Topic: Cuyahoga County: County Government Reform News & Discussion

[MyTwoSense]

A knee jerk fed ex response.  Look at the real problem, if you're going get rid of people, start with yourself.  It's got to be a top to bottom review!

Hagan touts cut in elected offices
He'd consolidate county departments
Monday, May 12, 2008
Joe Guillen
Plain Dealer Reporter

Cuyahoga County will have six fewer elected officials -- and will consolidate duplicated jobs to reduce spending -- if Commissioner Tim Hagan gets his way.

Hagan, who has favored reforming county government, said he is ready to make another push because the current structure is outdated. He said the county's shrinking population and declining government revenue demand a change.

More at
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1210581027265890.xml&coll=2

[Ipsilon]

Can you all help a political newbie (as far as Cleveland and Cuyahoga County is concerned -- okay, as far as all politics are concerned) out here?  Hagan always seemed like a good guy.  Is he just as bad as the others, or is he the black sheep in the Comissioner family?

[MyTwoSense]

Honestly, I think PLJ is the only commish with sense.  Hagan is a whipping boy.  Dimora is just a fat ass.

[Ipsilon]

Hagan is a whipping boy.

Well, at least he's married to a starship captain.




Thanks.

[3231]

A knee jerk fed ex response.  Look at the real problem, if you're going get rid of people, start with yourself.  It's got to be a top to bottom review!

Hagan touts cut in elected offices
He'd consolidate county departments
Monday, May 12, 2008
Joe Guillen
Plain Dealer Reporter

Cuyahoga County will have six fewer elected officials -- and will consolidate duplicated jobs to reduce spending -- if Commissioner Tim Hagan gets his way.

Hagan, who has favored reforming county government, said he is ready to make another push because the current structure is outdated. He said the county's shrinking population and declining government revenue demand a change.
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1210581027265890.xml&coll=2

Still, there are so many elected offices that should not be elected. Who really knows who would make a good coroner or engineer??  We are lucky to have a very good engineer right now, but I have no clue whatsoever if the coroner is doing a good job. 

On the other hand, allowing all these people to be appointed also has some great risks.

[audidave]

Interesting article by the PD.. There's a link to the audio in that story.  Reading the article then listening to Dimora talk seem almost totally separate. The reporter is definitely caught up in trying to "catch" Dimora.  The audio starts really slow but then Dimora picks up the pace.  Interesting how Dimora screams he's not running for Commissioner again but it doesn't appear in the story. 
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/05/dimora_against_county_reform_s.html

Dimora against county reform; says GOP and Plain Dealer in league against Democrats
Posted by Joe Guillen May 20, 2008 20:02PM
Categories: News Impact
Previous story

• Dimora criticizes Plain Dealer reporters for asking about court(sic) employee.
Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora on Tuesday blasted a plan to reform local government, even saying the idea -- proposed by a fellow commissioner -- exposes a plot to dismantle the local Democratic Party that he chairs.
CHOPPED

[E Rocc]

Tim Hagan:  Republican mole.  Who woulda thought?

Every time I see DiMora's "official" picture in the paper, I wonder how he could be smiling in light of the Reagan Administration's latest proposals.  Of course, a current one would contain more chins than the San Francisco telephone directory....

[StrapHanger]

Interesting how Dimora screams he's not running for Commissioner again but it doesn't appear in the story. 

I interpreted what he said as meaning that he's not governing with an eye on getting reelected, not that he wasn't actually going to run for reelection (we should all be so lucky).

[smith]

I did a search and surprisingly could not find a thread on this topic.  Can anyone help me to understand what the issues are here?  I feel like I have picked up bits and pieces here and there such as the main proponents for reform of the county government are the republicans and African Americans are against reform as it would involve redistricting which would potentially lessen the impact of their votes. 

I will say this, I am a true and true democrat and I personally don't see any time in the near future that the county will be run by republicans as cuyahoga county is a pretty strong democrat county.  But aren't our democratic leaders in this county making us look bad (i.e. McFaul, Earle Turner (is he an elected democrat?), the commissioners with the "bungling" of the med mart, not to mention the criminal investigation, etc.)?

Many of our democratic leaders are coming out against the reform (Jackson, Fudge, etc.).  So I guess my question is, why should I be against reforming the county government?

[CBC]

I am not as well versed as others here on OU of the sins of Cuyahoga County but I am for a reform of some sort. There are too many fiefdoms in the county governmemnt that really don't answer to anyone especially the citizens, this has led to the rampant corruption and waste. I really don't think that it really is a Democratic or Republican issue. The real issue is that the current political machine has been in power too long and they felt they didn't have to answer to anyone because there has been nobody locally seriously challenging for power.

I have not developed an opinion yet about the proposal floating around about a single elected county executive and a elected council. 

[Qwios]

Cuyahoga County reform backers looking for money
by Mark Naymik
Wednesday June 17, 2009, 4:00 PM

The group of public officials and civic leaders behind the effort to restructure Cuyahoga County government are scrambling to raise money.

The group, which includes county prosecutor Bill Mason and Parma Heights Mayor Martin Zanotti, has raised just $20,000 as of Tuesday. The group is soliciting from civic leaders another $35,000 by Friday and an additional $50,000 by early July. It hopes to raise at least $100,000 to collect the 45,000 voter signatures needed by mid July to get the reform plan on the ballot.

More at
http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2009/06/cuyahoga_county_reform_backers.html

[Foraker]

I am not as well versed as others here on OU of the sins of Cuyahoga County but I am for a reform of some sort. There are too many fiefdoms in the county governmemnt that really don't answer to anyone especially the citizens, this has led to the rampant corruption and waste. I really don't think that it really is a Democratic or Republican issue. The real issue is that the current political machine has been in power too long and they felt they didn't have to answer to anyone because there has been nobody locally seriously challenging for power.

I have not developed an opinion yet about the proposal floating around about a single elected county executive and a elected council. 

I agree with your sentiments. 

I believe that democracy requires participation, or money will talk louder than We The People.  The current corruption scandal probably went on for as long as it did because not enough people thought they could make a difference, didn't vote, didn't pay attention to commissioners' and committee meetings, etc.  How do we get people to be engaged in their governance?

Someone once said that any time you have a representative who represents more than about 5,000 people, the people in that district lose the feeling that they have an advocate for THEM, someone that they can personally talk to who will go to bat for them and their problems.  Can anyone cite any research along this line to back that sort of thing up?

Regardless of what that number is, I think that is the kind of feeling that will make people want to hang on to THEIR government in Solon or Lakewood, etc.  How do we create a more efficient form of government in a metropolitan area like Cuyahoga County or greater Cleveland metro such that everyone will still "feel" that there is someone who will go to bat for them personally on an issue and also will encourage more citizens to be engaged in their government?  That seems to be a difficult challenge.

We could create a large legislative body with small-district "representatives" and former-city/suburb-type-area "senators" that works with an elected executive.  But paying all of those people could be expensive, and if it's too big does your voice really get heard?  And would there still be too much local-interest-only focus?

Or maybe there should be some things that should remain very local and other things that will be delegated to the larger region -- zoning, transportation, and economic development come to mind as regional issues.  What local issues would remain?  School maintenance?  Which streets get paved with the road budget provided by the regional government?  I'm really not sure how such a system would work.

Again, how do we create a more efficient form of government in a metropolitan area like Cuyahoga County or greater Cleveland metro such that everyone will still "feel" that there is someone who will go to bat for them personally on an issue and also will encourage more citizens to be engaged in their government?

[E Rocc]

I haven't found the thread (if it exists) about the proposal to elect a county legislature of sorts, along with the county executive and prosecutor. 

I'd change it to electing solely the legislature/council.   They select the executive, who has to have either a masters in public or business administration or at least four years service as a mayor or city manager for an entity larger than 5,000 population. 

Out of the suburbs in my pre-move area, the one that's best run is clearly Bedford, which has a city manager form of government. 

I'd also make a somewhat radical proposal.  Add two members to the county council.  They are elected by those who paid income and/or property tax in the county during the previous year, but do not live in the county.

[cd-cleveland]

The county is concerned that the change under Issue 6 will be super expensive to make.  I was told upwards of about half a million dollars.  That's in a time when the county is really struggling and making cuts all over. 

Positions that will go from elected to appointed will be paid double what they are now.  So that positions like the coroner and engineer will parallel what they are in other counties.  I was told that we can likely expect to pay an appointed coroner just short of $200k a year, as opposed to the current $80k or $90k.

Also, there's no space in the county administration building for council members to have their own offices.  Eleven councilmembers would share only two staffers.

I'm planning to vote no on Issues 5 and 6.  This needs to be more of a citizen-driven, grassroots effort whereby the people of this county have the opportunity to voice their opinions.  I feel like we should take the time to do this right instead of change for the sake of changing.

[jar3232]

I'm planning to vote no on Issues 5 and 6.  This needs to be more of a citizen-driven, grassroots effort whereby the people of this county have the opportunity to voice their opinions.  I feel like we should take the time to do this right instead of change for the sake of changing.

I am very confused by 5/6.  I feel that the current system isn't that bad, just some of the people in it are.  CD is there any negative to voting down both of these proposals? 

[cd-cleveland]

^ If 5 and 6 both fail, it's back to the drawing board with reform. 

I have a feeling that 6 is going to pass, though.

[CleveChiNola]

Now that 6 has passed, who does everyone want to see run for county executive?

I am hoping for Chris Ronayne.  Any other ideas?

[X]

I'd was thinking PLJ, but Ronayne would be great.

My other thought is that I'm not happy that this new arrangement will inject more parochialism into our political process via a county ward system- I would have preferred at large councilpeople. 

Otherwise, I like it.

[EagleFan]

I would have voted no if I had a vote, but the "ward" system made sense vs at-large.  You can't have all the representatives coming from one city.  The outlying cities in the county need representation.

[CleveChiNola]

^too late now, but a mix of at large and ward reps is what I would have liked.

[EagleFan]

That's OK too.  And it's not too late, they can always modify it.

[McCleveland]

yeah this can definitely be tweaked over time... but I think it is a HUGE step in the right direction.

[Bradley]

In my opinion, the true advantage to the new plan is a more spread out representation.

Otherwise, if people thought that they were 'kicking out the bums' with this plan, they will be highly surprised. I'm sure we'll see a lot of familiar faces come January 2011 when this is all in place. PLJ could be back. I can see William Denihan throwing his hat in the ring, since he has the experience and doesn't stink of corruption.

There will also be a salary issue. The sum of the present commissioners' salaries will be less than the sum of the Executive Board's salaries.

[Oldmanladyluck]

I could definitely see Ronayne running.  One of the reasons why he didn't run for mayor this time around was that his wife is expecting, and he wanted to spend time with her.  I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to run, and I would more than likely vote for him.

[doctabroccoli]

Today's PD editorial cartoon actually gave me a little chuckle:

http://www.cleveland.com/darcy/index.ssf/2009/11/humpty_dumpty_had_a_great_fall.html

[Hts121]

The way I viewed Issue 6 was a better system of checks and balances for the County.  The 3 commissioners simply had too much unchecked power/discretion.

[Confiteordeo]

For anyone who's interested, you can sign up to be part of the charter transition process here:

http://charter.cuyahogacounty.us/

I hope we have more than a few UOers that take part in the process.  There are quite a few creative, pro-urban, and most importantly, informed people on this board!

[cd-cleveland]

Here are the new county council districts:
http://www.boe.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf_boe/en-US/CountyCouncilDistricts.pdf

Pretty ridiculously shaped, if you ask me.

[MyTwoSense]

Here are the new county council districts:
http://www.boe.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf_boe/en-US/CountyCouncilDistricts.pdf

Pretty ridiculously shaped, if you ask me.

 
Why are Cleveland Hts and Shaker Hts in two different wards?
 
And that East side outer ring screams "keep the racially diverse suburbs away!"  and lets bolster them to gain voting power.
 
I dont like this one bit!

[327]

I've been really anxious to see this.  Not sure what to make of it yet... further consideration required.  It's really hard to tell if Shaker Square is with the heights or with the hood.  That's an awfully squggly border.

[MyTwoSense]

I've been really anxious to see this.  Not sure what to make of it yet... further consideration required.  It's really hard to tell if Shaker Square is with the heights or with the hood.  That's an awfully squggly border.

SS is in Ward 9, but that "hood" comment is uncalled for.  Many people wouldnt appreciate you calling their neighborhoods "hood".

[327]

People often call my neighborhood "hood," including the guy who panhandles me as soon as I walk out the door.  Besides, I think "hood" is a Latin term... I used to get offended about it myself, but what good does that really do? 

Federal election law may require majority-minority districts.  That means there will be majority-majority districts as well.  If you're the minority in your district, it is highly unlikely, by design, that you will ever be elected.  Still... I wish it weren't so blatant.  I was hoping for something more like pie pieces radiating from downtown.

[CleveChiNola]

Euclid and Beachwood in the same zone...they are kind of similar.  Kinda like a cheetah and a parakeet are similar

I also can't believe Cleveland Hts, Shaker Hts and Univeristy hts are in 3 districts!  Doesn't CH and UH share a school system, or is it just community services.

Either way, I think the people of the heights are going to have more seats at the table than every other community.  It will be a very Heights centered county government.

[MyTwoSense]

People often call my neighborhood "hood," including the guy who panhandles me as soon as I walk out the door.  Besides, I think "hood" is a Latin term...

      

[327]

^ Good point Punch, the overall heights representation is pretty darned good.  And consider that the entirety of ward 6, from Independence up through the 271 corridor, only gets one rep.  The urban west side, including Lakewood, gets two, compared to Parma's one.

Overall, my count is 6 predominantly urban wards vs. 5 predominantly suburban.  I had feared the oppposite.  So on those grounds alone, I guess I like the map.

[MyTwoSense]

Euclid and Beachwood in the same zone...they are kind of similar.  Kinda like a cheetah and a parakeet are similar

I also can't believe Cleveland Hts, Shaker Hts and Univeristy hts are in 3 districts!  Doesn't CH and UH share a school system, or is it just community services.

Either way, I think the people of the heights are going to have more seats at the table than every other community.  It will be a very Heights centered county government.

School districts, which is why I too thought that was odd.  But Univ. Hts, is much smaller (in population) than Shaker Hts. and Cleveland Hts.  Some people in S. Euclid attend CHUH schools.

[Oldmanladyluck]

^ Good point Punch, the overall heights representation is pretty darned good.  And consider that the entirety of ward 6, from Independence up through the 271 corridor, only gets one rep.  The urban west side, including Lakewood, gets two, compared to Parma's one.

Overall, my count is 6 predominantly urban wards vs. 5 predominantly suburban.  I had feared the oppposite.  So on those grounds alone, I guess I like the map.

Agreed.  The inner city along with the inner ring suburbs will have good representation according to this map.

[StrapHanger]

It's been kind of fun reading about the various candidates throwing their hat in for the council seats or the county administrator position.  But lord help us if Michael Troy Watson gets many votes from District 11 10 [thanks 327] (East side of Cleveland, East Cleveland, Cleveland Ht.s).

From Cleveland.com (http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2010/05/as_filing_deadline_looms_four_new_candidates_emerge_for_cuyahoga_county_council.html):

He blames a "vast Jewish conspiracy" for the loss of his law license, the loss of the radio program and a pile of financial judgments and liens against him over the last decade. Watson listed more than $2 million in liabilities when filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2004.

"I've stepped on the establishment's toes, and some of these toes happen to wear yarmulkes," said Watson, who hosts two programs on public-access television. "They've decided this guy is dangerous to the Jewish community. And they have tried to destroy me."

If elected, Watson said one of his top priorities is to arm residents. He said he is a certified gun trainer and would like to establish a county program that helps senior citizens buy guns.


I guess all you have to do to run is sign up, so should be no surprise it attracts a few nut cases.

[327]

I think that's District 10, and I don't think this guy has a chance there.  Or anywhere.

[MyTwoSense]

It's been kind of fun reading about the various candidates throwing their hat in for the council seats or the county administrator position.  But lord help us if Michael Troy Watson gets many votes from District 11 (East side of Cleveland, East Cleveland, Cleveland Ht.s).

From Cleveland.com (http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2010/05/as_filing_deadline_looms_four_new_candidates_emerge_for_cuyahoga_county_council.html):

He blames a "vast Jewish conspiracy" for the loss of his law license, the loss of the radio program and a pile of financial judgments and liens against him over the last decade. Watson listed more than $2 million in liabilities when filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2004.

"I've stepped on the establishment's toes, and some of these toes happen to wear yarmulkes," said Watson, who hosts two programs on public-access television. "They've decided this guy is dangerous to the Jewish community. And they have tried to destroy me."

If elected, Watson said one of his top priorities is to arm residents. He said he is a certified gun trainer and would like to establish a county program that helps senior citizens buy guns.


I guess all you have to do to run is sign up, so should be no surprise it attracts a few nut cases.

 
From someone I know:

He put the "crazy" in "crazy".  Bad for business and for development.

 

[takeittomygrave]

I just found the cuyahoga county charter transition meetings on you tube
http://www.youtube.com/user/cuyahogacounty#g/a
scroll down to lower left corner and click on
County Charter Transition Playlist
Not the most exciting, but I did learn that the new council shall decide and approve the number of staff they feel they need.
The example given on the video I watched stated that if they determine they each need five staff and they themselves approve it - 55 new county employee positions are created.
I am sure there are other nuggets of information on these videos that can help us ask our candidates the right questions in deciding who we will vote for.

[gottaplan]

I'm digging this back out.  Had some family in town for the weekend and was telling them about the upcoming elections for County Exec & the different wards.  My uncle asked me if I thought it was really going to make a difference.  I think it will but it will take some time of course. 

I've had the chance to sit and listen to a few candidates speak and I think alot of these ward reps are going to be clueless.  It's going to take them awhile before they realize this is not about bringing jobs or whatever to their little representative region.   If it's going to work at all, it's going to be about creating real change, combining services, creating a system of policies for the entire region, instead of everyone having their own, which pits everyone against each other.

So having said all that, I'm still unsure if that will get accomplished and how long it might take.  Many years I'm sure, since alot of people will lose their power as the region becomes more collaborative and combines services. 

I'm just curious what everyone else thinks will be the outcome.  Of course corruption should be gone for the near future when the current clan is ousted.  One other thing, many of these races are going to be decided at the primary, especially those in the Cleveland limits, no Republican candidates stand a chance.  The primary is the day after Labor Day, so it's going to be a low turnout.

[Flee2theCleve]

Can someone explain to me how the ward councilman and respective city mayors will interact on policy?

[X]

I've had the chance to sit and listen to a few candidates speak and I think alot of these ward reps are going to be clueless.  It's going to take them awhile before they realize this is not about bringing jobs or whatever to their little representative region.   If it's going to work at all, it's going to be about creating real change, combining services, creating a system of policies for the entire region, instead of everyone having their own, which pits everyone against each other.

On the contrary, I'm almost certain that the council will end up being about the former, not the latter.  That would be alright if we were merging the County and it's municipalities, but that isn't going to happen.  All we've done is add an additional layer of parochialism to our regional decision making process.

[gottaplan]

X - I wouldn't be so quick to say "that isn't going to happen".  I've heard the topic discussed enough to know that everyone is aware of it.  10 yrs ago, nobody probably thought we'd throw out the current system and implement a new system.  The same system we're all talking about has been implemented with success in a dozen other cities, with great success.  All it would take is to create a referendum and get it on the ballot.  Once that happened, I think it's anyone's guess if it would pass.  Seems like you're against the new system though so I won't waste any more words on the possibilities.

Can someone explain to me how the ward councilman and respective city mayors will interact on policy?

The new county council (who serve PART TIME) is going to oversee a portion of the county budget which is basically discretionary income, or about 10% of the entire budget.  I'm sure there will be close collaboration between these new county council members and the respective city mayors/Cleveland city councilmen.  It seems to me that this county council is going to spend more time on policy issues like job training, economic development, finding savings through shared services, etc.

[McCleveland]

I agree gottaplan.  I have heard several candidates discuss the possibilities of at least some level of regionalism.  The new set up can be very effective... all depends on who ends up in office. 

[StrapHanger]

Cuyahoga County executive hopeful Victor Voinovich urges officials to delay medical mart

http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2010/08/cuyahoga_county_executive_hopeful_victor_voinovich_urges_officials_to_delay_medical_mart.html#incart_rh

[Clevelander17]

Euclid and Beachwood in the same zone...they are kind of similar.  Kinda like a cheetah and a parakeet are similar

I also can't believe Cleveland Hts, Shaker Hts and Univeristy hts are in 3 districts!  Doesn't CH and UH share a school system, or is it just community services.

Either way, I think the people of the heights are going to have more seats at the table than every other community.  It will be a very Heights centered county government.

Unfortunately, yes, but I don't see how that's relevant.  Things like that are hardly ever (rightly so) taken in to consideration when it comes to electoral district on other levels (county, state, etc.).

[Clevelander17]

^ Good point Punch, the overall heights representation is pretty darned good.  And consider that the entirety of ward 6, from Independence up through the 271 corridor, only gets one rep.  The urban west side, including Lakewood, gets two, compared to Parma's one.

Overall, my count is 6 predominantly urban wards vs. 5 predominantly suburban.  I had feared the oppposite.  So on those grounds alone, I guess I like the map.

I don't see how one small (University Heights) and one medium (Shaker Heights) suburb are going to be able to swing the elections of much larger districts.  Further, I don't know that it makes sense to assume that every resident in those cities is going to be voting for people with some sort of a nebulous "Heights-centric" viewpoint, whatever that even means.  Even if there is a "Heights area" conspiracy to dominate county-wide politics, it wouldn't work, because they would only have three seats (assuming everything else above is true, which it's not) on an 11 seat board.

[gottaplan]

Slightly different discussion, what's everyone's thoughts on Terri Hamilton Brown's chances in the primary?  I know a few people working on her campaign and they are working even harder since Ed Fitgerald got the party endorsement.  I don't know alot about either candidate but I've heard good things about what she did while at CMHA.  I think it's really going to come down to who can get their people to come out & vote.

By the way, I saw Ken Lanci today.  holy crap is he tan.

[gottaplan]

Primary is tomorrow - predictions for winners in Executive race, Democrat & Repub?

HOw about some other races, Ronayne vs Brady, District 3 County Council?

[cd-cleveland]

^ I'd say that the party frontrunners - Fitzgerald and Dolan - will win nominations.  But the closer and closer it gets to the general election, Ken Lanci seems to be the candidate to beat.  (I've grown to really like Ken Lanci by watching his reality show.)

I'm in District 7.  My guess is that James Levin will take the primary here.

[smith]

Really hoping Julian Rogers wins district 10 - I think he has a pretty good chance.

[CBC]

Anybody else in District 2? I am looking for opinions on Jordan vs Miller.

[gottaplan]

I think Fitzgerald wins the Exec position for the Dems and in the overall this fall.  I think Terri Hamilton Brown is going to surprise him though and pull alot of votes from the East side.  I hope he can find a way to include her in the new administration somehow, she's too talented to not be.

I confess, I do not know much about Ken Lanci other than he's a private business man with no political experience. 

[cd-cleveland]

Any insights on the election results?

[CBC]

Any comments on the winners?

[gottaplan]

Sad commentary on the voters of the county for such a low turnout.  Sad day for the residents of County District 3...

[cd-cleveland]

I'm not surprised by the executive race.  I'm probably voting for Ken Lanci in November. 

However, the council is interesting.  Probably the biggest shocker is that Chris Ronayne was defeated.  In my district, James Levin didn't make the cut.  But there's still hope because Jeff Kipp, director of LIVE Cleveland! and fellow Old Brooklyner, is running as an independent.  And I was disappointed that Mike Piepsny, who is director of the Cleveland Tenants Organization and a good person, lost his race in the Berea area.

So some of the people that are Cleveland boosters and have accomplished some great things are shut out.

[CleveChiNola]

Is Ken Lanci the guy who wants to shut down the CC and MM?

[cd-cleveland]

^ No.  Ken Lanci is the guy who is suing Cuyahoga County so that the commissioners and auditor do not make major decisions that are negative to the county (i.e. selling the Ameritrust Tower for a substantial loss) while they are in lame duck mode. 

[gottaplan]

The number 1 thing I want to hear from any county exec is consolidating services with the overall goal of regionalism.  Anyone who is weak in the knees about that topic or thinks it won't work should get out of the way right now.

[CBC]

Fitzgerald has done a good job and made some tough cuts during his short tenure as Lakewood mayor, but he wears his ambitions openly on his sleeve. He seems to be a very effective adminstrator but I am concerned that he sees this position as a launching pad for a seat in congess.

[Confiteordeo]

I'm not surprised by the executive race.  I'm probably voting for Ken Lanci in November. 

However, the council is interesting.  Probably the biggest shocker is that Chris Ronayne was defeated.  In my district, James Levin didn't make the cut.  But there's still hope because Jeff Kipp, director of LIVE Cleveland! and fellow Old Brooklyner, is running as an independent.  And I was disappointed that Mike Piepsny, who is director of the Cleveland Tenants Organization and a good person, lost his race in the Berea area.

So some of the people that are Cleveland boosters and have accomplished some great things are shut out.

I hate to say it, but this is basically what I expected- the same establishment names with a different office.  I actually thought Nelson would beat Conwell, but Levin never had a chance, IMO.

I wouldn't hold my breath about Kipp beating Conwell unless he does some major campaigning, but even then...

[Clevelander17]

Dolan hasn't even lived in Cuyahoga County for one year (plus his father is the terrible owner of the Cleveland Indians).  Can you say carpetbagger?  And Fitzgerald is a Democrat, which speaks for itself in this area.  Lanci, by the process of elimination, should get the nod.

Plus his plan on the most important local issue is spot on:

http://kenlanci.com/issues/taxes.html

[gottaplan]

Lanci's ideas on reducing taxes and streamlining govt sound great, but what exactly does he plan to do?  You can't cut taxes without reducing services or adding some other type of user fees....   And I wonder how his plan would go over with the new council ward members, would they support such a plan?  Seeing how the primary voters went, I see Fitzgerald cruising...

[Clevelander17]

Lanci's ideas on reducing taxes and streamlining govt sound great, but what exactly does he plan to do?  You can't cut taxes without reducing services or adding some other type of user fees....   And I wonder how his plan would go over with the new council ward members, would they support such a plan?  Seeing how the primary voters went, I see Fitzgerald cruising...

And more of the same for CuyCo.

[gottaplan]

After Dan Brady won in District 3, I'd say most definitely more of the same for CuyCo.  Really sad too, considering what a great opportunity we have to make real changes for the future

[StrapHanger]

Can anyone find a breakdown of Cuyahoga County's sales tax?  I know it's the highest in the state, so there may indeed be room for trimming, but I don't know how much of it goes where.  Other than 1% to RTA (don't want to cut that) and 0.25% to convention center/med mart.  Some portion of property taxes also go to the county, but I believe it's a pretty small portion of most people's bill.

[audidave]

^^^I'm a little more positive.  I see it as taking the cream of the scum, if you will, off the top.  The people on the lower rungs will learn not to be as slimy.  A new county government with a central executive will be on the hot seat and will not be so easy to pass the buck.  I see a new regionalism taking place more so with the Summit County executive than anyone else since the counties alone share the same structure more or less.  I would think sewer district, water district, park systems, bordering fire and police districts, school districts, and more could be possible negotiation points.

I feel a 3 commissioner system is fine for rural counties of Ohio but counties that have medium-sized cities or larger really should move to a strong executive system so they are not run by Moe, Larry Curly/Shemp..

[Confiteordeo]

5.5% to the state
1% to RTA
1.25% to the county (includes 0.25% for the MM, not sure about the breakdown for the remaining 1%)

http://www.tax.ohio.gov/divisions/tax_analysis/tax_data_series/sales_and_use/documents/salestaxmapcolor.pdf

From that link, the remaining 1% is on the low end for counties.  The real difference between Cuyahoga Co. and the rest of the state is RTA.

[buckeye1]

From the info below, it looks like the whole 1.25% county sales tax goes into the general fund, but the 0.25% is earmarked for the CC/MM.
2010 Budget Plan
Cuyahoga County, Ohio

Sales and Use tax revenues are estimated to be $195.6 million and Other Taxes are estimated
at $28.4 million in 2010. The two sources combined constitute 15.1% of the total anticipated All
Funds revenue. (See Figure RA-7). The General Fund is anticipated to receive $195.6 million in
the form of the Sales and Use Tax. The County Engineer’s department generates motor vehicle
license taxes and gas taxes that represent 97% of the Other Taxes category. In 2007, the Board
of County Commissioners increased the sales tax by a quarter percent (0.25%) and earmarked
the increase for regional economic development projects. The Sales Tax for the General Fund
actually drops from $215.8 million in 2008 to $195.6 million in 2010. This decrease of $20 million
in the region since 2008 is a refl ection of the economic recession.

http://www.obm.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf_obm/en-US/10BudgetPlan.pdf - Page IV-2
Revenue Analysis
IV-8

Other Taxes
General Overview

Excluding property taxes, the largest source of tax revenues come from the Sales and Use Tax
category, which is paid into the General Fund. The sales and use tax is applied to the retail sale,
lease, and rental of tangible personal property and selected services. The use tax on motor
vehicles is a tax on the storage or use in the County of motor vehicles acquired by a transaction
that is subject to the state sales tax. The purpose of the provision is to prevent the avoidance of
the tax on the purchase of a motor vehicle. This prevents a resident of a taxing county from going
to another county or state in which the sales tax is not levied or in which it is levied at a lower rate
than in the taxing county.

Cuyahoga County residents currently pay Sales and Use tax of 7.75%. Of this amount, the
State receives 5.5%, the Regional Transit Authority receives 1%, and Cuyahoga County receives
the remaining 1.25%. Of the County’s 1.25% tax, the Board of County Commissioners imposed
0.5% in 1969 and 0.5% in 1987. The most recent increase of 0.25% was imposed by the Board
in October 2007 and collections began in January 2008. The Board and now the County Council
have the statutory authority to adopt a resolution increasing the sales tax up to an additional
0.25% for a total of 1.5%.

The Sales and Use Tax is estimated at $195.6 million, which is a projected slight increase of $2.3
million or 1.2% (See Figure RA-7). The 2010 estimate is based on the 2009 second half sales
tax collection. The 2009 sales tax collections, at $193.3 million, were 10.4% lower than 2008
collections. The 2008 collections were higher because they refl ected the sales tax expansion
on telecommunications and various services that were not taxed in prior years. Additionally, the
0.25% increase in the sales tax for targeted development projects began in 2008.

When the reserve for development projects is removed, the balance of the Sales and Use Tax
for 2008 amounts to $179 million and drops to $155 million in 2009, which is a 10% decrease
from the 2007 actual. The adjusted sales tax revenue began to decrease in 2009 from the full
impact of the recession and the housing sector crisis and its negative impact on all sales. While
the economy is expected to improve nationally, Cuyahoga County and the State of Ohio continue
to yield sluggish sales tax collections in 2009 and 2010. The County will continue to monitor tax
receipts and the 2010 estimate will be adjusted as needed.

http://www.obm.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf_obm/en-US/10BudgetPlan.pdf - Page IV-8

[StrapHanger]

Thanks guys for the info.  I'm all for making country government for efficient, but from that info, I guess I'm pretty skeptical that county spending cuts can result in any meaningful tax relief.  On a per household basis, the real spending (and taxing) seems to be at the school district, municipal and state levels.

[McCleveland]

The easiest way to "cut taxes" in North East Ohio is to combine services at the County level... the opposition to this is bewildering.  Unfortunately you have the fifedoms trying to scare their constituencies into thinking that if we have county level cooperation on services and tax sharing that somehow the boogeyman will show up. Boo.

And of course all of this is done to protect their own hides... while we remain the highest taxed region in the country to support it.

[Hts121]

while we remain the highest taxed region in the country to support it.

Agreed with your overall point... but is this ^ true?  I have never heard that we were the highest taxed region in the "country".  Were you quoting something?

[Hts121]

Looks like Council will be 8 Democrats and 3 Republicans, although I think party-politics is not nearly as divisive on the local level... outside of campaigns.

[gottaplan]

Looks like Fitzgerald is filling out his staff and seeking out some new faces, lots of job openings posted http://www.cuyahogacounty.us/home/employment.asp

[audidave]

What power does the new Cuy County admin have over RTA?  Could there be a push to improve the rail infrastructure in the county?

[MyTwoSense]

What power does the new Cuy County admin have over RTA?  Could there be a push to improve the rail infrastructure in the county?

RTA is a state agency.

The only entitlement the Country has is to appoint three members to the RTA board of trustee's and at least one of  these three appointees must be a resident of     the City of Cleveland.

[StrapHanger]

^Technically it's not a state agency, but a county authority, but you're right about the county's limited influence on RTA.  Anyone know how the RTA board appointment powers will work under the new county structure?

[MyTwoSense]

^Technically it's not a state agency, but a county authority, but you're right about the county's limited influence on RTA.  Anyone know how the RTA board appointment powers will work under the new county structure?

No.  It's a state agency

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit  Authority is an independent political subdivision of the State of Ohio.  It was created in December 1974 by ordinance of the City     of Cleveland, Ohio, and by resolution of the Board of County  Commissioners of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Operations at GCRTA began in  September 1975. The GCRTA provides     virtually all mass transportation within the County. The North Olmsted  and Maple Heights transit systems merged with GCRTA in March 2005 to  form a single transit system  that will meet the needs of the public in Cuyahoga County. It is a  multimodal system delivering bus, paratransit, heavy rail and light rail  services.

[Avogadro]

Sorry, MTS, but you are totally wrong. While the Ohio Revised Code grants counties the authority to establish a regional transit authority (see: http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/306), it is not a state agency in any way, shape, or form. It neither takes direction from the governor nor the state legislature, and is no more a state agency than metropolitan park systems are. It is independent from Cuyahoga County, even though the commissioners (and now, presumably, the executive and county council) appoint board members; how this will now take place will be determined.

(EDIT: It is like saying that counties are "state agencies." These are political subdivisions of the state, but are not controlled by the state.)

[Loretto]

Edit: I'm slow

To me, by that definition all school districts, municipalities, and counties among other entities would also be state agencies.  I think GCRTA is just about as much of a State agency as ODOT is a Federal agency.  There's a lot of money flowing downstream but it doesn't mean they're actually connected so directly as to be considered an agency of the funding body.

[327]

RTA is a "special district" like the local sewer system.  That's why it can call itself independent.  ODOT, for example, couldn't call itself "an independent politcal subdivsion" because ODOT is a state agency.

[StrapHanger]

Ugh, I HATE off-topic bickering. But for the sake of accuracy, RTA is not a state agency.  It's a county authority.  Yes, it's a political subdivision of the state, and so are the City of Cleveland or, to be more on topic, Cuyahoga County.  They aren't state agencies either.

EDIT: oops, I see people scooped me- thanks, folks.  This all sounds like a technical difference, but as Avogadro points out, it's crucial because it means that RTA is not controlled by the state.  Which as we saw with the 3Cs, is probably a good thing:)

[MyTwoSense]

Thanks for the clarification, I've always thought it was a state agency, since it was funded by the state gov in the early years.

Moving on.......

[audidave]

What power does the new Cuy County admin have over RTA?  Could there be a push to improve the rail infrastructure in the county?

Back to my original question before the little diversion.  I only pose this question because it is such an obvious aspect of county responsibility the state of rapid transit system and how it works and could be improved throughout the county.  It may have not felt like as strong a responsibility spread over three different commissioners when each could have a different viewpoint in how to go forward with anything. 

[StrapHanger]

^As MTS pointed out, the county government appoints only 3 of RTA's 10 trustees, so I wouldn't expect its new form to impact RTA so much.

[StrapHanger]

OK, moving on:

Cuyahoga County Council elects C. Ellen Connally as president
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/01/county_council_picks_connally.html

I'm still not sure just how scandalous the private meeting really was.  Certainly tone def, but I don't really get why it was any different from any other partisan legislature.  Boehner being chosen as speaker in a closed door GOP congressional rep meeting, for instance. 

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/11/17/boehner-elected-house-speaker.html

[StrapHanger]

Wow, the manufacture outrage pumped out of the PD never ceases to amaze me.

Investigator hired for Cuyahoga County integrity audit lacks CPA license, state says
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/01/post_413.html

[Foraker]

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,25188.msg544628.html#msg544628

Which is why all these burbs need to merge.  It's tragic to see them beating each other over the head with redundant big box plazas.  This proposal would be a non-starter if CH/UH/SE were all one entity.

If all of these governments really are redundant, why not merge all the cities in the county?  Bay, River, Cleveland, Shaker, East Cleveland and Solon -- why should they duplicate services and compete on tax rates?!?  One city, one region = more power to lure business to NEO?

[327]

Well, yeah.  That would be ideal.

[gottaplan]

Baby steps.  I think we'll start to see some progress in the next year.  Fitzgerald is on board with this and most of the local mayors know they have to be too.  Sharing some basic services with your neighbor may become a requirement for getting some projects approved.  Those who do more sharing will get more development projects.   Those who don't, don't.

[Clevelander17]

Since the other discussion on this topic was killed, I'll start it back up over here.  As a resident of UH, I would not want my city to be merged with SE and CH.  The only thing that would make that even remotely palatable would be if some combination of Lyndhurst, Beachwood, and Shaker Heights were also included in the merger.  But then again, those residents would probably want nothing to do with such a merger, either.  And merging all of Cuyahoga County together?  That would be absolutely terrible, we'd see an exodus out of the county by those with the means to leave that would mirror the exodus out of Cleveland that started in the 1960s and is still continuing to this day...

[327]

That doesn't seem to have been the result of other recent city-county consolidations.  What's so unique about our county, as compared to those?

[shakeratl]

That is strictly an opinion and not based on fact that I dont believe to be true. Please tell me why people will flee the county because of mergers.   If that's the case please explain your theory why dwinding city core and its suburbs should not merge and save residents dollars from redundant services

[McCleveland]

And if it is discussed any further... Discuss it in the regionalism thread.

[Clevelander17]

Haha.  Well, uh...okay, 327, meet on the regionalism thread in five.