It's a new day in Regional Government...or is it?

[Scott Meeson]

Dale Miller and Friends: http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2010/12/6_cuyahoga_county_council_memb.html

and then I recalled the following little video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsC9VPRupKA&feature=related

Gotta love this region!!

[Jim O'Bryan]

Dale Miller and Friends: http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2010/12/6_cuyahoga_county_council_memb.html

and then I recalled the following little video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsC9VPRupKA&feature=related

Gotta love this region!!

Scott

My level of disappointment knows no bounds.

One would hope this would underline, all of the things we need to learn.

Number 1) System broken. Has to be something better than politicians.

Lakewoodites, fellow Cuyahogians, Ohioans, Americans this is just not working.

Oversight, and transparency can no longer be optional.


.

[Betsy Voinovich]

Hi Scott and Jim,

This is disheartening news about our new County Council. The youtube video link that Scott posted has been taken down from Youtube. Even though I can't imagine that it wasn't depressing, can you tell those of us that are just getting to this now, what was in the video?

Thanks.

Betsy Voinovich

[Scott Meeson]

Hi Scott and Jim,

This is disheartening news about our new County Council. The youtube video link that Scott posted has been taken down from Youtube. Even though I can't imagine that it wasn't depressing, can you tell those of us that are just getting to this now, what was in the video?

Thanks.

Betsy Voinovich

Hello Betsy,

The video sucked you in big time.

The video disguised itself as motivational for the first 2 minutes or so. It communicated how a new day brings opportunity for change and the benefits that come with positive change. In the last 35 seconds or so the video turned for the worse (depressing) and reminds the viewer, candidly, that any desire for change is hopeless because of their own character. As the video concluded it communicated that it was brought to you by the tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceutical and gun industries.

The video was not what it appeared to be ...once it unveiled itself!


Scott

[Charlie Page]

I was shocked when the Cuyahoga council democrats tried to meet in secret a few weeks back. I’m disgusted they tried to do it again. In the environment we are in, you have to be so far out of touch with reality to schedule a secret meeting only to cancel it when outed and then have another secret meeting for the same purpose only weeks later.

Dale Miller and other Democrat candidates campaigned on transparency and they have the stones to pull this shenanigan? Not once but twice! Don’t they get it? There is no going back to business as usual.

And Cuyahoga County Democratic leader, Stuart Garson, tries to spin it as a caucus meeting. He says we are confused. Who the heck is he trying to fool? How stupid does he think we are? Democrats should be calling for his resignation. Democrats need new leadership. The power structure needs to be dismantled and rebuilt from the ground up with people who live and breathe honesty, transparency, decency and integrity.

People of Cuyahoga County are watching closely and we want real reform. Not lip service. Not platitudes that make you feel all warm and fuzzy. Not backroom deals. Not spin. Do what you say you are going to do!

One would hope this would underline, all of the things we need to learn.

Number 1) System broken. Has to be something better than politicians.

Lakewoodites, fellow Cuyahogians, Ohioans, Americans this is just not working.

Oversight, and transparency can no longer be optional.


.

The system isn't broken, it's the people that run the system that are broken and need to be fixed.

[Jim O'Bryan]

The system isn't broken, it's the people that run the system that are broken and need to be fixed.

Charlie

The system is broken completely.

It no longer serves the residents, on any level.

City, County, State, Federal

FWIW


.

[Charlie Page]

The system isn't broken, it's the people that run the system that are broken and need to be fixed.

Charlie

The system is broken completely.

It no longer serves the residents, on any level.

City, County, State, Federal

FWIW


.

Does the system force elected officials to hold private meetings?

Does the system foster corruption?

Is the system so power hungry to the detriment of the people?

Is the system dripping with arrogance?

Does the system lower property values for its cronies?

Does the system pass laws that benefit its cronies and in effect buy their votes?

Does the system insult the intelligence of the people?

Does the system make decisions based on getting re-elected instead of what's best for the people?

[Bill Call]

Fitzgerald's response to the secret meeting was very clever.

Today he spoke about the danger of having 59 different development plans for Cuyahoga County. I think that is the first salvo in the regionalization war.

In theory I guess having one develpment plan for the County is a good idea. But whose plan?

Why spend $100 million on new office development in the flats when you have empty offices in Lakewood and all across the region?
Why build a new freeway innerchange at route 83?
Why build a new hospital in Avon?
Why build in a new Tri-C campus in a Westlake industrial park?
Why subsidize downtown apartments when vacancies are at an all time high?
Why spend $500 million to widen I-77?

If we do have a regional planning department whose plan? Who decides? Who wins, who loses?

My vision of a regional development plan is: "We win, they lose." I suspect that is everyone elses vision as well. Although, I'm sure they will have more sense than to say it out loud.

[Ryan Patrick Demro]

Bill,

What was Ed's response? The fact that he did not immediately come out and condemn this act of aristocratic arrogance speaks volumes about how far he is willing to go for reform.

Central planning is generally always a disaster. I will be amazed if it can be pulled off here. We are not like Columbus or Indy. Our suburbs are older and more mature. They have developed institutions and entrenched politicians. Sounds like the good idea fairy at work again.

Charlie,

Stuart Garson was not new leadership for the Democrats. He has been around. Additionally, look at who "the people" elected to the council. People that needed to retire years ago like Connally, Brady, and Miller. You are telling me we don't have any new blood? You can't expect anything new from people who have been doing the same old thing for the last 30 years and believe that they are succeeding. Cleveland and the region are failing and it is because voters are conditioned to vote for names they know. The Democratic Party has failed the region. It has inflated government beyond the means of the people and served as a job factory for unprincipled people who decide to put a D next to their name to get a job. Should I name a list of phony candidates who ran as Republicans and because their sole interest was a job they sold out at the next election to the corruption machine of Dimora and Company? Let me end by saying this, Ed Fitzgerald can propose all the great ideas he wants, but in the end he is probably dealing with many people on that council who are far less rational than those on the Lakewood Council.

[Bryan Schwegler]

I'm thinking based on what's played out so far we might have been better off keeping Dimora and Russo. At least there were only a handful of crooks instead of the 11 we got on this new council.

[Bill Call]

Bill,

What was Ed's response? The fact that he did not immediately come out and condemn this act of aristocratic arrogance speaks volumes about how far he is willing to go for reform.

I'm afraid I have to agree with your entire post.

When the Plain Dealer endorsed Dale Miller they actaully used the words "party aparatchik" when describing him. Now they are shocked to find out that he is behaving like a party aparatchik.

Most of Fitzgeralds support came from the heavily Democratic Eastside. If he has any ambitions to be Governor he will have to challenge his own constituency. How likely is that.

It seems the reform movement is over before it started.