Posts Tagged Brian Cummins
Do We Have a Real Leader at Cleveland City Hall?
Posted by Roldo Bartimole in Economic Development, Media, Politicians on May 30, 2010
May 30, 2010… EXTRA! EXTRA! We actually have a leader in City Council. Who’d thought it?
Second-term Councilman Brian Cummins takes his job seriously. That’s refreshing. He works the job.
It was Cummins who came out strongly – and did research – on the rotten no-bid China Mayor Frank Jackson tried to slide through City Council. And almost did with a 10 to 9 vote.
By stepping out Cummins deserves thanks and recognition.
Cummins is serious, not just a sound-bite guy.
But in the Cleveland news media people as Cummins are easily and often overlooked. I was glad to see that Dick Feagler had him on the show this week. Cummins did well, though he came on with sheets of information which he shuffled around. He needs some media advice.
Brent Larkin gave Jackson a pass in his column this week. Undeservedly.
“When the mayor discovered it was amateur hour within in his administration, he reverted to the real Frank Jackson. He did the right thing,” wrote Larkin.
I think the Mayor is in charge of his administration. He can’t shift the blame on his underlings.
The right thing was the pull back but it doesn’t mean necessarily that the China deal with Sunpu-Opto is out, as it should be. Maybe Jackson does deserve some credit for not pursuing a one-vote deal. However, in these days of public mistrust of politicians it would have been a disaster. It would have alienated a good number of Council members.
He also had the Plain Dealer against him and a veteran reporter, Mark Gillispie, quickly getting pertinent facts out to the public. Never underestimate what good reporting can do with a public issue.
Cummins and veteran Jay Westbrook, who often has been a go-along guy but rightly objected strongly on this deal, saved the city tens of millions of dollars.
A loser was Matt Zone. He wants to be Council President. But you have to show some independence. He failed. Zone, as did nine other members, wilted under pressure or simply went along to get along. Not the sign of a leader.
But the lesson that I doubt will be learned is this: Jackson made a rotten deal and too many at City Hall marched in step to support it. He shouldn’t be let off the hook and allowed to escape with “the process was flawed.” It was more than flawed.
Second, and very important, is that the administration’s top people – from what I can gather – law director Robert Triozzi, who said this no-bid deal smelled fine to him, and top aides, both from the White administration – Chris Warren and Ken Silliman – apparently went right along supporting a bad deal.
This is the kind of “loyalty” I long observed at City Hall. It makes for bad government. Top aides came to the table over and over again to sell shoddy goods to a compliant City Council.
There are ways to show that you’re not simply a “good soldier” for the administration and work for the people. However, it’s not often that you see people take opportunities to even undercut their own bosses for the public good.
I’ve seen it. But it’s very, very rare.
Mayor Jackson Move Looks Like a Sham Retreat
Posted by Roldo Bartimole in Economic Development, Media, Politicians on May 25, 2010
May 25, 2010… “I don’t have a problem except for the fact that I said something prematurely that I think taints the process,” said Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson of his bungled no-bid, 10-year contract with a no-record company from China.
Wow!
For any other mayor that might be called more than embarrassing. It might be called a major disaster.
“Prematurely?”
No, just plain wrong, Mayor. With tens of millions of city dollars – or more – at stake. This is no minor gaffe.
For Jackson, apparently it’s a minor infraction. Apparently, he thinks can be rectified very simply. Let’s start over, guys. Oh, yeah. It’s that simple.
How can there be any trust? Not only is Mayor Jackson liable for this almost-disaster. So is Council President Marty Sweeney. Sweeney, as usual, simply wanted to put Council’s stamp of approval to the measure. “Yes, Mayor, of course.”
We can’t continue doing business at City Hall this way.
We can thank Brian Cummins and Tony Brancatelli for taking to the internet to attack this program.
And click here.
And thanks to The Plain Dealer for editorially slapping at Jackson. But PD needs to be much stronger as Jackson tries to revive this mess.
Here was the mayor ready to sign on for a 10-year contact with this company from China when he himself admits he had documents, as the PD put it today, “in front of him showing that Henderson (Public Power Commissioner Ivan Henderson) and his staff were still seeking responses from other LED companies when he made that announcement.” No minor mishap.
Tell me, if he had more than 10 votes of 19 would Mayor Jackson have gone ahead with this half-baked idea anyway? Presumably, the only answer is “Yes.”
Usually biting Mike Polensek said, “It’s tough for any administration or mayor to acknowledge that…” Tough? Mike, it’s a sign that something stinks badly.
Jackson should not be allowed to back away from the criticism he’s been getting and go through a sham process to come to the same conclusion once some of the heat is off.
That his administrators came before Council plying this joke of a deal for hours last Monday suggests strongly that this administration is up to no good.
The administration and his administrators put forth as a great deal for the city something that they now admit had a tainted process.
But it’s even more than that. Council should look into the process, how it came to be and who is behind it. Otherwise, Council is just as negligent as the Jackson administration.
This isn’t something that should be allowed to pass quietly.