The fragmentation of the region doesn't help things either.

“We have underperformed in economic development for more than a decade...who (among the civic leadership) has been forced out of a job?"

 

ANSWER: NONE

 

https://t.co/pw7mJ7tV4Y from Crains

 

My unpopular opinion: Lansi would've done a better job.

 

I could ask "better than Jackson or Budish?".  The obvious answer "either". 

 

Other than via indictment, the last one we have gotten rid of was Calamity Jane.

 

The system is the system, the Network is the Network, and what it's based on can make plants grow, but not regions.

 

Barring a huge new player in the local economy (and why should they come here?) our best hope is another severe shakeup.

 

I've said this before, I'd like to see Drew Carey run for mayor.  Perhaps with Tony Madalone taking a key role on his team.  He can't do worse than whoever is "next".

There is a schism working its way through the local Democratic party; see the recent Scene article.  People are finally pushing back, internally, against the machine.  We might see some improvement if they prevail.  If they don't, then I would probably agree that we need another FBI raid.

 

It isn't so much about changing the faces, because faces have been cycling through all along.  It's about changing the policies under which we operate.  Individual council seats have far too much power.  CDC's and neighborhood boards also have too much power.  We need to deal with businesses in a more organized and predictable fashion.  We cannot do that the way things are structured now.

The fragmentation of the region doesn't help things either.

 

This.  Cleveland-Akron-Canton needs to not only think of themselves truly as one region, but also, more importantly, create policies that reflect and reinforce this great notion.  I’m a big fan of goal-setting... nice work Columbus metro.

 

It’s crazy how far out other cities promote their regions that encompass a dozen or so counties, where Cleveland seems to make the conversation more about suburbs vs city.

 

And on that note regarding the article of future leadership, just wanted to make known I am relocating this month back to the region.  I can’t promise a championship...

I agree with 327[/member] and I'll go further. It's not the individual leaders. They're probably a bit lacking in vision, but it's the fragmented system they work under that is the problem. That is the issue with "throw the bums out." It makes people feel good but you just get a whole new class of "bums."

There is a schism working its way through the local Democratic party; see the recent Scene article.  People are finally pushing back, internally, against the machine.  We might see some improvement if they prevail.  If they don't, then I would probably agree that we need another FBI raid.

 

It isn't so much about changing the faces, because faces have been cycling through all along.  It's about changing the policies under which we operate.  Individual council seats have far too much power.  CDC's and neighborhood boards also have too much power.  We need to deal with businesses in a more organized and predictable fashion.  We cannot do that the way things are structured now.

 

I wish I could be optimistic about that, but I'm not.  The criminal cases pretty much led to "meet the new boss, same as the old boss".  There may be less overt corruption now, but its root cause, government control and the attendant bureaucracy, are still there.  Nor do I see a faction that will reduce that.

Government bureaucracy doesn't lead to corruption. Quite often the opposite. The lack of competition among ideas, parties and candidates does lead to corruption.

I wasn't talking about corruption so much as stagnation, and the way the electoral system is set up and where the lines are drawn can definitely lead to this. A decentralized system of government with too many individual suburbs and wards and counties, politicians given all incentive to squabble with each other instead of bring the region forward definitely brings stagnation.

Which is why we need more Republicans and other competitive candidates in Cleveland government.

 

PASSES OUT AND DIES HAPPY

I thought you ran screaming from the Republicans?? LOL

I thought you ran screaming from the Republicans?? LOL

 

Oh, I did. I'm just happy to see someone acknowledging that Cleveland's government has become somewhat of a middle to far left obelisk.

Single party rule is never good.  We need a push and pull to keep us in check.

“We have underperformed in economic development for more than a decade...who (among the civic leadership) has been forced out of a job?"

 

ANSWER: NONE

 

https://t.co/pw7mJ7tV4Y from Crains

 

That's a really interesting article.  I've lived all over the midwest and while I'm excited for the future of Cleveland, it's got a big uphill battle compared to Columbus or Indy or even Detroit at this point.  Many things to point at as obstacles but I truly think the 50-some municipalities is a big road block.  I deal with real estate projects that compete from Wickliffe to Highland Hills to Solon to Bedford....  every 2 bit mayor and economic dev official wants to land a project regardless if it makes sense for their community or not...  meanwhile places like Medina are growing simply because they have land, nothing else.  How do you change all that???  well it's going to take a big hand to come down & force the matter.  I thought Kasich started the process but it seems to have stalled.

Single party rule is never good.  We need a push and pull to keep us in check.

 

True enough.  If Cordray can convince me he deserves his good NRA ratings (doing his job defending a state law helps but isn't quite enough) I'll consider him....provided the legislature remains Republican.  Which it almost certainly will.

 

At the very least we need two (or more) viable parties.

Government bureaucracy doesn't lead to corruption. Quite often the opposite. The lack of competition among ideas, parties and candidates does lead to corruption.

 

P. J. O'Rourke once said  "When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators.".  This is so true it's often attributed to Mark Twain.  It's also true about bureaucracy.  Plus there's the impact of Wilde's Law, when the bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.

“We have underperformed in economic development for more than a decade...who (among the civic leadership) has been forced out of a job?"

 

ANSWER: NONE

 

https://t.co/pw7mJ7tV4Y from Crains

 

That's a really interesting article.  I've lived all over the midwest and while I'm excited for the future of Cleveland, it's got a big uphill battle compared to Columbus or Indy or even Detroit at this point.  Many things to point at as obstacles but I truly think the 50-some municipalities is a big road block.  I deal with real estate projects that compete from Wickliffe to Highland Hills to Solon to Bedford....  every 2 bit mayor and economic dev official wants to land a project regardless if it makes sense for their community or not...  meanwhile places like Medina are growing simply because they have land, nothing else.  How do you change all that???  well it's going to take a big hand to come down & force the matter.  I thought Kasich started the process but it seems to have stalled.

 

We should be ahead of Detroit but bankruptcy was a bit of a clean slate for them and now they have an absolutely phenomenal mayor in Mike Duggan who is doing a bang-up job.

And a billionaire who's been willing to pour his wealth into the city.

And a billionaire who's been willing to pour his wealth into the city.

 

Rumor had it if Napoleon had beaten Duggan, Gilbert would have done that here.

 

As it stands now, there's a chance at some point he buys Pistons from Gores, selling the Cavaliers to you-know-who. 

And a billionaire who's been willing to pour his wealth into the city.

 

Rumor had it if Napoleon had beaten Duggan, Gilbert would have done that here.

 

As it stands now, there's a chance at some point he buys Pistons from Gores, selling the Cavaliers to you-know-who. 

 

Who? 

And a billionaire who's been willing to pour his wealth into the city.

 

Well, supposedly we're going to start getting a [bigger] piece of that...

And a billionaire who's been willing to pour his wealth into the city.

 

Well, supposedly we're going to start getting a [bigger] piece of that...

 

I must be out of the loop. What are you referring to?

Nope, just that Bedrock has been investing more here, May Co, Tower City, etc. They moved that guy here from Detroit to manage the Cleveland holdings. Seemed to me like a sign of more to come.

 

I did hear that they don't yet know what to do with the mall, but that Gilbert doesn't mind if it is a "loss leader."

And a billionaire who's been willing to pour his wealth into the city.

 

Well, supposedly we're going to start getting a [bigger] piece of that...

 

I must be out of the loop. What are you referring to?

 

I'm guessing E Rocc is referring to LeBron.

And a billionaire who's been willing to pour his wealth into the city.

 

Well, supposedly we're going to start getting a [bigger] piece of that...

 

I must be out of the loop. What are you referring to?

 

Dan Gilbert.  He's invested a tremendous amount of wealth in the center city of Detroit.

And a billionaire who's been willing to pour his wealth into the city.

 

Well, supposedly we're going to start getting a [bigger] piece of that...

 

I must be out of the loop. What are you referring to?

 

Dan Gilbert.  He's invested a tremendous amount of wealth in the center city of Detroit.

 

You mean Gilbertville?

I think ethlaw was asking not about who Dan Gilbert is, but about my assertion that we're going to (hopefully) get a bigger piece of the Gilbert pie.

https://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2018/06/despite_recent_wins_civic_and.html

 

Nice article highlighting some of the region's organizational flaws, like "a local culture in which leaders and organizations are so focused on pleasing funders, boards and partners that the result is milquetoast rather than motivating." 

https://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2018/06/despite_recent_wins_civic_and.html

 

Nice article highlighting some of the region's organizational flaws, like "a local culture in which leaders and organizations are so focused on pleasing funders, boards and partners that the result is milquetoast rather than motivating."

 

It's a good article. It's the 3rd or 4th article like this in the last few weeks. I'm glad it's being discussed.

I liked this part:

 

Edward "Ned" Hill, who teaches economic-development policy at Ohio State University, used two words to describe calls for a unified, regional economic-development strategy: "It's nonsense."

 

I liked this part:

 

Edward "Ned" Hill, who teaches economic-development policy at Ohio State University, used two words to describe calls for a unified, regional economic-development strategy: "It's nonsense."

 

Ned Hill does make a good point. 

Yet, before he skipped town, Ned Hill had an influential role to develop such a regional strategy....so he was part of the problem.

Cleveland Hopkins is the 6th fastest growing airport in the US at 11%. Among airports "MID-SIZED AIRPORTS Between 3m and 20m departing seats", CLE ranked 5th.

 

Rank Code Airport 2016-17 2017-18 Growth

1 CVG Cincinnati 4,356,941 5,143,492 18% (rank among airports with 3m-30m seats)

1 FLL Fort Lauderdale 18,071,964 20,140,923 11% (rank #1 amongst big airports)

2 AUS Austin 7,633,766 8,877,639 16% (rank among airports with 3m-30m seats)

3 SJC San Jose 7,340,688 8,457,906 15% (rank among airports with 3m-30m seats)

4 BUR Burbank 3,085,852 3,546,459 15% (rank among airports with 3m-30m seats)

5 CLE Cleveland 5,222,981 5,799,602 11% (rank among airports with 3m-30m seats)

 

"#5 Cleveland Hopkins: Americas hottest city. 

 

Cleveland is a city of biomedical and “smart” manufacturing startups, luring the brightest talent from Boston, Austin, and Silicon Valley...."

 

https://www.oag.com/hubfs/Free_Reports/NAM%20Growth%20Index/NAM%20Fastest%20Growing%20Airports.pdf

 

[cross-posted in Hopkins Airport thread]

 

 

Jon Pinney's City Club "We're getting our butts kicked" speech is worth a listen.

 

 

 

And we won't stop getting our butts kicked until we admit it and make changes.  Naymik's article about it suggests people were asking Pinney to tone it down out of deference to those in power.  But where has that gotten us?

Wow....that video is sobering......and so necessary to hear.  The region has so much more to offer than the other cities currently kicking our butts.  I'm a smaill business owner who would love a seat at the table!

This is an important discussion but I would say that things have improved in the last 8 years in Cleveland.  Had the Cuyahoga county charter not passed I would think Cleveland would be in even worse shape. I would not consider living in Cuyahoga county before that change.  So by having better county management the improvement might not be seen in the numbers since it only happened 8 years ago as older decisions are more baked in to the region.  Also the construction in Cleveland is finally starting so that is also a positive.

  It really shouldn’t be that hard to identify in general what is wrong in the region. The problem is figuring out the solutions to change them and having the political will to follow through. That is why i think county government in Cuyahoga county is key since there are no trio of naybobs making deals to undercut each other.

I think there should be a little more collaboration with Summit county and other counties.  Akron is looking at the same questions and their goal is to stabilize population and get it back to 220.000 by 2035.

The main factors to me are transportation and schools primarily and access to capital which isn’t a Cleveland problem.

  I believe that what is also being asked is what happened in Akron every 30-40 years as different industries would die out or stop growing since the 1850s, what next?

And we won't stop getting our butts kicked until we admit it and make changes.  Naymik's article about it suggests people were asking Pinney to tone it down out of deference to those in power.  But where has that gotten us?

 

Deference? How have they earned deference?

Here is Cleveland's Amazon HQ2 bid, but the $$$ incentives and other parts are redacted. 

^I tried to upload it but it never seems to appear---though I don't get any error messages.

I looked at it yesterday and it isn't as terrible as I thought it'd be.

Cleveland's economy fails to gain traction

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20180617/news/165391/clevelands-economy-fails-gain-traction

Here is Cleveland's Amazon HQ2 bid, but the $$$ incentives and other parts are redacted. 

 

I always questioned the assumption that Amazon would, in fact, create a 50K person co-headquarters, since that's NOT an efficient management model. Now that Seattle has rescinded the tax that so annoyed Amazon, we'll find out just how serious Amazon is. My bet is "HQ2" turns out to be a largish branch office.

^I share this view as well. They may have redundant functions there, but certainly not an extra 50,000 people.

Cleveland's economy fails to gain traction

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20180617/news/165391/clevelands-economy-fails-gain-traction

In the comments section

To the Editor:

It’s deja vu all over again in Cleveland. “Prominent person says we need to gather data”. This happened shortly after George Voinovich began his rescue of Cleveland. McKinsey and Company, the eminent consulting firm, recommended to Cleveland that it put together a team to gather and analyze data about Cleveland’s economy. The team created was the Center for Regional Economic Issues (REI) and it was housed at Case Western Reserve University for about two decades.

 

But REI was abandoned, in a fit of University management, conflicting visions, and unclear missions for the organization.

 

Nobody stepped into the breach.

 

During its existence, REI produced several important reports, including all of the underlying data and analysis in the City of Cleveland’s “Civic Visions 2000” report, which, for the first time, revealed accurate data about employment in downtown Cleveland and University Circle, correctly predicting the growth of our medical industry. Furthermore, the research highlighted the quiet but steady building up of the downtown housing community, which in recent years seems to be in full bloom. REI also commented on the Stadium situation, recognizing the simple fact that Baseball and Basketball bring fans downtown many, many times more often than does the eight home games per year of Football.

 

REI or something like it needs to be resurrected and funded. One important change to be made, however, is that it should be an independent entity, not subject to the whims and dictates of any University, nor of any Business Organization, nor of our Political Establishment. If REI sticks to Urban Economics concerning Cleveland, it will always be of benefit to Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and the Northeast Ohio Region. Let it stay out of “job promotion” and “industry attraction”, and just do the simple job of saying what the facts are, and what they mean.

 

As to location, that’s a tough one. Cleveland State has the excellent Levin College of Urban Affairs. But Case Western Reserve has the better economists and research. Maybe the best solution is to draw from both, much as the Case Medical School is now affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic as much as it is University Hospitals. We’re all Clevelanders and we all want to know how we’re doing, what worked, what could work. I wish this effort much luck.

 

Sincerely,

 

William C. Ferry, Esq.

(former REI research assistant)

What about a regional planning commission

Cleveland's economy fails to gain traction

 

What a misleading headline, when the complaint is about data collection, not the state of the economy.  The data are there, in a number of regularly-updated, mostly federal databases. All that's needed is a consistent collection and display effort - which is what organizations like GCP and Team NEO used to do.  No need for PhDs to get involved. 

Reddit is reporting layoffs at American Greerings today:

 

"My friends are in for a rough day at American Greetings as the new owners sent everyone an email this morning explaining how some of them will be laid off today. Individuals are being called into private meetings and then shortly later escorted out the door. At least a few people have taken part in that parade already.

 

Seems like a weird day of the week to do such a thing and also a fairly humiliating way to do it..."

You never want to do it on Monday or Friday because that heightens the emotional impact.

Cleveland Clinic adding 2,500 new employees, will you be one of them?

 

The Cleveland Clinic employs about 55,000 people, and they're now looking to hire 2,500 more.

 

You don't have to be a doctor or nurse to work there and they have openings that range from entry level to advanced.

 

The hospital system holds monthly employment workshops headed up, in part, by Kimberly Peavy, the program manager of talent acquisition at the Cleveland Clinic.

 

http://www.cleveland19.com/story/38450020/cleveland-clinic-job-workshop

Twinsburg founded, now Columbus-based, CoverMyMeds just announced a new headquarters with 1000 new employees in Columbus. If we're talking about missed opportunities and incompetent leadership, the question needs to be asked how the hell we can keep these companies growing locally.