Posts Tagged Cleveland City Council
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.
Can Anyone Expect a Public Official to Notice?
Posted by Roldo Bartimole in Economic Development, Politicians on April 3, 2010
April 3, 2010… Is there a Cleveland City Council member who can show any moxie when it comes to pursuing a bit of economic justice in this town? Nah. Too much to expect.
Public servants don’t seem to want to provide that service. Seeing justice is out of their line of sight.
Maybe it’s too much trouble too. Maybe they just don’t see the necessity. That happens a lot. They aren’t a very zealous crowd it seems. I don’t sense much passion there. More like bureaucratic. Short on compassion. Where’s Fanny Lewis?
Anyway there seems to be a dearth of people who even think in those 60ish terms any more. It’s a shame. We have lost so much of our passion about what’s wrong. Our city and culture reveal it.
The reason I’m bringing this up isn’t new. I’ve mentioned it before. Likely I’ll mention it again. And again. Probably AGAIN.
Here’s the deal: Billionaire Randy Lerner has a sweetheart contract. It was given to him by former Mayor Michael White and his favorite lawyer, Fred Nance of Squire Sanders & Dempsey. Quite a duo.
We continually pay dearly to see that the Lerner family does well. Since August of 2005, we county taxpayers have contributed $63,867,150.83 to help the City of Cleveland pay to build Browns stadium By the way, it is used about 10 dates a year.
That $63 million represents taxes we paid on cigarettes and various forms of alcohol as of the end of March. We also pay, but it isn’t recorded, 7.75 percent regular sales tax on the $63 million. That represents another nearly $500,000. This, folks, is real money.
Lerner, owner of the Cleveland Browns, pays almost no rent for a stadium built entirely by the taxpayers of Cleveland. A stadium, by the way, that pays no property taxes on the structure. He got the bargain $250,000 a year rent, never to rise. And the city gave the extra bargain of picking up the insurance costs of the stadium, thus the Browns.
As I’ve mentioned before, the city pays the property taxes on the land, which was provided by the city free of charge.
The city pays much more for the land property taxes than Lerner pays – or will ever pay – to rent the whole thing. The city pays more than $400,000 annually. Where can you get a deal like that? No where. Unless you’re very, very rich.
Do you think Mayor Frank Jackson would have the sense to tell Lerner – time to renegotiate the terms of the lease? You got a sweetheart deal, Mr. Lerner. Now, it’s time to pay a just price for use of the facility. Our city needs it. Our school children need it.
Jackson, of course, should have done this a long time ago. But he won’t. Makes too much sense.
Especially since the Browns have a training center in Berea. That means that though the Browns play all their games at the city’s stadium at really bargain prices, the wealthy Browns players only pay partial income (payroll) taxes in Cleveland. Berea gets to share the tax revenue.
You would think that Jeff Johnson or Brian Cummins – two of the more progressive Council members – would say, “Hey, the city’s getting taken. Time to renegotiation with the Browns. Let’s bring Lerner in here.”
Or maybe, Dona Brady or Matt Zone or Kevin Conwell or one of the new Council members.
Is there anyone awake at 60l Lakeside? Guess not.
Easier, I guess, to add bucks onto residents water bill for garbage pickup.
For more vile details: How Good It Gets for the Lerner Family