The Plain Dealer made another big story out of nothing with the spin that Cleveland is city on the verge of becoming… what… Hollywood?
All in the continuing effort to give Tower City a chance at the Medical Mart & Convention Center.
Will this shamelessness ever stop?
The interesting part of the story on the PD web site isn’t the story. It’s the comments from readers. They see right through the humbug.
Also, the story quotes Ivan Schwarz as executive director of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission. He’s of course all in favor of preserving the entire Cleveland Convention Center for movie-making. Leave it alone.
Alone is about what it is. The one “film company” – promoted by Schwarz - at the center doesn’t pay a penny in rent. Must have been very heavy arm-twisting to get them to take a free lease.
Readers seem to understand propaganda when the Plain Dealer can’t smell it. Or won’t smell.
The following is a link to the Greater Cleveland Media Development Corp., which is the correct new name for the former film commission:
It will give you some interesting information. For example, the “development corporation” gets about three-fourths of its more than $500,000 income from the government. Doesn’t everybody?
According to this filing of 2007, Schwarz as second in command then earned $100,594 with an $18,667 in benefits and Chris Carmody got $92,700 plus a $5,495 in benefits. So you see where your tax dollars go.
And you can understand – Carmody being a creature of the White administration, which was a subsidiary of Forest City Enterprises – why the story spin goes against the use of the Mall site for the unnecessary Medical Mart and new Convention Center. Hint: Shouldn’t it be at Tower City?
You’ll also find some familiar wheeler-dealers on the board, including Terry Stewart of the Rock Hall, chief establishment boosters Dennis Roche and Dennis Eckart and the Dolans, Larry and his wife, Eva. Larry has been out propagandizing against the County Commissioners choice of the Mall site, too.
It’s propaganda upon propaganda originated by propagandists and passed on to us by the Plain Daily Propaganda.