HJG

Thanks for that. Thats the first time I have seen that explained. I like how the PD randomly says one size and then the other without any expanation or regard to what they said before. Sorry for the confusion. I meant the size of the actual facility, not the exhibit display. Thought that would be the best way to explain it ... I was filing stories from City Hall all day, on a wireless, and lacked the time and space to add all the context.

Yes - the primary is Sept. 8, two weeks from yesterday. The filing deadline was June 25.

The mayor has said repeatedly that Eaton executives did not want to be near a working port, and the Flats location would have made that impossible for at least 10 or 15 years. Yes, Eaton had demands about their surroundings -- at Chagrin Highlands they got the city to agree not to put wind turbines nearby. The sense the mayor has given is that he was willing to give Eaton everything its officials wanted, short of moving port warehouses that can't be moved. As for Crowe Horwath, the way it's being described is that the company's site selector, based out of Chicago, approached the city and said its unnamed client was interested in moving to downtown ... a feeler was put out for what types of incentives might be available. Tony Brancatelli, the councilman who chairs the council's Community and Economic Development Committee, told me that legislation came through a while back that approved incentives for a relocating company that wanted to be unidentified for business reasons. I'm guessing that's Crowe Horwath. Anyhow, that's more of what I know. - Henry Gomez, The PD

I think I'm going to have to recruit some Puerto Ricans, I be damned if yall Mexican's be the majority of the Latino population of the board. lol :whip: Everyone talks about that grocery store. What is it Super Mercado or something like that?? Can never remember the name. But my parents and grandmother live in the Youngstown area, and when they come up to visit, they stock up on tortillas and spices and tamales. Mmm, now I'm hungry.

West Side Market and ... since I'm half-Mexican, my family loves the grocery store next to Mi Pueblo on Lorain Road. Also a big fan of Whiskey Island in the summer and Tremont.

I had brief contact with Mr. Lewski (which I actually think is Olewski) several years ago when I covered real estate. He called me to tell me he wasn't interested in talking on the record about the HoJo property. Various sources have told me that Lewski/Olewski is one of several New York investors. When I spoke a few weeks ago with Lakeview's new lawyer, he indicated he wasn't entirely sure who his clients were, at least individually. I agree, there is an intriguing element of mystery here. I'll see what I can find out.

Point taken, KJP. By old, I meant that it used to be a HoJo. Probably the wrong word.

Does anyone know how recent that rendering is? I swear I remember seeing it months ago, before the plans and scope might have changed.

Nothing about drugs was confirmed, and certainly not by me. JBorger misattributed that post to me. Back to talk about the actual park and renovations ...

Just giving credit where it is due. There is good conversation here, and I don't mind linking to it when it fits in with something I want to point out on my City Hall blog.

From what I recall, the alleged shooter(s) reportedly went with the victims from the bar in Reserve Square into the park.

I'm not sure if "resist" is the right word, but it will be hard to ignore the most recognizable incident that has happened on that site. For some readers, that unfortunately might be the easiest way for them to identify the location. But the shooting also is potentially relevant for another reason: the poor sight lines and layout of Perk are in part what make it an easy place for crime to hide, and stakeholders who long have favored these renovations have said as much. If it shows up in my future reporting on the matter, it is for those two reasons and those two reasons alone. I am not out to sensationalize a horrible tragedy.

I'm not going to go quite so far...He merely just highlighted that the Nashville "idea" is getting some attention in TradeshowWeek, a reputable source, as well as in a Nashville alt-weekly by a former-Clevelander. Kotz's quote is reallllyyy amusing (glad to see he's matured journalistically and rhetorically since leavine the CleveScene...not!) but still, this is HJG's little blog section and that's what you do on blogs, post links to things that might otherwise go unnoticed. I don't think HJG took any sort of unfair, negative editorial tone himself. Thank you. I'm just trying to be an honest broker. Perhaps I should have mentioned this in my original blog post, but one reason I posted those (the TradeshowWeek piece and the Kotz item) is that both were making the e-mail forward rounds among City Hall sources. I thought it was worth putting both pieces out there for my blog audience. Not sure how I blew it. Just because you didn't agree with the viewpoint of the second article I linked to? I took no personal stance. I am trying to make the Inside Cleveland City Hall blog a place where people can go to get a wide range of information on city politics, policy and development. Sometimes that will include links to other people's writing. But posting and linking to items that generate a constructive conversation is one of my goals. I'm glad to see some of that here on UO. KJP - I think you misunderstood the post. I didn't interview Kotz. You can't see from the way it is formatted, but it's a block quote from his Nashville Scene piece, which I linked to. Later in that same post I linked to YOUR article about the Ward 14 race, giving you credit for the story and all. Please see my above explanations for why I sometimes link to other writers. It's not incest. It's giving people the chance to see other perspectives, points of view and reporting on a subject. My goal is to be an honest broker. I'd encourage anyone who didn't click through the link to do so to see how the post is formatted. EDIT: Going through this thread again, it occurs to me that some of you might be confused about which comments I wrote and which comments were block-quoted from other works I linked to. Let me try to clarify below. The italicized portions are block-quoted excerpts from other stories I linked to: MY WRITING: TradeshowWeek, in a piece titled "Nashville Has Med Mart Dreams, Too," writes: QUOTE FROM TRADESHOW WEEK ARTICLE: On the very day officials at Positively Cleveland and Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. thought they could breathe a sigh of relief, they had something else to worry about. On May 18, after four years of preparation, the Cleveland City Council gave its final approval for the Cleveland Medical Mart, which will include a 300,000 square foot convention center. However, just hours before the council action came word that Dallas-based Market Center Management had its own plans for a medical mart, a 1.5 million square foot facility that would include meeting space for health care events, in Nashville, Tenn. What's more, Market Center Management President and CEO Bill Winsor threw down the gauntlet, stating, "There is only room for one of these medical marts, and it's going to be ours." MY WRITING: The TradeshowWeek article runs down some of the advantages Winsor boasts of in Nashville but notes that Cleveland is "home to the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University and their affiliated research facilities." Former Cleveland Scene editor Pete Kotz, now with Nashville Scene, has his own theories of why the Music City plan might edge out Cleveland: QUOTE FROM PETE KOTZ ARTICLE: We're way too broke to offer the welfare Cleveland is throwing around. But it's far easier and cheaper to get something done here. New York is planning a 60-story mart, but it must deal with the labor, land, and construction hassles that make anything in New York a Biblical quest. And Cleveland, arguably the most incompetent city in the country (with apologies to Detroit), has taken four years just to reach a decision. A recent FBI corruption raid on county government was so massive it had to call in extra agents from Pittsburgh. And since public theft is so widespread there, any large construction project will naturally go through the traditional cycle of rigged bids, kickbacks, cost overruns, grand jury indictments, and the inevitable FBI raids. Meaning Cleveland's mart may not be online until 2024. All of which may leave Nashville sitting pretty by default. Either way, gentlemen, start your engines. END QUOTE FROM KOTZ ARTICLE

I can't recall if The PD mentioned the WSJ article. But the newspaper wrote a similar story back in late 2007. It actually was linked here at UO. Unfortunately, I am having trouble copying and pasting the UO link here. It's in the Cleveland: Waterloo Arts District thread. Personally, I wish all newspapers would put less stock into how other publications grade their regions. There always are good arguments for and against the methodology. But while it's interesting to see how outsiders see us, I'm not sure how useful some of these these rankings are. Again, just my personal opinion -- in no way am I speaking for PD management. - Henry Gomez, PD city hall reporter

^ No, the Cleveland City Council meets every Monday night at 7 p.m., except during summer. They meet throughout the week in committees. I wouldn't read too much into the timing of the article relative to council's schedule. The public actually is not allowed to speak at meetings. Best way to get a council member's attention is to call, e-mail or pay him or her a visit down at City Hall Not trying to insert myself into this conversation, but I at least wanted to provide some info from my experience as the City Hall reporter. Hope it was useful.

Just a heads up, the full council approved the measure Monday night.

When I wrote about this project a few months ago, Cimperman said the price tag is so high because there are pipes underground that need to come up. Tearing up concrete and pipes isn't cheap, he said. And they have been soliciting donations. Doug Price kicked in some cash. As for mentioning the shootings, I'm not trying to be negative at all. But the incident illustrated a key concern about the park (poor sight lines), a concern that the renovation set out to address several years ago. I wrote two months ago, after the shooting, that the plans had been stalled because of financial issues but that the ball was rolling again.

I thought I would post an update on the civil service issue, from today's Plain Dealer: http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/04/cleveland_faces_default_and_cu.html Cleveland faces default and cuts in police, fire services if it pays court fine over hiring practices Posted by Henry J. Gomez/Plain Dealer Reporter April 21, 2009 22:09PM Categories: Cleveland City Hall, Real Time News A nearly $1 million fine for improper hiring threatens to push Cleveland into default weeks after the city managed to balance its budget without layoffs or cuts in services, Mayor Frank Jackson warned this week. Paying the fine would force the city to reduce the ranks of police, firefighters and laborers and to slash summer pool hours, youth recreation leagues and other quality-of-life programs, Jackson told Plain Dealer reporters and editors Monday.

Just an FYI, Breckenridge has been with The PD for years and has been writing about economic development here at least since I joined the staff four years ago. I enjoyed that article today, too. - Henry Gomez, Plain Dealer reporter

The sense I got from reading the ruling is that much of this started under Mayor White and continued for the next 15-plus years. The lawsuit originally was filed in 1994. But yours is a good suggestion, palijandro7, and I'll see what we can find out as far as comparisons go.

Thanks for the support, McCleveland. I am not trying to defend anything or anyone, GreenerPastures. I simply noticed that the editorial about the mall site and county negotiations had not been posted here yet. I thought it would add to the conversation. I do not cover the medical mart/convention center on a regular basis -- only if it directly touches Cleveland City Hall in some regard. I enjoy this forum. But I am not looking for a job, not here, not at FCE, or anywhere else.

FYI ... The Plain Dealer's Sunday editorial. Please note that while I am a Plain Dealer reporter, I do not write or determine the stance of editorials. http://blog.cleveland.com/pdopinion/2009/03/med_mart_site_is_fine_its_the.html Med mart site is fine; it's the unseen that concerns Posted by The editors March 22, 2009 05:00AM It has been 3 1/2 years since Dr. Toby Cosgrove, CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, asked Christopher Kennedy, president of Chicago-based Merchandise Mart Properties Inc., to explore the feasibility of a medical products showcase in Cleveland. Two years ago, almost to the day, Kennedy returned with his conclusions: A medical mart attached to a modern convention center could cement Cleveland's status as a health care hub, nurture the region's medical technology entrepreneurs and resuscitate the city's ailing hospitality industry by attracting trade shows and conferences. It could also be a moneymaker for MMPI, which operates product marts and runs trade shows throughout North America. Thus began a long negotiation between MMPI and the Cuyahoga County commissioners. Along the way, the commissioners approved a sales tax hike to fund a project that, with interest, could cost $1 billion over 20 years. They negotiated a memorandum of understanding with MMPI that put the firm in charge of building, marketing and managing the complex...

Well, if they start their one year lease now, they probably won't have to worry about that, lol. In all seriousness, though, I was wondering the same thing. I spoke with Ken Silliman, the mayor's chief of staff, about this very topic several weeks ago. The short answer is that Nehst is well aware that once its year-long lease expires, the Convention Center might be in the midst of major renovations to accommodate the medical mart project. The lease is for a year, and if the med mart is set for the Mall site at that time, Nehst can either stay until construction schedules force it out or begin looking for new space. Silliman said there are options; "that will be a very happy problem for us to solve." Henry Gomez, Plain Dealer City Hall reporter www.cleveland.com/cityhall

^ I couldn't agree more about this enhancing my ability to do my job. Thanks for being so welcoming. I have learned a lot about the city and development by reading UO.

I wish I would have got that in there. I was crunched for space. It's a good point, though. By the way, I've posted Councilman Cimperman's response to the Matrix executive on my City Hall blog (see link below). Thanks to all who helped with the story, especially DoctaBroccoli! http://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/index.ssf/2009/03/rubble_piles_near_avenue_distr.html Rubble piles near Avenue District will be gone in 10 days, Matrix Chairman Glen Nelson says by Henry J. Gomez/Plain Dealer Reporter Monday March 16, 2009, 8:47 AM My report about the rubble piles obstructing the views from new downtown townhouses apparently has caught Matrix Realty Group's attention. In an e-mail sent Saturday to Councilman Joe Cimperman, a Matrix executive writes:...