By Roldo Bartimole
Are we going to allow one man to decide the presidential endorsement of the Plain Dealer in a predominately-Democratic area? The endorsement, of course, may not change a vote but then it might.
Now is the time to make one’s voice heard.
A number of Plain Dealer columnists have been critical of President George Bush and his policies, particularly on putting us in an unnecessary, damaging (to Americans and Iraqis) preemptive war. Some anti-Bush criticism has been surprisingly blunt for the PD.
And I’d be willing to bet that the editorial staff of the Plain Dealer would vote to endorse Democrat John Kerry over President Bush.
I’d also be willing to bet that Alex Machaskee, the Plain Dealer publisher and corporate friend of wealth and power, would veto the endorsement of his editors if it veers from his and make the decision himself.
They really should not allow one person to impose his will on the entire newspaper staff without a yelp of dissent. I’d like to see some freedom of the press with columnists who oppose Bush to make their voices heard after Machaskee, as I expect, picks Bush over Kerry.
The PD endorsed Bush in 2000, along with the Cincinnati Post, Cincinnati Inquirer, Columbus Dispatch, Canton Repository, Youngstown Vindicator and the Warren Tribune Chronicle.
Vice President Al Gore got thumbs up from the Akron Beacon Journal, Toledo Blade, Dayton Daily News and the Athens News.
A Pew Research Center poll has reported that 83 percent of those answering said a newspaper endorsement did not make a difference either way to them when they voted. However, in close races that other 17 percent might make a big difference.
John Edwards in the important Iowa primary this year surprisingly got the endorsement of the Des Moines Register. “I don’t think it hurt him,” said an Iowa Democratic spokesperson. I guess not. Edwards took second place, considered startling at that time. The endorsement couldn’t have hurt and likely did help.
In this hotly contested race, it might be wise if Plain Dealer subscribers and readers let the paper know that the traditional, automatic endorsement of a Republican for President won’t be appreciated from the newspaper that advertises itself as “neutral” politically.
Regionalism – Backward and Self-Defeating
Joe Frolik in the Plain Dealer wrote an interesting column the other day, even though he made what was a bad move for the region seem like a good move for the City of Cleveland.
We all keep talking about the need for regionalism. Well, Frolik uncovered a perfect example of how corporations do not believe in regionalism at all when it comes to their profit.
Frolik wrote that Cleveland made a good move by giving Lesco, Inc., $750,000 (which may come from Core City money – see below) and reduced the cost of parking at its city lot at an unnamed cost to the city. For these incentives, it lured a company from Strongsville into the Erieview Tower, a building subsidized by government many times over.
The company brings with it 200 employees and an $11 million a year payroll, which nets the city $220,000 a year in city payroll taxes.
Lower in the column, however, Frolik tells us that another company, ICI Paints North America will move from the downtown Huntington Building straight into the facilities in the Strongsville site vacated by Lesco, the company that moves to Cleveland.
Not mentioned is what Strongsville might have given to ICI to move from Cleveland. Also no mention is made of the payroll of ICI or the resulting lost payroll income to Cleveland. ICI had DOUBLE the number of employees as Lesco.
Is this moving the deckchairs on the you-know-what ship?
Does this kind of competition make any sense to Ohio communities?
Scorecard via regionalism: Not one iota of increased employment or financial benefit, except for the moving companies.
In another article, this by Jay Miller in Crain’s Cleveland Business, reveals another bit of silliness in attempting to bring business to downtown Cleveland.
Miller in early August reviewed the heralded Core City program. It’s the centerpiece of Mayor Jane Campbell’s economic development effort. Miller reveals that the only project funded is a grocery store.
The city has loaned $380,000 for a planned grocery store in the Bingham building downtown. When you have to subsidize groceries – and the city does this in other locations – you know how bad things are in Cleveland.
The Core City money comes from $27 million in bonds issued by the city. The support for the bonds comes from income derived from development of Chagrin Highlands.
That’s a questionable use of the funds derived from Chagrin Highlands.
A grocery store in a high-rent downtown district already plied with city incentives? The city has earned some $7 million to leverage, along with future income, the $27-million in bonds.
It’s also questionable whether this “loan” will ever be paid back.
Council has also arranged for another $20-million bond issue to finance other projects, apparently a prelude for Council to support a convention center tax.
Last time the convention center was proposed, Council President Frank Jackson insisted that the tax measure include a portion of the funds for neighborhood projects. Suburban communities also desired a crack at the new tax revenue.
The Council move would remove that irritant. Jackson and the corporate establishment want that little problem put aside so that the corporates can concentrate all efforts and energy on passing taxes for the exclusive use of a new, but unnecessary, convention center.
The new proposal for another $20 million for a Council development program taps what is called the UDAG repayment fund. Some $4.3 million will be repaid this year ($4.2 million from the Power House at Nautica) and the city had about $127,000 in the fund in 2002. In total, the city has some $72 million to be repaid from funds loaned out when the UDAG (Urban Development Action Grants) were given during the 1980s. Another $l3 million is being paid back from loans made from previous UDAG repayments. The loans, according to a list from the city’s economic development department, are stretched out through 2020 with several million of dollars due in each year, 2005 through 2009, and then heftier payments are due in 2010-2019. In addition, the city has more than $800,000 (August 2002 figure) from other loan programs that are available for use.
The city and schools are poor operationally but the city has plenty of resources available or due from loans for special projects. These special projects usually also get tax abatements (now 15 years at 100 percent). That takes financial resources primarily from the schools.
Because of the generosity of George Voinovich when he was mayor, most of these long-term loans were made so that developers didn’t have to pay back a penny for 20 years and with no or very little interest.
One also might question whether these funds, sent to Cleveland by the federal government, are by law useable in this fashion.
These bond-funded programs can help the city; however, if used as in the past they seem to help developers more than the city itself. The massive loans and abatements of the 1980s and 1990s don’t seem to have been key to turning downtown around. Indeed, downtown today looks worse than it did in the 1970s.
TV News Couldn't Resist a Naked Body
Politicians, unlike the rest of us, are fair game for the media. That doesn’t mean the news media should be free to expose a politician without any concern or ethical basis.
The use of police film of former Brookpark Mayor Tom Coyne, naked in the fetal position, went beyond the bounds of common compassion for another human being.
You have to ask, what do they do for an encore? Where do you turn for more titillation? How much are you willing to humiliate someone for a point in ratings?
By running the film of the drunken Coyne – who certainly needed some exposure to push him to get help – it revealed television news at its lowest ethical level.
The Plain Dealer could have run the photo, too. Nevertheless, they wisely chose not to.
Television news seems intent to, as Coyne did, reach the bottom. As Coyne needed help, television editors also need some help.
Too bad there isn’t a Betty Ford rehabilitation center for the managers of television news.
Guns But Not at GOP Headquarters
Happened to go into the Leader Building recently and noticed that at the information desk there is a prominently posted “No guns” with the usual sign of a circled and crossed depiction of a handgun.
Since Republican headquarters are situated right behind the information desk, I wondered why Jim Trakas and crew would object to guns around them. Don’t they love them every election time?
I’m going to report this infraction by the GOP to the National Rifle Association. Trakas, you’re downright anti-gun.
I asked the person at the desk about the prohibition, referring him to the Republican headquarters door behind him.
He smiled. “Maybe that’s the reason why (the sign is displayed).”
With the state of backstabbing in Columbus these days, it might be necessary to add another sign: “No knives allowed.”
from Cool Cleveland contributor Roldo Bartimole Roldo@Adelphia.net (:divend:)