Pete Witte Quotations

We absolutely support all these efforts (by the police), especially when we're coming into warm weather.

The West Side neighborhoods haven't had the kind of clout they had in the WEST PAC days. We're trying to pick up where they left off.

We see the TIF districts as one of the triggers to get the physical change. What we intend to do is start to work on some projects that will help generate these TIF dollars inside these districts that will help spawn additional construction and physical improvements. For example, the Queens Tower has a new owner. They are going to convert this all-apartment building to all condos and they have plans for some restaurants to create a new entertainment complex. And Kroger has an existing, outdated store in Price Hill. They have purchased all of the buildings that block their way to a major league expansion.

We found out that one address was the source of 200 police calls in one year. That property was public enemy No. 1. When the city went inside, they found an illegal auto repair shop, mattresses in a storage section of the building that had condoms and needles all over them. We got the building emptied out, the city used Community Development Block Grant money to buy it and now it's on the road to demolition. The end of the tunnel is near.

I know personally my gung-ho support for this war is pretty much gone. We are nowhere near being able to hand the keys over to the Iraqis and saying, 'Here, you drive.' ... I didn't think we would be here three years later with no end in sight. I'm somewhat disappointed in that.

I recognize that politics is very much in play here. There has to be a good relationship with the powers-that-be to try to change the physical nature of a big, old neighborhood.