Mayoral Candidate Plays Politics With Cincinnati Streetcar

"Over the past year, canceling the $133 million streetcar project has become a cornerstone of former Councilman John Cranley’s mayoral campaign," reports German Lopez. "Throughout multiple debates and while stumping on the campaign trail, Cranley has flexed his opposition as the one way he can differentiate himself from his opponent, fellow Democrat and Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls."

"But with construction underway, federal grants tied to the project and multimillion-dollar contracts signed, more questions remain about what it would cost to cancel the project than what it would cost to finish it," he adds. "The high costs involved in cancellation raise questions about whether opponents of the streetcar, who claim to be concerned with the project’s costs, would go so far as to take on even more expenses just to terminate it."