Latest / Brian Thomas / Christopher Smitherman - Post Election Comments

Transcript

Christopher Smitherman - Post Election Comments · Brian Thomas

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Here at fifty about krc DE talk station, still trying
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  Speaker 1: to unpack what happened yesterday, staring in disbelief, most notably
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: the since city council election, where you get the exact
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: same thing again, sadly without the benefit of Christopher smitheman'
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  Speaker 1: so bummed that it's one of the most difficult things
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  Speaker 1: to have to behold this morning when I was looking
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  Speaker 1: at the election results that Christopher didn't come out even
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  Speaker 1: close to on top. Christopher Smithman, my dear friend, my brother,
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  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Morning show, and I appreciate your willingness
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  Speaker 1: to call in today, and I want to apologize to you.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, you're on the program every week. I do
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  Speaker 1: everything I can to try to help you out, and
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  Speaker 1: I hope that your presence on my program didn't have
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  Speaker 1: any impact on the outcome of the election.
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  Speaker 2: Sir, well, first, let me say thank you for giving
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  Speaker 2: me a voice and an opportunity to reflect on last
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  Speaker 2: night's results. I really want to just start with conceding
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  Speaker 2: the election so I didn't win. I think it's important
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  Speaker 2: for all of those citizens who voted for me, who
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: were out knocking on doors and doing all the things
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  Speaker 2: that they could do for our campaign to win for
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  Speaker 2: the good of the city. It's important that you know
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  Speaker 2: at the end of election, whether you win or you lose,
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  Speaker 2: that you always do it with class. And so this
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  Speaker 2: is my public statement with you a friend on the
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  Speaker 2: station that I come on every Monday at seven twenty
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  Speaker 2: to come back, concede the election and then talk about
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  Speaker 2: the future. So the results are not what I've wanted
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  Speaker 2: them to be, and anytime you don't win, it's difficult,
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  Speaker 2: but you've got to move forward. And what I will
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  Speaker 2: also say is that you know, elections have consequences, and
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  Speaker 2: I'm betting on you know, I'm betting on the city.
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  Speaker 2: I want the city to be positive. That's why i
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  Speaker 2: have my name on the ballot. And I'm still as
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  Speaker 2: you do, Brian Thomas, every week, every day you're here
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  Speaker 2: promoting Cincinnati. You want the best for Cincinnati. You clearly
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  Speaker 2: understand the core. Uh if it's not working well, impacts
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  Speaker 2: all of us. And I feel the same way. So
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  Speaker 2: you know, even though I did not support this mayor
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  Speaker 2: did not support the majority of this council, the people
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  Speaker 2: who have spoken and and I'm gonna support them just
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  Speaker 2: like I would want them to support me. Or support
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  Speaker 2: any other person who was elected at the federal, state,
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  Speaker 2: and local level. That's what that's what you do when
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  Speaker 2: you put your name on the ballot and and you're running.
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  Speaker 2: Having said that, you know, my my concerns remain the same.
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  Speaker 2: Brian Thomas. I'm worried about the crime. I mean, seven
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  Speaker 2: people last weekend were shot. That's reality, four of them downtown.
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  Speaker 2: I feel terrible for the citizens of OTR and Mohawk
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  Speaker 2: and who have invested so much money in in in
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  Speaker 2: their downtown. The Corps, people like Jeff Ruby who's been
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  Speaker 2: a staple there and what his business is experiencing, and
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  Speaker 2: people who own Crew Tower, you know what's going on
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  Speaker 2: with them all Fountain Square. You just can't have people
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  Speaker 2: shooting on Fountain Square. So the nine people that were
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  Speaker 2: elected in this mayor nothing has changed. They're going to
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  Speaker 2: have to come up with a better plan in order
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  Speaker 2: to deal with the high levels of crime in our city.
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  Speaker 2: If people don't feel safe in the core, Brian Thomas,
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  Speaker 2: I don't think I'm exaggerating. They're not going to come
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  Speaker 2: downtown and they're not going to support those businesses. I
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  Speaker 2: want to be a force, you know, of reason and
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  Speaker 2: common sense. Right and cheerleading for our downtown. I want
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  Speaker 2: people to come downtown. I want them to spend their
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  Speaker 2: money our regional partners Brian Thomas. But I can't do
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  Speaker 2: that in good faith if I'm uncomfortable being in that space.
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  Speaker 2: I don't want also don't want to be a hypocrite,
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  Speaker 2: and I don't want to be a liar. So that's
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  Speaker 2: that's not who I am, So I am. I remain concerned,
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  Speaker 2: and I hope that the team that the citizens of
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  Speaker 2: Cincinnati elected when they voted down the sample ballot, I
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  Speaker 2: hope that they are excited about those who were elect
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  Speaker 2: last night. I certainly will offer my support to all
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  Speaker 2: nine of them and this mayor. But at the end
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  Speaker 2: of the day, we've got to get good results.
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  Speaker 1: Do you expect okay of late And I will emphasize
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  Speaker 1: it's only been recently, and I've made this comment quite
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  Speaker 1: a few times leading up to the race, that Aftappervo
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  Speaker 1: has learned something because he did take sort of a
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  Speaker 1: turn in his attitude toward crime. He was in a
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  Speaker 1: state of denial and kept telling people that no, no, no,
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  Speaker 1: crime isn't as bad as you say it is. It's
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  Speaker 1: not Obviously that was a real issue in the race.
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  Speaker 1: He started moving towards supporting police. He turned the idea
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  Speaker 1: of green projects, which was his number one priority, changed
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  Speaker 1: out priorities, then said no, crime and public safety is
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  Speaker 1: my number one priority and will be my number one focus.
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  Speaker 1: He did take at least some of the existence offered
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  Speaker 1: by Governor de Wine, not enough of it, baby, but
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  Speaker 1: took some of it. I don't know what the story
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  Speaker 1: is with police Chiefdji, but do you think he's learned
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  Speaker 1: anything at least on the topic of crime that he
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  Speaker 1: will take a keener interest and will endeavor to support
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  Speaker 1: the police along the lines of the way you would
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  Speaker 1: and actively engage police officers and rebuild the ranks. Or
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  Speaker 1: is it just well I got reelected, I'm gonna get
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  Speaker 1: on the same path. What is your impression of the
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  Speaker 1: way he's gonna go.
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  Speaker 2: Well, we'll know in the next week. I mean it's
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  Speaker 2: not going to take a long time. I think an
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  Speaker 2: election like last night reinforces to him in his mind
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  Speaker 2: and he's on the right track. That's what I believe.
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  Speaker 2: He got the council that he wanted. He won, you know, decisively,
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  Speaker 2: his his mamurial race, and I think he is affirmed
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  Speaker 2: in his in his tenure, he's a tenured member of
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  Speaker 2: in the mayor's office, which means he's not never gonna
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  Speaker 2: run for re election again. You know, he's he's he
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  Speaker 2: will serve out an eight year term. So I think
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  Speaker 2: he's more empowered than ever to do whatever his agenda
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  Speaker 2: is in here in his mind. We will see in
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  Speaker 2: the next week, because I think we have a we
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: have a tough weekend coming up. You know, the weather
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  Speaker 2: is going to be reasonably in warm, and what we
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  Speaker 2: have seen in those weekends is we've seen a spike
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  Speaker 2: in in gun violence. Is he going to address the
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  Speaker 2: business in the downtown where they were four people shot?
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  Speaker 2: You know, is he going to make a public statement
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  Speaker 2: saying he's going to get that under control now, which
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  Speaker 2: means you've got a hold of hearing. You've got to
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  Speaker 2: ask the owner to come in. You've got to explain
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  Speaker 2: to those who live around that business that they're going
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  Speaker 2: to be safe. It's not like Brian Thomas, you can
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  Speaker 2: wait a week. Four people were shot right across the
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  Speaker 2: street where people live, and a gun was found in
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  Speaker 2: the open after that shooting. So there are a number
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  Speaker 2: of things that he can signal and do that will
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  Speaker 2: reassure us that he has learned something. I'm not the mayor.
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  Speaker 2: I will say, We're going to know in the next
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  Speaker 2: in the next week. Let me let me, let me
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  Speaker 2: be cause I know, I know we don't have a
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  Speaker 2: lot of time. You're fine, but here, but here's what
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  Speaker 2: I want. I want to say, Man, I have I
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  Speaker 2: had so many people out there who voted for me,
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  Speaker 2: and I don't I don't want them to give up,
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  Speaker 2: right I I live in the city of Cincinnati. I
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  Speaker 2: don't want to give up. And I want us to
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  Speaker 2: continue to bet on on Cincinnati. So we're gonna have
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  Speaker 2: to give this council and this mayor the room to
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  Speaker 2: be successful and offer them the support that whatever they
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  Speaker 2: feel like they need. Now, that doesn't mean that's an
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  Speaker 2: open checkbook. As things go in the direction, We're gonna know,
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  Speaker 2: Brian Thomas, whether that happens or a doesn't. But I
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  Speaker 2: want those who supported me, who I love and they
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  Speaker 2: love me to know that I'm still in the game.
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  Speaker 2: I'm still betting yes on on Cincinnati, and that's what
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  Speaker 2: we're all going to have to do in order to
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  Speaker 2: move our our city forward. That's really really important. These
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: losses are tough. I mean, people were very emotional about
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  Speaker 2: about the loss. But at the end of the day, man,
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  Speaker 2: we gotta we got to put our foot forward the
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  Speaker 2: next day in our city to make it better. I
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  Speaker 2: think you asked one of the most profound questions. Has
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  Speaker 2: this mayor learned anything? We're gonna know in the next week. Right,
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  Speaker 2: if he goes, if he starts going to roll calls,
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  Speaker 2: doing ride alongs of going after the recruitment, we've got
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  Speaker 2: still hundred and eighty two hundred officers and drop. Your
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  Speaker 2: sister went through drops, so you understand if he's not
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  Speaker 2: about retention of those officers, if he's not about bringing
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  Speaker 2: in aggressively recruit classes, you know, moving away from ribbon
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  Speaker 2: cutting and really rolling up your sleeves and saying we've
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  Speaker 2: got to attack crime. We're not gonna coddle criminals, right,
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  Speaker 2: We're gonna think about those who are living and want
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  Speaker 2: to live in a safe city. And it's a non
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  Speaker 2: partisan issue, like safety is not something whereas Democrat or
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  Speaker 2: Independent are Republican. Everybody deserves to be safe. And I
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  Speaker 2: think for members of councilor who might be listening, or
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  Speaker 2: their offices, or maybe somebody in the Mayor's office. That
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  Speaker 2: is your number one response to ability is keeping us safe.
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  Speaker 2: Everything else falls under that. And I ran on that,
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  Speaker 2: and that's what I would be doing today. And I
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  Speaker 2: hope that they take that banner very, very seriously. I
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  Speaker 2: don't want to see any other Cincinnati people die in
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  Speaker 2: our streets unnecessarily.
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  Speaker 1: Amen to that all day long. Let me ask you this, Christopher,
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  Speaker 1: because voter turnout, Man, this was such an important election
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  Speaker 1: for the city. So many issues, I mean, the whole
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  Speaker 1: violent crime component, the idea of Hyde Park Square, Bond Hill,
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  Speaker 1: other neighborhoods being ignored at least in terms of the
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  Speaker 1: direction they want to go in far as far as development.
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  Speaker 1: That was a critical issue. Everybody was talking about, the
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  Speaker 1: beatdown at Fourth and Elm, the whole issue with the chief.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, lots and lots of really important things that
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  Speaker 1: should have, in my estimation, driven people to the polls.
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  Speaker 1: What do you got eight percent of the two hundred
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  Speaker 1: and twenty one thousand registered voters, we only got sixty
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  Speaker 1: six one thousand show up. Why is that? Is it apathy?
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  Speaker 1: Is it ignorance? Christopher? That just drives me crazy because
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  Speaker 1: I've voted in every election since I've been able to vote.
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  Speaker 2: I think it's apathy. I think that the two party
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  Speaker 2: system has us very focused, hyper focused on national elections.
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  Speaker 2: Is where they spend their money. It's where they do
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  Speaker 2: their voter get out campaigns. You'll see that next year
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: in the two year election. Oh yeah, when Congress is
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: fighting overseas, you won't There'll be so much money spent
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: on that election and people will be so emotionally charged
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: by the time we get to November of next year,
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: you know, as these two parties fight it out in
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: the middle, we're in the middle of a shutdown, a
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  Speaker 2: federal shutdown that I've never seen before. I've never seen
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: any impact like this at the at the federal level.
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  Speaker 2: So the answer to your to your question is you
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: and I understand that local elections are probably the most
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: important election, the one we had last night, But the
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  Speaker 2: two party system has us focused on the two year
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  Speaker 2: election next year and then don't have us focusing on
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  Speaker 2: the presidential election. We as citizens have to understand politics
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  Speaker 2: are local and yesterday's election was the most important election
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  Speaker 2: in life because it impacts their daily life. They're trash
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: picked up, their roads, their road repair, there's snow, removal,
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  Speaker 2: which we're going to have to deal with our police
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  Speaker 2: and fire. I mean, that's where the rubber meets the road,
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  Speaker 2: and for whatever reason, citizens don't connect with that because
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  Speaker 2: the two party system is leading them and they're pushing
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  Speaker 2: them in a direction, and they're not out there thinking
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  Speaker 2: for themselves critically saying, hey, man, that's the election I
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  Speaker 2: should be participating in. I think that's I don't think
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  Speaker 2: it's I don't think it's as much as of appety.
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  Speaker 2: I think it's the two party system isn't spending the
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  Speaker 2: money to get their people out the vote. And this
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: is a little cynical on my part because I think
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: the system like the one here where the Democrats are
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: running to they don't necessarily want that voter turn out.
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  Speaker 2: They liked holding the power and controlling it. The mayor says,
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: I have the mayor's office, I have all nine members
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  Speaker 2: of council. I control the whole board. I'm going to
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  Speaker 2: be able to do whatever I want to do. I
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  Speaker 2: don't want two hundred thousand people showing up in Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Because of course we all understand the whole concept of
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: non governmental organizations and the political activism that is just
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: seeps throughout all of them. He's going to get all
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: of those folks. They're the ones that get the money
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: from the city taxpayers, so they're the NGOs themselves and
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: all of their friends. You know, we need to support this.
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: The teachers' union also benefits from from the government of
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: the city taxpayers. They're going to show up in force,
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  Speaker 1: So you can count on that, I'd say twenty five
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  Speaker 1: percent of very prominent backers of the administration because they've
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: got their hand in the cookie jar. They want to
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: continue what they're getting from government showing up. But what
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  Speaker 1: of everybody else? That just is the puzzling thing, Christopher.
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  Speaker 1: You can see it, you can sense it, you can
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: feel it. You've seen priory elections. You know it's going
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: to end up being in twenty five percent. Ask Sherry
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: Poland a year after year, election after election, Christopher, it's
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: just this mind boggling to me.
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  Speaker 2: It is I and I tell you, I really want
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  Speaker 2: to just extend my my heart out to Liz Keating,
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  Speaker 2: Brian Thomas as we talk about this, and and uh
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: and Lakita Cole. I mean, both of these women won
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  Speaker 2: a Republican won a Democrat. They both worked incredibly hard
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: I saw that. I saw their literature everywhere. You know,
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: they could not just like me, uh, make that leap
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: over voting for nine and the sample ballot that citizens
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: seem to be just herded to. And so they're down
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: there thinking they're doing something. I'm voting for nine people.
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: I'm just down there voting grily. I would tell you,
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: if you ask people who did they vote for, what
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: do you know about them? What were what are their
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: public policy positions? Most of them have no idea. They
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: just took a ballot and voted for some body, And
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: elections truly have consequences. But my love and my respect
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: go out to council former council members Liz Keating and
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: Lakeda Cole, And I also want to acknowledge Corey Bowman,
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: who ran from mayor to the public. You know, the
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: Democrats made this about MAGA because they wanted to divide us.
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: They made it about race because they wanted to divide
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: us racially. That is how they keep their power and
• 14:33
  Speaker 2: hold on to it. That's what this has unfortunately come
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: down to in politics. But Corey Bowman didn't have to
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: go out there and put his name on anything. He
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: was living a great life with his beautiful wife Jordan
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: and had a baby on the campaign tril He his
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: wife had a baby on the campaign trail. He's a
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: good guy with a good heart, And what they did was,
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: you know, kind of marginalized him by saying, you know,
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: in a democratic city, this is jd Vance's brother. Right,
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: if we're thinking logically, right, electing a mayor whose brother
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: is the Vice President of the United States of America
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: is good for the city of Cincinnati. Logically, who actually
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: might end up being the president of the United States
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: of America in a four year term, But we're so
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: hyper about who his brother is and what his political
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: party is, we're willing to vote against him and then
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: accept the bloodshed. That is what is so amazing to me.
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: Meaning at the end of the day, I need the results.
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: We've got black and brown people killing themselves on a
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: weekly basis, and there seems to be no answers coming
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: from city Hall. And what what Corey Bowman was offering
• 15:48
  Speaker 2: was a difference, a change. And so if the things
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: continue to happen Brian Thomas the way they have been happening,
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: it's really difficult to complain. You know, you voted for
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: that that's what we ultimately get. And so I want
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: to extend my love to him and to his lovely
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: wife Jordan, and there and therefore children. There was a
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: great sacrifice for them. And I want him to hear
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: my voice and his whole team that went out there
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: and worked as hard as they work, that he that
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: he has earned my respect for him, and I will
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: continue to support him whatever he decides to do next.
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: And it's really hard to put your name on a
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: ballot and and and not win.
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: Yeah, in the face of the tremendous uphill challenge he
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: knew he was facing. He ran a strong race, Christopher Smith,
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: and will be talking on Monday, right.
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: Thank you. We will be talking on Monday. Brother, if you'll,
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: if you'll, if you, if you will have me, if you.
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: If you said I'm not doing it anymore, you would
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: break my heart. Monday seven twenty the Smither event. God
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: bless you, Christopher. Thanks for calling in. Bless you taking care,
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: condolences on the loss. You should be at the top
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: of the list. God bless you. Eight twenty two Station
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: Judgent Paulton is up next. This is fifty five KRC
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  Speaker 1: and I heart radios to