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Up To Speed

Will Janette Sadik-Khan and Amanda Burden form their own urban planning policy institute?

Will Janette Sadik-Khan and Amanda Burden form their own urban planning policy institute?.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg not only brought his huge stack of cash with him when he took control of the nation’s largest city in 2002, he also brought a high-powered administration with him. One of the most successful and popular of those has been Bloomberg’s transportation chief Janette Sadik-Khan and planning head Amanda Burden. Both are rumored to be looking for new gigs. More from Crain’s Business:

The city’s transportation chief, Janette Sadik-Khan, and planning czar, Amanda Burden, are close friends who share a passion for creating vibrant, sustainable cities. They have been travel companions—to India, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Copenhagen—and even sat next to each other at a recent benefit gala honoring Ms. Sadik-Khan.

And when the Bloomberg administration draws to a close this year, the powerful pair could go into business together, spreading their brand of urban planning across the globe. Several former Bloomberg administration sources confirmed that the two have been in discussions about forming their own urban-planning policy institute, either as an offshoot of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s foundation or as a stand-alone entity. Another source said they were angling to open a global consulting firm.

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Business News Transportation

Metro Celebrates 40 Years of Transit Service in Cincinnati

Mass transit in Cincinnati has been around for 124 years, but the service provided by Metro is still 40 years young. The first buses in the Queen City arrived in 1926 and had grown in popularity by the 1960s.

During this time, it was managed by a private company named Cincinnati Street Railway. In 1973, the City of Cincinnati and Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) partnered to establish Metro in order to improve ridership and the quality of the buses. It was then Metro became the city’s first publicly owned and operated transportation system.

Metro 40th Anniversary Vow Renewal
After meeting on Metro’s first day of service 40 years ago, Captain Rex and Anita Settlemoir renewed their wedding vows on Thursday. Photograph by Paige Malott for UrbanCincy.

To celebrate their 40th anniversary, Metro hosted an afternoon of festivities on Fountain Square. Four buses were displayed along Fifth Street, including a vintage Cincinnati Street Railway bus which had been preserved by the Cincinnati Transit Historical Society.

Local vendors Queen City Bike, Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, Cincinnati Parks, and the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) handed out freebies while Binny and Buddy, mascots for Rumpke and Hoxworth Blood Center, entertained the crowd. Metro’s booth even featured a spin-the-wheel game were participants could win an assortment of products from Metro including hand sanitizer, tote bags, or miniature model Metro buses.

“We’re celebrating 40 years of connecting people and places, supporting economic development and improving the quality of life in Greater Cincinnati,” announced Terry Garcia Crews, CEO of Metro.

In addition to celebrating the organization’s anniversary, a local couple celebrated their 40th anniversary as well. Captain Rex and Anita Settlemoir met while riding Metro in during its first year of service. The Settlemoirs took part in a wedding vow renewal and were escorted to Fountain Square by a Metro*Plus bus; the newest vehicle introduced to the fleet.

“You could just hear the love and see it in their eyes,” smiled Jill Dunne, Public Affairs Manager for Metro.

With 40 being the new 20, the city wonders what’s next for Metro.

“Metro has so many exciting things ahead,” explained Dunne. “Next week, we launch our Metro*Plus rapid bus service in the Montgomery corridor, and we are adding new connections on the west side, as well as more east-west routes.”

“And that is just the start!” Dunne laughed. “I can’t even imagine what our service will look like in 2053. I’m hoping for flying buses.”

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Up To Speed

Secretary Foxx poised to continue LaHood’s multi-modal legacy

Secretary Foxx poised to continue LaHood’s multi-modal legacy.

While Congress continues to be totally inept and unable to pass a comprehensive transportation bill, the new Secretary of Transportation is getting settled into his new role. It appears as though Anothony Foxx will pursue a similar multi-modal agenda as his predecessor. More from Streetsblog Capitol Hill:

The effect of federal dithering over funding isn’t lost on Foxx, but the administration just isn’t ready to make any concrete proposals. While he said sequestration was a “blunt instrument” that has dealt a “tough blow” to the transportation sector, he didn’t offer a revenue solution that would allow more spending without deficit spending.

And though you may not have heard much about it from the administration lately, Foxx insisted that high-speed rail is as high a priority as ever. As evidence, he mentioned the new freight policy council, stating that “high-speed rail is not just passenger-focused; it is freight-focused.” He didn’t elaborate further on that, though he may have been referring to the benefit to freight when passenger trains run on their own dedicated tracks.

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News Politics

Cincinnati Region Seems Interested by Merger of Local Governments

The editorial we published on Monday has received a lot of attention. Not only has there been a huge and productive discussion in the story’s comment section, but it is generating conversation, all over town, about the idea of consolidating local governments.

The Business Courier looked at our editorial and provided their own perspective on the matter. Cincinnati Blog did the same. Then yesterday I was asked to join Scott Sloan on his morning talk show on 700WLW to further discuss the matter.

Proposed Hamilton County Municipal Mergers

While there has been a wide variety of feedback and opinions, one thing seems to be clear. The way our local governments are currently fragmented does not make sense. It does not make sense with regards to the provision of public services or for the value of taxpayer dollars.

We had already been planning to follow-up on this issue prior to the huge response, but now we feel that the topic really needs to be discussed and pursued even more aggressively.

In the meantime, feel free to listen to the 10 to 12 minute conversation I had with Scott Sloan yesterday. You can listen to it on 700WLW’ website, or you can stream it above.

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Arts & Entertainment

Cincinnati Celebrates 150th Civil War Anniversary through Museum Center Exhibit

Cincinnati & The Civil War ExhibitRecognized primarily for its involvement with the Underground Railroad, Cincinnati is commonly noted as a minor player in American Civil War history. However, one of the most important confrontations of the war happened right here in the Queen City.

In September 1862, 8,000 Confederate troops marched toward Cincinnati from Lexington. Being a major supplier of Union goods, Cincinnati became a desirable stronghold for The South to conquer. The city was unarmed, defenseless, and would face an attack within 48 hours.

Under the guidance of General Lew Wallace, 72,000 citizens rallied to protect their homes and businesses. Two days later, the Union surrounded their opposition upon arrival, causing the Confederates to retreat.

Had the southerners been able to capture the city, they would have gained control all the way up to Pittsburgh, thus changing the outcome of the Civil War. Without a shot being fired, Cincinnati’s preparedness played a significant role in the fate of our nation.

This little-known story, The Siege of Cincinnati, is one of many local legends shared in the Cincinnati Museum Center’s Cincinnati & The Civil War exhibit, which runs through October. The program celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Queen City’s involvement at the height of the war, and is showcased in the museum’s Ruthven Gallery.

Included in the exhibit is an entire uniform of Cincinnati General William H. Lytle, as well as his liquor cabinet, weapons, and other personal items recovered from the battlefield. Other displays feature items from Abraham Lincoln, Confederate General John Hunt Morgan, and artifacts from the Great Western Sanitary Fair, a lavish fundraising campaign to support sick and wounded Federal soldiers.

Cincinnati & The Civil War is free and open to the public from 10am to 5pm Monday through Saturday, and 11am to 6pm on Sundays. The exhibit can be accessed on the lower level of the Cincinnati Museum Center near the special exhibits entrance.