Some hop higher than others

We've all heard the complaint that downtown is dead or dying -- no excitement, no nightlife, no people, shoot a cannon off downtown after dark and you may add to the shots-fired statistics, but you probably won't hit anybody.

Fortunately not everybody is willing to accept that status quo -- hence Saturday night's Downtown HopAround, in which a few thousand people checked out 50 participating bars and restaurants.

"HopAround" sounds a little more energetic, and a little less inebriated than "Pub Crawl," but it's the same basic idea. This wasn't hard work -- roam from place to place checking out the food, drinks and camaradarie of the various spots until you had your fill. The notion is that if you see how much fun it is, how much variety there is, how many nice people are also having a nice, safe, good time, you'll come back and try it again.

It seemed to work, at least on Saturday night. The three places I checked out had lots of people, two were standing room only, and reports from several others talked of similar crowds. Many of the patrons, maybe most in some spots were sporting the "I'm a Downtown Bud" buttons that the organizers were passing out. There were no-fare cabs and limos on the prowl willing to take people from one venue to the next, but a lot of folks seemed willing to stroll the sidewalks of the central business district. My "thousands" estimate is purely unscientific, but if the 50 places only averaged 50 people each, the numbers hold up.

These kinds of events take planning and they take work and they take people willing to do both. There was an organizing committee -- Pat Barry, Dennis Speigel, Buzz Buse, Ran Mullins and the indefatigable Mary Armor, one of those too rare people willing to put her own time and energy behind an issue instead of just whining that somebody else should do something.

A kickoff party at the Bankers Club (courtesy of 5/3) drew eight past and present mayors -- Tom Brush, Tom and Charlie Luken, Roxanne Qualls, David Mann, Arn Bortz, Gene Ruehlmann and Mark Mallory. There were assorted judges, the sheriff, some candidates and a cross section of business, political and media types. There were also five (all nine were invited) members of Cincinnati City Council, which brings up an interesting question:

If, as everybody says (they say it because it is absolutely true), that a rejuvinated and active downtown is crucial to the health and wellbeing of the entire city, how could four of our city's elected "leaders" not see this as a "must-attend" event? I'd like to know what John Cranley, Leslie Ghiz, Cecil Thomas and Laketa Cole had going Saturday night that they considered more important. I apologize if any of you four were hiding in a corner and I missed you, but the the organizers -- you know, those public-spirited volunteers who are actually working to bring back downtown -- also were wondering what happened to you.

OK, no more sniping, I want to hear from some of the other people who hopped around. Does this kind of event work to bring people downtown? What needs to happen to sustain the success? Lines are open.

Heartbreak in Lakota

I got a phone call from my wife late Friday. I was at the office, shoveling weekend editorial page copy and such. Something was wrong -- that much I could hear in her voice. "I'm just trying to process this information," she told me.

My 9-year-old daughter, who attends one of the fine elementary schools in the Lakota School District, was getting teary. She was given a letter to give to us, saying she could be among the more than 12,000 elementary school students who may not be going to the same school next year.

Parents on Friday were sent letters telling them of plans to reconfigure school attendance boundaries next year, partly because of the school system's fast growth.

Meanwhile, my daughter is one of the early casualties, as are many of her friends -- if uncertainty and potential upheaval make you a casualty. Heartbroken, she fears she will miss friends she's made over the past three years. As the daughter of a journalist, she's moved three times, been in three different schools already and has had to adjust each time.

Our best hope is that the school district takes into account those friendships and community connections, and try to accommodate the kids and their parents as much as possible.

Bonanza for identity thieves

Kentucky's Personnel Cabinet recently sent the state's 146,000 public employees a mailing with their Social Security numbers blatantly visible in the envelopes' address windows.

With government help like this, who needs enemies? Identity thieves don't even need to root through garbage cans.

The Personnel Cabinet put the numbers right out front, listed as the first nine digits in a 14-digit code. ID thieves can use Socials to unlock all sorts of personal financial accounts, including our bank funds and credit cards. The Indians used to conserve Kentucky's pristine territory as their prized hunting ground. This Personnel mailer has made the state a happy hunting ground for identity scammers.

Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo put out a security alert to warn the state's public employees they could be at risk. That includes K to college teachers, health department workers and other agency personnel. Just this year he drafted a bill (HB 4) that would have specifically banned Social Security numbers disclosed on any mailing. It only passed the House. It's real thoughtful of Personnel Secretary Brian Crall and his people to demonstrate why such legislation is sorely needed. Suggestions on how to prevent identity rip-offs -- other than quitting state employment -- are available on the AG's Web site.