Acceptance Speech by Chris Monzel

Over this past year I have been able to take time to reflect on, review, and research the serious issues that are facing our city.  I have seen the problems facing our city from a citizen’s point of view.  And during this past year, I have been asked many times by people: “when are you moving?” and  “now you don’t have to live in the city any more”.  And honestly my wife and I did think about moving out to the suburbs.  But I’m not a quitter; I’m a fighter.  And I’m going to stay and fight for Cincinnati’s future.  I am not going to give up on our great city and that’s why today I’ve accepted the Republican Party and Sam Malone’s offer to serve out the rest of Pat DeWine’s term on Cincinnati City Council.

There are many challenges facing our city, and this is a time of crisis - the city is losing population because of concerns over crime, education and high taxes.  So, during the past year I have developed a 5 Point plan that focuses on crime, taxes & spending, education, housing and health care.

And like Sam, I understand neighborhood issues – I was the first community council vice-president ever elected to city council.  And it is absolutely critical to be responsive to our citizens and address the problems facing our neighborhoods.  From snow removal to the weekly garbage pick-up, our neighborhood residents need to know that when they call city hall they will get action and not a voicemail.

If you talk to any of these community leaders behind you they will tell you the biggest threat to your neighborhood is crime.  Crime cannot be tolerated. We all know this and we need to be clear on where we stand.

Our neighborhoods support the police. The policemen and women are fighting everyday to save our city. They are putting their lives on the line. I want to thank them and let them know that I will never, never turn my back on them.

I will vote to increase the number of police officers on the street. I will work to continue increasing the number of citizens on patrol groups. And I look forward to working with Sam on this anti-gang initiative.

Together the neighborhoods working with the police, can make a difference. We can take back our neighborhoods and make them family friendly once again and proudly call our neighborhoods home.

I’m looking forward to working with Sam to restore hope to this great city.  As a team we will encourage enterprising businesses and families to move in. Thereby increasing jobs and homeownership.  We want families already here to stay and remain in the neighborhoods they call home. Once this starts happening, once our neighborhoods are reclaimed as our own, crime will move out.  Crime dwells on pessimism and in places that see a dark and gloomy future. It flourishes in neighborhoods that have given up. We will restore hope to our neighborhoods. We will return responsibility to the great people of Cincinnati. And we will push crime out of our neighborhoods.

One other issue I would like to discuss briefly today, are the budget problems that are facing are city.  As everyone watched this past December during the budget process, we have seriously financial issues that need to be addressed and addressed quickly.

That is why I will be working with Sam on a Taxpayer Protection Amendment to be added to the city’s charter.  In the last 10 years city spending has increased greater than the rate of inflation.  This proposed charter amendment will limit taxes and spending to the rate of inflation plus the rate of population growth.  We can’t let City Hall spend it all anymore.  If this charter amendment had been put in place 10 years ago, there would not be a budget deficit today.  Instead council has just struggled to fill one budget deficit and who knows how many more will be on the horizon tomorrow.

In closing, I am committed to working with Sam in addressing these serious problems as a team and look forward to a very productive and rewarding future for this great city of Cincinnati.

Thank you.