Melanie Bates: If the Comprehensive Safety Tax Does Not Pass

"If the sales tax to fund a new jail is overturned by the voters on Election Day, what do you propose City Council does to deal with the shortage of jail space?"

What Cincinnati City Council must do is form a coalition of council members who are serious about working together to reduce violent crime and improve public safety in our region in counsel with the mayor, city manager and administration. Additionally, Council must actively address violent crime and public safety in collaboration with county and regional leaders to develop "Plan B,"and I see three clear choices: return to the voters, go back to the drawing board, or tinker around the edges with proposals for temporary fixes.

Any one council member can espouse his or her solutions and ideas, but it takes a majority to move forward.