Letter: Smitherman has conflict
Councilman calls streetcar views real motive

Christopher Smitherman can’t properly serve as a Cincinnati council member and head of the local NAACP chapter, a streetcar advocate charged in a Thursday letter to city attorneys, asking them to stop the alleged conflict of interest.

Cincinnati City Solicitor John Curp received a letter from the attorney representing P. Casey Coston, a city resident and lawyer who also writes for a local web site, making the allegation.

The letter asks Curp to contact the Ohio Ethics Commission and take steps to stop what Coston believes is Smitherman’s conflicts – but the letter is unclear as to specifically what those conflicts are.

The letter makes a reference to the local NAACP chapter being a social welfare agency allowed to lobby governments.

It also asks Curp to seek an opinion from the Ohio Ethics Commission to determine if Smitherman’s dual roles are in conflict.

Smitherman and fellow council member Charlie Winburn, both streetcar opponents, are holding a Jan. 27 hearing on streetcar funding.

“That was the trigger” for Coston’s letter, Smitherman said.

“Mr. Smitherman claims it's about the ‘streetcar.’ It's not, as the streetcar is going forward,” Coston said in an e-mail. “I would note however that I witnessed in action his behavior, last May, at a city council hearing on the streetcar. Sensing that things were not going his way at the hearing, he threw an obscenity-laced tirade in chambers and had to be physically restrained from assaulting both private citizens as well as city councilmembers who spoke out in favor of the streetcar.

“In listening to him call for ethics training earlier this year, I thought back to that ugly episode last May. If this was an example of his advocacy on behalf of the NAACP (which it was), I was, and remain, concerned with councilmember Smitherman's ability to represent the city in an impartial manner and in the city's best interest.”

Smitherman insisted Coston’s attack are streetcar-related.

“This is a political maneuver, from my perspective. It’s part of the game,” he said.

Smitherman stressed he is a volunteer chair of the Cincinnati NAACP chapter and a professional stock broker.

Curp also suspects the streetcar is a reason for Coston’s complaint.

“I wish both sides of the streetcar issue would stop looking for remedies from a judge and would start working through the political system to resolve things,” Curp said.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120...|FRONTPAGE