A Mayoral conflict of interest to exploit

Submitted by Lee Batdorff on Mon, 04/19/2010 - 01:49.

There is a direct conflict of interest in Mayor Frank Jackson's dual roles as Mayor of Cleveland, and controlling the Cleveland Public Schools.

This conflict is illustrated in the potential property tax values that will be distoryed if the Mayor's proposal, (at the behest of the Ohio Department of Mental Health), to build the so-named, "Mayor Jackson Mental Hospital,"  on Euclid Avenue at E. 56th St.

Property Taxes go largely to public schools.

If the hospital is actually built as proposed and arranged by Mayor Frank Jackson, Cleveland's potential to build property values and property taxes will be castrated. At least for the city's most-promising Midtown district.

About $200 million in public funding was invest in the rebuilding of Euclid Avenue into "The Health Line," an innovative Bus Rapid Transit between Downtown and University Circle, the most highly utilized bus route in the City.  

After decades of purchasing then clearing distressed land by public entities, with public tax dollars, this prominent location on the Health Line, (also close to two freeways via E. 55th Street), would be proffered to biotechology firms attracted to Cleveland by the Cleveland Clinic juggernaut a short ride up Euclid on the Health Line.

Instead, Mayor Jackson has chosen to strike tax dollars against tax dollars, to diminish value in the heart of Midtown.

Something like $87 million in State of Ohio dollars is expected to be spent on the Mayor Jackson Mental Hospital. A PD reporter told me that she heard the state was going to unveil the proposed design for the hospital early 2010. It should be soon.

This $87 million in tax dollars will be arrayed against the $200 million in tax dollars to plummet the potential for tax valuation in Midtown to rise in the future.

This should be a concern for the teachers union. The proposal has enough elements of absurdity to make great political hay.

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Mayor Jackson Mental Hospital

Submitted by Gone Fishin on Mon, 04/19/2010 - 04:54.

Maybe Jackson will be the first patient.

The $200 million wasted on this RTA Health Line has accomplished nothing except totally screwing up Euclid Avenue.  With the crumbling one-lane street going down Euclid Avenue, along with the extra long traffic lights to accomodate busses in which few people ride on, this street is horrific.   Totally not driver friendly, it will NEVER bring businesses back to Euclid Avenue because NO drivers want to even drive on this street.   And to waste $200 milllion tax dollars on this project of totally screwing up Euclid Avenue is disgusting.  I work on Euclid Avenue and see bus after bus with hardly any passengers on them.

And to add another $87 million TAX DOLLARS on a mental hospital to diminish whatever the hell they attempted to accomplish in the first place is absurd.

And then the geniuses of RTA lay off several drivers for budget cuts, cut several bus routes and park busses is even worse.

With all of the wasted tax dollars on this entire project, we could have the police officers that were trained with tax dollars and then layed off back on the streets.  It seems like everyday that someone is killed in Cleveland, but they decide to lay off the police officers because of budget cuts, yet want to waste more tax dollars on stuff that makes no sense.   Like the Medical Mart. 

I personally know of several politicians that are making these decisions that should be locked up in a mental hospital and never released back to the community.

And they want to know why people are leaving Cleveland.  Cleveland will be a ghost town by the time these people are finished totally destroying our city.

this is the Mayor's new self-help strategy for politicians

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Mon, 04/19/2010 - 05:58.

Retirement housing unrealNEO-style - this is the Mayor's new self-help strategy for politicians, building permananet housing for the Mayor, Counsel and staff... if the pollution, FBI, courts and prisons don't get them first.

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no, no, no, no....

Submitted by noner on Mon, 04/19/2010 - 06:42.

 no, no, no, no....

this is where Action Jackson plans to house all his detractors - remember? We're all "clinically depressed"....

What detractors? RealNEO?

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Mon, 04/19/2010 - 06:50.

Jackson has had near-100% support from our leaders and media here... the blessing of all our academics and "economists" - and they all get to go down the toilet with him.

Flush baby flush.

What detractors? RealNEO? We don't need a new home here. We are proud of where we live... in a virtual comunity above the stupidity of this disgraceful mess.

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77% of Clevelanders reelected Jackson

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Mon, 04/19/2010 - 06:10.

77% of Clevelanders reelected Jackson, with the full support of all community leaders - white, black, republican, democrat... everyone in town but a few vocal supporters of truth on realNEO has supported Mayor Jackson and his cronies to do whatever they please... including building whatever they like on Euclid and disconnecting midtown from the trench - hard for anyone but a few vocal supporters of truth on realNEO to complain about the results, ever.

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77% of Clevelanders reelected Jackson

Submitted by Gone Fishin on Mon, 04/19/2010 - 06:26.

There should be room for the 77% of Clevelanders in this new hospital, too.

Euclid Avenue

Submitted by Gone Fishin on Mon, 04/19/2010 - 06:28.

Priorities are all screwed up!

  3033 Euclid Avenue - Samuel Andrews Mansion, 1917

3033 Euclid Avenue - Samuel Andrews Mansion- 1917

Property value destroyed by pollution

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Mon, 04/19/2010 - 06:44.

The demise of Millionaires row was the first major sign that rich people would not live with pollution even as they caused that. They took their money out to the country and left their pollution here - raised their kids in healthy places and built good schools far from toxins - toxified all they left behind and now rearrange the deck chairs.

They have sinced moved out of the state, as the entire region is unsafe.

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STOP COMPLAINING!!!

Submitted by Keith Winston on Mon, 04/19/2010 - 07:22.

The Political Gangster

                                    This has also been a problem for NEO  which are the complaints. Well we have to speak and be heard yes!!! But, we also need action now who is willing to do this. We need to stop complaining and do something, things can be done if people get together like they complain and DO SOMETHING. We can do the same thing others do even on TV WE HAVE TO GET TOGETHER BLACK.WHITE, YELLOW,GREEN, MEXICAN, HISPANIC,We all have children that are losing the war. How many are willing to go the last mile for your children and family values? because we adults don't have long, and our children will be left behind so we have to fight by any means nessecary for our kids. Where do we start? By knowing who these children are, and until we know we can't help. Also the Churches need to open up those closed doors and get together come out of those Churches and take some of that MONEY and give a hotdog& hamburger cookout and invite all of the children in the community to come and just touch the heads of those who don't know about Church, touch and pray for those who never been prayed for or didn't know no one cared enough to pray for them who want or need prayer but just can't get their mind right. Let's go people WE CAN DO THIS!!!! FIGHT. FIGHT, FIGHT.

Team Gangster

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Mon, 04/19/2010 - 07:42.

I've been up emailing people all night - it's daytime and people are up - let's go hit the streets!

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Ask Chris Warren to explain it

Submitted by lmcshane on Tue, 04/20/2010 - 02:21.

This is just a one time payout of tax dollars to developers/contractors with state funds--redistributing mental health facilities from existing Cleveland locations to Euclid Corridor--rearranging the deck chairs, again.

Those poor Midtown folks...now the piped piper, aka the Cleveland Clinic, uses the same bait and switch promise of biotechnology and medical suppliers to get their Opportunity Corridor built.  

Thanks Lee for reporting and posting here.