CINCINNATI — Cincinnati officials spent $11,500 on five signs that critics say are political and that were initially proposed to be removed the day after Election Day.

The signs credit President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for upcoming road projects that received funding under a bipartisan infrastructure law.

They were originally supposed to credit Biden only. However, before the signs were installed, city officials decided to add Harris’ name after she became a Democratic presidential candidate.

“The idea that we’re going to put up signs to let people know what’s going on, I think is completely reasonable,” said David Niven, a political science professor at the University of Cincinnati. “That there was a change specifically to include the vice president’s name, that’s hard to justify. It’s hard to see this as particularly necessary.”

Niven reviewed city documents and emails obtained by WCPO as part of a public records request revealing the history of the signs.

He found it “particularly egregious” that a city employee wrote an email to Prus Construction asking for the price of the project’s temporary signs that are expected to be installed by Oct. 1 and may have to be removed as early as Oct. 6 November, the same day. after the elections.

“It feels like a conversation that happened that no one expected to have to justify … and that no one expected to be scrutinized,” Niven said. “It’s an unfortunate part of this story.”

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, a Democrat, and City Manager Sheryl Long declined interviews through spokespeople.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

The signs cost $2,300 each, initially taken from the emergency street repair fund. This fund pays for various road maintenance and repairs included in the city’s contract with Prus, such as installing new surfacing, painting and striping, street grinding and signage.

However, a city spokesperson said the cost of the signs would be reimbursed to the street repair fund from a separate fund in the city manager’s office for grant administration activities. City officials expect to receive a grant to reimburse the cost of the panels.

“I don’t think I would count on it if I were them,” said Todd Zinser, a West Price Hill resident who served as inspector general for the U.S. Commerce Department and spent years fighting fraud and waste as deputy inspector general. at the US Department of Transportation.

Zinser said he doubts the city will be reimbursed with a grant because he doesn’t think it followed federal guidelines for sign design.

Other communities across the country have put up similar signs promoting federally funded transportation projects, but those signs only bore Biden’s name, Zinser said.

“It shows how irregular the situation is with Cincinnati,” Zinser said. “Let this not be replicated in other cities.”

Provided by the City of Cincinnati

Steve Goodin, chairman of the Clifton Town Meeting, said he was shocked that city officials would spend money on these signs when many neighborhood councils are asking for money for additional crosswalks or cushions. speed to make pedestrians safer.

His community council tried to find $20,000 to repair a bike path with a serious pedestrian safety problem, Goodin said.

“To me, the big problem is it’s city dollars, No. 1. No. 2, our budgets are tight. Third, our neighborhoods are clamoring for pedestrian safety interventions – most of which are quite cheap – and are regularly told there is not enough money to fund them,” he said . “Still, they could find money for this nonsense. »

Goodin, a former Republican city council member, is now interim chairman of the Cincinnati Charter Committee. He said the city charter requires the city manager to be nonpartisan, apolitical and independent.

“You see in these emails clear policy direction coming from a Washington lobbyist, the mayor’s office and the city manager’s staff. And that political considerations are clearly at the forefront in this expenditure of public funds,” Goodin said. “It’s a charter issue, it’s a culture issue, it’s something that’s not good for the city.”

A city spokesperson said the city manager did not violate the city charter.

Provided by the City of Cincinnati

“These signs do not promote the Harris campaign or engage in prohibited political activities,” wrote spokesperson Ben Breuninger in response to questions from WCPO. “The city works hard to secure federal funding for a variety of projects and is proud to celebrate successful grant applications, promote our partnership with the federal government, and inform residents and visitors of the administration’s efforts to obtain available funds. The political affiliation of federal leaders has no bearing on these activities.

The city lobbyist suggested the original signs to the mayor, who agreed and took the idea to the administration, Breuninger wrote.

“This is going to be a new push from the administration – because they want the public to understand how the law actually produces results – and signage to help make the connection is important.” I’m not sure how the Mayor feels about doing this – but I will note that it would gain a ton of goodwill and good points with the DOT and administration (this push comes from the WH),” Leslie Pollner, a lobbyist for the D.C. firm Holland & Knight wrote in a January email to the mayor’s chief of staff, Keizayla Fambro, and others.

Ray Pfeffer

“The city manager is asking us to install temporary signs for the project…We are waiting for the mayor’s office to select which of the four sign options they would like us to use,” Jennifer Russell, supervising engineer for Transportation and Transportation the city. the engineering department wrote in a July 11 email to Prus.

She noted that the signs may need to be removed as soon as Nov. 6, but a city spokesperson said they will remain in place beyond that date.

“The October 1 to November 6 deadline was initially asserted by a DOTE employee who does not have the authority to make the decision, and the city’s intention is to leave the signs beyond that deadline,” Breuninger wrote to WCPO.

Once Biden withdrew from the presidential race on July 21, city officials soon after agreed to change the sign’s design to add Harris’ name.

An employee in the city manager’s office was the first person to suggest using both names on the signs, and the mayor’s office agreed to the idea, Breuninger said.

“The Mayor’s Office has a key role to play in supporting the administration in managing our relationships with federal partners. When we learned of the nationwide signage campaign, we were eager to get it done here quickly,” according to the Pureval press release. “Cincinnati has received transformational support from federal partners like USDOT, and to maximize our relationship moving forward, it is important that we provide appropriate recognition and information to residents.

Ray Pfeffer

But that’s not how Goodin sees it.

“The signs themselves are political and then rewriting the signs is extremely political,” Goodin said.

Goodin, a Republican, said he would have the same objections if the signs promoted his party’s leaders.

“These signs are not the end of the world. This is not the start of a giant corruption scandal, but it speaks to a cultural problem that is going to lead to bigger and bigger problems if not addressed,” Goodin said.

But Zinser wants all five panels removed.

“If they want to put up new signs that are consistent or consistent with federal guidelines, let them do so, but in their current state, I think they are clearly political signs,” Zinser said.

Ray Pfeffer

As for Niven, even though the handling of the situation was negligent and clumsy, he said “it’s not corrupt, it’s not bad.”

“This appears to be an unforced error and one that distracts from the basic premise of the panel, which is that this was a rare moment when people from both parties came together and did something,” he said. Niven said.

The panels are located at five project sites:

• Gilbert Avenue and Eden Park Drive, where construction will begin in 2026 on a comprehensive street project focused on traffic calming and increased safety.
• Court and Linn streets, where construction is expected to begin in 2027 on a comprehensive street project aimed at connecting West End, Queensgate and Lower Price Hill with better intersections, new bike lanes and safer crosswalks.
• Harrison Avenue and Queen City Boulevard, where construction will begin in 2025 on a project aimed at reducing speed and car accidents.
• Harrison and Westwood avenues, where site preparation is underway for the Western Hills Viaduct replacement project. Construction of the new bridge is expected to begin by 2026.
• Reading Road and Asmann Avenue, where construction of a sidewalk improvement project will begin in 2027.