BY AMY HIGGINS
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Baseball at Broadway Commons retaliated Sunday against a TV commercial featuring two Over-the-Rhine residents saying they don't want a Reds stadium in their backyard.
Supporters of the Broadway Commons site claim the commercial -- sponsored by proponents of a riverfront stadium, is not representative of Over-the-Rhine residents and business owners.
"There are more than two of us here, and we're for Broadway Commons," said Marge Hammelrath, director of the Over-the-Rhine Foundation and owner of Over-the-Rhine rental property.
The stadium site is the subject of next month's ballot Issue 11, which asks voters to create a county charter requiring that any new Reds ballpark be built at Broadway Commons.
The county already has a deal with the Reds to build a new stadium on the riverfront.
Jim Moll, who has lived and worked in Over-the-Rhine for 10 years, said he thinks riverfront supporters are largely rich businessmen with a financial stake in keeping the Reds on the river.
"This is not a citizens' movement, it's a big business, country club movement," Mr. Moll said of riverfront backers.
While statistics show that Over-the-Rhine is more than two-thirds non-white and overwhelmingly poor, Mr. Moll said the dozen white, well-dressed Broadway Commons supporters were representative of Over-the-Rhine residents and business owners.
John Schneider, chairman of the pro-riverfront Move Greater Cincinnati Forward, said there understandably are some Over-the-Rhine residents who want the ballpark in their neighborhood, but he thinks most do not.
The two women in the commercial, tenants on Spring Street within view of Broadway Commons, approached the Baseball on Main group and were not paid for their commercial appearance, Mr. Schneider said.
Stadium story list<
