BY PHILLIP PINA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A group of Cincinnati residents plans to turn up the heat on Hamilton County for falling behind minority contracting goals for the new Bengals stadium.
About 45 people gathered Tuesday night in Avondale to express frustration with the contracting process.
Many plan to attend county commission meetings, including one this morning, and continue to push officials toward the 15 percent goal of all contracts awarded to minority- and women-owned businesses. A suit against the county also is possible, said the Rev. William Land, a member of the Baptist Ministers Conference.
"We are standing up for our economic rights. We are seeking economic justice," Reggie Boyd, a member of the Avondale Community Council, told the gathering.
According to an October report to Cincinnati leaders, county officials said 7 percent, or $8.3 million, in contracts had been awarded to minority- and women-owned businesses as of Sept. 30. For the same period, $120.9 million in contracts was awarded.
Hamilton County leaders say there has been an effort to include minority-owned businesses in the $404 million project.
There have been a number of outreach seminars, and some contracts have been split up to attract the small as well as the large minority businesses, said Brooke Hill, spokeswoman for the construction project.
"We have done things that have reached out into the minority community, and that has allowed us to get to the 7 percent figure," Hamilton County Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus said.
Cincinnati, for example, has awarded minorities about 2.9 percent of the contracts for the $146 million Fort Washington Way reconstruction, a recent report said.
The county will not "waste its time" with set-aside programs, Mr. Bedinghaus said. In fact, a federal judge in Columbus last month struck down Ohio's minority set-asides on construction projects. Hamilton County has opted for the outreach programs, he said.
And today, commissioners will request proposals on a workforce development program.
The idea is to give minorities and others the training to work on the stadium projects as well as future jobs, Mr. Bedinghaus said. A trained workforce attracts businesses, he added.
Mr. Bedinghaus said that through Sept. 30, about 27 percent of the construction hours spent on Paul Brown Stadium has been by minority workers.
But the failed goal of 15 percent of contracts still raises concerns. The minority business owners are being left out, the Rev. Mr. Land said. The tax dollars of the minority community are being used to help fund the stadiums, and they should be included in the investment.
"This is personal," said Morris Williams, associate director of the Coalition of Neighborhoods, and a Bond Hill resident who attended the meeting. "This is about putting food on our family tables."
