Cincinnati City Councilman Jim Tarbell has registered the "Broadway Commons" name as a trademark.
Mr. Tarbell, who has for years championed the spot at Broadway and Reading Road for a Reds ballpark, applied for the trademark in February 1997. The trademark was published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office this past April.
Mr. Tarbell said he applied for the trademark several years after coining the Broadway Commons name because he began to worry that "anything could happen" in the stadium debate.
The debate became a political campaign when Broadway backers collected about 45,000 signatures to have Issue 11 put on the ballot. Mr. Tarbell said he has not profited at all from the trademark. All money generated from Broadway Commons T-shirts has gone back into Broadway's campaign, he said.
He noted that if the stadium goes to Broadway, it wouldn't be named Broadway Commons anyway because the Reds would sell naming rights in hopes a big corporation would pay millions to have its name on the stadium.
John Schneider, chairman of the pro-riverfront Move Greater Cincinnati Forward campaign, said of the trademark registration: "That's between Jim and his conscience."
"Tell those guys to get a life," Mr. Tarbell said. "That to me is a sure sign of how desperate they are."
Issue 11 asks voters to create a county charter requiring any new Reds ballpark be built at Broadway.
Extra hours: The Hamilton County Board of Elections has extended hours for absentee voting.
The offices will be open until 7 p.m. Friday and until noon Saturday. Questions about absentee voting: 632-7039 or 632-7040.
Campaign Notebook is compiled by the staff of The Cincinnati Enquirer and runs Tuesday-Saturday.
