Editorial Cartoon: Undercover Bossy

Undercover Boss is a series in the U.S. that showcases company executives disguising themselves as out of work average joes working different entry level jobs in their own company.   It was originally a British series and now has expanded to Australia (source).   It is not only a ratings success but also a PR success for any company lucky enough to be featured on it.

Well it seems that Cincinnati’s own Mayor Mark Mallory was asked to participate as the first mayor in the country featured on the show.  Cincinnati needs some good PR so I think it was a great idea.  Well it seems some city council members do not.  Leslie Ghiz complained “…he’s not the boss..The manager’s the boss.  He’s nobody’s boss.”  (source).   While it it true that our city is run by a city manager, the mayor is still seen as playing a prominent role in how people view the city and therefore it is not inappropriate for him to take on this task.

And Chris Bortz said “he might put forth a motion to sue the production company to make sure the show doesn’t air, saying Mallory was simply “advancing a personal agenda.”   Seems they only wanted him involved more in the budget process so they have one more person to point the finger when things go wrong.

Oh and Mayor Mallory is fairly recognized in the city (see bio) so rumors were that they gave him different facial hair and dreadlocks, thus the picture.

Anyone watch UB?  Do you think it would be good or bad for your city if your mayor appeared on the show?

Oktoberfest Tshirt

Long time readers may remember this shirt but given it is a top seller at the store, it is one I like to highlight each year.   This is the first t-shirt I ever designed for the store:  it depicts a guy in lederhosen carrying a large sausage.  The back say’s “Grab your Sausage and Have Fun”.

Why highlight an Oktoberfest shirt the end of August?  Well, while Munich Germany’s Oktoberfest actually runs into October (Sept 18 – October 3), Cincinnati celebrates it smack dab in September (the 18th and 19th) and Covington, KY (right across the river from Cincinnati) celebrates the weekend before.

Quick trivial facts.  Cincinnati has the largest Oktoberfest celebration in the United States.  Last year an astute commenter indicated that it was Canada that held the distinction of the largest outside of Germany.  However, he is wrong according to my spot Wikipedia sources.  The largest celebration outside Germany is in Blumenau, BRAZIL!  But here is where Cincinnati gets back some of it’s swagger.  Estimates for the Canadian and Brazilian Oktoberfest are in the 700,000′s.  However each lasts about a week.  Cincinnati pulls in around 500,000 people in just 2 days.  Now who drinks more?

More designs created over the years:

Click image to go to page.

Editorial Cartoon: Cincinnati raises Parking Meter Rates

Two things happened this past week in Cincinnati.  First council approved a controversial plan to build a street car in the city.  I’m not going into the good and bad of it per se but once again Cincinnati tries to follow plans of other cities to promote tourism while never seeming to lead the way.  One reason it is controversial is because opponents say that fares will not cover the cost to operate the streetcar and the city will continually have to pony up money to keep it in business.

Secondly, they decided to double the parking rates in downtown from $1 per hour to $2 per hour.  While not New York pricing, this is one of the highest in a 250 mile radius.  On top of it they increased the rates for city garages.  So let’s see…what was the plan to bring more people downtown?

What stuff does your city do that you question?

Bearman Cartoon: Bengals Beat Steelers

Sorry for my focus on American Football toons as of late but the Cincinnati Bengals have not beaten the Pittsburgh Steelers at home in eight years. Sunday they finally won and my friends in Pittsburgh deserve a little payback for all the years that they beat on us.

For the uninformed, the Bengal Tiger obviously represents the bengals.  Pittsburgh fans carry en masse a towel that is printed with the words “terrible towel” to games at home and away.   The towel is now synonymous with the Steelers. 

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