GHEIST,
I love the colors on this one. It brings out the creative element of the brand.
I was thinking about this last night and it occured to me that Cincinnati doesn't really identify itself with the "C" quite so much as Chicago does. I like your style, though.
Here's an example of what Pittsburgh did for their contest:
http://pittsburghinnovates.com/Theirs is fun and creative, but just a little too messy. Let me know if this inspires any ideas!
All the best,
Elizabeth