It is a good skill Tom Bier has, pointing out an obvious solution in ever gaining disaster, (Plain Dealer, Sunday, 1/30, 2011, op/ed section). He has done it for decades in front of conferences of mayors where they called him “Dr. Doom.” It's unfortunate that the obvious solution of real reagionalism borne by Mr. Bier looks like indecipherable hieroglyphs to our minor despot leaders.
Think how much money would be saved by cutting back 50-plus mayors in Cuyahoga County to 5 mayors. This scares the vast majority of mayors and their power bases. So don't expect their help in change.
Perhaps the situation will become drastic enough that the populace will take notice and rise up like in Egypt these days, and demand efficient and honest county government, unlike what we've been getting here. And as things stand now, there is little hope for improvement. This is a given with the behavior so far of the majority of county council members we have just voted in.
Until a real upwelling of citizen interest, Metropolitan Cleveland will stumble with the current local government structure and often wayward leaders.
Now for the crack-pot prognostication. Because of our inability to select effective leaders with foresight--eventually it will be very attractive to sell out. Sell out to whom?
The Chinese. They own much of our huge and growing Federal debt. The Chinese will eventually see Detroit, Cleveland and other nearby cities, and realize that not only does the blue-green belt of the Great Lakes have much fresh water and is over 200 feet above rising sea levels.
They will realize that much of these towns can be had for a dime on the dollar, and are really nice places to live when leaving a rising sea level. They may make an offer to our Federal leaders such as, "pay Federal debt with urban land, at deep discount." Then change will come here.