Welcome & Connect Initiative Kicks off March 15

Event series aims to help new international residents connect to local offerings

Clifton Town Meeting, Cincinnati Compass and the Clifton Branch Library have teamed up to create Clifton Welcome & Connect, a series of seven events aimed at helping new international residents in Clifton to understand the services and resources available in Clifton and beyond and how to use them.

Scan the QR code to request a translator at Clifton Welcome & Connect events.

Each session covers a different topic, including transportation, education and childcare, healthcare, housing and immigration topics. Each event is held at a different Clifton location and experts will be on hand to answer any questions.

Fore more information, click here. To request a translator, scan the QR code.

While the series is geared toward international residents who have recently moved to Clifton, all are welcome and encouraged to attend to learn and make our new neighbors feel welcome!

DateTopicLocation
March 15
4-6 p.m.
WelcomeClifton Recreation Center
320 McAlpin Ave
March 29
4-6 p.m.
TransportationClifton Branch Library
3400 Brookline Ave
April 12
4-6 p.m.
Education & ChildcareClifton Area Neighborhood School (CANS)
3711 Clifton Ave
April 26
4-6 p.m.
HealthcareClifton Mosque
3668 Clifton Ave
May 10
4-6 p.m.
HousingImmanuel Presbyterian Church
3445 Clifton Ave
May 24
4-6 p.m.
Immigration TopicsEvery Nation, Cincinnati Church
3722 Clifton Ave
May 29
Parade at 11 a.m.
Picnic at noon
Memorial Day Picnic
Mount Storm Park
700 Lafayette Ave

CTM Trustee Elections are Nov. 7

Vote in-person or request an electronic ballot

Mark your calendar for this year’s Clifton Town Meeting (CTM) elections on Nov. 7, 2022, with options to vote in-person or, by request, with an electronic ballot. Seven candidates are vying for seven open seats. Candidates with the most votes will fill five 3-year terms while candidates receiving fewer votes will fill one 2-year term and one 1-year term.

Only current members can vote. You can make your membership active online by clicking here. You must be an active member on Friday Nov 4 to vote electronically. You can also make your membership active at the in person elections.

If you wish to vote electronically, request a ballot no later than 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022 by emailing contactctm@cliftoncommunity.org. The vote is anonymous, so those who request an electronic ballot will not be able to vote in person.

If you plan to vote in person, you can do so between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022 at the Clifton Recreation Center, 320 McAlpin Ave.

Read on to learn more about this year’s candidates.

Mansee Chauhan

As I am becoming an urban planner, I wanted to be involved with the community where I live, engaging to know their concerns while working with them. I hope that with my skills, training and background as an urban planner, I will be an asset to the board. I wish to give back to community that has welcomed me. My coop experience and the classes that I have taken in past year and current year will help me to broaden my knowledge within real dynamic settings.

Gerald Checco

After 30 years spent as a public servant leading 4 agencies, I was elected to the CTM board in 2020. I was Treasurer for two years, then President in 2022. Among my accomplishments: I created a Memo of Understanding between the three Clifton civic groups (Clifton Business Association, Clifton Community Fund and CTM) that enables them to work more efficiently together maximizing effectiveness. I co-created CliftonCares during the pandemic to help our restaurants survive, and received a “Leadership in Crisis” award (2020). I organized 7 community volunteer cleaning events, earning a Keep Cincinnati Beautiful award (2021) and was recognized as “Friend of Clifton” (2021). I’ve helped to make the Chronicle financially selfsupporting and updated that mailing list. I obtained many grants on behalf of both CTM and CBA, managing the completion and reporting of these grants. I’ve volunteered for our cleanups, two Golf Outings, the Memorial Day Picnic and as a writer and distributor for the Chronicle. If elected, I intend to serve by fostering collaboration among our civic groups, developing win-win outcomes in every case, and by helping a new generation into a future of leadership.

Barry Gee

I have been serving on the CTM board for a few months in 2022 as a replacement for a Trustee who could not fulfill their term. I had the pleasure to lead the resurrection of the CTM Memorial Day Parade/Picnic and currently serve on the Events committee. We often hear discussion of the importance of community engagement, and I am pleased that through the work of CTM, here in Clifton community engagement is in the action phase. There are committees for many of the issues we are facing and we as a community are having a say and some control over what happens in our neighborhood. As a community we must always remain vigilant and be a proactive voice. I have seen directly that Clifton Town Meeting is an organized and effective organization, determining needs and building consensus for our community. I humbly ask for your vote as a Trustee and look forward to continuing to serve this great organization.

Tim Noonan

I’ve been serving on CTM by appointment since July 2022. I would like to continue the work I’ve begun on CTM’s accounting software, assuring that the treasurer’s duties are more easily transferable in the future. Our family moved to Clifton in 2017 after Karen and I retired from our jobs in Butler and Warren counties. We love this neighborhood and our neighbors and can’t imagine a better neighborhood for us. Besides the amazing people we have met in Clifton, we love Clifton’s “useful walkability.” It is so calming that so many necessary services are a short walk away. Supporting the safety and health of our business district should continue to be a CTM priority. Crime in Clifton is a major concern for many residents. We should continue our work with District 5 Police but should also look for actions CTM can lead to aid in crime reduction. The future will bring changes to how people move in our neighborhood. I have noticed a great increase in the use of electric bikes and I’ve seen incredibly fast electric scooters. CTM should continue its work to make Clifton’s transportation safe while staying aware of coming changes. I hope you will consider voting for me as a CTM board member.

Justin Ogilby

I first moved to Clifton to attend the University of Cincinnati and liked it so much that my wife and I bought our first house here in 2013. Elizabeth and I now live on Clifton Avenue with our 4 kids Jonah, Wesley, Ian and Isabell. Jonah and Wesley attend school at Fairview and Ian is in preschool at Immanuel. We are parishioners at Annunciation Church. Recently I’ve been involved with the CTM Transportation and Safety Committee, working on addressing safety issues along Clifton Avenue. Professionally, I’m an executive, board member and co-founder at STACK Construction Technologies, a software company in Blue Ash. On the CTM board I’ll work to continue to improve safety and quality of life for kids, families and all residents of Clifton.

Rachel Wells

As a car-free apartment dweller, I rely heavily on Clifton’s accessibility to greenspace and multimodal transportation. To me, the ability to walk through a dense canopy of trees and to entertainment, dining, retail and educational establishments is the rare mix that makes Clifton unique. I want all Clifton residents and visitors to feel welcome, included and valued. My career has included stints as a newspaper reporter, in communications and stakeholder engagement, and as a grant writer. I am currently a project manager for an education nonprofit. Throughout, I’ve worked to make systems more responsive to the communities they serve by building understanding and promoting civic participation. I’m eager to continue this effort as CTM trustee, and I believe my experience as a resident in multi-family housing and as a public transit user adds a valuable perspective to the board. I was appointed to fill a trustee vacancy in 2022 and now serve as co-chair of the communications committee and on the membership committee. I continue to volunteer as a writer and proofreader with the Clifton Chronicle. Going forward, I would like to encourage more and more diverse residents to participate in CTM and to expand content on CTM’s website.

John Whedon

I have been happy to be a Clifton resident now for 18 years and, like many of you, love our neighborhood’s beautiful parks, incredible architecture, mature trees and walkability. My family has enjoyed much that is here – from elementary education at Fairview, summers at Clifton Meadows, Clifton soccer on Spring Grove, great neighbors and block parties, and much more. No neighborhood is perfect, of course, and there areas of needed focus critical to Clifton’s viability. If elected to the board I would like to do what is possible to make the business district a more inviting place to be for shoppers, walkers, both residents and visitors to Clifton alike. This includes attracting the best possible retailers as well. Store theft, vagrancy, panhandling, litter, smoke shops are some areas of concern I have. I would also support the already growing effort to slow down traffic on Clifton Avenue. Clifton is great and can be so much better. Together we can make it happen.

7th annual CTM Golf Outing

Avon Fields Golf Course: Oldest Course West of the Alleghenies

Join us for the 7th annual CTM Golf Outing, dinner on the Clubhouse deck and prizes!

  • Date: Saturday August 24, 2019
  • Time: 2:00 pm 18 hole scramble
  • Dinner: 6:00 pm; welcome families and friends.

Honoring:  Tom Reese,Mr. Clifton,” after play concludes, 6:45 pm.

The “Beat the Lady Bearcat” is back with lots of prizes for golf feats and the golf Gift & Basket raffle.  Kids putting contest starts after 6 pm.  Over the years, the Golf Outing has helped raise $50,000 for charitable cause in Clifton. Proceeds will benefit the Little Sisters of the Poor.

  • Shotgun start:  2 pm
  • Fee: $90 per player. Make your own foursome or we can pair you up.
  • Dinner for Guests: $10 (Kids 12 and under eat for free)
  • To Register: Complete the 2019 Golf Outing Registration. Please include names of others registering as a group. This form is required even if you purchased online tickets. The online store is now closed.

For more information about the event or Sponsorship Opportunities, contact: ContactCTM@cliftoncommunity.org.

Chronicle Minute: CTM Partners with Little Sisters Of The Poor for 2019 Golf Outing

Mark your calendars, the 7th Annual Clifton Town Meeting Golf Outing will be at Avon Fields Golf Course on Saturday, August 24 with shotgun start at 2 p.m. Each year Clifton Town Meeting (CTM) chooses a partner for the golf outing with the partner receiving the majority of proceeds from the event. CTM is proud to announce Golf Outing partner The Little Sisters of the Poor who celebrate their 150th anniversary in Cincinnati this year! To date the outing has raised nearly $50,000 to support good causes in and around Clifton. Similar to last year families are invited afterward for dinner on the deck. Kids 12 and under eat for free! We had a great family turnout last year!

From the left: Sr. Mary Imelda, Sr. Jeanne, Sr. Mary John and Mother Mary Sylvia, Mother Superior.

I had the recent pleasure of meeting with Sister Mary Imelda to talk about The Little Sisters of The Poor and their service to elderly in our community. St. Paul’s Home (476 Riddle Road) is home to about 100 elderly residents 65 and over with health needs and of little means. The Little Sisters live with the residents at St. Paul’s, dedicating their lives to their care. In doing so they provide dignity and ultimately “lead them to their eternity in a peaceful way”. Each day some of the Sisters go out and collect food, supplies and personal care products for the residents in the facility. The in-kind and cash donations the Sisters collect provide substantial support for the care of the residents.

The Sisters recently had a whole facility back-up generator installed, which should come online in a few months. Soon they will need to replace their commercial dishwasher. The funds from the Golf Outing will be used to defray some of the food costs for the residents.

The Little Sisters of The Poor have upcoming events which are open to the public: Mother’s Day Weekend Bake Sale, and a Spaghetti Dinner on June 29.

You can find out more about the Little Sisters of the Poor through their website www.littlesistersofthepoorcincinnati.org, or by contacting them at 513-281-8001.

— Eric Urbas

2018 House Tour Reveal – Cox Home / Library

This reveal is the historical building on the 2018 Clifton House Tour.

George Barnesdale Cox. (1853-1916), nationally known for many years as the “Easy Boss of
Cincinnati,” controlled city politics for over 25 years. When in his early 40s, “Boss” Cox contracted the region’s most prominent architectural firm, Hannaford & Sons, to build a residence for for his status in the Clifton Gaslight District on a property opposite Burnet Woods Park. Samuel Hannaford had recently completed both City Hall and Music Hall and over his career designed more than 300 buildings in the Cincinnati area, including a store and apartment building on 7th Street for Cox. Cox lived in Parkview manor and entertained lavishly there from 1895 until his death from pneumonia at age 63 in 1916. His wife maintained the home until she died in 1938. It was bequeathed to the Union Bethel and became a home for girls until 1947 when it was purchased by Pi Kappa Alpha for a fraternity house. In 2007 Michael L. Dever purchased the property and then in 2010 donated it to the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County to become what is now the Clifton Branch of the Library. Upon completion of extensive remodeling to upgrade the building and meet modern facility requirements it opened to the public on May 28, 2015.

The above is just a small portion of what is written in the tour book. Learn more about this home on the Clifton House Tour. Buy your tickets in advance for $20 or on May 13 for $25.