Posts Tagged Hamilton Brown
Knee Deep in Civic Corruption… Anyone Noticed?
Posted by Roldo Bartimole in Economic Development, Media, Politicians on June 13, 2010
June 13, 2010… So why have we wasted all the time and energy with a supposed “reformed” Cuyahoga County Government when Joe Roman and the Greater Cleveland Partnership can decide for us.
Why bother with any democracy? Who needs it.
The Plain Dealer – it its usual uncritical manner – reported last week that Joe Roman, according to the paper, “said community leaders discussed extending the sales tax increase more than a year ago as a possible way to fill gaps in medical mart funding.”
They want more bucks for downtown, of course. Another couple of hundred million dollars.
Why do we need a County chief executive? Why do we need a County Commission of 11 elected officials?
We have Joe Roman – the $451,241 a year GCP boss – to tell us what we need. How we should tax and what for.
“Roman,” said the Plain Dealer, “said the business community supports a transformation of the malls, Public Square and other areas in the central business district. He also recommends addressing the improvements before construction of the medical mart begins in October.”
Let the rest of the city rot.
Well by all means everybody, let’s get busy.
The arrogance of the Cleveland corporate community is amazing. There is no countervailing power to even hint at some balance.
I thought there might be a little more punch to the Plain Dealer editorial posture once Brent Larkin left and Betsy Sullivan took over. I was wrong. Dead wrong.
I guess the PD only deals with certain kinds of corruption. Certainly it doesn’t bother ever with civic corruption. Not even a whisper. It’s rampant in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County but it never riles the PD top honchos. Never seems to cross their minds.
Go get those pikers – Jimmy, Frankie and Gerry.
Mayor Frank Jackson – now Mayor Go Along – has appointed a committee (what a novel idea) to, I guess, try to improve on the 100 year old historic Daniel Burnham Cleveland Group Plan as part of the Joe Roman & the Corporates’ latest desires. Is there no one to scream, “NO. PLEASE, NO.”
Cleveland Planning Chairman Tony Coyne has been named to head up this committee.
Is this a joke? It must be. Tony Coyne hasn’t done one spirited or even near courageous thing in the 20 years he’s been on the City Plan Commission. He’s a dud. I guess then he’s perfect for the job then. Poor Mr. Burnham. Hacks to hack away at his work 100 years later.
They all also keep talking about the $425 million Medical Mart & Convention Center.
However, we know that the 20 year tax will bring in at least $40 million a year and that doesn’t equal $425 million. It equals at least $800 million – without possible overrun costs.
Let’s be honest a little honest about the cost. Interest is a cost as much as principal when you construct. And somehow it has to be paid. All with taxes.
Now, if you’re going to put, as they seem to suggest, big fancy stuff atop the underground convention center on the historic Malls it will mean you’ll need extra strength for the convention center ceilings. I just speculate that.
I suggest this will be the way MMPI will get out of the supposed deal it has with the county to absorb overruns. How can you hold them to the deal if you change the deal? Drastically.
To add insult to injury, Joe Roman and the Corporates – also eager for the $350 million Opportunity Corridor to University Circle – will be pushing Terry Hamilton Brown for the County chief executive spot. She’s their front for the short, expensive road to the Clinic. Opportunity Corridor has been pushed by the usual funding sources – the Gund and Cleveland Foundations. They gave $100,000 each.
But once again we see the powers that be – foundations and their corporate interests – wanting all public resources going to their agenda. Downtown and University Circle. The rest of the city, ah well, it can struggle on.
And our major source of information. Well, the Pd publisher Terry Egger sits on the Clinic Board and co-chair of the Opportunity Corridor. All aboard? Of course.
It’s business as usual. The road leads only one way. Down, folks.
Plain Dealer Egging on an Unnecessary Road Project
Posted by Roldo Bartimole in Economic Development, Media on September 13, 2009
September 13, 2009… We have a problem Plain Dealer.
The monopoly newspaper has been pushing hard for the so-called Opportunity Corridor. The problem is that the co-chairman of the push is Terry Egger, publisher of The Plain Dealer. He’s a walking conflict of interests.
Multi-millionaire Egger is a board member of the Cleveland Clinic, likely the chief entity to benefit from the proposed road. The road would go from I-490 at East 55th street and slice to, well, the Clinic area.
So Egger has two conflicts of interest – his position as publisher and his position as a Clinic board member along with his position as head of the only newspaper in town.
I wrote Egger for information on his committee’s efforts a while back. Egger punted over to Terri Hamilton Brown. She’s the project head, working at the Greater Cleveland Partnership. The Partnership helped finance a study on the importance of the road, helped with matching $100,000 contributions from the Cleveland and Gund Foundations.
Money is easily gotten for projects that benefit the powerful and wealthy.
Once again today the PD had big headlines: “Opportunity Corridor needed even more now, officials say,” read the top headline on the Metro Page. I had a hard time finding in the article any officials, other than Ms. Hamilton Brown, making comment that would back up that headline.
The same old line is given us by the Pee Dee. The urgency deals with “spawning” economic and community development. Please, give me a break.
What I did notice, however, is that the price of the 2-3/4 mile road has already gone up since the last article by $25 million, from $350 million to $375 million.
Egger, who once complained to me that I overstated his income from the sale of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, made millions on the deal. The numbers came from the St. Louis Journalism Review, which cited Security & Exchange Commission figures. See here for Egger’s wealth:
I inquired about meetings of Egger’s Corridor group. The answer came from Ms. Hamilton Brown.
“The Steering Committee held a kick-off meeting on May 15 at the Plain Dealer…” Well, isn’t that convenient for Mr. Egger.
The next meeting was scheduled for Sept. 1 and was held “in the board room of the Greater Cleveland Partnership.” Also, convenient for those most interested.
The public, well, not so convenient, especially meeting at 9 a.m.
Well, I asked for minutes of the meetings. I’d like to see what’s going on. Wouldn’t you?
“Minutes from the Sept. 1 meeting have not been completed and I am now out of town until Sept. 21. I will forward minutes from both meetings when I return to the office.”
No mention of minutes from the May meeting?
Anyway, I don’t expect too much in the way of cooperation.
Egger is busy putting out an inferior newspaper. The Partnership is busy doing what it always does – taking care of those with power. The Cleveland and Gund foundations are busy doing that they typically do – funding what those in power want funded.
This is a disgrace. Opportunity Corridor, indeed. When people who need transportation are being hit with increased fares and lesser service by the Regional Transit Authority, our leaders are busy wrangling $375 million (so far) for a road we don’t need, for the convenience of people who can afford to travel Cleveland’s streets.
This is simply a very expensive bypass of ghetto residents for those who don’t want to see the seamy side of Cleveland. Let them take Woodland, Carnegie, Cedar, and Chester to University Circle. These are roads, already built, already convenient, and already paved.
You don’t hear much from the black political leadership. I remember when this issue came up years ago, Frank Jackson, then Council President, was a bit hesitant, as I remember. After all, the proposed road went through his ward.
Hardly a stir can one hear from Jackson or any other African-American politician.
Let’s stop building ghetto by-passes and calling them an OPPORTUNITY.