Tarbell's 'retirement'

Jim Tarbell has never been mayor of Cincinnati, but he always served as the city’s First Citizen. Saloonkeeper, entertainer, cheerleader, councilman – Tarbell has done it all. He is not someone who needs to be presented a key to the city because he’s always had that key in his vest pocket.

He announced Tuesday that he is resigning from council on Sept. 3. He would have been term-limited at the end of the year. By stepping down three months early he allows some other Charterite to be appointed who will then be able to campaign as an incumbent. That’s just plain old city council politics, but Tarbell was always more about the city than politics.

He was a genuine character, from his signature bald head and top hat, to the antique medals that he loved to collect and pin on his chest.

He presided over Arnold’s and Grammer’s for years, keeping them as authentic drinking and dining spots in Over-the-Rhine. (Arnold’s he sold years ago). The Reds have no bigger fan although he still regrets the decision not to build Great American Ball Park at Broadway Commons.

He has been a staunch defender of the arts on council, understanding and preaching that art can be seen in everything from the fine museums to the flowered window boxes over-hanging the streets in urban neighborhoods.

Defender is a word that often has been applied to him in another, more traditional context as well. On several occasions over the years, once as recently as last March, he has taken on thieves and muggers. Once he used a broom to chase a prowler found lurking outside his Over-the-Rhine home.

What he plans to do next is unannounced – for the city’s sake I hope Tarbell’s “retirement” will be enjoyed in Cincinnati.