We asked readers and newly elected officials to prioritize the issues for the government entities listed below. The following are some of their responses.

Cincinnati City Council:

• Reforming the way council is elected.

• Consideration of the repeal of Article XII.

• Key development projects - Fountain Square, The Banks, Main Street.

• Improve police/community relations.

• Revitalize neighborhood business districts outside of downtown.

• Other.

Cincinnati School Board:

• Hire a program or project manager to oversee the school rebuilding project.

• Negotiate a pay-for-performance clause in the teachers' contract.

• Carry out the plans to redesign the district's high schools.

• Improve student performance and graduation rates.

• Redefine how much local control each school in the district has in relation to the central administration.

• Other.

Kentucky Governor:

• Raise the tobacco tax.

• Expand the legal gambling.

• Reduce the size of state government.

• Complete investigation of Patton administration scandals.

• Deal with the state's budget problems.

• Other.

Ky.: Raise tobacco tax, improve education

Here are my priorities for the Kentucky governor:

1. Education. Restoring the primacy of Kentucky education at all levels, P-16 must be the top priority. This is the key to all forms of growth in Kentucky and is essential in building a strong state infrastructure and in keeping our best and brightest here where they can serve the Commonwealth.

2. Medicaid. Cuts in services have to be restored if we're to appropriately care for and honor the aging population.

3. Deal with the state's budget problems. Obviously, the key to priorities one and two but must be guided by those priorities, not by the big contributors that got the governor where he is today.

4. Raise the tobacco tax. How a gubernatorial candidate who promoted himself as a family doctor and who has any understanding of the public health costs of Kentucky's underwriting of teenage tobacco use could have kissed off this obvious harmless way to enhance government revenue is utterly beyond me.

Hugh Stocks, Cold Spring

---

Better community relations is key

Things I would like to see get done by Cincinnati's newly elected officials:

1. Police and community relations.

2. Neighborhood revitalization.

3. Advertise more on programs for low-income homeowners to help them fix up their homes.

4. More programs for young adults (16-24) such as helping them get their GED, job training and how to feel confident about themselves.

5. Have a curriculum in schools that tell about the contributions to the world that African Americans have made, other than just being slaves, and broaden the curriculum to go beyond learning about Martin Luther King, Harriett Tubman or Sojourner Truth.

Aleta R. Thompson, Cincinnati

---

Make high schools a high priority

For Cincinnati Public Schools, the No. 1 priority is definitely the high schools. I nominate Jacobs for top priority, as it has its first senior class this year and is scheduled to close next year. I have asked board members and the superintendent to reconsider the closing of Jacobs Center in Winton Terrace next year. It was the only CPS school to achieve "schools of promise" criteria from the State Board of Education and is in a neighborhood requiring at least two elementary schools. It also has a relationship with Talbert House and the Jacobs family. Shouldn't we reward excellent teachers and hard-working students?

I completely support the high schools of choice, but recognize the desire for neighborhood schools also. Please continue the redesign and facility components of the schools. But, please be mindful of serving all the students and their variety of needs.

Donna DeStefano, Northside

---

Eliminate waste and reduce government

The new City Council should:

1. Significantly improve public safety/crime fighting.

2. Eliminate waste, fraud and abuse of public funds by incompetent corrupt city officials and bureaucrats.

3. Provide basic public services to residents and businesses.

4. Stop pandering to societal fringe elements and serve the taxpaying citizens who fund your existence.

5. Reform the city voting ordinance to make all citizens who pay income taxes to the city, regardless of residence, eligible to vote in city elections.

The Cincinnati school board should:

1. Eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse of public education funds by administrators, bureaucrats, and public teacher union officials.

2. Implement strict discipline and code of conduct policies, and enforce them.

3. Implement a uniform or strict dress code for all students.

4. Eliminate social promotion - either student meet the standard for promotion/graduation, or they don't.

5. Teach traditional American values and core competency subject matter; eliminate politically correct multi-cultural propaganda.

The Kentucky governor should:

1. Reduce the size of state government.

2. Cut taxes at all levels.

3. Fix the state's budget shortfall by drastically cutting spending, and eliminating bureaucratic waste, fraud, and abuse.

4. Waste no taxpayer's money on former Gov. Paul Patton's scandals - he's history.

5. Implement aggressive policies to attract and retain business.

Mike Emerine, Springfield Township

---

Racial reconcilation, development are keys

Here are the priorities I believe council will deal with quite regularly over the next year:

1. Improve police/community relations - Race relations and racial reconciliation should be a big part of this issue. Council should make this their top priority to let all Cincinnatians know they are serious about change and safety.

2. Consideration of the repeal of Article XII - Citizens to Restore Fairness and their thousands of volunteers will get this article on the ballot for repeal in 2004. With more than 400 volunteers working the polls on Nov. 4 collecting signatures of registered voters, the group had more volunteers working the polls than any other candidate or issue, and they weren't even on the ballot. Council will have no choice but to discuss this issue quite regularly throughout 2004.

3. Key development projects - Fountain Square, The Banks, and Main Street. With the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) gaining prominence, and downtown such a main focus of any council, this council will deal with this issue of major downtown development more than any other.

4. Revitalize neighborhood business districts outside of downtown - it's always a stumping point for council candidates and some, like David Pepper and Alicia Reece, have found success in pushing such issues.

5. Reform the way council is elected is gaining momentum this year. This issue will no doubt be a difficult, potentially divisive issue that will not follow party lines.

David White, Downtown

---Economic development is top of the list

Priorities for Cincinnati City Council:

1. Key development projects - The Banks, Main Street, Fountain Square

2. Improve police/community relations

3. Revitalize neighborhood business districts outside of downtown

4. Consideration of the repeal of Article XII

5. Reforming the way council is elected

Priorities for the Cincinnati Public School Board:

1. Improve student performance and graduation rates.

2. Redefine how much local control each school in the district has in relation to the central administration.

3. Hire a program or project manager to oversee the school-rebuilding project.

4. Carry out the plans to redesign the district's high schools.

5. Negotiate a pay-for-performance clause in the teachers' contract

Donna Dansker, Wyoming

---

Some goals for the county too

Council should work with the Hamilton County commissioners and state representatives to:

1. Permanently reduce taxes, particularly on homeownership and make the residents of a home pay no more than the average apartment dweller. Property taxes should not track valuation.

2. Council members should remove themselves from the day-to-day decisions that affect all of us. They should concentrate on services only government can provide. One only needs to look at routine Enquirer headlines for the poor performance records of everyone involved, whether it be from poor schools, sewers, loss of meaningful jobs, to population exodus from the city.

Let the private sector do what it does best by having simplification, clear rules, expectations and goals to help chart the way without micro management.

3. Streamline the tax levy issues so we vote for them all at once as has been suggested by Phil Heimlich. Why should a county commissioner have the right to manipulate when a levy will be voted on to help insure its passage as recently reported in the Enquirer? The individual voter should be the one prioritizing what they will be paying for and not two out of three commissioners.

T. D. Thaman, Pleasant Ridge

---

And the officials say . . .

Councilman Jim Tarbell

1. Key development projects -Fountain Square, The Banks, Main Street.

2. Revitalize neighborhood business districts outside of downtown.

3. Improve police/community relations.

4. Reform the way Council and the Mayor are elected.

5. Consideration of the repeal of Article XII.

---

Councilman David Crowley

(First four are tied)

1. Improve police-community/race relations

1. Key development projects-Fountain Square, The Banks, Main Street.

1. Consideration of the repeal of Article XII.

1. Coordinating implementation of $1 billion CPS Facilities Master Plan.

2. Revitalize neighborhood business districts.

3. Development of regional guidelines for allocation of public funds to private business.

4. Reforming the way council is elected.

---

Councilman Pat DeWine

1. Making the city safer.

2. Improving police-community relations.

3. Better basic services for every city neighborhood.

4. Controlling wasteful spending/lowering taxes.

5. Revitalizing neighborhood business districts.

Reducing bureaucracy and red tape at City Hall.

7. Providing stronger political leadership.

8. Key development projects.

9. Reforming the way Council is elected.

---

CPS Board Member John J. Gilligan

1. Improve student performance and graduation rates.

2. Pursue vigorously the conversion of neighborhood elementary schools into Community Learning Centers3. Carry out plans to redesign the district's high schools.

4. Negotiate a pay-for-performance clause in the teachers' contract.

5. Hire a project manager to oversee the school rebuilding project.

6. Redefine how much local control each school in the district has in relation to the central administration.