This city really needs a break.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSqucD0C_jU

This is a more general comment on the decision process, but I do not believe ANY of the discussions that have been held on this, by anyone, can legally be kept secret under Ohio's Open Meetings Act. When I get a chance, I will look into it further.

 

The Sunshine Laws have many exceptions that apply, most notably an exception to the open meetings act that protects the County's ability to bargain behind closed doors for the acquisition and/or sale of property.  It wouldn't do much good for the County if FCE was able to be present during negotiations with other prospective vendors of real estate for a CC site.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSqucD0C_jU

 

As good as that break is, I don't think that's the kind TBideon meant. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSqucD0C_jU

 

I am sooooooooooo going to slap you!  That was hillarious!  LOL  LOL  LOL

Sorry - take one smart@ss, a little bit of self-diagnosed ADD (ooo... SHINY!!!), and the glorious repository of everything that is the internet... what can I say? ;-)

OK, can I smack someone for getting my hopes up that someone would actually make a decision?  :whip:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/01/no_decision_today_on_site_of_m.html

No decision today on site of medical mart in Cleveland

Posted by Joe Guillen/Plain Dealer Reporter January 22, 2009 14:55PM

This is a more general comment on the decision process, but I do not believe ANY of the discussions that have been held on this, by anyone, can legally be kept secret under Ohio's Open Meetings Act.  When I get a chance, I will look into it further.

 

The Sunshine Laws have many exceptions that apply, most notably an exception to the open meetings act that protects the County's ability to bargain behind closed doors for the acquisition and/or sale of property.  It wouldn't do much good for the County if FCE was able to be present during negotiations with other prospective vendors of real estate for a CC site.

 

Thank you for the clarification.  "ANY" was way too strong a term.  But there's more going on here than just a land acquisition.  Also, the second sentence of the rule you mentioned is interesting:

 

"No member of a public body shall use [this rule allowing secret real estate negotiations] as a subterfuge for providing covert information to prospective buyers or sellers. A purchase or sale of public property is void if the seller or buyer of the public property has received covert information from a member of a public body that has not been disclosed to the general public in sufficient time for other prospective buyers and sellers to prepare and submit offers."

 

I don't know how that could be enforced... but it does indicate that FC should not be any more "in on" the decision process than the city or anyone else is.

 

OK, can I smack someone for getting my hopes up that someone would actually make a decision? :whip:

 

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuudge.

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

 

Screw the CC, screw the MM, give the tax money collected to the RTA, then end this crap.

DAMMIT anyways!!  Ah well, we'll just have to do even MORE waiting to see what happens.  Time to place bets on who thinks a decision will be made before June 1st...

Today was just another example of nobody being on the same page!!!!

Look at all the names up top reading this thread!  It's like when Geraldo opened up Al Capone's vault.

I just got the Crains today's headlines and blogs e-mail and it had a story about how it was going to be decided today and I got all excited.......  They should really make sure their news is up-to-date!!!!

http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/news_article.aspx?storyid=105639&catid=45

 

CLEVELAND -- Channel 3 Senior Political Correspondent Tom Beres says a three-hour, closed-door meeting this afternoon between county officials and Medical Mart officials failed to produce a definite site selection for the proposed Medical Mart and convention center.

 

The county commissioners met with Medical Mart Properties Inc. officials, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, the county's Medical Mart negotiator Fred Nance and other key players, Beres said.

 

MMPI showed the commissioners the latest cost figures but refused to share those figures with the media or the public.

 

Nance said there are three sites under consideration -- behind Tower City, the current convention center and the land set aside for developer Scott Wolstein's stalled East Bank of the Flats project.

 

Wolstein's offer of his Flats property was today's new wrinkle in the Medical Mart drama.

 

Beres will have a complete report for Channel 3 News at 6 p.m. and updates at wkyc.com as they become available.

 

:shoot:

what a clusterf*&k

 

"Beres will have a complete report for Channel 3 News at 6 p.m. and updates at wkyc.com as they become available."

 

Here's the complete report.  Fred Nance continues to be a shining star for the Cleveland law firm Squire Sanders as he and Cleveland's much maligned leaders again fail to pull their collective heads out of their a$$es. 

I'll try again with the sunshine law, beacuse this all stinks to high heaven.  Channel 3 says:

 

"MMPI showed the commissioners the latest cost figures but refused to share those figures with the media or the public."

 

Ohio code 149.43 requires that all Public Records be available for inspection and copying upon request. 

 

Public Record under 149.43 "means records kept by any public office."

 

Section 149.011 includes in the definition of Record "any document... created or received by or coming under the jurisdiction of any public office of the state or its political subdivisions, which serves to document the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of the office." 

 

There are of course a gazillion exceptions to the definition of Public Record, but notably none for real estate transactions.  Thus, it seems to me that MMPI's figures must be released to the media upon request once they have been "received by" the county commissioners.  It's hastily thrown together, but it's an argument worth making if this all takes a turn for the worse.  It might be worth making right now, if I'm Channel 3.

 

 

 

 

^Two words, Fred Nance.  He is well aware of the law, and how to get around it.  That is not necessarily a criticism, but its most likely true.

You're absolutely right.  But that's why God invented lawyers other than Fred Nance, so that Nance's clients' positions can be opposed from time to time.

Look at all the names up top reading this thread! It's like when Geraldo opened up Al Capone's vault.

 

Except Geraldo could get into Al Capone's vault, despite not finding much. Neither Tom Beres, Tom Meyer or Tom Magnum P.I. could get into the county commissioners' back room to find out what's going on!

Oh wait its still not over today...!?!?!?  whatever. :wtf: :wtf:

 

Commissioners restart meeting with medical mart partners

Posted by Joe Guillen/Plain Dealer Reporter January 22, 2009 15:27PM

 

CLEVELAND -- Cuyahoga County commissioners restarted a closed-door meeting with its private partner in the medical/mart convention center project this afternoon shortly after public announcements that there would be no decision made on where to locate the project.

 

Commissioners and executives of Merchandise Mart Properties had to go down Justice Center elevators and walk across Ontario Street to the nearby county building to get going again around 3 p.m. The latest meeting essentially was a resumption of a suspended executive session that followed the commissioner's weekly meeting this morning...

 

All the while, private developers in New York City are studying plans to build a medical mart there.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/01/commissioners_restart_meeting.html

 

I wonder how much we had to pay, per capita, for the time Nance spent contradicting Hagan. 

And judging by the statements made, MMPI will want more time to meet with and consider the lakefront/FEB option while the Commissioners realize they will be skewered if it is pushed back any more and a decision isnt made...

We could have built a Starship Enterprise in the time it's taken to explain to FCE that bribes aren't legal and convention centers aren't vertical.  C'mon Hagan, light these people up.

They're probably discussing which buffets still accept Dimora's patronage.

OK folks.  lets stay on topic, (shit, did I just say that?) 

 

The only logical places are a) the old site and b) the new site as both could be expandable and give us the opportunity to add hotels (along with increasing occupancy at existing hotels) and businesses to the city center.

It is time for the Attorney General of the State of Ohio

Whats up with PLJones's other commitment?  This is a meeting he should be at.  Its $400million of taxpayer money 

It is time for the Attorney General of the State of Ohio to step in and stop this fraudulent tax scheme. Enough! These guys couldn't build a proper doghouse.

 

Oh lawd... Fraudulent?  Prove to me this is fraud!

Whats up with PLJones's other commitment? This is a meeting he should be at. Its $400million of taxpayer money

 

Actually $1 billion in taxpayer money.

FLASH!! just announced a decision HAS BEEN MADE. was on TV not looking too comfortable. They said 5:30 is the magic hour.

.

Maybe they read Urban Ohio to gauge public sentiment

PLEASE LET IT BE THE CURRENT MALL SITE.

There is no question that this tax could not have been possible without hooking it to a "medical mart". T IT'S THE MALL SITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hard to believe they did the right thing!!!!      Set'm up! I'm buying!!!!!

that has got to be the FUNNIEST picture I've ever seen.  My applause to you, freethink.  I've got to show it to some people now.

 

Greeener, hah, looks like you cut yourself off:)

There is no question that this tax could not have been possible without hooking it to a "medical mart". The "medical mart" scheme is a conspiracy on the part of GCP, The Commissioners IT'S THE MALL SITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

where can we find this?!?

AHHH!!!  I gotta go to Urban Affairs!!  I'm bringing my labtop because I don't wanna miss this!!

 

Sources: Commissioners to make Medical Mart site announcement at 5:30

Posted By: Kim  Wendel    1 min ago

 

CLEVELAND -- Channel 3 News has learned that the County Commissioners are making a Medical Mart/Convention Center site announcement at 5:30. Sources tell us the commissioners will reveal the future site of the convention center.

 

County officials and Medical Mart officials met earlier today at a three-hour, closed-door meeting on a site selection for the proposed Medical Mart and Convention Center.

 

The county commissioners met with Medical Mart Properties Inc. officials, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, the county's Medical Mart negotiator Fred Nance and other key players, Channel 3 Senior Political Correspondent Tom Beres said.

 

MMPI showed the commissioners the latest cost figures but refused to share those figures with the media or the public.

 

Nance said there are three sites under consideration -- behind Tower City, the current convention center and the land set aside for developer Scott Wolstein's stalled East Bank of the Flats project.

 

Wolstein's offer of his Flats property was today's new wrinkle in the Medical Mart drama.

 

Beres will have a complete report for Channel 3 News at 6 p.m. and updates at wkyc.com as they become available.

 

© 2008 WKYC-TV

Channel 5 just annouced that the site selection is the MALL SITE. Can it finally be over?

I wonder if Frank went in and put the hammer down on everyone?

 

Is it the mall site for sure?

 

If so God, you've heard my prayers.

I would like to thank Peter Lawson Jones for the GREAT JOB he and his staff have done on behalf of the  citizens of Cuyahoga  County. We would be remiss in not remembering CITIZEN ED HAUSER and he's tireless efforts on behalf the the citizens of northeast Ohio. This one's for you Ed!  The Hauser Convention Center has a nice ring.

I would like to thank Peter Lawson Jones for the GREAT JOB he and his staff have done on behalf of the  citizens of Cuyahoga  County. We would be remiss in not remembering CITIZEN ED HAUSER and he's tireless efforts on behalf the the citizens of northeast Ohio. This one's for you Ed!  The Hauser Convention Center has a nice ring.

 

PLEASE POST WITH PROOF THAT IT'S THE MALL SITE!

It is the mall site for sure.

Its all over the news

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/01/mall_location_picked_for_medic.html

:clap:

I'm glad.  Hopefully Cleveland will see a rebound of visitors and traffic like Philly after it rebuilt its CC.

 

This is the best news!

To celebrate, Jimmy Dimora, using his nefarious Burger King disguise, is now partying it up at the Great Taste China Buffet on Euclid.

 

 

 

Wooooooooo!! For once, they didn't screw things up!!