Friday, August 08, 2008

Even in the Midst of an Historic Fed Investigation,
We Get The Same Old Broken Cleveland Politics,
This Time in Selection of Convention Center Site

The timing really couldn't be better. Less than two weeks after the feds sweep through Cleveland with media-friendly raids as part of a sprawling public corruption probe (about which we'll have more later) and the same week as Forbes Magazine lists Cleveland as among the fastest dying cities in America, the official word comes down yesterday that the panel charged with selecting the site for the proposed convention center and medical mart thinks it should be placed near Forest City's Tower City development. After months of pretending to take other sites seriously, it did what old Cleveland hands always knew it would do, given the power of Sam Miller & Co. over the proceedings. The PD account of all this was so credulous that it read like a quick rewrite from the GCP press releases, executed by a summer intern (again, no surprises). My friend Bill Callahan says it best here. The utterly broken dynamics in this tired old town make it very hard to be a mere skeptic rather than a hardened cynic. It also makes it hard for parents such as me to recommend that their kids think about staying here and building a career in this region. It may just be terminally broken. But enough about what I think. We want to hear your take.

8 Comments:

At 5:17 PM, Blogger Erin O'Brien said...

Hey baby, at least they got me.

We're the underdog, the rough and tumble, the dirty-faced street punks. But we'll get to the other side, we always do--perhaps not in a blaze of glory, but we get there.

Now for my real question: Has anyone ever sung "Ettore" in your ear to the tune of Volare?

 
At 5:21 PM, Blogger John Ettorre said...

No, Erin, I think you're the first to come up with that idea. You'll have to try it next time our paths cross. Nice to finally put a face with that byline earlier this week, by the way. You're everything I expected (and more) in person.

 
At 11:24 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

John:

Humor is our last resort, I think. We've made a bit of a game of it.

A group of us are having fun mapping the mess in Cuyahoga County.

Join us at Map the Mess: http://mapthemess.net

As for parental advice, I'm suggesting to my son, a recent Duke grad, that he go to graduate school outside the region. He now works in Solon. I think he will (and should) find his future elsewhere.

 
At 12:14 PM, Blogger John Ettorre said...

One needs to laugh about this mess to keep from crying.

 
At 7:43 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

John, I doubt that any of us thought any of the other sites were going to be given serious consideration; I guess because we are NE Ohioans and I am a glass half full kinda gal I allowed a 5% hope rate on this lol. Now that this site is a definite it clarifies everything for me. Let's get our infrastructure in place and court real businesses to the City. Deep six the med mart and new convention center. Can we start a petition drive to get this on the ballot?

 
At 9:53 AM, Blogger John Ettorre said...

By all means, Carole, do start a petition drive if the spirit moves you. And there's certainly nothing wrong with being a glass half full person. That's what life is all about. I try to be a skeptic rather than a cynic myself. I think it's healthier that way.

 
At 11:49 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Rich, you simply bust me....!
Out.
mfh

 
At 1:22 PM, Blogger John Ettorre said...

Only too happy to entertain you, MFH. But please share with us all precisely what's so entertaining.

 

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