Cincinnati Exposed

I think most of Cincinnati watched "Undercover Boss" on Sunday to see Mayor Mark Mallory go undercover among city workers. I don't have a strong opinion about the mayor one way or the other, but watched the show to see how they portrayed Cincinnati.

Initially, I was unimpressed. I thought the city looked pretty, and the producers of the show could have easily found ways to depict Cincinnati in a less-than-favorable light. As it is, we did that to ourselves, instead. Immediately after the show, people began complaining to the news media that city workers such as the sanitation worker on the show should not be picking up dog remains from someone's yard. City dollars shouldn't go toward that.

Why are people so petty? I think that the sanitation worker's willingness to remove a carcass from someone's yard should be applauded. As should the meter maid's kindness. She was poised to write a parking ticket but saw the car owner racing toward the car and so she let her go without ticketing it. Don't we all wish that someone would be as merciful if we were in the same situation?

The mechanic who works on the city fleet service personally knew most of the policemen whose motor vehicles he was servicing. He knew their driving patterns and how best to tune their vehicles. He feared rumors that the city was getting ready to outsource this job. What a shame to lose such a personal touch. Hopefully Mark Mallory reconsidered.

Cincinnati is a small city that boasts of being "Hometown Proud." As I watched the show, I wondered how the rest of the country would view Cincinnati. I hoped they wouldn't look at us as simple and unprofessional. I hope they saw a glimpse of Cincinnati and Cincinnatians for what we really are: nice. That's why I choose to live here.