Sixty-seven percent of Cincinnati voters told a pollster this week that the city is falling behind other cities its size.

Pollsters asked them, "Why?" and then took down their responses verbatim along with their gender, political party and community.

The results, said pollster Neil Newhouse, were "very pointed and extremely fascinating."

A sampling:

• "We are still stuck in the '50s. We are still keeping minorities as minorities, we still classify people." - Black independent man from Westwood

• "Our ridiculous City Council is a joke, and they try to micro-manage everything." - White Republican man from Pleasant Ridge

• "We are still stuck in the '50s. We are still keeping minorities as minorities, we still classify people. Don't ask questions like what your race is or your political interest. We, the city, need to get a viable transportation system. We need it, and we need it pretty quickly." - Black, independent, male, Westwood

• "It seems to me that we go from one crisis to another, and we never really settle anything when it' s finally over with. Somewhere along the line we missed the boat." - White, independent, male, Westwood

• "Kentucky builds it. We talk about it." - White, Republican, female, Clifton Heights

• "Our ridiculous City Council is a joke, and they try to micro-manage everything. There is too much racism." - White, Republican, male, Pleasant Ridge

• "I would say it is the racial problems. I'm white and they call us racist, but we aren't and they are. We give them everything and it does not help. We hire more police officers, but it doesn't help, either. They walk the beat but that doesn't help, either. Nothing works, and I don' t know how it will all end." - White, Democrat, male, South Fairmount• "We are losing our young population to other areas. We have a lot of racial problems. There's no progression. There's no nightlife. There's no reason for young people to want to stay. The different races of Cincinnati refuse to talk to one another. Also, they refuse to understand one another." - Black, Charterite, male, Pleasant Ridge

• "I believe that the Cincinnati police department is crooked. Just I believe that they actually profile on the black male more than they do any other race." - Biracial, Democrat, female, Hartwell

• "It's because there is too much spending on safer upgrades and political things, instead of trying to get manufacturing companies to come into the city. The taxes are too high and the manufacturing companies are going outside the city limits to build. The City Council doesn't consider the people. We didn't need two stadiums, we only needed one." - White, independent, male, Oakley

• "We're neglecting our neighborhoods and putting our money downtown, and haven't seen anything about that. Public education is a shambles. Homicide numbers are astronomical." - Black, independent, male, Clifton• "I think there is a lot of racism and homophobia. It's such a conservative city, it's terrible, and everyone is so closed-minded about everything." - White, Democrat, female, Mount Lookout

- Gregory Korte