Tagged: Beyond Civility

One could hardly find two political figures whose beliefs are more far apart than Ken Blackwell and Jerry Springer.

Blackwell, the conservative Republican and believer in limited government and the power of the private sector.

Springer, the liberal Democrat, who went on from a career in Cincinnati politics and TV news to become an internationally known talk show host, and a liberal Democrat who believes that government is not the enemy but the friend of those trying to their lives.

Both come from vastly different backgrounds.

J. Kenneth Blackwell and Jerry Springer - political polar opposites who served together on Cincinnati City Council in the 1970s - will share the stage March 12 for Beyond Civility's "Side-by-Side" discussion series.

Springer, a former councilman and mayor who went on to international fame as a TV talk show host, is a liberal Democrats. Blackwell, a former state treasurer and secretary of state who ran unsuccessfully for Ohio governor in 2006, is a conservative Republican.

Now that Democrat David Mann is a declared candidate for Cincinnati City Council, he has stepped down as co-convener of Beyond Civility, a project aimed at promoting more civil discourse and understanding among people of different political views.

Mann will be replaced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black, who was appointed to the federal bench in 2010 by President Obama.

Black joins U.S. District Court Judge Sandra Beckwith, who was appointed to the federal bench in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush, as co-convener of the organization.