PX column: Does COAST still have influence in Hamilton County? We're about to find out

COAST, is that you?

The anti-tax group apparently has come out of its long slumber in Hamilton County, provoked by Democratic commissioners' decision this week to unilaterally raise the sales tax.

The group on Thursday afternoon plans to officially launch a petition drive to try to force the sales tax issue onto the November ballot.

Does the right-leaning group still have influence? Or is it a has-been in a blue-trending county? 

We're about to find out.

Some 23,000 valid signatures need to be collected in the next month in order to force a referendum. 

WHERE HAVE THEY BEEN? For those local political junkies tuned in on Twitter, it might not seem like COAST has gone anywhere. The group continues to regularly flog the Cincinnati streetcar and City Hall's progressive Democrats on social media. 

But COAST really hasn't seriously been at the forefront of fighting a high-profile issue in Hamilton County politics since 2013, when the group helped to kill then-Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory's plan to lease the city's parking meters. 

The effort helped bolster John Cranley's mayoral campaign, and COAST has mostly laid off City Hall ever since the moderate Democrat took over in December 2013.

Meanwhile, COAST has been active in the suburbs, particularly spending years fighting the Kings Local School District on a tax levy and transparency issues. 

More: Is COAST waiting in the weeds?

FINNEY FADEAWAY: COAST is synonymous with local attorney and group co-founder Chris Finney, who's made a name as being a fearless government watchdog. The group really made a name for itself a decade ago, when it successfully helped to kill the Hamilton County jail tax. COAST also was in the middle of fighting two streetcar referendums.

Finney has reduced his role in the group in recent years, focusing on building his own law firm. The group's influence has seemed to wane ever since, and COAST has not gotten involved in fights it used to never back away from.

The group considered fighting the city's preschool levy in 2016, but took a pass. COAST didn't fight the library levy this spring, beyond sending an emailed statement to the media a week before the primary saying it opposed the initiative.

COAST took a pass on fighting the soccer stadium, which ended up receiving $51 million in city, county and state taxes. On the surface, it seemed like a head-scratching decision for COAST to sit on the sidelines. It was the ripest apple since the streetcar.

But FC Cincinnati hired Finney to do real estate legal work months before the stadium. 

Finney still has influence in local government. Brian Shrive, an attorney with the Finney Law Firm, is leading an open meetings and open records legal battle against City Council's five progressive Democrats regarding a meeting they conducted via text messages.

More: Where's COAST been on stadium issue?

WHAT IT MEANS: A victory on the tax referendum could help thrust COAST back into the forefront in Cincinnati and Hamilton County politics. Moreover, it also could help restore some hope for Hamilton County Republicans, who in recent years have lost control of the board of commissioners, sheriff's office and clerk of courts seat.  

COAST could end up back in the middle of the mayor's race in 2021 after sitting out last year. Finney and several COAST members are close with Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman, who is considering a run for mayor.

COAST is no fan of Smitherman's likely opponent – P.G. Sittenfeld. The group has dogged Sittenfeld for his decision to support building the streetcar. COAST was back to ripping Sittenfeld on Wednesday, zinging him on Twitter for his proposal to raise the ticket tax for sporting events.

More immediately, the fate of the petition drive also could be an indication into whether COAST fights the bus levy, which probably will end up on the ballot this fall. COAST has been pushing the narrative that a bus tax would also give more money to the streetcar. The regional transit authority runs the Metro buses and streetcar, although the funding pots are separate.

We're about due for another streetcar fight. 

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