We all hear about Hopkins Airport being a billion dollars in debt - putting the citizens of Cleveland on the hook for repayment and the airport at a huge competitive disadvantage. How about the Brown's Stadium - which is used about 10 afternoons per year. Not making any money for you that you know of, is it? But you're on the hook for it's debt as well. And the rest of the Cleveland lakefront - is it paying taxes or providing public amenity? Very little of the lakefront is other than totally dysfunctional. And financially debilitating for Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. It is this huge debt which drives newcomers away. And it will take years, decades actually, under the best case repayment scenarios, to pay off the debt. Where’d the money go? Whose pockets is it in?
Lot's of "planning" by generations of Mayors hasn't been able to cut through the private interests, and the public is still asleep. We need more Citizen Hausers to take on the entire waterfront. We need citizens who are so outraged that they can't access Lake Erie that they storm the City Counsel and the County Commissioners meetings. Think that will happen?
No access, no tax payments. Slick deal for those who are there. but Lose, lose for NEO citizens.
Does the graphic get the point across?
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Links:
[1] http://realneo.us/system/files/Cleveland-Empty-with-captio.jpg