CCPC Announces Opposition to Q Arena Deal

[Lori Allen _]

Dan Gilbert, isn't he involved with the Cleveland Foundation, Cleveland Clinic, and Armond? More foul smells coming out of Cleveland, and not from the steel mills.

Maybe he's just a member of the same old company.

[mjkuhns]

Dan Gilbert, isn't he involved with the Cleveland Foundation, Cleveland Clinic, and Armond?

I know that he is definitely president & CEO of Destination Cleveland, another participant in "The Q Transformation." (Len Komoroski, president of the Cavs, is one of their trustees.)

http://www.thisiscleveland.com/about/leadership/

[John Myers]

Dan Gilbert, isn't he involved with the Cleveland Foundation, Cleveland Clinic, and Armond?

I know that he is definitely president & CEO of Destination Cleveland, another participant in "The Q Transformation." (Len Komoroski, president of the Cavs, is one of their trustees.)

http://www.thisiscleveland.com/about/leadership/

That's David Gilbert, not Dan. David is also in charge of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. It's all right there in the bio to which you provided a link.

[mjkuhns]

Very true. I have heard multiple people refer to Dan Gilbert in this context, and I trusted them enough that while I did check, I did so without looking closely.

I should have been more thorough. Thank you for taking the time to correct this!

[mjkuhns]

Apparently he is at least tremendously understanding about this. Scene, a couple of years ago:

David Gilbert is not the only D. Gilbert who works as an executive in the field of Cleveland sports. Dan Gilbert, the Quicken/Horseshoe/Cavaliers magnate, is perhaps the region's most recognizable. But Dave, as president and CEO of both the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and the tourism agency Positively Cleveland, toils daily to attract major events…

I suppose we ought to address the elephant in the room.

I get called Dan on a weekly basis.

And is that...is that frustrating?

Believe me I take no offense. As long as my wife doesn't call me Dan, I'm okay.

http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/pos ... id=3777827

[mjkuhns]

County Council voted 8-3 in favor of this deal today. Jack Schron, Nan Baker, Yvonne Conwell opposed; our councilman Dale Miller and the other members voted for.

That said, so far as I know, the county's participation is contingent on participation by the City of Cleveland.

Cleveland City Council may vote to support it, but I learned today that they also may not have the final say. I'm not personally familiar with the Cleveland city charter, but I'm advised that a citizen initiative could challenge this, if a vote in favor is narrow enough.

Opposition is growing, it's worth noting. SEIU members joined the Progressive Caucus at a demonstration this afternoon. Along with them and Greater Cleveland Congregations, earlier this week Policy Matters Ohio issued a call for delaying the deal. http://www.policymattersohio.org/statement-q-march17

For those who want more, once again Scene probably has the most informative coverage of the latest:
http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-hea ... e-no-shows

[m buckley]

County Council voted 8-3 in favor of this deal today. Jack Schron, Nan Baker, Yvonne Conwell opposed; our councilman Dale Miller and the other members voted for.

That said, so far as I know, the county's participation is contingent on participation by the City of Cleveland.

Cleveland City Council may vote to support it, but I learned today that they also may not have the final say.

Matt,

Thanks for the coverage.

Should we anticipate Cleveland City Council deliberating in some back room under the cover of executive session.
Or do they have more integrity than that?

[mjkuhns]

Should we anticipate Cleveland City Council deliberating in some back room under the cover of executive session.

Well, on one hand, Cleveland city council seems to be hosting very lively exchange of views on this issue, largely courtesy of councilmen Johnson, Polensek and Reed.

On the other hand, the deal itself was negotiated in secret before council even got involved; apparently, in fact, even "[Mayor] Frank Jackson only entered the negotiations in Nov. 2016, one month before the glitzy press announcement."

The value of open deliberation, if it ends in challenging neither the result nor the process of a secret negotiation that preceded it, is perhaps an interesting question.

[Lori Allen _]

Cleveland City Council and Frank Jackson are both jokes, and very bad jokes at that. About 90% of the city is a disaster. Drive down some of the side streets off of Kinsman and Union between E. 116th and the Shaker Heights border, or any of the side streets off of E. 93rd between Union & Harvard and you will see what I mean. Homes that are literally splitting in two and falling down, vacant lots with grass over three feet high, and litter everywhere. If I were Frank Jackson or almost any Cleveland City Councilman, I would be embarrassed and ashamed to even show myself in public. Then again, no pride, no shame. One exception is Michael Polensek who represents Collinwood, he seems to be a decent guy, and spoke out against the Q Arena deal on the Bob Frantz show the other morning.

Since it was mentioned, there are several similarities between Cleveland and Lakewood governments:

1. As far as both respective city councils are concerned, both seem to exist only because it is specified in the city charter, and virtually everything is controlled by the mayor.
2. Most councilpersons in both cities do little to nothing to improve neighborhoods in their wards, simply attending a few meetings and sailing their way to their next paycheck.
3. Both cities are, in my opinion, fiscally irresponsible and overspend on many things, while underspending on others, such as cleaning up neighborhoods.
4. Both city councils have at least one sitting member with a DUI conviction.

Also, both city governments spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on seemingly useless "studies" when the solution is simple and right in front of their eyes.

See: http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/inde ... ckson.html

Gee, it sounds a lot like Summers. There is no need to waste money on studies, just enforce the dang law. It's that simple.

Cleveland City Council will go through with the deal, no doubt. More money wasted, just like Summers and Lakewood's City Council.

[Michael Deneen]

Cleveland City Council approved the Gilbert Giveaway Monday Night.
Much of their strategy was the same as The Clinic/Summers technique.....they even used the "emergency" routine.
Unlike Lakewood, they at least had six council people that stood up to corporate interests.

I expect to see a referendum campaign, a la Lakewood Hospital.
If it hits the ballot, will Gilbert/Budish/Jackson be able to dupe Cleveland the same way the Clinic/Summers/Bullock did Lakewood?
Or will we find out that Clevelanders are actually savvier voters than Lakewoodites?