Thursday, May 20, 1999
Ujima festival gets $150,000 from city
BY ANNE MICHAUD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
No other Cincinnati event receives such a subsidy, but council voted Wednesday to spend $150,000 for the Ujima Cinci-bration street festival.
Council decided by a vote of 7-2 that the peace surrounding last year's downtown festival and Coors Light concerts was worth the price. The previous summer, a man was shot to death in the street.
Also, as expected, council approved $105,000 for music and events in Eden Park and Corryville designed to control large and often unruly Sunday night crowds.
Councilman Phil Heimlich led opposition to spending for the three-day Ujima Cinci-bration, touching off a debate that polarized the council. He figured that the actual cost was $547,000: $150,000 in cash and $327,000 for police, fire and other city services.
“Almost every other event held in the city pays its own cost,” Mr. Heimlich said.
The Taste of Cincinnati was the next most expensive event, at a cost of $103,872 in city services, City Manager John Shirey said.The only event that has received a cash payment was the Flying Pig Marathon, which received $25,000.
The African-American Chamber of Commerce, which ran Ujima Cinci-bration last year, has not raised any money for this year's event but has one “very good promise,” said Director James Clingman.
Councilman Jim Tarbell, an event promoter, also opposed the spending. He said the job should go out to bid, and probably could be done for half the $150,000 price.
“For most businesses downtown, this event is their worst night of the year,” said Mr. Tarbell, former owner of Arnold's Bar & Grill.
Supporters countered that the 30-year-old music festival, which draws African-American tourists from around the country, returns up to $40 million to Cincinnati's economy.
Mayor Roxanne Qualls said it would be “foolhardy and reckless” to stop funding Ujima Cinci-bration because of its one-year success.
“Someone was murdered ... it was not a safe environment,” Ms. Qualls said. “We came to grips with it. Now all I hear is everybody wants to turn their back on this and walk away.”
Council unanimously approved contributing $20,000 to four Sunday night festivals on Short Vine Street. Merchants want to barricade a two-block area and charge $5 admission to give police more authority in crowd control.
Mr. Heimlich alone opposed an $85,000 expense for eight Sunday night concerts in Eden Park, which are partly intended to keep crowds of young people from migrating to Short Vine.
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