The Three Rivers News DispatchEdition 27- May 17, 2022

Dan Reid Is Sworn in as Miami Township Administrator at May 3, 2022 Meeting

Miami Township’s recent need to call special meetings to conduct township business has led the trustees to hold two regular meetings per month.  

The first meeting was held on Wednesday, May 3, 2022. At that meeting, the trustees officially hired Dan Reid as their new part-time administrator.  Reid will be paid $42,000 a year. He will be available to the public Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 3.pm.

Pictured left to right is Trustees Jack Rininger, Dan Blanton. Administrator Dan Reid, Trustee Mike Robison, and Fiscal Officer Cindy Oser.

ZOOM Meeting Was Not A Good Format for Public Meeting

The Village of Cleves Council decided to hold a Zoom meeting due to one of their members having Covid-19. The Miami Township Hall was rented out so downtown and other residents who are unfamiliar with Zoom could attend. There were a total 9 village residents in attendance, but the conditions were less than ideal in that the Zoom Video and sound at the hall was at times difficult to hear.

Resident Tim Leigh was the first to ask questions during the public session. He asked the mayor if it was true that Roy Rogers had pulled out of their agreement to build next to Skyline and was going to build in Greendale, Indiana instead. Village Administrator Mike Rahall said, “That is not true. The Village just received the final plans from the Hollander Group today.”

Following that, Mr. Leigh asked, how many grants had the Village Administrator received since he came to Cleves? That question was followed by an outburst of laughter, those at the Miami Township Hall were upset thinking that the laughter came from a council member. That is one of the problems of a Zoom meeting. No one could tell at the hall because there were so many squares on the TV it could not be determined who laughed.

Nancy Nichols, former council member, was the next to speak. Mrs. Nichols asked the mayor two questions. The first was how many applicants had he received for the vacant council seat, and the second was what were the dates those applications were submitted. Once again, it seemed as if Mayor Myers had not answered the questions. After reviewing the Village’s tape, Mayor Myers answered one of the two questions. He stated that there were two candidates, but he declined to answer the second. No dates of the applications were mentioned then, or when it was discussed by council.

Monica Maddy was the next resident to ask questions. Ms. Maddy wanted to know when the drainage project by US. 50 and Porter Street would be finished. Mayor Myers said, “I don’t have a timeline", and gave no further details. Later in the meeting, Service Director John Knuf explained that the contractor who is working on the problem had been unable to get the plastic pipe that is needed to complete the project.

Pictured on the right are Duke Trucks that worked on the area on Saturday.

Maddy also wanted to know when the grading in the alley that runs from Porter Street to N. Main is going to be completed. She stated, “I have been to the last three meetings, and it is still not repaired, the water keeps backing up and is doing damage to the house that is owned by Erin Jennings and her husband." No answer was given. The same was true for the potholes in the alley.

Pictured to the left is an example of multiple pot holes that are actually craters. This is the same alley where residents asked the village to install signs limiting thru traffic in the area. Those signs were purchased by and given to the Village by Lisa McWethy at a cost of $150. To date no action has been taken by the Village to install the signs or notify residents that the signs will not be installed.

Pictured below is the flooding that continues to be an issue and remains unaddressed by the Village Maintenance Department. 

The final person to speak was Chuck Birkholtz. The video of his questions is provided for the viewers to watch. The questions posed in the video were designed to have the Village Solicitor and Sergeant Michael Carney answer questions about what can be done with current ordinances and the Sheriff’s Department to control the issues related to 109 N. Miami and 119 N. Miami. 

Birkholtz asked the mayor if he would allow the participants who attended the meeting at the Miami Township Hall to participate later in the agenda when his questions were discussed. The mayor said, “I understand where you are at,”but gave no commitment to allow residents to ask questions later. The reader can hear the mayor’s response in the video.

By now the reader knows that the mayor did not commit to or invite members of the audience to ask questions to Mr. Nicholas or Sergeant Carney.

The speed at which Doug Nicholas gave his answers was such that it was too fast to comprehend, and the audience was not offered by Mayor Myers to ask questions of Mr. Nicholas, nor were any questions asked by members of council.

When Sergeant Carney addressed the May incident at the motel, he said, “I reviewed the ComCenter’s reports and that the young lady who called disconnected multiple times leading to them to believe it was an assaultive situation. Multiple officers and cars were dispatched. When officers got there, they found an unnamed female who was upset because family members took her keys so she could not drive. Based on her level of intoxication the officers called the life squad, which she refused any treatment service. Eventually she was checked out and she was fine and allowed to return to her room.”

Carney continued to say, "there were zero calls for service at 109 N. Miami for April. In his time here he viewed the incident to be an isolated one where the un-named woman was intoxicated or could have been on drugs, and the officers were on their way.”

The problem with Sergeant Carney's report was that he reported to council that there were zero calls for service to 109 N. Miami in April. That is true. The incidents happened in May leaving those in the audience with the impression he was misleading council. The Dispatch does not believe that Carney was intentionally misleading anyone after listening to his presentation. Subscribers can watch and listen to Carney's report to council in the next video.

Readers can view the video and behavior of the young lady at the Miami Motel. This video was sent to every member of the Cleves Village Council prior to Wednesday’s meeting. A second video is also provided for viewers to compare her behavior to one who is tweaking on Meth. Viewers and readers can make up their minds if the young lady was intoxicated or on some mind altering chemical. Keep in mind the clip of what happened at the motel was only 45 seconds and taken at a distance. 

Photos below were taken about 3 to 5 seconds apart and were taken before the video that follows. Click this link to watch before you view the pictures https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SQHowWDURJI .In the larger of the pictures it appears that the young lady has removed part of her clothes in the last picture. 

Since Mayor Myers did not allow residents to ask questions of Mr. Nicholas or Sergeant Carney, the audience decided not to interrupt, but to instead submit a formal request for 109 and 119 N Miami to be placed on the June meeting so their questions can be addressed.  The mayor’s response will be the subject of My View Editorial.

An Interview With Cleves' Resident- One Man's View

Tim Leigh has lived in the Village of Cleves for over 30 years and was in attendance at last Wednesday's Zoom meeting. When asked what he thought of the meeting, he said, “I expected it to be more professional! I was disappointed at how it went.  We didn’t get to ask any questions.”

Tim went on to say, “I served on the old “Water Board” that existed prior to Danny Stacey bringing on Mr. Rahall to be the Village Administrator. There were three members on that board, and we got paid about $1,600 a year. We cared about the people. I can remember a time when the water was going to be out for awhile in the Frogtown area, I walked the streets to make sure that the people were aware.  It seemed to me that they just don’t care.” (Tim is pictured on the left with his granddaughter Marlowe.)

“I didn’t like way they cut people off. I served as President of the Three Rivers School Board.  When I was on the Board, we allowed the people to talk.”

When Leigh was asked about what he felt the Village needed, he said, "well they need to clean up the downtown and bring in some businesses.  The Old Skyline is sitting empty and there are a lot of empty lots where there used to be buildings.  What we don’t need is another parking lot!"

Zoning Problems is Not Just a Village Issue

The pictures above is a property located at 8820 Jordan Rd. in Miami Township. The Dispatch was contacted by a citizen to look at this property to see what can be done to clean it up. The Dispatch believes in protecting its sources and will not reveal the citizen who contacted us to look at the property. The pictures shown here should be explanation enough to show why the property is a concern.

Residents who live in unincorporated areas of Hamilton County rely on the zoning regulations and enforcement created by the county. The Dispatch has contacted Michael Stehlin with Hamilton County Zoning to research the information for township residents.

Miami Township Administrator Dan Reid responded early today that he has sent this to Jason Pastoor, who is the contractor from Hamilton County to see if the area is part of Miami Township that is not zoned.

An article on this property and zoning enforcement will be the subject of a future article in the Dispatch. 

A Look in the Mirror Can Tell the Mayor who is Responsible if Cleves Dissolves

What was the reason the Cleves Village Council held their May meeting via Zoom? There was no official announcement why, but it appears that one of the council members had Covid-19. That means that the four other members of council and the mayor did not have Covid-19, so why did the council choose to hold the meeting from their homes?

Was it because they did not want to face residents who had just voted down their operating 6.0 mil levy? Or was it designed to give the mayor “mute button” control over the audience that attended from home or the nine residents who attended the “Zoom Party” in the old Miami Township Hall. Or was it because of the advance questions that were sent to the mayor and every council member which included the video of a young woman who appeared to be under the influence of a mind-altering chemical at the Miami Motel in Cleves on Saturday, May 7, 2022?

The Dispatch had hoped that the questions sent on May 9, 2022 would result in Mr. Nicholas reviewing the ordinances that have been passed by council and to have Sergeant Carney with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department determine what ordinances on the village books could be enforced.

Once Nicholas and Carney had answered the questions , it was hoped that those in attendance including members of council would be able to ask clarifying questions. That also was stated in the email to Mayor Myers sent two days before the meeting, and it was requested again at the start of the meeting during the public comment section last Wednesday.

Answers from Nicholas and Carney were given and heard by the audience, but Mayor Myers did not allow their comments to be discussed by the public. Why not? Shouldn’t those who are non-lawyers or non-deputies have the right to ask questions so they fully understand?

Evidently not because the Dispatch sent an email to Mayor Myers asking that the same agenda item be placed on next month’s agenda, and received this answer:

“You have the Public Comments section in the meeting where you are able to participate if you so desire. You have the 3 minutes to state your comments and, obviously, we do not enforce the topics anyone wants to bring forward.

We did not deny anyone the ability to speak. I believe I was clear in asking if anyone desired to speak during the Public Comments section and I allowed the time for those interested in speaking to come forward. Your statement of "Residents were not allowed to speak..." is false.”

Mr. Mayor, I never asserted that you did not allow residents to speak during the public comments, what I said was that residents were not given the opportunity to ask questions. You used this shell game in the past, and it is time to stop playing games with your residents and let them ask questions.

An example of Mr. Myers’ shell game can be seen if you watch the video below when Mr. Dale Oppenheimer spoke to council at its February 9, 2022 meeting. He asked about the wording in the public comments section and wanted to know if questions could be asked during the public session, and the mayor said, “comments please.”

Mr. Oppenheimer also suggested that there be additional time reserved for questions from those in attendance at the end of the agenda, and this too was met with your stoic silence. He didn’t even get from you, “we will consider that option, or a Hell No!” Subscribers can watch the Myers Shell Game Below:

In your response to my emailed request to have 109 N Miami and 119 N Miami  be placed on next month’s agenda, for some reason you took the opportunity to insult Tim Leigh’s question about whether or not it was true that Roy Rogers was going to build their restaurant in Greendale, Indiana instead of Cleves when you said, “I am unclear as to why the residents that were in attendance with you seem to buy into or create rumors. Specifically the topic of Roy Rogers not building in Cleves (the blueprints are at the Village Administration offices).” 

Mr. Mayor, all questions from your residents are valid questions and should be treated as such.

Then you moved on to accuse me of “gaslighting the entire community into believing a negative narrative about your leadership and the council’s record since 2016. Gaslighting is a popular tactic that political pundits use to disparage those who disagree and are on opposite sides of an issue. By using that term, you have implied that stories that have appeared in the Dispatch are misleading or untrue.

Mr. Mayor. Come on! If you are going to make that allegation, you must take me up on writing an article telling your side of the story. Of course, I will expect you to do what I have done and that is to provide documents supporting your position. By the way, I find it interesting that you did not identify any Dispatch articles that have been false.

I think the Dispatch subscribers would like to know which articles have been misleading or have not included all of the facts?

Was it the article about how the Council illegally held an executive session to discuss ending the Cleves Police Department on July 8, 2020?

Was it the article about hiding the allegations made by the members of the Cleves Police Department against Chief Rick Jones and Village Administrator Mike Rahall by signing a “Confidential Agreement” that allowed him to continue to collect his salary for 90 days? A salary paid for by Cleves taxpayers!

Maybe you could write an article in the Dispatch and provide the emails that show how many cases Chief Jones assisted the Village on after his resignation.

Maybe it was the article about when you attempted to force Geri Meister to either resign or face your frivolous lawsuit to remove her from council.

Or was it the article about Michael Earls? You know the resident who lived at the motel and had six of his ribs broken, was represented by Kahan Law, but died from cancer before the Village could be sued.

Mr. Mayor, you have a credibility problem with the community. Your credibility problem starts with your failure to communicate, and ends with your stubborn refusal to accept responsibility for your actions.

Accepting responsibility for your failed leadership is not your strong suit, and statements like your claim that maybe the Dispatch is an “insidious way” of garnering support to dissolve the village and merge with the township does nothing more than serve as camouflage  for your role if it happens in the future.

Mr. Mayor, when I built my home in Cleves in 1996, my property taxes were about $5000.00 per year, and the same is true in 2022.

In 1999, I fought my Coleman Woods neighbors when they tried to dissolve the village. I still remain against dissolving the Village in 2022.

The day following the defeat of the Cleves 6.0 mil operating levy, I emailed all three Miami Township trustees to warn them that the conversation about dissolving the Village was again a current topic. 

In my view, Mr. Mayor, no one deserves more credit than you for the talk about dissolving the Village. Your record speaks for itself. During your tenure as mayor, you have refused to listen or involve the citizens of Cleves, you failed to pass a renewal levy because you had no communication plan, you ignored over 200 registered voters in Cleves who signed a petition to let them have a say in whether or not the Cleves Police Department should be disbanded, you got rid of the Cleves Police Department even though the overwhelming majority of residents who attended the August 19, 2020 were against it, there is no true zoning enforcement in our Village, and you unilaterally ended the judicial branch of Village government. 

The only question left to be answered Mr. Mayor is, "Under your leadership just how much of Cleves is left to dissolve?" 

Three Rivers Local School District Plans to Adopt English Language Arts Materials at May 24, 2022 Board of Education Meeting

Family Resources for ELA Adoption

EdReports empowers districts with free reviews of K-12 instructional materials. The reports offer evidence-rich, comprehensive information about a program's alignment to the standards and other indicators of quality.

• EDReports: https://www.edreports.org/reports/ela

This site is provided for parents and families as support for the Amplify CKLA program if the program is adopted.

• Amplify Parent Portal: https://amplify.com/CKLA-caregivers

EngageNY is the original open-source version of CKLA before merging with Amplify. Much of the content and skills are the same as the updated version being recommended for purchase for K-4 ELA.

• EngageNY (CKLA version 1): https://www.engageny.org/resource/grades-k-2-core-knowledge-language-arts-listening-and-learning-files

The Core Knowledge curriculum series offers many options for parents and families to support the education their child receives at school. This site contains the knowledge strand for CKLA.

• Parent Site: https://www.coreknowledge.org/community/parents/

Parent Portal for Wonders which is the recommended 5th grade ELA. 

• Wonders Parent Portal: https://www.mheducation.com/prek-12/explore/program-support/ela/wonders.parent.html

The following is a list of ELA Anchor Text by grade for Taylor High School

• Taylor High School ELA Resource list

HAPPENINGS AT THE MIAMI TOWNSHIP BRANCH OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY