BY PHILLIP PINA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A week before the deadline, Broadway Commons backers are about 12,100 signatures short of putting a measure on the November ballot to try to force Hamilton County to build a Reds ballpark on the site.
Plan supporters, who started collecting signatures June 27, must collect 26,800 valid signatures by July 24 to get the measure on the ballot. As of noon Thursday, they had 14,701.
Backers had hoped to provide a strong margin of error to account for possible invalid signatures, and Broadway Commons' main supporter, Cincinnati City Councilman Jim Tarbell, is confident they will get enough.
"Last day: 50,000," he predicted.
Broadway Commons backers plan a big push this weekend with petition-seekers stationed at several area church festivals as well as Cinergy Field for the Reds series against San Diego.
A fellow Broadway Commons supporter, City Councilman Todd Portune, said about 3,500 petitions are being circulated, each with room for 30 signatures. He doesn't expect a problem reaching the goal.
The group is trying to reverse a decision to put the $254 million baseball stadium on the riverfront. The petitions ask for a ballot initiative that would create a county charter requiring the stadium be built on the northeastern corner of downtown known as Broadway Commons.
Hamilton County Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus said the petitions are much more than "where to put the ballpark. It is very much about changing government in Hamilton County, and in my mind, changing government for the worse."
He supports putting the stadium on the riverfront.
Mr. Bedinghaus noted that often, only 50 percent to 60 percent of petition signatures turn out to be valid.
Officials from the Cincinnati Reds could not be reached for comment Thursday night.
Previous stadium stories
