If Ohio's U.S. senators and Cincinnati's congressmen looked a little embarrassed Friday morning at a ceremony in front of the Riverfront Transit Center site, there is a good reason.

        They're not used to local government types who know how to say “thank you.”

Sens. Mike DeWine and George Voinovich and U.S. Reps. Rob Portman and Steve Chabot (left to right) gather items to drop in a time capsule Friday at the site of the Riverfront Transit Center. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

        But Mayor Charlie Luken, City Manager John Shirey, and several City Council members put on an outdoor show, complete with balloons and framed mayoral proclamations, to thank the four legislators for helping the city pull in tens of millions of federal dollars in recent years for local projects, including the Fort Washington Way project.

        “The only difference between Cincinnati and other places is that in Cincinnati, they say "Thank you,'” said George Voinovich, Ohio's junior senator.

        On a chilly morning at the construction site of the Riverfront Transit Center, just north of Paul Brown Stadium, Mr. Voinovich was joined by U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine and Cincinnati's two Republican House members, Steve Chabot and Rob Portman.

        Mr. Shirey told the lawmakers he used to be a Washington lobbyist for municipal governments and spent four years on Capitol Hill watching Congress in action.

        “They take a lot of complaints; they hear about it when something doesn't go somebody's way,” Mr. Shirey said. “But they don't often hear somebody say "Thanks.'”

        Cincinnati has much to be thankful for in terms of federal funding for riverfront projects.

        Last fall, Congress authorized an additional $14 million for the Fort Washington Way highway project, including $3 million for the transit center. The center, which city officials expect to be finished by the end of the year, will be a bus staging area for special events, such as Reds and Bengals games.

        Mr. DeWine said that about three hours before the Senate was to vote on the transportation bill in November, he got a call from the GOP leadership saying Ohio would get another $28 million.

        “They told me I had three hours to figure out where it goes,” Mr. DeWine said. “So, of course, Cincinnati got its share.”

        Mr. Luken, a Democrat, praised the four Republican legislators for their “willingness to work with us.”

        “It would be wrong to say that every time we ask, the answer is yes, but every time we ask, there is a response and a willingness to do what they can,” Mr. Luken said.

        After the ceremony, the legislators joined City Council members to drop items into a time capsule to be buried underneath the transit center — bus passes, newspapers, bus schedules and photos of the center's groundbreaking and construction.
       

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