Cincinnati, OH (March 5, 2014) – Following the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners decision today to retain outside counsel for the purposes of litigating Cincinnati’s procurement policies for the Metropolitan Sewer District, Rob Richardson Jr. issued this statement on behalf of Build 513, a coalition of worker, faith and environmental organizations:

"Build 513 applauds Commissioner Todd Portune for having the courage to vote against the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners move to waste more time and tax dollars in pursuit of needless litigation. Instead of paying for high-priced lawyers, they should release the funds and let the work begin without further delay. We will keep working until every Cincinnatian gets the opportunity to start a career and build a better life for their family.

“Ratepayers throughout the county are already worried about sewage overflows that threaten our health and pollute our rivers because of politicians, like Commissioner Chris Monzel, who headline political fundraisers for corporate front-groups by promising to ‘insure laws like MSD Responsible Bidder ultimately fail.’ If the County refuses to hold contractors accountable for training a skilled, safe workforce, new jobs for the very taxpayers who help fund these projects could go down the drain.”

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