Still, anyone who speaks as often as an elected official is bound to say something stupid sooner or later.

        As City Council takes its summer recess, it's a good time to review the five most mixed-up metaphors, eloquent statements of the obvious and botched translations heard at City Council so far this year:

        “The squeaky wheel gets the noise.”

        — Minette Cooper, April 11, thanking supporters of an arts program for making a pitch for city funding to the Arts and Culture Committee.

        “The administration came back with a report that said it was the worst idea since sliced bread.”

        — John Cranley, May 13, on a proposal to make prevailing wage laws apply to any project that receives city money.

        “The No. 1 cause of death nationally is health causes.”

        — Alicia Reece, Feb. 19, arguing for increased funding for city health clinics.

        “Why more people didn't move into Over-the-Rhine at that time, I really don't know. ... Except that I do know. They were moving other places.”

        — Jim Tarbell, June 13, speaking about his days living near Music Hall.
        “Unity in the community is a good thing, and good luck to all.”

        — Mayor Charlie Luken, Feb. 27, attempting to translate the city motto, “Juncta Juvant.” (Official translation: “Unity Assists.”)

        Not that other council members are flawless public speakers.

        Councilman Chris Monzel is a smart enough guy (he's an aerospace engineer at GE Aircraft Engines in Evendale) but he still writes out almost every speech beforehand. Even so, he suggested June 26 that the murder rate would be just as high if guns were outlawed, with violent criminals resorting to “knives and cars.”

        And while Pat DeWine's law school training and political genes may make him less susceptible to embarrassing gaffes, some veteran city bureaucrats would insist that everything he says is stupid.

        It's been hard not to notice the number of high-level city officials City Manager Valerie Lemmie has hired from Dayton since moving down Interstate 75 herself in April.

        But if you want to get a good sense of where she's taking the city administration, the best place to look is at the bottom.

        In a little-noticed personnel move, Ms. Lemmie announced that she would hire Chris Eilerman, an aide to Mr. DeWine, as an administrative specialist.

        Mr. Eilerman, 25, provided the leg work for most of Mr. DeWine's budget-slashing initiatives over the past two years.

        “Somewhere out there, there's a city employee without a cell phone or a take-home car, whose overtime has been cut and they've lost their civil service protection,” Mr. DeWine told City Council.

        “They probably want to blame me, but the dirty little secret is that it's all Chris' fault.”

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

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