Posts Tagged Sunpu-Opto
Cleveland Mayor Jackson Flubs National Interview Opportunity on NPR
Posted by Roldo Bartimole in Economic Development, Media, Politicians on June 10, 2010
June 10, 2010… Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson did a somewhat strange interview with National Public Radio host Scott Simon, no stranger to Cleveland.
Jackson had an opportunity to sell the city in a piece entitled “How Cleveland Could Rise Again.” However, his sights seemed to be set on the rebuke he received recently by City Council on a non-bid deal that didn’t pass the muster.
Simon, as a reporter out of Chicago during the late 1970s, made a number of trips here to cover the hectic administration of Mayor Dennis Kucinich. Kucinich attracted so many out-of-town reporters that he likely filled more hotel rooms than the city’s sports teams. But that’s another story.
Suffice to say that Simon is a lover of cities and often of Cleveland in particular.
Simon, long the host of Weekend Edition Saturday on NPR, asked Jackson “…what kind of short urgent speech he gives to convince businesses to come to Cleveland.” Sounded like a good softball opener for the mayor.
Jackson replied, “That’s a salesman and a politician. I don’t do those kinds of things. I need to get into some details. I’ll try to coral them, you know, and monopolize some time. But it’s basically things are in flux. Things are in constant transition, and the old way of doing things will dig us deeper in a hole. We have to do things differently.”
The subject matter pretty much centered on the Mayor’s thrust to attract new businesses here. At the center was his flawed attempt to get Council to agree to a no-bid, long-term contract for new technology lighting fixtures with a Chinese company called Sunpu-Opto. The company was to open shop here as part of the agreement.
The deal, as I’ve said before, stinks. It still stinks.
In the interview, disjointed by Jackson’s responses, the mayor said of the Sunpu-Opto deal that “… we didn’t have a template as to how to proceed. And so it was a little loose and sloppy in some areas.”
But he still doesn’t seem to get it – that this deal isn’t fixable. He still seems to think that Sunpu-Opto should get the contract, maybe in a different make-up.
And he seems to blame those who called him on the deal, which he himself describes as poorly done. Not encouraging.
Mayor Jackson says, “But the greatest advocates of change are the greatest defenders of the status quo. As we say on the street. Everybody talk a good game but nobody going to bust a grape.”
You can’t blame those who find serious fault in something even you cite as defective. And label that an inability to desire change. It doesn’t make sense.
He goes on to say “… the greatest advocates of change… are also the greatest defenders of the status quo.”
He wants it the way he wants it. Not the way it is.
No, Mr. Mayor. Those who are opposing this deal aren’t demanding the status quo. They’re demanding that you prove the city can benefit from what you want to do. You haven’t been able to do that.
But you stubbornly stick to the same sloppy deal maybe with a new twist or two. It won’t work. Or should I say, it shouldn’t work.
The interview is available here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127257166
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.