Roldo responds I must answer the letter from Al Oberst about my piece on George Voinovich. As a long-time Republican apparatchik, of course, Oberst wants to blame labor unions for this area's economic decline, not a 43-year politician. Labor's power has diminished to the point that it's hardly visible in our society. Just look at the minimum wage and you can see the lack of labor's power and influence. He also mentions that he himself worked on economic development for both the county and city, not mentioning he worked for George Voinovich. However, if economic development is so bad, I'd hardly proclaim that I have been working for years in that very area of decline here. I love the way people want to come to the defense of Sen. Voinovich. It would take too long to go into all the damage he's done. Here's one striking example. I happened to ride by a large new development rising on Harvard Road, right at the new access roads to I-271, in what we know as Chagrin Highlands. I stopped because there was a lone picket waving an American flag. He told me that the construction job was for a new Marriott Hotel on land sold by Dick Jacobs to a Cincinnati developer. The Cincinnati developer brought his non-union labor with him from Cincinnati rather than hiring here, thus the picketing. Such a tough labor town that this massive development is taking place with one lone picket. Voinovich, of course, as mayor allowed, along with George Forbes, for Jacobs to secretly become the developer of this lucrative 630-acre Chagrin Highlands, on city land owned in the suburbs. The deal also involved the former Figgie Corp., and a Figgie board member who was a former Voinovich law partner at Calfee & Halter, where meetings on the deal were held. As Governor, Voinovich then funded via the state, the highway improvements at the cost of tens of millions of dollars to make the city land provided for Jacobs lucrative. Jacobs said of profits he envisioned there, "I believe in the quantum theory of profit to the Nth power." A study for the developers stated that Chagrin Highland properties comprise the most valuable developable land between New York City and Chicago. It was estimated to be a $1 billion deal with profits estimated at 14.9 percent for the developer, or nearly $150 million for the developer. Thanks George. What's most disturbing is that one can see the development of this land is taking place outside Cleveland in competition with the city's downtown. The Chagrin Highlands are bringing hotel-motels and fast and franchise food outlets to these developments. In other words, low paying jobs away from city neighborhoods on land owned by the City of Cleveland. Thanks again George. Yes Oberst, I'm biased. I'm biased against political officials who have the image of public concern and the record of providing plums to private and wealthy developers. from Cool Cleveland contributor Roldo Bartimole Roldo@Adelphia.net (:divend:)