The First Suburbs Consortium

[michael gill]

Bill:

Cuyahoga Arts and Culture doesn't have much role in the fact that inner ring suburbs have been left behind by a lot of home buyers and developers, but I am compelled to deal with your inaccuracies.

You wrote, "The [cleveland orchestra's] contract calls for a two year wage freeze with raises twice per year after that."

No. It's a 3-year contract. After two years of wage freeze, it calls for a 2 percent raise at the beginning of the third year, and a 3 percent raise 6 months later. That's the end of it. The contract doesn't cover any "per year" after that. Whatever their financial condition is at the time will determine how things go then.

You wrote, "Cuyahoga Arts and Culture is simply a slush fund for the politically well connected." That is not accurate. CAC grants are made by formula. The formula assures that all qualified organizations get funding in proportion to their budget.

Spreading money evenly across the grant area without recognizing existing institutions according to their size and the number of people they employ would create organizations and programs that would be unsustainable and completely dependent on the tax. It would be wasteful and irresponsible.

I am still waiting for you to identify the "bigger bonuses and pensions."

But back to the subject: Inner ring suburbs.

You wrote: "Another federal law is the last thing we need. Federal policy is the root cause of the decline of the cities."

It is true at least in part that existing Federal policy is a root cause of the decline of cities.

But to limit your view to that is to subvert your understanding of the situation. Do yourself a favor and bear in mind that the private sector failure to diversify has also contributed to their decline: If northeastern manufacturing cities were note so completely dependent on steel manufacturing, then their economies wouldn't be so devastated now.

But more importantly, you are confusing the existence of federal policy with the nature of federal policy. Just because some policies that come out of Washington have been bad for cities doesn't mean all federal policy is bad. National Parks are a federal policy. So is having an army.

To stop allowing interchanges in cornfields would be a new state and/or federal policy.

What I described above is not much different from zoning, and providing a means to get a variance. At the state and national level it is a policy failure to not require developers to clean up after themselves.

Individual communities fighting against each other to see who gets what--which is what you have described--is just more of the same.

[Bill Call]

I am still waiting for you to identify the "bigger bonuses and pensions."
But back to the subject: Inner ring suburbs.

To stop allowing interchanges in cornfields would be a new state and/or federal policy.

What I described above is not much different from zoning, and providing a means to get a variance. At the state and national level it is a policy failure to not require developers to clean up after themselves.

Individual communities fighting against each other to see who gets what--which is what you have described--is just more of the same.

The orchestra has been operating at a deficit for years. The deficit is the result of bigger raises. The employees of the orchestra are engaged in the slow motion looting of an institution. What happens when they completely deplete the legacy that took generations to accumulate?

http://www.thedailyswarm.com/headlines/ ... er-115000/

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 94642.html

That type of looting is typical of the arts crowd. The view their vocation as somehow above needs of the mere mortals who pay the bills. What should bother you is how the employees of the orchestra are depleting the legacy of generations.

Having said that, if I had the power to end the taxpayer subsidy to CAC I don’t think I would do it. I just want a bigger piece of the action for Lakewood.

NATIONAL
I would support a freeze on new highway exits but it is never going to happen. National policy is wedded to the idea of more and more taxpayer subsidized housing to expand home ownership to increase housing prices so people can borrow more money on their line of credit so they can buy more Chinese TV’s.

STATE
If the Consortium expanded to include suburbs of other large Ohio cities they might have the muscle to change State policy. I’m not optimistic. No one complained when $150 million earmarked for Cuyahoga County was spent on a new interchange in Athens County. If they couldn’t stop that what can they stop?

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/lo ... DCKHT.html

LOCAL
We are on our own. That means we are dependent on local resources. That means saying no to government unions.

If the consortium really wants to make a difference they should seek an end to binding arbitration in labor negotiations. Then they should impose a more reasonable and affordable wage and benefit structure on government employees.

[michael gill]

Despite its presence in the NYT, orchestras in financial straits for the last decade is not news. Of course money is tight. Of course endowment values have fallen. Of course they have spent cash reserves. That's why we're having this discussion.

But we're not just throwing rocks generally in that pool.

You wrote: "the Cuyahoga Arts Council has become the primary funding source for raises and bigger pensions rather than a supporter of the arts."

So what you've got to do is show me how since the establishment of Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, and in fact because of it, the Cleveland Orchestra in particular and arts organizations in general have achieved "bigger bonuses and pensions."

You get extra credit if you can show me not only those things, but how that has happened in place of CAC being "a supporter of the arts."

But back to the First Suburbs Consortium.

You wrote: "National policy is wedded to the idea of more and more taxpayer subsidized housing to expand home ownership to increase housing prices so people can borrow more money on their line of credit so they can buy more Chinese TV’s."

I agree. But I think policies can be changed, and just because they are Federal policies, I don't believe that change is bad. Remember the ducks. We would do cities a huge service and reel in the kind of profligate growth/spending you describe if at the federal level we gave cities the same respect as we give ducks.

You wrote: "If the Consortium expanded to include suburbs of other large Ohio cities . . ."

In fact they did. They formed relationships with first suburbs groups in Franklin and Lake Counties, and I believe around Dayton.

I'm with you in wondering what ultimately they will be able to accomplish, even though they attempted to form a kind of union with similar groups in other parts of the state. That has been their challenge when they tried to influence policy and spending. That's why I asked in my initial post how they could affect the change you suggested. Their lack of clout is in fact why the FSC organizations formed in the first place: first suburbs have neither the economy/industry of central cities, nor the newness and wealth of exurban communities. They banded together to try to influence policy.

[Bill Call]

You wrote: "the Cuyahoga Arts Council has become the primary funding source for raises and bigger pensions rather than a supporter of the arts."

So what you've got to do is show me how since the establishment of Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, and in fact because of it, the Cleveland Orchestra in particular and arts organizations in general have achieved "bigger bonuses and pensions."

That's why I asked in my initial post how they could affect the change you suggested. Their lack of clout is in fact why the FSC organizations formed in the first place: first suburbs have neither the economy/industry of central cities, nor the newness and wealth of exurban communities. They banded together to try to influence policy.

Come on Michael, you know money is fungible.

If you give the Cleveland Orchestra $1.8 million dollars in 2011 they will have more money for raises. If they get that kind of money each and every year for ten years that's nearly $18 million. Are you seriously saying the the availablity of that money had no influence on pay and benefits? Are you telling me that no one in any of these organizations is getting a raise? If they are where does the money come from?

Subsidies of that kind without any promise of cut backs in pay and benefits is simply a subsidy for those pay and benefits. In essence those subisidies allow those instituions to avoid the difficult decisions. How long could they pay those pay and benefits without that $18 million in tax payer dollars? Without that money could they afford those raises?

You should be more concerned that the muscian unions are depleting endowments that took generations to accumulate.


As to the consortium: If they want to influence policy they will have to form polictical action commitees to raise the money to provide the funds to pay the bribes necessary to change the policy.

[michael gill]

Of course money is fungible.

But where are the "bigger raises and pensions?"

In their first contract negotiations since the creation of CAC, Cleveland Orchestra musicians agreed to a two-year pay freeze, followed by a 2 percent raise at the third year and 3 percent six months later. They also agreed to perform ten times for free (which amounts to furlough days), and to contribute more for their health care. Staff throughout the organization took cuts of 5 percent to 20 percent. By no measure is that a "bigger raise and pension."

During the same time period Beck Center has had layoffs and pay cuts, and significant theatre program cutbacks. That is not equal to a "bigger raise and pension."

At Beck specifically, it's probably safe to say that money from CAC prevented greater layoffs, and even more substantial cutbacks in programming.

In what world is any of this "rather than supporting the arts?"

[Jim O'Bryan]

As to the consortium: If they want to influence policy they will have to form polictical action commitees to raise the money to provide the funds to pay the bribes necessary to change the policy.

Bill

I will let you fight it out with Michael on the Orchestra, I always get sidetracked in this and go
Conservative. If the public want it, they will go. Do we have to keep everything alive forever?
Especially when it has been proven to not be popular or sustainable.

But I did notice that Team-Neo got a $1million dollar grant from the Cleveland Foundation to sell
snake oil, and as you say "bribe officials."

Which brings us back to the most telling observation ever. If combining governments make so
much sense, why do we need 45+ groups pushing regionalism in Cuyahoga County? Wouldn't
it make sense to practice what they preach and save millions by only having one?

Smoke and mirrors, no substance, very little truth.

Would have rather seen that $1 million go to the orchestra for raises.

FWIW


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