PX column: Don't expect 'Prince Richard' to become 'Rude Richard' in Ohio governor's race

(Scroll to the bottom to read "Micro-scoops & more" on FC Cincinnati, Aftab Pureval and the Cincinnati streetcar)

Richard Cordray absorbed one nasty verbal grenade after another from Bill O'Neill during Wednesday night's Ohio Democratic gubernatorial primary debate.

And you know what?

It was kind of refreshing that Cordray consistently shrugged off Bitter Bill's barbs and stayed out of the muck that has poisoned politics. It seems sad we have to point out when a politico actually acts civil in the face of personal attacks. Shouldn't civility be the norm rather than the exception?

Cordray's nice-guy demeanor stood out as Bitter Bill called him "Prince Richard of the Ohio Democratic Party" and made an unfounded claim that the party has "rigged" the election in favor of the nation's former top consumer watchdog. The Democratic front-runner quickly raised $2 million after he jumped into the governor's race in December.

"Richard, please," Bitter Bill said on stage in Toledo. "They have funneled that money to you. They have done it their whole life. ... It is duplicitous for you to suggest you can take money from bankers and turn the other way. Duplicitous."

Don't get us wrong, Bitter Bill was entertaining and he spiced up what's been a snoozer of a governor's race so far. And maybe he's right, but the former Ohio Supreme Court justice didn't have any evidence to back up his claims. All Bitter Bill had was a bunch of mud in his arsenal, but we shouldn't be surprised.

O'Neill's angry tone reeked of bitterness a week after state Democratic Party leaders said he wasn't a viable general election candidate due to a "pattern of financial and ethical challenges" and poor behavior on social media. This is the same guy who bragged on Facebook last fall about having sex with "approximately 50 very attractive females," including one in a barn.

There's nothing funny about that anytime, anyplace, especially amid the #MeToo movement.

“I think that post was disgusting and inexcusable," Cordray said. "Men have to get on other men to stop this." 

That was as critical as Cordray got. He stuck to the issues the rest of the time, as did fellow candidates Joe Schiavoni and Dennis Kucinich. Who would've thought Kucinich wouldn't be the most kooky person on stage?

It's rare for a politico to consistently take the high road in the Trump-Bernie era. He or she who makes the most noise and throws the most sludge seems to be the most popular. This column is guilty of getting sucked into the noise sometimes.

Look, PX has previously dinged Cordray for being painfully boring. One can be charismatic, outspoken and energetic without being nasty. Still, it's questionable whether a nice, boring, policy wonk can get elected in this environment. 

But Cordray, who's been out of elected office since 2011, has established he's not going to turn into Rude Richard. And that receives nonpartisan applause from PX.

"It’s been said tonight that I’m Prince Richard," Cordray said. "I would prefer to be known as Richard The Lionhearted."

MICRO-SCOOPS & MORE

• FC Cincinnati almost certainly will get its $4 million to use for a new stadium after the Ohio House passed the capital budget bill 90-2 this week. The no votes came from Greater Cincinnati Republicans – Madeira's Jonathan Dever and Mount Lookout's Tom Brinkman. "The use of these funds on a speculative, private business interest is not appropriate," Dever said. "Our state and region have real and immediate needs." Brinkman told The Enquirer's Jessie Balmert: “I am a budget hawk. Ohio faces enormous fiscal challenges brought on by Obamacare expansion and the opiate epidemic. This is a time to eliminate spending on nonessential items.” The bill now heads to the Senate, where it's also expected to pass.

• Republican Phil Heimlich says he's fed up with Steve Chabot and other GOP members of Congress refusing to speak out against Russian meddling in U.S. elections and not demanding Donald Trump take action on the matter. So the former Hamilton County commish and Cincinnati city councilman is voting against his party in the 2018 midterms. "In order to protect our freedoms, my hope is the Democrats get control of at least one (chamber) of Congress," Heimlich told PX. "I’m going to vote for any Democrat on a national level who’s on the ballot." That means the Symmes Township resident will be voting for Aftab Pureval, who is challenging Chabot in the 1st Congressional District. Don't be surprised if more known Republicans in that district publicly come out in support of Pureval, who looks to be gaining ground on Chabot after Sabato's Crystal Ball changed its outlook on the race to "leans Republican" from "likely Republican."

• Putting the Connie Pillich-for-commissioner rumors out to pasture, she is one of 18 current or former local elected Democrats who this week officially endorsed James Wolf in the Hamilton County commissioner's race. Some local Dem leaders wanted Pillich to replace Wolf on the ballot, thinking the former state rep would have a better chance of defeating Republican incumbent Chris Monzel.

• On the West End soccer stadium front: Over-the-Rhine residents are working with West End neighborhood leaders on developing the Community Benefits Agreement. The streetcar shows up on a list of ideas the OTR Community Council has collected to potentially include in the agreement, which FC Cincinnati would be required to follow. "FCC pays for extra cars, city creates lane control on game days, connect streetcar to stadium," according to a draft document obtained by PX. The streetcar currently runs along Elm Street, about two blocks from the proposed stadium site. This is an idea probably worth exploring as a way to potentially alleviate traffic and parking issues on game days.

• Cincinnati City Councilwoman Amy Murray is about as easygoing and friendly as they come in politics, but the Republican was seething during Wednesday's Council meeting. And who can blame her? Chris Seelbach surprisingly introduced a motion in the meeting that proposed a compromise over how the city issues contracts. His fellow Democrats P.G. Sittenfeld, Tamaya Dennard, Greg Landsman and Wendell Young also supported the motion. They bypassed taking it to committee, even though the Murray-led Economic Growth & Zoning Committee addressed the issue in Tuesday's meeting. It's typical protocol to first bring up legislation in committee to allow for vetting. "This is unacceptable," Murray said in Wednesday's meeting, visibly agitated. "This is not the way a city should be running. This is not transparent at all."

Politics Extra is a column looking inside Greater Cincinnati and Ohio politics. Follow Enquirer political columnist Jason Williams on Twitter @jwilliamscincy.