Former Cincinnati council member Steve Goodin urged Councilman Mark Jeffreys to focus on city services amid reports he may run for mayor. His letter calls for ending Iris Roley’s contract, scrutinizing Norfolk Southern rail-sale funds and closer oversight of the city manager.
Goodin cited recent missed trash pickups in seven neighborhoods amid unexplained staffing shortages, shootings around the University of Cincinnati, street closures and deteriorating roads. He acknowledged the Collaborative Settlement Agreement had benefited the city but argued Roley’s police-oversight role harms officers’ morale, and accused her Collaborative Foundation of routing hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars. He said voters were told the rail-sale proceeds would fund “existing infrastructure” and called for answers about their use.
Goodin faulted City Manager Sheryl Long, citing what he called poor services and police response times. He said former police and fire chiefs were suing her in federal court and winning, and criticized her raises and council evaluations. He also called for a less politicized development process, saying contentious hearings, city departments’ handling of incentives and county commercial-property valuations frustrate developers; he contrasted Cincinnati with Columbus’s streamlined portal. He criticized Jeffreys’ social-media videos as misplaced amid shootings.
