Bureaucrats of the world, unite!

        First, Cincinnati City Council, led by Pat DeWine, clamped down on their cellphone usage.

        Then came cuts to overtime spending, take-home cars and, next up, out-of-town travel.

        Now, the bureaucrats are fighting back.

        A group formerly known as the Middle Managers Association has become the Cincinnati Organized and Dedicated Employees, and is seeking to unionize. They've hired attorney Bill Gustavson, formerly of the city solicitor's office, to represent them in the process.

        The next step is for the State Employee Relations Board to determine the appropriate makeup of the bargaining unit.

        The group's 14-member organizing committee, representing a cross-section of departments and headed by Diana Frey of Public Services, made an average of $57,995 last year.

        Connections: In requiring two letters of recommendation from the 143 applicants to the Citizen Complaint Authority, Mayor Charlie Luken undoubtedly made personal connections at least some small factor in the selection process.

        Some of the 143 applicants to the new police watchdog panel submitted references from relatives, neighbors, pastors and employers. One would-be panel member included a letter from his wife.

        Lawyer David Peck went for sheer numbers, including five reference letters. Others went for quality.

        William J. Larkin III, a professor of mathematics at Xavier University, had high-powered letters: one from the Rev. Michael Graham, president of Xavier University (his boss), and another from Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (whom he taught 30 years ago).

        Mr. Luken said he couldn't ignore a reference from Father Graham.

        But Mr. Blackwell, Mr. Luken's longtime rival?

        “Him I can ignore,” the mayor deadpanned.

        Connections II: City Manager Valerie Lemmie won't let on who she's considering to replace the retiring Fay Dupuis as city solicitor, but here's one name to note: Rita McNeil.

        “A lot of people are making that speculation,” Ms. McNeil said. It's only natural: Ms. McNeil is the city attorney in Dayton, Ohio, where Ms. Lemmie — the former city manager there — has already found a transportation director and assistant city manager.

        “I certainly couldn't tell you if I'm on the short list,” she said. “But she's talked to me about it. And an opportunity to work with Valerie again would be a great challenge.”

        Ms. McNeil has been law director in Dayton for four years. Before that, she was chief of the Civil Rights Section for Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery.

        Report card: Councilmen John Cranley and David Pepper will unveil the report card for their “100-Day Neighborhood Plan” this morning, and — no surprise — are expected to give themselves a 100 percent score, accomplishing 10 out of 10 initiatives.

        But gimmicks aside, the councilmen admit that plenty of work remains to be done. While City Council has passed (or is expected to pass today) all their proposals, the city manager is still working out how many of them will be carried out.

        The 10-point plan includes proposals to toughen litter laws, increase police visibility, crack down on blighted properties and invest in neighborhood business districts.

        City Hall reporter Gregory Korte can be reached at 768-8391 or gkorte@enquirer.com.
       

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