HOT - STEAMY HOT - HOT OFF THE PRESSES!

Submitted by Roldo on Fri, 09/04/2009 - 16:24.

NEWS BULLETIN! NEWS BULLETIN! The Greater Cleveland Partnership backs the County Reform for an executive and 11-member Council that it gave $100,000 to put on the ballot.

 

What strange behavior. Supporting something you paid $100,000 to birth. Startling.

 

Well, the Plain Dealer today thought it was news. The Pee Dee ran a four-column headline, “Business group backs county reform plan” on the Metro front page. Since the Partnership paid for the ballot issue you’d have to believe that the “business group” – or Republican group, if you will – wants it.

 

The Pee Dee wants this reform badly. Really badly. Awfully badly.

 

The problem is that it appears more a plan to elect some Republicans than a well thought out reform plan.

 

And even worse it makes the County Prosecutor about the only present office holder to retain a position for election. The engineer, treasurer, auditor, coroner and sheriff will disappear as elected offices. That’s a big wipeout.

 

What that suggests to me is that the County Prosecutor – Bill Mason – will have pretty much all the power over justice in the County. Mason also, as a political power, will have a lot to say politically about who gets to run for the County executive. As it is, Mason runs his prosecutors for judgeships, giving him troublesome shot at power over the prosecution and then the judgment of those indicted.

 

Too much power equals too little real justice.

 

Somebody’s going to have to explain how this serious power shift makes sense before trying to sell reform.

 

The Pee Dee, Mason and some Republicans are trying to jam through a change without real public input or understanding.

 

What the Pee Dee, Mason and the Republicans are hoping for is that Cuyahoga County voters are so fed up with corruption of some public officials that they will vote for anything that smells like reform.

 

But this reform is not so sweet smelling, no matter how much the Pee Dee editorializes in its news and editorial columns.

 

Let’s not get stampeded into a reform that makes us unhappy and less safe from powerful forces and politicians.

 

 

‹ HERE'S $100,000 BUT IT'S NOT APPROVAL - HUH?upHOW CHEAP CAN YOU GET? PRETTY DAMN CHEAP ›
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Before we change the whole

Submitted by ward14resident on Fri, 09/04/2009 - 16:59.

Before we change the whole system I would like to see how it will change once the corrupt people are eliminated.  The system may not be the problem.  The problem may have been only the fact that the people who were elected were not working for the best interests of the community.  My vote would be against the county reform at this time.  I don't believe in throwing out the baby with the dirty bath water. 

I don't know much, not nearly enough, about politics to know if my way of thinking about this issue is right but from what I do know this seems to be the wrong way to correct the problem. 

Does anyone know what are choices will be and what it all means?  Can someone explain all of this in language we can all understand? 

Ward14resident

Submitted by westward on Fri, 09/04/2009 - 21:56.

You make some good points. This reform started out as a movement supposedly to reduce costs and streamline government services. It has escalted into a typical power grab. I assume that like all consolidations, there is an agenda that isn't clear but you can be sure that it benefits some powerful people. Good question though about the choices and what it all means, and you won't find the answers here (but lots of opinions). There has to be someone out there that has tracked the whole thing as it has unfolded and written about it. If I find anything I will post a link here, and maybe others will too.

ward14resident

Submitted by westward on Fri, 09/04/2009 - 22:25.

Here you go: http://blog.cleveland.com/brooklynsunjournal/2009/09/league_of_women_vot...

They are pro so keep that in mind but it is always good to know both sides.

Thank you dwebb.  It is

Submitted by ward14resident on Sat, 09/05/2009 - 00:41.

Thank you dwebb.  It is always good to be informed. 

Ward14resident

Submitted by westward on Sat, 09/05/2009 - 20:49.

This is from the PD so keep that in mind. You won't get more than their overview. Read the blogs at the bottom (if you can tolerate it) and you can see that we are all in the same boat.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/08/competing_governance_proposals.h...

I read it but I still don't

Submitted by ward14resident on Sat, 09/05/2009 - 23:07.

I read it but I still don't know how I will vote.  I keep thinking that it might be okay to leave the system the way it is but just vote in honest people to fill the positions.  Changing the whole system may be overkill and I am suspicious of the reasons for the proposed change.  I don't really understand the reasons but nevertheless I am suspicious.  How do we know we won't be jumping from the frying pan into the fire?  I don't want to vote for a change and find out later that it was a bad choice that made the situation worse than it was.

Who will hold the most power if either or both of these two proposals win in the election?  Who will benefit from the change?  How will it help the community?  What are the real facts?

Election to be monitored

Submitted by westward on Fri, 09/04/2009 - 22:28.

Thanks to Henry Gomez for the heads up on the Department of Justice sending monitors to Cleveland to monitor Tuesday elections.

http://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/

League of Women Voters

Submitted by lmcshane on Sat, 09/05/2009 - 15:11.

  Thanks DWebb for the heads up on LWV support for Cuyahoga Reform.  It does give me pause. 
 

I will need to really understand and weigh the costs/benefits of this charter revision--I also received this in my email:

How will reform help county government become more efficient?
How will council members be elected?
How will health and human services be affected?
The push to reform Cuyahoga County government is on and so is the debate over what the restructuring should look like. Competing reform plans are slated to appear on the November ballot. On September 17, a panel of representative from each of the reform proposals will inform you about reform.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Registration and Reception, 5:45 p.m.
Program 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Maxine Goodman Levine College of Urban Affairs Atrium
Glickman-Miller Hall
1717 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44115
Free and open to the public. Register online at www.urban.csuohio.edu/forum or call 216.523.7330.
This program is presented by The Center for Community Solutions, the Northeast Ohio City Council Associations, and the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University in partnership with the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy and the Greater Cleveland Voted Coalition. Thank you to our sponsors: Nemastil Home Inspections and Marko Vovk of Ambassador Building Inspections.

Sarah Kresnye
Communications Coordinator
The Center for Community Solutions
1226 Huron Road • Suite 300
Cleveland, OH 44115
216/781.2944 ext. 412
FAX 216/781.2988

 

reform

Submitted by westward on Sat, 09/05/2009 - 17:59.

This is a hard nut to crack but for me it comes down to centralizing the government equates in decentralizing the citizens power. There is so much corruption that reform seems like a lifesaver but I think that it is a trap. When I look at the WLF layout of the pros, it makes sense until I think of well funded campaigns of Republicans suburbanites running for those county council seats, especially if they call themselves conservative Democrats. Yikes!

Not equal to trust

Submitted by lmcshane on Sat, 09/05/2009 - 19:07.

Democrat is not equal to trust...consider Jim Rokakis--a nominal Democrat...It's all just a massive real estate game.  So, who are we to trust???
 

trust

Submitted by westward on Sat, 09/05/2009 - 19:30.

I agree that Democrats can't always be trusted but then we pretty much know what we get in most Republicans. What is the problem with Rokakis that makes him untrustworthy? He always seemed like a nice guy, and, don't laugh, but he hasn't been named as being under investigation. 

only a matter of time

Submitted by lmcshane on Sat, 09/05/2009 - 19:34.

  DWebb--given the legacy of game playing in Ward 15 soon-to-be Ward 14, I would hope that you are not going to fall for the saints and sinners BS, we've been fed for all these years.  Jim Rokakis=Merle Gordon+ Frank Jackson=Emily Lipovan+Martin Sweeney=Joe Santiago...follow the HUD money.
 

saints, sinners & trust

Submitted by westward on Sat, 09/05/2009 - 22:23.

When it comes to trust vs. non-trust, verify is the keyword for me. That way, I am no one's fool.

Now with Santiago:

Joe, Joe, he's our man, he will corrupt if anyone can.