Two Hamilton County Commission hopefuls made their pitches Tuesday to convince the 100 active members of the Cincinnatus Association of why they are the right choice to lead the county through one of its most difficult financial times in recent memory.

The county is facing a budget crisis because of sagging sales tax revenues and decreases in the amount of money coming from the state government. At the same time, the county is spending enormous amounts of money in developing the Cincinnati's riverfront.

Republican Phil Heimlich and Democrat Jean Siebenaler would bring different experiences and different approaches to the job. Both are vying for the commission seat being vacated by Republican Tom Neyer.

Neither will get an endorsement from the 75-year-old civic organization, which is a champion of racial and social justice.

Mr. Heimlich spent most of his time talking about his accomplishments during four terms on Cincinnati City Council, and how he would go about battling the budget situation county government is facing.

Sometimes seen as divisive, Mr. Heimlich said he had success in getting others to go along with his ideas — such as a teen curfew, a citizens patrol program and tax rollbacks — on a council where he said the debates often resembled The Jerry Springer Show.

“I had to get five votes on every one of those programs,” Mr. Heimlich said. “Believe me, it was tough. So I ought to be able to get three votes on the County Commission.”

Dr. Siebenaler first educated Cincinnatus members on how to pronounce her name — important, she said, because her name is considerably less known than Mr. Heimlich's. She talked about the difficult jobs of changing the city's image and stopping the population migration out of Cincinnati.

“I do not have the political experience of my opponent, but I do have a diverse life background — and I'm in this race because I feel there is need for real change in Hamilton County,” said Dr. Siebenaler, a physician. “We have a bad image right now, and we need public leaders to address the issues and welcome diversity.”

Mr. Heimlich said diversity is welcome, but the county is in fiscal crisis and needs to control spending rather than raise taxes, which he says have increased at 2.5 times the rate of inflation.

Likewise, special property tax levies — used to pay for things such as programs for children and the elderly, health care for the poor and programs for the mentally

disabled — also have spiraled at an alarming rate, he said.

“We've got to get spending under control, and I'll do that through managed competition and bringing in outside analysts to study special levies” before they go on the ballot, Mr. Heimlich said, referring to his idea of bidding out some governmental services to business. “My No. 1 goal is to get the budget under control.”

Dr. Siebenaler stepped away from her medical practice to run her campaign. If she wins, she will become only the second woman ever elected to the commission.

She also is concerned about environmental issues, namely urban sprawl. She said her experience in the Navy, where she was medical director on a submarine, gave her the leadership and management skills she'll need to be an effective commissioner.

“It makes no sense to me to see sewer lines extending out into undeveloped western Hamilton County when we have an urban core that is deteriorating,” Ms. Siebenaler said. “I don't think these problems are simple. But we need critical thinkers who have lived diverse, experienced lives.”

E-mail dklepal@enquirer.com

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