Kevin Marsh Announcements

Bios for CTM Trustee Candidates

Below are the bios for candidates running for CTM Trustee at the upcoming elections on Monday, December 7 from 6-7pm.  Elections will be held at the Clifton Recreation Center on the 2nd floor in the large meeting room.  The Rec Center is universally accessible to all.  Take the elevator or the stairs to the 2nd floor.

Adam Balz

Adam Balz is a native Cincinnatian and a Clifton resident since 2006. He lives on Woolper Avenue with his wife, Michelle, and two children, Benjamin and Emily. Adam has been an active volunteer with CTM—planting flowers, installing holiday decorations, and coordinating the Memorial Day grill out since moving to Clifton. Adam has been a trustee of Clifton Town Meeting since 2013. He has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and a Master’s of Public Administration and is a partial owner of the environmental consulting firm Pegasus Technical Services.

Peter Block

I have been living in Clifton for about 12 years, married to Cathy Kramer, a long time resident. For most of my career I was an independent organizational consultant. In the last ten years I’ve worked with governments and communities on creating more citizen engagement. Author of nine books, two focused on building positive community and more connected neighborhoods.

I’m on the Board of Elementz, an Urban Arts Center, and served on Cincinnati Public Radio Board. I helped begin the Economics of Compassion Initiative which is supporting an alternative economy in the city. CTM matters and I would like to support it as trustee. All the issues of safety, zoning, events, the social fabric are important to me. My strongest interest is in the business district. Eleven empty storefronts are too many. We need to understand more fully why this is occurring and how we can co-operatively do something about this.

Ashley Fritz

I have lived in Clifton, on Middleton Avenue, for the past six years with my husband and our two sons. Clifton is a wonderful neighborhood for my family, and I really enjoy the walkability and friendliness of Clifton. However, I have the same concerns as many residents with regards to safety, education, and the continued revitalization of our business district. As a CTM trustee for the past three years, I have helped manage and edit the Clifton Chronicle and have helped organize numerous CTM sponsored events. For this year’s Clifton House Tour, I was the lead volunteer coordinator. I would like to continue my efforts with the Clifton Chronicle and CTM events, as well as collaborating with others in finding new ways to keep Clifton the best neighborhood in Cincinnati.

Erin Hinson

Erin Hinson is a young professional who has resided in Clifton since 2013. In that time, Clifton has become home to her and the place she desires to establish her roots. Erin Hinson is a proud alumni of Xavier University. She is passionate about soccer which has led her to a role as the St. Lawrence youth soccer coach in her spare time and the captain of an intramural soccer team.

When she’s not coaching or playing soccer, Erin has started several successful companies, including one where she works with small and local businesses to increase their online audience and brand. She also co-founded #UnlockCincinnati, a weekly blog for WCPO.com and a tourism-based marketing company centered around bringing awareness and traffic to the abundant local businesses in all of Cincinnati.

Malcolm Montgomery

What sets me apart from the other candidates? Passion and experience!

I would bring to CTM my passion for protecting and enhancing Clifton, my track record of accomplishments, and a seasoned perspective that will complement a Board that has many relatively new trustees.

I am one of a handful of Lifetime CTM Members. I care enough about protecting and enhancing Clifton as the best neighborhood in Cincinnati to have volunteered over a thousand hours for CTM activities. I served as a CTM Trustee twice, with one term starting in 1990 and a second in 2009. I’m proud of the many things I’ve accomplished in the last 25 years collaborating with others to deliver results for Clifton including the following:

– for our younger residents: completed soccer fields at Mount Storm
for beautification: funded landscaping for the recreation center
– for public safety: served as police liaison; funded hidden cameras to catch drug dealers on our side streets; collaborated on excessive traffic on side streets and enforcement of speed limits
– improving CTM meetings: provided and maintained audio visual system enabling the audience to hear speakers and see handouts and computer presentations
– Quality of life and enhancement of property values – chaired CTM housing and zoning committee, testified before zoning commission and city council for a more effective chronic nuisance law, for better zoning laws, for fairness in the enforcement of zoning regulations, and for neighborhood improvements

I have time to get things done. I am retired from UC and perform only occasional pro bono work in my educational technology consulting business.

Sean Mullaney

I am a lifelong Cincinnatian with brief stays in Chicago and Paris. My wife and I have lived in Clifton for 20 years and we have 2 children. My experience in design, business and real estate gives me a broad background to understand the big picture of our neighborhood. We are fortunate to have amazing parks, stunning architecture and a unique business district in Clifton. I would work to utilize and improve these assets to bring more people to live, work and play in Clifton Gaslight.

Cindy Oakenfull

I have been a Clifton resident for over ten years. My wife, Gillian, and I moved here when we were about to start our family. We chose Clifton as we wanted to raise our family in an open-minded dynamic urban environment that also provided the charm of an historic neighborhood. We now have three sons, Jack 9, Ben 6, and Danny 3. I love everything that Clifton has brought to our lives. My family feels connected to the community – its schools, its businesses, its parks, and its people.

Professionally, I’ve served in various management roles for Paramount Parks, Fifth Third Bank, and GE Capital. Each position provided me the opportunity to build distinct corporate business units within Operations, Sales and Marketing. After 16 rewarding years, I left corporate industry for academia, joining the faculty at Miami University’s Farmer School of Business, where Gillian is a marketing professor. In my short time at Miami, I have found a passion for preparing today’s students for the challenges of tomorrow’s workforce.

We care deeply about the future of this community as it stands at the core of my family’s experience. Recently, we have recognized our duty to participate in service roles within the community. Gillian has focused on education by serving on the Local School Decision Making Committee (LSDMC) at Fairview German Language School. In turn, I would like to devote my energy and expertise to the development and stewardship of our neighborhood by serving on Clifton Town Meeting Board.

Eric Urbas

CTM Trustee since Jan 2013
CTM President and Website Committee Chair
I have been a Clifton resident for over 8 years. My wife Michelle grew up in Clifton and has been a resident for most of her life. We have two children who know Clifton as their first and only home. We love living here because of the walk-ability, friendly people, and historic character of the neighborhood. It is a privilege working with and now leading this organization. I hope you will consider voting for me to a second term as Trustee. I will continue to focus on things that are positive for Clifton. I enjoy working with our community partners, business district, and the residents. I will also continue to improve the visibility of CTM and the community through the website and social media. Thank you for your consideration.

Seth Walsh

Seth T. Walsh moved to Clifton after graduating from Xavier University in 2013. He has since fallen in love with the walkable neighborhood and business district, and the friendly and welcoming community. This inspired him to co-found #UnlockCincinnati, a weekly blog for WCPO and a tourism-based marketing company to promote small business in Cincinnati, but also to start his career in community development, bringing the lively energy evident in Clifton to other neighborhoods.

Seth is the Executive Director of the Sedamsville Community Development Corporation, a tiny neighborhood just west of downtown, and is the Project Director/Associate Director for the Community Development Corporations Association of Greater Cincinnati (CDC Association). He proudly serves on the WCPO editorial board, the WCPO Community Advisory Board, is a board member for UpSpring, and is a founding member of the local Global Shapers chapter. In his spare time, Seth is working on completing a goal of reading one book on every U.S. President.

Kevin Marsh Announcements

CTM Considers Funding for Clifton Deer Project

This coming Monday, 9/14/15, Clifton Town Meeting will be evaluating a proposed one time donation of $5,000 to the Clifton Deer Fertility Control Pilot Program. Because this is a relatively large unbudgeted expense, we wanted to provide the community with some background information and invite residents to attend our 9/14/15 Monthly Board Meeting at 7 pm at the Clifton Recreation Center. The agenda will include this and other topics such as formation of a new CTM committee to respond to the CPS decision regarding Magnet School enrollment and an update on resolving concerns related to noise from the air conditioning units at Good Samaritan Hospital. If you are unable to attend our meeting, please consider sending your comments to us at contactctm@cliftoncommunity.org. We recognize that not everyone will be able to speak on Sept 14 and some may not be able to attend.

Events Leading To This Funding Request
Last fall, the Cincinnati Park Board concluded that, to protect the health of the forests, they needed to reduce the population of deer in three of Clifton’s Parks: Mt. Storm, Rawson Woods, and Edgewood Preserve. At the August and the October CTM Board Meetings, the Park Board proposed starting a program to use certified bow hunters to “cull” the deer herds in the Clifton Parks in the fall of 2014.

Although some residents felt they should accept the Park Board’s opinion that this was their best option, many other residents protested, collected petitions and in October eventually persuaded the Park Board to cancel the bow hunting plans for 2014. The Park Board, however, said that there still was a need to control the deer. They said they could support a non-lethal alternative approach under these circumstances:
1. The non-lethal deer management program would need to be a research project approved by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)
2. CTM would need to vote in favor of the research project proposal so that the Parks would have some evidence of Clifton community support.
3. The project would need to be privately funded.
4. All city, state, and federal approvals and permits would need to be complete by June 15, 2015.

Two alternative approaches were presented to CTM: a sterilization program and a contraception program. CTM narrowly voted in favor of the sterilization program on 2/2/2015. Here is a link to their website: http://cliftondeer.org/donations/. At the time of this vote, we did NOT expect to provide any funding or resources for the project. We were only stating a preference at the request of the Park Board so that they could request ODNR approval for one and only one approach.

On 5/11/2015, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources issued a permit for the program. The Clifton Deer Project started fundraising immediately but they apparently underestimated the challenge of raising $40,000 prior to starting the program in November. Most of the cost is in the first year ($40,000 versus $5,000 or less in subsequent years) because of the experience of their contractor, White Buffalo, indicating that the most effective approach may be to sterilize 95% of the does in the first year of the program. This is actually the research goal that they presented to ODNR: to prove that a program that sterilizes 95% of the does in the first year will effectively reduce deer population in a park system as is found in Clifton that is partially isolated from surrounding forests. For this $40,000 goal, the Clifton Deer Project has raised over $12,000 so far and just received a $20,000 grant from the Humane Society.

Although the Project is still fundraising, this leaves them about $9,000 short of the funding they need to start this program in November. Due to this unexpected shortfall, they are asking CTM to provide a $5,000 matching grant. If they can then get others to donate a matching $5,000, they will have enough money to pay White Buffalo to sterilize most of the does this year.

Arguments For and Against the Funding

    Arguments for the funding

1. The Clifton Deer Project is the only option available this fall/winter to get deer population under control. The number of does in these parks grew from 30 to 40 just since last fall. There is not enough time to switch to bow hunting or to start a new process to gain ODNR approval for the other major non-lethal option of contraception. If you believe the Park Board, getting the deer population under control benefits the ecology of the parks. Also, it reduces collisions between automobiles and deer, reduces the risk of Lyme diseases, and reduces damage to household gardens.
2. The Project is innovative. If successful, it could lead to an ODNR approved option for every neighborhood in Ohio to address deer population issues without hunting. Maryland became the first state to approve this wildlife management technique after a similar study by the same contractor who would lead the work in Clifton, and, if Ohio follows Maryland, non-lethal deer management options could spread.
3. The Humane Society sponsorship is good PR for Clifton. This huge organization is featuring this Clifton project in their national campaign to celebrate their 60th Anniversary.
4. Animals do feel pain. If we can address ecological needs with less pain and suffering, why not do so?
5. The project is close to raising what it needs, but the November deadline is approaching. With CTM’s contribution and additional fundraising by the Project, they are likely to succeed.
6. This project is relatively affordable for CTM. We have some annual expenses ranging from $1,000 to $6,000. A $5,000 one-time expense is relatively affordable. Also, CTM’s $80,000 cash balance is much more than most community councils, and there are many who feel we should be looking for opportunities to use this money on worthy projects.
7. If this program is NOT funded for 2015, costs are likely to increase along with damage to the ecology in the parks by the time we get to 2016. The population of does grew from 30 to 40 in just one year from 2014 to 2015. This caused the budget for the first year to grow from $30,000 to $40,000. This would be likely to increase further if the Deer Project can’t raise enough funds to start the program in 2015.

    Arguments against the funding

1. When we approved this program in February, we were not told we might be asked to provide any funding. The Clifton Deer Project may not have anticipated the challenges of fundraising, but this is still an unpleasant, unexpected outcome for CTM.
2. What is the “will of the people”? This is a tough question to answer because many Clifton are not aware of all the plusses and minuses of this issue. Also, it may be impossible to get majority support for ANY one option because at all the CTM meetings involving this topic some people were advocated bow hunting, others advocated contraception, and a third group advocated this sterilization project. Everyone was passionate and everyone disagreed. Another complication is that one could argue that people living near these parks are more directly affected by the Project and should somehow have more say.
3. Will costs after year 1 exceed current projections? The Clifton Deer Project expects to use sources other than CTM for all funds in years 2-5. They project annual costs in years 2-5 because this study aims to complete 95% of the sterilizations in year 1. But this IS a research project and nothing is certain.
4. Also, although this contractor has had success in similar projects elsewhere, given that it is a research project, there is no guarantee that it will effectively reduce the deer population.

Kevin Marsh Announcements

Clifton Deer Project Receives Grant From Humane Society

Good News, Deer Friends!

Clifton’s partnership with the Cincinnati Parks to humanely reduce overabundant deer in three Clifton parks just acquired another major partner. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has agreed to contribute $20,000 to the Clifton deer project, and they will be featuring the program in their 60th anniversary national campaign. This grant brings us to over 75% of our fundraising goal, but we still need your help raising the last 25%.

For those who objected to the Parks’ plans to bow-hunt in Mt. Storm, Rawson Woods and Edgewood Preserve, those concerned about the ecological and social problems caused by too many white tailed deer, and those just weary of the debate, HSUS’s financial support is welcome news.

Under a research permit issued by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the three to five year study will begin this November when veterinarians and a capture team managed by wildlife biologist consultant, White Buffalo, Inc., will spend a week in Cincinnati anesthetizing, sterilizing and tagging the does in the three parks. If the program works as it has in other jurisdictions we should see deer populations shrink though attrition at the rate of 10% to 20% per year, rather than increasing by 30% as they did in these three parks last year.

CliftonDeer.org again thanks CTM and the Cincinnati Park Board for engaging in the collaboration that made this innovative program possible, as well as all the Clifton residents who have made generous donations to date.

Please consider a tax deductible donation to launch the program in November. Just follow the easy steps on our website at http://cliftondeer.org/donations/.

Written by the CliftonDeer.org, an Ohio nonprofit corporation qualified as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

Kevin Marsh Announcements

Clifton House Tour – 2015

HouseTourSaveDate

The Clifton House Tour happens every 3 years on Mother’s Day as a special presentation by Clifton Town Meeting (CTM). This year seven homes plus one historic monument will be available on the tour. These homes have special architectural features as well as historical stories that visitors learn about on the tour. Styles include Italianate, Mid-Century Modern, American Four Square, Italianate Victorian, English Tudor Revival, and International Style Modernist. There will also be a special monument on the tour.

Throughout the tour’s history, the gracious owners of more than 75 Clifton homes have shared this special Sunday with their neighbors. Clifton Town Meeting began house tours in the late 1960s and sponsored them throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, taking a hiatus between 1988 and 1997. Since the resumption of the tours, the event has drawn people from all over Cincinnati and has been a great way to spend part of Mother’s Day.

The tour is CTM’s primary fund raising event allowing CTM to reinvest the proceeds back into the community through the various projects and services CTM provides year after year to the neighborhood, such as the publication of the Clifton Chronicle, neighborhood beautification events, support for the Clifton Plaza, and sponsorship of events such as the Memorial Day Parade and Picnic, Lantern Walk, Clifton Fest, and carriage rides for Holidays on Ludlow.

Tour buses provide transportation to the houses on the tour; however, many will walk between some or all locations. The day of the tour is when CTM makes the Tour Guide available that provides the details of which houses are on the tour. The Tour Guide also provides historical information on each house.

Online purchased tickets will be available for pickup at the CTM Ticket Sales table at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center or at the table at the Clifton Plaza on Ludlow Avenue on May 10 from 12:30-2:30pm. You can also buy tickets at both locations on May 10.

Pre-sale tickets were available for sale at the following Clifton Business District stores:
Ace Hardware
Hansa Guild
Ludlow Wines
Skyline

One home has been revealed so far –>click here.

Kevin Marsh Announcements

CTM Trustee Election Results

CTM Trustee elections were held on Dec. 1, 2014. Michael Moran, Rama Kasturi, Shaun McCance, and Nicholas Hollan were elected to 3-year Trustee positions beginning Jan 1, 2015. As there were 5 Trustee positions coming available in 2015, the Board voted to approve Mike Schur filling the vacancy for one year as per the By-laws. The CTM Board thanks all candidates who ran in this election and all members who voted.