Finally, someone talks some sense about the duties of new Cuyahoga County Commissioners under the County reform – candidate Clark Broida. The task of the county government is services, not economic development, he says.
How about that, someone interested in the real tasks of government.
Here’s what Broida said to Henry Gomez of the Plain Dealer:
“Almost everyone says economic development. It drives me nuts. I just don’t think it’s the County’s overall role to create jobs – it’s to provide services. Our job is to provide an environment where the people have a better opportunity to achieve.”
Problem is that you have some greedy people looking out for their and their friends’ interests with the County taxes in mind.
Here’s Gomez’s piece: http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2010/03/clark_broida_submits_petitions_for_new_cuyahoga_county_councils_district_7_seat.html [1]
Broida is right on the money as I see it. Government should be about doing its tasks and private business should provide for itself.
However, the Cuyahoga County transition team says otherwise. The transition team talks about cutting county expenditures 15 percent. That would “save” some $50 million to be used, the team urges, for economic development. That’s every year! That’s a honey pot that the sharpies could not resist.
What that really means is that county taxpayers will be lining the pockets of developers and others with $50 million each year. This invites the same old people – the Ratners, the Jacobses, the Ferchills, the Gilberts – to have their way by corrupting our politics with their desires.
It’s time that the vaunted private sector stopped sucking on the teat of government.
Especially when one of the people making decisions for this “economic development” fund is Joe Roman of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, front for greedy Cleveland corporate interests.
Here’s the article on the $50 million slush fund desired by the transition team. http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2010/01/cuyahoga_county_transition_leaders_call_for_15_percent_spending_cut_in_2011_with_savings_to_promote.html [2]
This is a robbery you can stop before it takes place.
Links:
[1] http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2010/03/clark_broida_submits_petitions_for_new_cuyahoga_county_councils_district_7_seat.html
[2] http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2010/01/cuyahoga_county_transition_leaders_call_for_15_percent_spending_cut_in_2011_with_savings_to_promote.html
[3] http://smtp.realneo.us/content/fbi-search-warrants-mcfaul
[4] http://smtp.realneo.us/content/roldo-bartimole-0
[5] http://smtp.realneo.us/blog/roldo/forest-city-the-hands-out-company