on weekends and evenings will be much less, the games and performances less missed, the moments together less interrupted by phone calls, and the stories and comments on the Internet less hurtful to them. So you can see why this is a good transition.

After 5 years, I believe the people of Cincinnati know where I stand. I am honored that the voters elected me each and every time I ran to represent their aspirations, and I thank you and them for such support.

At St. Xavier High School the motto “Men for Others” influenced me greatly, and I have taken the message of community service and obligation of leadership very seriously and will continue to do so. Therefore, I can honestly say that I look forward to working with you in the future as we strive to make greater Cincinnati truly a GREATER CINCINNATI.

Thank you and God bless,

Jeff