Fact checking Cincinnati train sale campaign advertisement

CINCINNATI (WKRC) – The campaign over whether voters should approve the sale of Cincinnati’s rail line to a private railroad is ramping up.

A 30-second spot from Building Cincinnati's Future claims the pending vote on the sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway will help the city catch up on a huge backlog of repair and building needs.

"We face $400 million in infrastructure repair projects, we can fix that without a penny in new taxes," the ad states.

Cincinnati built the 330-mile line to Chattanooga more than 100 years ago to spur economic development and has leased the line to several railroads throughout the decades.

The current tenant is Norfolk Southern, which pays the city about $25 million a year.

That company wants to buy the right of way for $1.6 billion, with the city pledging to put that money into a trust fund and then spending investment returns to pay for those infrastructure projects.

Abby Friend, with opposition group Derail The Sale, claims the ad is misleading, not so much for what it says, but for what it doesn't.

"It leaves a lot to question what are they trying to hide,” she said. “And I think they are trying to hide that this is a really bad deal for Cincinnati."

Indeed, the ad does not name Norfolk Southern at all, the railroad at the center of the massive derailment and environmental disaster in East Palestine earlier this year.

And it states the city needs at $400 million, when city leaders have previously used the number of $300 million.

The ad also doesn't disclose who is behind building Cincinnati’s future, the political action committee created to sway voters to approve the sale.

But in previous meetings, members of the public board appointed to oversee the Southern Railway have said Norfolk Southern would pay for any advertising for the campaign.

Ashley Harp with Building Cincinnati's Future said that information about the PAC, its donors and its expenses will be released in late October.

She added it's clear in the ballot language that Norfolk Southern is who would buy the rail line if Issue 22 passes.

"We want people to truly understand that this deal is critical to that infrastructure and Cincinnati's future,” she said about the ad. “We want to focus on that."

Indeed, the spot correctly states the train sale would help pay for major infrastructure projects, and it would not require any new taxes.

So, Local 12 deems this ad: Mostly true.

Building Cincinnati's Future is also sending out mailers to city households and plans another TV spot in the coming weeks.

Several opposition groups have formed against the sale, but none have indicated they’ve raised enough money for a media campaign themselves.

Voter registration continues in Ohio until Oct. 10, and early voting begins on Oct. 11 and runs through Election Day on Nov. 7.