Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper and “We Demand A Vote” organizer Ed Rothenberg engaged in an often heated debate Sunday evening on “City Talk Radio.” The two debated – among other things – whether it was “right” and “ethical” to institute a sales tax increase without first giving the voters a chance to weigh in. Also, the two discussed whether waiting the extra months to allow a vote on a must-have for the county – in this case, the jail – is better than spending millions of dollars and wasting millions of dollars until a new solution can be found.

Turns out Rothenberg actually voted for the sales tax increase when it was on the ballot last November and lost, but now is working to get it on the ballot so there can be a public debate on the merits of the new proposal by Pepper and fellow county commissioner and fellow Democrat Todd Portune (last fall’s commission had a Republican majority). The county’s third commissioner, Republican Pat DeWine, who was a previous guest on “City Talk” to discuss this new plan, opposes the new sales tax – but does think the county needs a new jail.

It was a good, lively show with a few callers thrown into the mix including one caller, “Jen from Deer Park,” who sounds eerily familiar to Jen Winkelman of Madeira, one of Pepper’s aides. Plus, a guy who called right at the end and said he has been jailed at Hamilton County’s reportedly deteriorating Queensgate jail facility (one of the reasons officials cite for needing a new jail) and said it rates horrible for cleanliness compared – no joke – to the other area jails he has served time in around the Tri-State. Why couldn’t he have called earlier in the show?

To hear this and all the other exciting back and forth, subscribe to City Talk’s (new, now functioning) Podcast by clicking this link (coming soon to iTunes, Podcast.net and now available on Podcastalley.com). You can also download the show. You can also visit our Web site via our new domain name, www.citytalkradio.net.

And, as I have noted on this blog previously, some improvements to the off-air aspects of the show are coming soon. Myself, along with the show’s main host, Michael Sweeney and his team at MyCityLiving.com are working to make those changes. Stay tuned!

This week’s show will have two special segments.

First off, young professionals. Everyone hears the term, or just the shortened “YP.” What does it mean, what is going on to attract and retain this highly coveted part of the workforce and what does it mean for this region? City Talk will have on Mayor Mark Mallory’s YP Kitchen Cabinet President Candace Klein, along with two other guests (to be named soon) to discuss the topic.

Plus, Brewster Rhoads, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland‘s liaison in southwestern Ohio, will be our second-half guest, on to discuss the 6th Annual Ohio River Way Paddlefest, a two day festival on the banks of the Ohio River that includes jumping in a canoe and paddling down the Ohio River along with much, much more (music, food, outdoor education, among other stuff). Rhoads may bring some special guests with him and we will be giving away a registration (a $25 value) to Paddlefest to a caller. Tune in 7 to 8 p.m. Sunday, June 24 on SuperTalk FM 96.5 or listen online (or get that handy Podcast).

Cincinnati Gentleman publisher Tom Schaefer and myself will be co-hosting City Talk Radio 7 to 8 p.m. Sunday on SuperTalk FM 96.5, heard in Cincinnati. Not in Cincinnati or near a radio? Listen online.

This week’s topic:

After Hamilton County Commissioners seemingly put an end to the debate about how to fund a new jail by increasing the county’s sales tax by a vote of the three-member board, the deal seemed done.

But a group of citizens – and a motley crew at that – came together and formed a coalition to put a referendum on the fall ballot intended to repeal the county commission’s action.

If they are successful getting 28,750 signatures by mid-July, the sales tax will be blocked from being enacted and voters will be able to vote on the tax. An alternate plan to build a jail – roundly criticized by the two Democratic county commissioners, Todd Portune and David Pepper – was resoundingly defeated last fall.

Pepper, who voted for the tax increase, and Ed Rothenberg, coordinator of “We Demand a Vote,” the group organizing to get the referendum on the ballot, will be our guests. Hope you will tune in.

Sunday evening’s City Talk Radio marked my first solo gig ever on commercial radio. Woo-wee.

It was a lot of fun, to say the least. The big change over my previous radio shows, 2005’s Brian & Joe Radio Show and Cincinnati Advance Radio (both on my dearly beloved and deeply-troubled WAIF-FM), is this is like, uh, professional radio. We have a real, paid, he-knows-what-he-is-doing-and-he-is-good producer, Mark (I could go on and on about how cool it is to have Mark help out in the studio).

My guests were Hamilton County Commission President Todd Portune and Cincinnati City Council Member Cecil Thomas. They came on to discuss the county’s safety plan and the officer-involved shooting in Over-the-Rhine Friday night, respectively.

I’m working with Michael Sweeney, the show’s main host, to make some improvements and enhancements to the radio show, like the Podcast. Along with my other co-host, Tom Schaefer, we should have some cool announcements in coming weeks.

Here’s the Podcast link:
http://www.highprioritypartners.com/wp/joewessels_wp/File/CityTalkRadio/CityTalk_feed.xml

And some quickie directions might be helpful (just take the above link and use that instead of the ones listed). Enjoy! Leave a comment if you have questions.

I will be hosting City Talk Radio 7 to 8 p.m. tonight (Sunday) on SuperTalk FM 96.5. It’s my first solo gig on the new show, so I’m pretty excited. Tonight’s guests are Hamilton County Commission President Todd Portune to discuss the proposed sales tax increase to fund a new jail. After the last break (around 7:40), Cincinnati City Council Member Cecil Thomas, chairman of the Law & Public Safety Committee comes in to discuss Friday’s night shooting of a suspect by Cincinnati Police in Over-the-Rhine.

Join the discussion by calling (513) 749-TALK, or #965 from your Cincinnati Bell Wireless phone. You can also listen live.

In preparation for starting the radio show I compiled an e-mail list of every person, place or thing that I’ve ever met, coupled that with Brian’s list and wound up with an impressive e-mail list just shy of 3,000 e-mail addresses. On that list were at least one of the Galvin brothers, those stupid ones who have a radio show on WVXU.

Jene and Jerry have or, moreover, had (Jene left to help out the Springer on the Radio show earlier this year; Jerry continues alone), a radio show on WVXU. Every Sunday evening at 10 p.m. the two would come on my living room radio and rant about utter silliness. They make up stories, interview Jerry Springer, laugh at themselves, take calls and threaten that every show was their last show. I actually liked listening to the show, though many times I found it pointless. I’m thinking that might’ve been the point.
But pointlessness sometimes is good, especially on a Sunday night as I wound down from a hectic weekend. Many people who I’d ask if they heard their show had at one time or another and felt more strongly that pointlessness shouldn’t appear on their public radio station. I smiled and politely disagreed.

We purposefully made our e-mail list easy to unsubscribe from. So far about 500 e-mail addresses have asked to be taken off. Not a problem and it’s easy to do – just click on a link . I hate spam myself, and would hate to be contributing to that classification of junk mail. But I have to admit, it was really sad when I got the automatic unsubscribe message from our ListServ when Jene Galvin took himself off our list.

Now I’m just hurt. Jene and I spoke on the phone a few times long before the Brian & Joe Radio Show was even conceptualized. We met when I scheduled Jerry Springer to speak at an SPJ luncheon. What had I done to irk him so much that he would take the initiative to unsubscribe himself from another radio show’s e-mail list? Hey, I’m still on the Springer on the Radio e-mail list. Is it because the Brian & Joe Radio Show is on at the same time as Jerry in Cincinnati (I realize that our small, but loyal listenership may posses all the Arbitron books in Cincinnati, but that’s not our fault)?I wish he’d write and tell me. I’m here. I’m willing to listen. And I want to have radio buddies, especially ones that I admire.