Politics as unusual

Civic-minded duo celebrates Web site's anniversary

TABARI MCCOY | CIN WEEKLY

Steve Fritsch, left, and Michael Altman co-founded the local political Web site Queen City Forum. (Photo by Leigh Patton/CiN Weekly)

QUEEN CITY FORUM
AT A GLANCE

WEB SITE: www.queencityforum.com

FOUNDERS: Steve Fritsch and Michael Altman, both 25. Altman and Fritsch met in high school at Purcell Marian before later founding Queen City Forum.

LAUNCH: March 2003

MISSION: To "involve, inform and innovate" via editorial content, direct e-mail links to local political leaders and open public debate.

CONTACT: michaelaltman@ queencityforum.com or stevefritsch@ queencityforum.com; comments can also be sent to lettertoeditors@ queencityforum.com or guestcolumnist@ queencityforum.com

GET INVOLVE
Looking for a way to get involved in the local political scene? Try contacting the following parties and organizations:

Cincinnati Tomorrow
Barry Gee
Executive Director
(513) 723-7158
www.cincinnatitomorrow.com

Hamilton County
Charter Committee
707 Race St., downtown
(513) 241-0303
www.chartercommittee.org

Hamilton County
Democratic Party
615 Main St., Fourth Floor, downtown
(513) 421-0495
www.hamiltoncountydems.org

Hamilton County
Republican Party
700 Walnut St., downtown
(513) 381-5454
www.rp-hamilton.com

If political apathy is a social malady, Michael Altman and Steve Fritsch hope they can be the cure.

Judging by the success of their first year as business partners, the 20-somethings may be getting closer to their goal of bringing people together.

Altman and Fritsch, both 25, are the creators of Queen City Forum (www.queencityforum.com), a Web site made for the sole purpose of "involving, informing and innovating" local politics and social issues. Featuring commentary by local politicians, political parties and the Forum's own staff, the site is open to discussion on any number of topics; the current issue debates everything from the value of light rail to same-sex marriage.

The site also links to other sites, enabling users to get insight on the same issues from The New York Times or even Al Jazeera in the Middle East. Controversial figures are also given a voice. The Black United Front has been given a chance to submit editorials on the site, which is updated twice a month.

Originally intended for a few friends, Altman and Fritsch took the site to the Internet - where many in their generation access information. The site has grown from a staff of two to 25 since its March 2003 launch.

Fritsch, the site's publisher, points out two goals for the site: To have as big an impact as possible with as many different viewpoints as possible so Cincinnati can progress.

"It's refreshing to them because you go there and (read) smart points of view," Fritsch says. "A lot of times, (local media) reports on events but not why the events are happening to begin with. That's why we interview city leaders to go directly to the source."

The duo balances the site with both liberal and conservative views despite their own political differences. (Altman says he is more liberal than Fritsch, who describes himself as a conservative.)

Both say local politics are not progressing as fast as they would like, partially because of apathy in the voting public. Altman feels Queen City Forum is the "quarterback" guiding local politics and news with politicians and local media helping to change public perception about politics.

Growing by "leaps and bounds," the site now receives an average of 1,700 hits a month.

"In five years, I think we're really going to have had a great impact on the city, much like other periodicals in the city have," Altman says. "We think other periodicals may see the insight and write a little bit more, as I see the purpose of news as opening up the issues and explaining the issues."

Fritsch plans to move to Hyde Park from West Chester to run for Cincinnati City Council in 2005 and finds it "uplifting" that "the bigger the site gets, the more people want to be involved with this."

"A lot of young people are turned off by politics today, but it's so important they take a role because it affects our everyday lives - whether it be the amount of taxes taken out of your check or the things in the city to do for fun," he says. "Hopefully, we can make a dent in making people understand that and getting more young people involved."

Barry Gee, executive director of the Cincinnati Tomorrow organization that recently agreed to partner and contribute content to the site, is glad to see Altman and Fritsch making the effort.

"Cincinnati tends to be dominated by a very conservative viewpoint, and I think Queen City Forum is trying to open up their site to other points of view, which is a good thing," he says. "It's something we need here if we're going to make this a more open, tolerant city."