The Observation Deck

When asked about public meetings and transparency Dale Miller said there would be a private meeting where decisions were made and a public meeting just for show. The coment came during the Plain Dealers interview process with the candidates.

The PD is now acting surprised that a secret meeting led to the selection of Ellen Connelly and Dale Miller as President and Vice President of Council:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/12 ... objec.html

http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index. ... _secr.html

I find it odd that the PD would endorse party aparatchiks for council and then act surprised when they act like party aparatchiks.

Ultimately, Fitzgeralds response to this private deal making will be more important than the private deal. A tepid response coupled with feigned outrage will kill County reform before the "reformers" take office.

It will also kill any dreams Fitzgerald has for higher office. If the plan is to clean out the board of revision and settle into business as usual Fitzgerald will have killed County reform and his hope for higher office.

Every voter knows about the corruption in Cuyahoga County. The people of Ohio are watching. Absent an agressive plan to root out corruption in Cuyahoga County Fitzgeralds run for governor in 2014 will be over before it starts.

heyyyyy. when has it ever been any different for a council president?

Judging by Ed's performance as a Mayor of Lakewood I think He'll do a good job as County Executive.
The mess we're in didn't happen over night. It won't be fixed quick. If you noticed, it's been the FBI doing the heavy lifting. I think real change will require a new philosophy. The public will need to demand quality competent accountable politicians. The media needs to keep tabs on politicians performance & keep that front and center. As someone stated " Most politicians think they're smarter than they really are". With that in mind we need to track performance and make sure we elect quality people. Good luck to us all & lets hope all the pirates are sent to prison.