Citizen Watchdog with Todd Zinser Podcast Por Joe Strecker Productions arte de portada

Citizen Watchdog with Todd Zinser

Citizen Watchdog with Todd Zinser

De: Joe Strecker Productions
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 The city of Cincinnati and Hamilton County are run by the same party. There is no overight or dissenting voice....this is where Todd Zinser comes in. Todd bio is below

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP19/20150225/102984/HHRG-114-AP19-Bio-ZinserT-20150225.pdf

He will keep an eye out on all the shenanigans in Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati. Nothing gets by Todd Zinser...the Citizen WatchdogCopyright Joe Strecker Productions Ciencia Política Política y Gobierno
Episodios
  • Cincinnati's Fleet Audit - City's Fiscal Crisis: Neglected Audits and Aging Fleet Challenge Priorities

    Cincinnati's Fleet Audit - City's Fiscal Crisis: Neglected Audits and Aging Fleet Challenge Priorities
    May 20 2025
    City leaders are failing their responsibilities, leaving essential services vulnerable and residents unprotected. With nearly half of the city's fleet, 685 vehicles, way past their prime, one might wonder if flashy goals like carbon neutrality are distracting from urgent needs. In this episode, we dissect the city's mounting $1.3 billion fiscal headache, including pension liabilities and neglected infrastructure, exacerbated by an ignored internal audit. The stark $82.7 million needed to replace these outdated vehicles demands attention to prevent another fiasco like Winter Storm Blair.

    Todd tackles the perplexing choices of city council members, who seem to prioritize long-term visions over immediate necessities. While the ambition for a greener future is commendable, the current cracks in fleet management can't be overlooked, especially with the looming threat of regionalizing the waterworks. Listen as we scrutinize the city council's fiscal decisions, the passivity of the mayor, and the seeming inaction of the city manager despite the audit's alarming revelations. Critical questions are raised about where the city's priorities truly lie and the lack of effective oversight in addressing these urgent challenges.
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    17 m
  • Unpacking Cincinnati’s Funding Oversight: Transparency, Accountability, and Reform

    Unpacking Cincinnati’s Funding Oversight: Transparency, Accountability, and Reform
    May 13 2025
    This week on “Citizen Watchdog with Todd Zinser,” is a discussion of Cincinnati’s 200 non-profit and other external grantees. Our examination is just beginning, but we have already found 2 potential conflicts of interest and over a million dollars paid to a private venture capitalist over the past several years.
    It is not common for a city to pay public funds to a venture capitalist.

    One important development is a recent report from the city’s Internal Audit Manager issued on April 27, 2025. She audited a “Leveraged Support” partner that has been receiving $250,000 a year from the city for many years. The report includes serious findings, especially for an organization that has received more than a million dollars from the city over the last several years.

    1. Contract management review and oversight need improvement.
    Among the findings is missing documentation for $14,000 spent during the two years audited.
    2. Payroll journals contain insufficient information to determine whether contractual terms are upheld.
    This is a major finding. This means that the non-profit is not able to support its reimbursement claims for the time its employees spent working on city-related matters
    3. A 3rd party is unable to verify the terms of the contract.
    This is a major finding: This essentially means that the non-profit is “un-auditable.”
    4. The contract language should be updated.
    This suggests that the terms of the funding contract between the city and the non-profit has simply been copied from one year to the next without being updated.
    Remember that this is only 1 audit of more than 200 non-profits and other external organizations that have been receiving city funding for many years.

    https://youtu.be/QiBELQv7UHE
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    16 m
  • Cincinnati's Green Ambitions Part 2 - Financial Dilemmas in the Pursuit of a Green Agenda

    Cincinnati's Green Ambitions Part 2 - Financial Dilemmas in the Pursuit of a Green Agenda
    May 6 2025
    Can Cincinnati truly afford to go green in the face of monumental fiscal challenges? We're putting the Green Cincinnati Plan under the microscope, scrutinizing its ambitious pursuit of carbon neutrality amid a staggering $824 million pension liability and $400 million in deferred maintenance. With public service vehicles, like fire trucks, in dire need of updates, we question whether the plan's focus on equity and carbon neutrality truly serves the city's most vulnerable populations—or merely adds to their burden. Join us as we dissect the financial intricacies and weigh them against the potential environmental gains, all while pondering the impact of federal climate policies like Justice 40 on local initiatives.

    Our conversation takes a turn to ethics and transparency within city governance, where we face the tangled web of relationships between city officials and nonprofits. With a lens on a nonprofit board that the mayor once served, alongside city funding, we raise critical questions about ethical boundaries and transparency. The temporary prohibition list, birthed from the 2021 corruption scandal, comes under fire as we debate its actual impact in preventing conflicts of interest. We challenge whether these measures are enough to restore public trust and ensure that city officials remain accountable. Tune in for a candid discussion on the balance of ethical governance and civic duty.
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    20 m
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