The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • A5

cincinnati.com THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2017 5A Local news Claire Wagner just announced her plans to run for president in 2044. Claire, 12, her feet and qui- etly made the announcement outside the Hamilton County Commission chambers on Wednesday. I was I thought it would be awesome to have a woman presi- she said. I thought, I want to be the woman president, and then I thought, no we need a woman president before I Claire, a student at Forest Sherwood Elementary, started her po- litical career Wednesday as the young- est of the 30 members of the new Hamilton County Commission on Women and Girls. The 20 adult women and 10 stu- dents on the commission will work to end sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the county.

meet for the time in January. make recommendations to the commissioners on how to eliminate bi- as and harassment as well as ways to encourage more women to take leadership roles. The commissioners Wednesday ap- proved the resolution appointing the 30 members. women and girls thrive and are nurtured in society, the society as a whole does said Commissioner Denise Driehaus. Commissioner Chris Monzel called for a strengthening of the sexual harassment training and poli- cies.

want to make sure we are training employees to create an envi- ronment that is welcoming to he said. The county received 160 applica- tions from women to join the board. aunt encouraged her to apply and to drive her to meetings. hope to have women get equal Claire said. Eisha Armstrong, of Mount Look- out, said she believes the commission she just joined is starting at a historic time where issues are at the forefront.

see an emphasis on gen- der parity, and I want to be part of that Armstrong said. Ending sex harassment, bias goal of panel Scott Wartman Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK Members of the newly minted Hamilton County Commission on Women and Girls are applauded. SCOTT ENQUIRER Cincinnati City Council approved millions of dollars in spending and supported the decision to re- place the Park Board chair Wednesday in its meeting of 2017. Why the big race to the Three new council members will be sworn in Jan. 2.

None of the new mem- bers have held a publicly elected before. Untested politicians could be unpredictable and will have their own priorities. Secondly, due to council rules, any legislation introduced during the council term will at the end of the year. If an ordinance or motion addressed now, it will have to be rein- troduced and go back through the committee process in 2018. Here are highlights: PASS: New Park Board appointment Council has Mayor John appointment of James Goetz to the Cincinnati Parks Board of Com- missioners to replace board Chair- woman Dianne Rosenberg.

But there is disagreement about when term actually ends. She has served since 2015 and Park Board commissioners typically serve six-year terms, but Cranley said she the unexpired term of a member who resigned. With Goetz in council, the city could potentially go to court with Rosenberg to settle the matter. lawyers had no com- ment at the time of the vote. Five council members voted in favor of appointment.

Councilman Chris Seelbach voted no. Instead of voting, Wendell Young, Yvette Simp- son and P.G. Sittenfeld stated, reject the premise of this Cranley sought to replace Rosenberg because, he says, she has failed for two years to change ques- tionable spending practices. David Rosenberg, a KMK lawyer and wife to Dianne Rosenberg, called on Cranley to give his wife and Park Board commissioners an apology at council session. is no way to run a great said Rosenberg.

He said for two years the city website listed his term as expiring in 2021. Cranley says he can appoint a re- placement for Dianne Rosenberg, who was appointed in January of 2015, be- cause her term expires Dec. 31 of this year. This is the latest chapter in the on- going feud between the park board and city administration after Enquirer stories raised questions about Park Board while the mayor and parks leaders were trying to pass a parks levy in 2015. A letter from the four other Park Board commissioners sent to the may- or and council ahead of the council meeting said: com- ments on Wednesday do not the comprehensive impacts that Mrs.

Rosenberg has had with the Park The commissioners also cited their continuing cooperation with an inde- pendent accounting Clark Schaefer Hackett, when an audit last year revealed numerous discrepancies in documents and shoddy recordkeeping. The city issued a le- gal opinion Wednesday that Rosen- berg was never an appointee, but rath- er a for the remainder of the unexpired term, allowing the mayor to appoint someone new to re- place Rosenberg before her term ends. PASS: Money for new grocery in Northside Apple Street Market and Northsiders Engaged in Sustain- able Transformation received $515,000 to help renovate a deteriorat- ing former Save-A-Lot building into a co-op grocery store. The Apple Street Market project has been in the works for years. Backers say they have $3.5 million in grants and loans to put into the building.

Vice Mayor David Mann said this ordinance is not directly or indirectly funding a market. He said it is simply helping Northsiders Engaged in Sus- tainable Transformation buy the prop- erty. The legislation also bars the building or land from being mortgaged to help fund the market. The measure passed unanimously. Cranley said he would not use his veto, but did have a word of warning.

want to sound a note of pes- he said. I believe go- ing to be very to get without mortgaging the Other council members praised Northside residents for pushing to cre- ate something new and positive. Sit- tenfeld said funk and is the envy of the rest of the city. PASS: Western Hills Viaduct plan Council unanimously passed Cran- Western Hills Viaduct plan, which authorizes $33 million in city debt over the next few years to replace the crumbling bridge. The funding has already been matched by another $33 million from Hamilton County.

Combined, this money makes up 20 percent of the to- tal cost of the project. Local say this opens the door to state and federal grants for the remaining mon- ey. PASS: Another tax abatement on same apartments The owners of the Renaissance at the Power Building in Downtown have received another major tax break from the city to help up the building. The previous owner, Capital In- vestment Group, received a tax break but failed to make the promised im- provements to the apartments. In- stead, the company sold the building last year for a to Galbraith South Realty Co.

All council members except Seelbach and Young voted for the year extension. Northside among winners at last council meeting Cameron Knight and Monroe Trombly Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK.