BY Howard Wilkinson
The Cincinnati Enquirer
In what might be the most expensive Hamilton County commissioner's race ever, Republican incumbent Bob Bedinghaus has about 70 times as much money in the bank as Democratic oppo nent Todd Portune.
According to campaign finance reports filed Friday with the Hamilton County Board of Elections, Mr. Bedinghaus is sitting on a campaign fund of $138,671, compared to only $2,219 for Mr. Portune, a Cincinnati city councilman.
Mr. Portune has raised about $30,000 since declar ing his candidacy in January, but, unlike Mr. Bedinghaus, he had to spend much of that on a March 7 primary contest with Democrat Marilyn Hyland.
Leaders in both parties expect Mr. Portune and Mr. Bedinghaus to raise and spend about $500,000 each, which would make it the most expensive county commission race ever.
“We haven't concentrated on money yet,” Mr. Portune said. “There is plenty of time for that. There's no doubt in my mind we'll have it.”
Sixty percent of the money Mr. Portune has raised so far has come from organized labor, and labor can be expected to pour much more into Mr. Portune's bid to unseat Mr. Bedinghaus.
Mr. Bedinghaus has raised nearly $177,000 for the 2000 campaign, most of it last year.
Forty percent of Mr. Bedinghaus' campaign money so far comes from three business sources with a direct interest in the building of Bengals and Reds stadiums on Cincinnati's riverfront, for which Mr. Bedinghaus has been the leader on the county commission.
Carl Lindner, principal owner of the Cincinnati Reds, and members of his family have donated $49,000 to the Bedinghaus campaign. Another $11,000 has come from owners and executives of the Cincinnati Bengals, while another $10,000 came from produce executive Robert H. Castellini and his family. Hamilton County paid $36.5 million to the Castellini Family Trust for 24 acres of riverfront land for the Bengals stadium. Mr. Portune has criticized how Mr. Bedinghaus has handled the county's construction of the Bengals stadium. He particularly cites the cost overruns and financial concessions the county made to the Bengals in the stadium lease and the use of sales tax money that he argues was supposed to be for stadiums and has been diverted into projects like Fort Washington Way.
Mr. Bedinghaus and his supporters say the payoff will be in the future, with brand-new stadiums generating millions in economic benefits and a rebirth of Cincinnati's riverfront.
“Some day, people will want to build a statue for Bob Bedinghaus,” said Hamilton County Republican Party chairman Joe Deters. “Some day, people will understand what a visionary he is.”
The Portune-Bedinghaus battle lines are likely to be drawn over issues like the stadiums and the use of county tax money, with labor lined up on one side and business on the other.
“People always look at where Democrats and Republicans get their money,” Mr. Bedinghaus said. “Republicans get theirs from business and the right-wing groups. Democrats get theirs from labor.
“That's the way it is,” Mr. Bedinghaus said. “People can draw their own conclusions.”
Dan Radford, executive secretary-treasurer of the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council, said local unions will give Mr. Portune “whatever he needs.”
“It is our targeted local race,” Mr. Radford said. “Yes, there are many union workers on the stadium project, but the way this thing is being built, with sales tax money, is not good for working families.”
Mr. Radford said that unions give money to candidates for the same reason as business people.
“We want access,” Mr. Radford said. “We want one person on the county commission who sees things the way we do, who understands the needs of working people. That pretty much explains it.”
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