Mahogany's at the Banks (Cincinnati, Hamilton: homes, neighborhood, property tax)

[Sarah Perry]

Quoting from the Enquirer: "Dohoney’s memo notes that Trent Rogers is a 12-year employee of the Ford Motor Co. and a graduate of Florida A&M with a degree in economics. Liz Rogers, a Liberty Township resident, is president and executive chef at Mahogany’s. She recently was named one of The Enquirer’s 20 Professional Women to Watch in 2012. Liz Rogers could not be reached for comment Tuesday."

Women to watch, especially if they owe you money. haha.

[unusualfire]

I think it's wrong for the media to drag this lady's name through the mud.

[John Blatchford]

I'm glad to see both parties (the owners and the city) taking on some risk in investing in what could be a great project for The Banks. I think this will be a great success story and is a great move by the city.

[kjbrill]

With the controversy stirred up here it spiked my curiosity. So I went to Urbanspoon to look up the current establishment in Hamilton. There were many posted reviews, well over a hundred. Frankly I was impressed by the majority of the reviews highly praising the place. As expected there were some just the opposite which lambasted it from every angle, poor service, poor food, not clean, etc. But this is about what you expect in a public forum. The biggest complaints I took note of where the prices for the type of food and the inability to control the service for a small place.

If the negative reviews were a result of inconsistency, I did not get a feeling they are capable of handling an operation at the Banks.

[abr7rmj]

Originally Posted by John Blatchford

I'm glad to see both parties (the owners and the city) taking on some risk in investing in what could be a great project for The Banks. I think this will be a great success story and is a great move by the city.

I, too, hope this is successful. It would be a great addition to The Banks and I can't wait to check it out. Maybe I'll trek to Hamilton for a sneak preview.

[TomJones123]

To be clear, I don't wish failure on anyone, especially someone looking to open a soul food joint where there isn't one. I'm into that and will be sure to eat there. It just seems something is rotten in Denmark and that someone within the ranks of City Hall knew. Now the owner is made to look worse for the wear. Winburn is right, IMO, the loan application process needs to be clarified in writing and the process adhered to so this sort of thing doesn't happen.

As a side note, would any of us run to the front of the line for a loan from the city when this may be the result?

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

As a side note, would any of us run to the front of the line for a loan from the city when this may be the result?

A loan is one thing, a grant is something totally different.

[TomJones123]

Please include grant in my sentiments as well. Meaning it should be a documented and transparent process.

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

To be clear, I don't wish failure on anyone, especially someone looking to open a soul food joint where there isn't one. I'm into that and will be sure to eat there. It just seems something is rotten in Denmark and that someone within the ranks of City Hall knew. Now the owner is made to look worse for the wear. Winburn is right, IMO, the loan application process needs to be clarified in writing and the process adhered to so this sort of thing doesn't happen.

As a side note, would any of us run to the front of the line for a loan from the city when this may be the result?

Well, if you mean the public disclosure of failure to pay taxes, then I certainly would. My credit rating is impeccable and so is my tax standing with the government. What exactly is the problem with having your bad debts exposed when you're trying to get your hands on a million dollars of public funded/backed money?

[TomJones123]

To be clear, if the loan/grant process is transparent and the same to everyone then this sort of thing should not happen because someone with liens would not qualify until the liens are handled and credit restored. Unqualified applicants would be halted at the application process.