Yes, I have. One, give ourselves enough time to do what we have to do. To have the proper amount of public input to work through the difficult issue, and continue to find sources of revenue that are more palatable to the public. I believe we still need to move forward on this [a convention center], and I've said we should have it ready for the ballot in 2005. There will be a study by CSU to find an appropriate niche that Cleveland's convention center can play, then run that out; let the public see it and comment on it. The lesson I learned is you can't build Rome or a convention center in a day, and you have to give the public some participation, and you have to make a better case that the public needs it.

Have you learned anything from your participation and witnessing of the Cultural Leadership Task Force process?
I think it's a model process. I try to minimize the credit I get. Tom Shorgl [president of the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture] came to me with the idea. We intend to accept the recommendations this Tuesday [1/20], then we'll have two Tuesdays of public debate [1/27 and 2/3], the we'll approve it on February 10. Then we'll do some tinkering—you've made some good recommendations, as have others. That should give us enough time to make sure everything is solid. And it should be in place in plenty of time for the election on March 2.

People have told me they are tired of the top-down, back-room approach and are looking for a new grass-roots approach.
You know something, the truth is, that criticism is not a new one, that's as old as the criticism of cafeteria food and public transportation. But on major issues you need leadership, I wouldn't call it top-down. But you need two elements - a public needs to be informed, and you need a leader to drive it.

How do you inform the public?
Like we did with the Cultural Leadership Task Force. When we talk about the convention center, we get the study from CSU and we have public forums over the course of months to discuss everything from one end of town to the other. You'll see this process unfolding over the next year. I think the approach that the mayor has taken with the Mayor [Jane Campbell] has taken with the Lakefront issue, with pubic meetings in various places, is a good model.

What's your opinion of the proposal to replace the 3 County Commissioners with a Chief Executive and an 11-member council?
Well, the first thing, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. There's only one out of 88 counties that have an executive, and if you look at Summit County, they've been marred by scandal, and I believe some of the people he appointed have been indicted and found guilty and had to leave office under less than auspicious circumstances. They're having problems with their children's services. We've [Cuyahoga County has] moved a record number of people off welfare, we're one of only two counties in the state that have a high bond rating, we've reduced the deficit and have a healthy balance in the budget, $100 million, I believe. Second, as a Democrat, when the Republicans suggest this change, people think, why are they saying this if they can't get any of their people in positions. They hope to get one figure [a chief executive] that they can get behind, so they can put their money there, instead of having more than one race to fight for. You'll have a council that will have more parochial views. What do I like about it? Well, I think some elements should be looked at - the consolidation of some offices, be it Engineer, a Coroner, a Treasurer, or an Auditor, there's something to be said for having some offices being appointed rather than elected, and if there's a problem, blame it on the County Commissioners. I'm sure if you asked them, any one of the County Commissioners would rather be the one [chief executive]. And there would be more accountability with one person, but if you want change, get rid of all three [Commissioners].

Many people are suggesting that the reason the proposal for reform of the County government is lack of leadership.
This county has done a lot of good things, award -wining programs, set aside more money to do economic development. I think we've been a pretty effective county government.

Many of the suburban Mayors have been getting together to discuss "Meeting Regional Needs Through Cooperation and Common Action." Are you interested in participating in these discussions, and what would you suggest as a plan and next steps?
I'm glad you mentioned that. This is what we need. If there's anything we need, it's more cooperation to meet our needs. There's fire departments within 1 square mile in some parts of the county. Imagine how much we can save if we consolidate that. The Mayor of Bedford, Dan Pocek, can give you more information on that. I've sat in on the first meeting that the Mayors had, but I had a conflicting meeting last week so I couldn't make it. I see us working with the Mayors and Managers association to talk about providing shared service.

Will you be accepting the recommendations of the Cultral Leadership Task Force on arts funding? Any areas that you are uncomfortable with?
I just need to read it in a more detailed fashion. I made a note of a couple of the details you mentioned.

Has it been shared with the other Commissioners?
Yes, they received an embargoed copy last week, before it was released.

So far, the levy language only specifies "economic development," and doesn't mention arts and culture. Have the Commissioners passed a resolution indicating how much of the money this levy raises would be dedicated to the arts & culture?
That will be put in place at the Tuesday [1/20] meeting. I'm reviewing the language for that piece right after we get done with this interview. It will be a 50/50 split between the arts and economic development.

How much do you think it will take for a successful economic development/arts & culture levy campaign?
I would think it could be done for three-quarters of a million. There are a number of other things on the ballot—some communities will have school levies, 40% of the communities have a county library issue, there's the Health and Human Services levy, even though its no additional taxes. It's reasonable to think three quarter of a million.

What have commissioners done to support the arts & economic development levy? What specifically are you doing to support the levy? Will you be raising money for the campaign?
I won't be terribly active doing the actual fundraising, but I'll participate in the debates, as a spokesperson, as I travel around and speak to groups.

Is there a question as to whether the arts community can raise enough money?
It a healthy sum of money, considering the other issues on the ballot, and the different candidates running. I'll be raising money for the Health and Human Services levy, but we have our targeted lists, and I hope we don't take up all the money out there. There's a concern, sure. It won't be easy. I don't know how much they've raised.

Have you made progress on determining how the economic development portion of the new levy would be distributed?
I'll tell you exactly what will happen. In the next several weeks, we'll assemble a panel of economic development experts to put in place the same kind of criteria and standards like the Cultural Leadership Task Force. We'll want to put the same kind of guidelines for loan approvals. We'll be on parallel tracks. It'll be in place by the middle of February.

Will the two pool of money [economic development and arts funding] be run by the same authority?
They will both be run by the county, but there will be two different groups that will make recommendation to the County Commissioners. The Commissioners will probably approve 99% of what is recommended.

Do you think there's any risk of politicizing this arts funding if some of the art work becomes controversial?
Some government funding, such as the Ohio Arts Council, put an "Iron Curtain" in place between the politicians who ultimately provide the funding, and the actual day-to-day workings of the arts funding operations, in order to insulate the politicians. That's an interesting question, I'm sure that will come up and we'll have to put some mechanisms in place. That's interesting. I'll take that under advisement.

Why do you think Tim Hagan is running against fellow Democrat and sitting incumbent Commissioner Tim McCormack?
Because he thinks he can do a better job, I assume. He's probably been encouraged by those who are not supportive of Tim the incumbent. I think if you look at those who endorsed him, the business community and the AFL-CIO, they have all endorsed Tim Hagan, so they obviously have some problems with my colleague.

What do you think will happen with the election for Commissioner between Hagan and McCormack? Well it certainly is one of the more unusual elections around here in a long time, and it has interesting implications. Rarely is a sitting incumbent challenged by another member of his party. Tim Mc Cormack? is the incumbent and has the support of the Democratic party, and will have support of his party. Tim Mc Cormack? has the support of the building and trades council, which is an important part of the labor movement. Hagan will have support of AFL and have money. Both have strong name recognition and both have been on the ballot.

Do you have any favorites in this race? I'm supporting my colleague Tim McCormack. I consider Tim Hagan a good friend, I've known them both for years.

Why do you think you are not being challenged for your position during this election?
I'd like to think it's because of the job I've done. I think I've demonstrated the ability to get along with business & labor. I've been a peace-maker, I'm not afraid to be independent. I've disagreed with my colleagues on three different occasions. The port authority issue, the appointment of Bill Denihan to the Mental Health board, and on Whiskey Island.

The fact that I was able to defeat two strong candidates - decisively with over 60% of the vote, has to send a pretty strong message to any potential challengers. We have a pretty well-oiled apparatus; both the job I've done and the political organization I have. And I'm glad, so I'll be able to devote my attention to the issues. This is the first time in 20 years I've not had an opponent.

Since you are not being challenged, you are sure to be elected to another four year term. You'll never be in a stronger position. And there's been a lack of leadership in this community. What issues will you work on?
There are two key issues: economic development and maintaining a strong and secure Health and Human Services sector. Also, we've done the requisite studies for the MB [Minority Business] enterprise. And I want to approve the recommendations of the Cultural Leadership task force for the arts. I want to put the same kind of process in place for the economic development. I think over the next few years, we'll be working on economic development very strongly.

At my urging, we set aside $4 million in the current budget of new dollars for economic development in the County. In transcendent ways, number one, we need to have an economic development focus and keep in place a strong health and human service program. At my initiative, we're putting together a father's initiative for re-integrating them [fathers] in a role supporting their children. I initiated the Ohio Fatherhood Commission when I was a state representative. We've set aside $350,000 in the County budget. We're going to look at our County's policies to see if they are supportive of fathers or not, and we'll make some changes to make it easier for fathers to support their children. We'll also have some seed money to work on fatherhood initiatives.

The other thing that I hope to work on is a social issue to try to provide same sex domestic benefits to county employees, I've worked with Dennis Madden, our personnel, and the GLBT organization community, because it's an issue of fairness.

Interview by Thomas Mulready (:divend:)