33 minutes ago, YABO713 said:

Is Bibb a Democrat? I saw he worked for Obama but I haven't seen anything with an official party designation - it would be wonderful if he ran as an independent

 

Per the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, he's a Democrat. He seems like he has national aspirations. More money and backing and infrastructure for him as a Dem (or a Rep) than as an Independent.

48 minutes ago, YABO713 said:

Is Bibb a Democrat? I saw he worked for Obama but I haven't seen anything with an official party designation - it would be wonderful if he ran as an independent

 

I think it's just hard for you to admit that you're a Democrat now 😉

1 hour ago, DEPACincy said:

 

I think it's just hard for you to admit that you're a Democrat now 😉

 

Lol hard pass. I'm just not brainwashed and am willing to vote for the right candidate regardless of affiliation - which is more than most Conservatives can say these days 

2 minutes ago, YABO713 said:

 

Lol hard pass. I'm just not brainwashed and am willing to vote for the right candidate regardless of affiliation - which is more than most Conservatives can say these days 

You are most likely to only have Democratic candidates in Cleveland to choose from since they all run in a non partisan primary. I feel that party affiliation is not as important at the local level.

18 minutes ago, freefourur said:

You are most likely to only have Democratic candidates in Cleveland to choose from since they all run in a non partisan primary. I feel that party affiliation is not as important at the local level.

Agreed

1 hour ago, YABO713 said:

 

Lol hard pass. I'm just not brainwashed and am willing to vote for the right candidate regardless of affiliation - which is more than most Conservatives can say these days 

 

And it just so happens that in today's world that affiliation is usually (D).

Couldn’t fit the whole screen shot in the post but it’s encouraging to see Bibb caring about the market.

I know a lot of people on UO like Justin Bibb. I personally don't know much much about him. In any event, Kevin Kelley has a bigger war chest, at least as of now.

 

 

Cleveland Council President Kevin Kelley leads pack of potential mayor candidates in money race

 

"Cleveland Council President Kevin Kelley, who is expected to formally announce his bid for mayor soon, has more $500,000 on hand for the race, according to his most recent campaign finance report filed January 26th at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

He raised $217,000 for his mayoral bid in the most recent reporting period, which ended December 31st, according to his paperwork....

 

Non-profit executive Justin Bibb, who formally launched his campaign last month but has been raising money for months, reported having nearlty $160,000 on hand. He raised $26,000 in the most recent finance cycle, according to his paperwork...."

 

https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/politics/cle-council-president-kevin-kelley-leads-pack-of-potential-mayor-candidates-in-money-race

Ughhhhhh he’s the worst
 

Dennis Kucinich fuels possible run for Cleveland mayor with money from longtime FirstEnergy supporter Tony George

https://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/2021/02/dennis-kucinich-fuels-possible-run-for-cleveland-mayor-with-money-from-longtime-firstenergy-supporter-tony-george.html

 

Cleveland does not need an old retread.  Sorry, Dennis.

Go away Dennis.

 

But what about the irony of First Energy kind of supporting him.  

6 minutes ago, freefourur said:

Go away Dennis.

 

But what about the irony of First Energy kind of supporting him.  

He doesn't even live here anymore does he?  I thought he moved to California years ago when his national star was at it's peak?  

That's right. Isn't he married to an actress or is that Tim Hagen?

Dennis's wife is a beautiful British redhead. Way out if his league. He did marry well. 

And quite a bit taller than he.

Justin Bibb is speaking at City Club tomorrow: https://www.cityclub.org/forums/2021/02/10/a-conversation-with-justin-m-bibb

On 2/5/2021 at 3:40 PM, skiwest said:

That's right. Isn't he married to an actress or is that Tim Hagen?

 

Tim Hagan is, or at least was, married to Kate Mulgrew, aka Captain Janeway.

For those of you who want to watch Bibb, he is live right now.

 

 

For anyone who missed Bibb at the City Club, know that all events are archived and free.  I missed it at 12 today, but will watch the recording in a bit. Would be interested to hear what others thought of him.

On 2/5/2021 at 3:21 PM, Cleburger said:

He doesn't even live here anymore does he?  I thought he moved to California years ago when his national star was at it's peak?  

Here's been in the Cleveland area for a while. He lives somewhere on the west side--I'm pretty sure his house is somewhere in the eastern part of West Park. 

I watched it. Inexperience/youth shows but I do like most of what I heard from him. I think the key for him will be surrounding himself with the right people to help him make decisions that he probably is ill-equipped to make. Do like how he is for police reform but also is pro-police. He is for investing in the forgotten neighborhoods but recognizes the need to have a strong urban core. He even mentioned the possibility of us trying what Tulsa does in which we pay 10k for someone to move here from Silicon Valley. Also, like how he wants to hand WSM to a nonprofit.  He seems to be overall a moderate and they tend to be the people who resonate with me the most.

Saw this this morning on LI - check out that first comment 👀

idk where to put this — not the mayor race, but the race to fill marcia fudge’s seat gets a nice long writeup on huffington post:

 

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_602acabdc5b6591becdaca75

Jackson has yet to say either way whether or not he will run in 2021, but at least he's being smart about Burke Lakefront and not jumping on the silly bandwagon that it should be closed:

 

Q: Are you standing by your position that Burke Lakefront Airport should remain open as an airport?

 

Jackson: Burke is part of our airport system and until such time as a development and developers can come and address all of the environmental concerns that would exist with developing that property and be able to build the structures in a way that would be stable, which means it would be very expensive to get down to bedrock and all that other kind of stuff… Whenever they come with that kind of plan that does not ask for government to pay for it, then I’ll consider it. Until such time, it is part of our airport system and to talk about it as anything other than that is just a fantasy.

 

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2021/02/q-a-with-cleveland-mayor-frank-jackson-and-planning-director-freddy-collier-jr-reveals-thinking-behind-building-the-21st-century-city-symposium.html

On 2/5/2021 at 2:46 PM, skiwest said:

Cleveland does not need an old retread.  Sorry, Dennis.

Dennis was horrible in the 2 years that he was mayor of Cleveland.  Don't know of anything he accomplished in the state legislature.  In 16 years in Congress as a member of the House of Representatives, he did NOTHING (I don't count 3 meaningless pieces of legislation to name post office buildings or granting an honorary citizenship to a long-deceased individual as substantial).  But, he did have time to run for president twice and get caught scamming the system while doing so. 

Will 34-year-old Justin Bibb be Cleveland’s next mayor?: Leila Atassi

https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2021/02/will-34-year-old-justin-bibb-be-clevelands-next-mayor-leila-atassi.html

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio – When Justin Bibb was a child in the 1990s, he played ball in Cleveland’s Mt. Pleasant neighborhood until the streetlights flickered on and his mom or grandmother appeared on the front porch to summon him indoors.

In hindsight, Bibb told me, he realizes he was the only kid among his friends on Dove Avenue who had that in his life -- guardians who kept him safe from harm, focused and accountable. And while Bibb went on to earn several degrees and forge a path that led him to work for corporations, consultants, nonprofits, even then-Senator Barack Obama, many of his peers ended up in prison, in the streets or dead. Casualties of generational poverty and hopelessness in America’s poorest big city.

Against that backdrop -- and with the conviction that his success story should be the rule, not the exception for Cleveland youth -- 34-year-old Bibb is running for mayor of Cleveland.

 

For the most part I haven’t gotten into podcasts, but I have really been enjoying Jeffrey Stern’s The Lay of the Land ever since the Dan Whalen INTRO interview a few weeks ago. Yesterday he posted his Justin Bibb interview. Great stuff:

 

https://share.transistor.fm/s/6f5cdea5

 

On 2/18/2021 at 5:31 PM, LifeLongClevelander said:

Dennis was horrible in the 2 years that he was mayor of Cleveland.  Don't know of anything he accomplished in the state legislature.  In 16 years in Congress as a member of the House of Representatives, he did NOTHING (I don't count 3 meaningless pieces of legislation to name post office buildings or granting an honorary citizenship to a long-deceased individual as substantial).  But, he did have time to run for president twice and get caught scamming the system while doing so. 

 

He's also the reason we still have Cleveland Public Power

16 minutes ago, YABO713 said:

 

He's also the reason we still have Cleveland Public Power

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? 

25 minutes ago, freefourur said:

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? 

 

^Without question, a good thing.

^^GREAT thing.

1 hour ago, Pugu said:

 

^Without question, a good thing.

 

It gives the city a "bazooka" so to speak, in the event that a sale is ever necessary, it will fetch a pretty penny

1 minute ago, YABO713 said:

 

It gives the city a "bazooka" so to speak, in the event that a sale is ever necessary, it will fetch a pretty penny

I agree it is a great asset. But it seems to be poorly managed. The city does a poor job all around with its utilities. 

 

Personal Example:

The water department keeps sending me a bill for a rental property I sold 15 years ago. They claim there is a balance front back then that I owe. When I call then to send me proof of this balance they say that someone else will call. Nobody ever calls and then they send me another bill. This is going on 3 years now. 

I've never interacted with a utility, public or private, that seemed well run to me.

5 hours ago, YABO713 said:

 

He's also the reason we still have Cleveland Public Power

 

5 hours ago, freefourur said:

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? 

 

42 or 43 years ago, Cleveland Public Power being and independent electrical provider was at least relevant.  Is it still now?  Here are some points and questions:

 

Cleveland Public Power has not generated electricity for decades.  The smokestacks at the lakefront plant have all been removed and the openings capped.  It is nothing more than a big transfer station to distribute electricity generated by and purchased from other companies.

 

Forty plus years ago, CPP provided Cleveland's residents an alternative to suppliers.  Now people can select their own electrical provider and get lower rates.  Can those who have CPP do this?  Is the electrical service provided by CPP cheaper than other providers (First Energy or others) and is the service more or less reliable?

 

How does CPP affect Cleveland's finances?  Is it a money-maker or loser? 

^First Energy's greed and incompetence caused a multi-day shutdown for Cleveland and the entire east coast a few years ago. And don't forget their latest scam, getting Ohio taxpayers to pay $1.3B to pay the for-profit corporation for their nuclear issues and bribing the state legislature. I wish all of the city was CPP. CPP and the city have their issues but they don't include bribery and illegal activities. Even if CPP is not a "money-maker" its still preferable than giving money to a company and its shareholders who just spent $60M in a major campaign to buy legislation and f@#$k the people of Ohio.

 

Looks like Zack Reed is in 🤢

 

 

I'm not a Zack Reed fan, but I will say, that's a nice video with some great aerial shots of the city that are not commonly seen.

So we have 4 candidates thus far who have officially announced:  Zack Reed, Justin Bibb, Ross DiBello, Arthur Kostendt. And who knows if Jackson will run again. If Jackson runs, he'll win. But assuming he doesn't, it looks like it will be showdown between Reed and Bibb unless others join in. Bibb may have newer ideas, but is very inexperienced and Zack Reed is a more seasoned wheeler-dealer but not without his own issues.  I'm not sold on any of these guys.... 

 

Let's hope Jackson has the decency to step down and pass the torch to a younger, more vibrant person.

Well, he can't pass the torch to a less-vibrant person.

6 hours ago, Pugu said:

I'm not a Zack Reed fan, but I will say, that's a nice video with some great aerial shots of the city that are not commonly seen.

 

This was a very well done spot. I agree with him that current leadership is missing out on a heck of a lot of opportunities. 

from cleveland.com:

 

"When asked about the future of Burke Lakefront Airport, which takes up hundreds of prime lakefront real estate, Reed said decisions on its future should be local. “We should have a world-class, first-class lakefront,” he said. “But we cannot have a world-class, first-class lakefront if someone in Washington, D.C., or someone in Chicago from the FAA is going to dictate to us how we can do things on our lakefront.”  https://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/2021/03/former-city-councilman-zack-reed-announces-bid-for-cleveland-mayor.html

 

1.  BKL should be a non-issue. cleveland.com is making it one by asking about it.

2. At first I thought he was being smooth by not answering. But then in the second sentence, he does answer. So he just lost my support, not only because he's anti-Burke--or at least publicly says so--but as also thinks the FAA in is Chicago, and not Washington, assuming the PD quoted him correctly.

There is a regional office in Chicago.  Is Cleveland a part of that region?

Cleveland falls under the Detroit District Office. But regardless, any FAA policies around BKL come out of DC not any District Office.

First thing from Bibb that I didn't really agree with. I'd prefer the mayor to take a larger role and lead on where these funds go. At least he's acknowledging that we need to ensure we get every cent of that federal money available though. That's better than I trust Mr. Jackson's administration to do.

 

https://justinmbibb.medium.com/cleveland-cant-afford-to-wait-8480eb72bc52

Well, Kevin Kelley has officially announced that he's running...

 

Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley announces bid for mayor

 

There’s another person joining the race to be Cleveland’s next mayor. Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley announced his mayoral campaign during a press conference Thursday on the steps of City Hall.

“I talked with residents in every ward across Cleveland,” Kelley said in a press release before the announcement. “They shared their concerns about safety, their desire for strong neighborhoods to call home and the need to have good-paying jobs. They care about Cleveland’s future. They believe, like I do, that Cleveland’s best days are ahead.”

 

Read More...

 

Richard Knoth, a partner at Baker Hostetler, who said he was running for mayor has yet to formally announce or put up a campaign website. He was interviewed by the City Club in Feb and I think he said he'd have a website up in a few weeks, yet he still doesn't.  Is he getting cold feet? Here's the interview:

 

https://www.cityclub.org/forums/2021/02/24/a-conversation-with-richard-m-knoth

 

 

Sandra Williams, an Ohio State Senator, announces she is running for mayor. She may be the best candidate so far.

 

 

 

I don't see that the PD even has a story on it!  But on their website under "Top Stories" they have:

 

Shaker Hts. looks at raising tree assessment fee

Today’s famous birthdays list for May 4, 2021 includes celebrities Will Arnett, Erin Andrews

 

If I didn't know better, I'd think the PD didn't like her, but I know that's not the case. They probably haven't heard the news yet or don't have enough staff to cover it when there are stories like suburban tree assessment fees to write about. @KJP - start a politics beat!