COASTer Update

I'm sure many of you regulars areound the Ohiosphere have seen various commenters state that Tom Brinkiman is no longer connected to the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes, an organization which he founded and, I argue, still has tremendous influence. To further that point, I present to you this excerpt from the Cincinnati Enquirer article on a proposed 10-mill school levy for Cincinnati:

State Rep. Tom Brinkman, R-Mount Lookout, founder of the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes, said the area’s anti-tax groups are staying on the sidelines of a Cincinnati levy for now. He said the district’s own infighting and mismanagement is a good anti-levy campaign on its own.

“There’s an age-old political axiom,” Brinkman said before Thursday’s meeting. “When your opponent’s killing themselves, stand back out of the way.”

Why would the reporter go to Brinkman for this quote? Doesn't COAST have a leader and/or spokesman?

And isn't it interesting that COAST is going to sit this one out. A 10-mill levy is $306 dollars added to a tax bill for a $100,000 home. I don't know about what the average COASTer thinks, but that sounds like a lot of additional taxing and spending to me.

I remain critical of COAST, not for their mission, but for their tactics. This story continues to illustrate that COAST is incapable of presenting a positive message on this critical issue. If COAST wants to stand on the sidelines for this one; fine, say so. But there is no need to go beyond that. If I were representing COAST and was asked about this issue, I would say that the organizations was carefully reviewing the situation and would take a position when the dust settles and the facts can be examined. Period. End of story. No need to be negative here. Of course, I'm looking at this story after it has been written and I have no idea how the question was posed to Brinkman; but knowing the COASTers the way I do, this is how they operate. Attack. Attack. Attack. Always on offense. And there is something to be said for that approach. But if an organization wants to have lasting, long term impact, "nagativity" is not the way to go.

I am not saying that COAST should surrender its principles. Quite the opposite, actually. What I am saying is that the message needs to packaged better than it currently is being presented. If you were to take a poll of the southwestern Ohio, you would discover two things that might seem at odds with each other... 1) COAST has a low approval rating. And, 2) the principles for which COAST stands for do not. What causes that dichotomy? COAST does not have an effective PR machine. COAST is its own worst enemy...

As for the financial problems experienced by the Cincinnati Public School system, I would suggest that if the students are not being sufficiently served by a budget of $428 million, someone ought to take a look at the salaries and expenses associated with personnel not in the classrooms. I am quite sure there is a narrative that could be constructed there that would better paint the picture of why yet another tax increase would do nothing more than pour more gasoline on the fire that is public education in the city of Cincinnati.