Interesting stuff and good ideas, JDD. But bad diplomacy. I think the joke with my article is that your union leaders didn't return my calls to get their take on the city's proposals. They usually do return calls, and are often helpful. But by their silence they let the city officials do the talking for them. Sad for them. And if they're as effective in the PR battles as they are negotiations, sad for you.

  Not to jump to the immediate defense, but the issue of merging fire and EMS is an issue that has been around for some time.  This issue has been like trying to open a brick wall with your head, it just isn't working.  I think our union leadership does a great job for us at the CFD.  There are ALWAYS issues that have to be dealt with, and not all resolutions please the membership as a whole, but the usual outcome is for the betterment of the department.  These past few months have been a little hectic for our leadership due to the fact our president (Boob Fisher) stepped down and a new president had to be elected.  This caused a chain reaction because current officials ran for a higher office to replace one another.  When all the dust settles, I am sure your requests will be honered.  Believe me, they have been very busy dealing with other issues at the time that CAN be remedied.  I suggest you ask for the Secretary (I could give you his name and number via personal email as long as you keep your source out of it!!!!)

 

  One of the biggest reasons that the union does NOT make this a priority is because we have been told since Jane's admin and during Jackson's admin that this merge will NEVER happen.  Then unspoken reason that this will never happen is because of the diversity that EMS represents as apposed to Police and Fire.  Fire is approx 23-26% black and has very few women.  I am not sure about the numbers on Police.  EMS however, has numbers that are closer to the makeup of the city population, therefore the city doesn't want that to go away.  The reason that EMS can produce these numbers is because their employees are appointed, while Police and Fire have to take a written entrance exam, then if passed, the candidates have to take a job related physical exam...upon completion, you are ranked on an eligibility list based on your combined scores.  I am against diversity in the ranks, as long as you can earn your score through hard work and determination.  The physical aspect of the job doesn't discriminate when you are chasing a bad guy, or fighting a fire, so I believe that there should be no "allowances" due to sex.  As long as you earn your spot on the list fair and square, I could give two shits less what's between your legs and what color you are.  If my ass gets in the jackpot, I want WHOEVER there that can get me out of trouble when things turn to shit in a fire...plain and simple! 

 

  The whole "lawsuit" issue can get very heated, opinionated, and messy...so I think thats why sometimes people just don't talk about it.  If you are part of the lawsuit, you "want something for nothing", if you are against it you are automatically deemed "racist" or "sexist".  Maybe this is one reason that the union avoids this issue...not sure? 

 

  All I do know is, the city is willing to cut its nose off to spite its face to stop this from happening(merger).  Is it because of the race issue?  Is it because there are ex EMS officials that now hold higher ranking offices in city hall?  Is it city hall "pride" that such a money saving idea could only be thought up by the city so no way could the IAFF come up with this plan?

 

  I would love to put you in contact with the right people KJP.  This is an issue that has been skirted by the TV media and our wonderful PD.  Yes, the PD has touched on it, but never has shown any hard facts or figures as to the extent of the money savings as well has the ability to do two jobs more efficiently with less people.

Reacting with lip service -- and lead feet

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Thomas Ott and Tom Breckenridge

Plain Dealer Reporters

 

Northeast Ohio is warming to regionalism.

 

But if your furnace took this long to heat up, you would call a repairman.

 

Three years ago, The Plain Dealer began publishing "A Region Divided," a series exploring how Cuyahoga County and its 59 communities might benefit by eliminating duplicated services, sharing taxes across political boundaries and planning with a regional view.

 

 

More at

http://www.cleveland.com/region/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/isreg/1177847827255890.xml&coll=2

I'm not sold on regionalism

 

"Reflections"

 

By MARY JANE SKALA

 

GO TO 'World War III flickers' column

 

May 31, 2007

 

Cleveland is dying. Downtown is comatose, businesses are fleeing and people are fleeing Cuyahoga County. Leaders are wringing their hands, wondering what to do.

 

Regionalism, someone says.

 

Ears perk up. Regionalism?

 

Regionalism. You know, where we take an eraser to suburban boundaries and run this area like one big happy family.

 

More at www.sunnews.com

downtown is comatose??  actually last i heard the city is on fire and the zombies are eating pedestrians left and right... which is of course further adding to the loss of population

^Mary Jane Skala is a Cleveland hater; and a lousy journalist to boot.  A few years ago, she trashed Shaker Square and a lot of Sun Press readers reacted, to which she retreated to some bogus 'objective journalism' standard.  I'm not saying she should be a sunshine blower, but she's way negative toward anything urban.  She sounds like a typical Republican, live in the lilly-white, homogeneous burbs type.  It's a blot on the Sun Newspapers that this woman would be the major editorial columnist.  She's awful.  I'm not saying regionalism is the be all, end all, but her arguments against it are so full of holes...

"Regionalism. You know, where we take an eraser to suburban boundaries and run this area like one big happy family."

 

How is she boiling down regionalism and all of the efforts that could possibly be made under the guise of regionalism into this one generalized statement? and then basing her entire argument and article on it?

To protect her entrenched interest in fragmented urban governance.  She's safe on her little suburban lifeboat.  How can it possibly sink when the ship goes down?

Somehow, people wonder why young people aren't attracted to this region.  Show them this article as case-in-point.  Thank God for people that read this board and attempt to ameliorate the problem, rather than putting their heads into the sand.  Or, in her case, writing poorly conceived articles. 

 

She needs to examine how Louisville, Indianapolis, and, to a lesser extent, Columburb (annexation rather than regionalism, per se), have been affected by the benefits of a united front.  After all, a county divided against itself cannot stand.

Hold on. Many of us in the suburbs aren't buying it yet.

 

I stopped reading right here. Any credibility went right out the window.

Especially since it was Pepper Pike Mayor Bruce Akers who took the lead on the regionalism front. Working together is just good business, and no one (especially employers) likes to be in a house where its family members fight and steal from each other. There are three options I can think of to squelch the lack of cooperation -- move to another house, stay but add on to the house so we don't have to encounter each other as often, or sit down together in an intervention to work out our problems (like sharing the car, the bathroom, the kitchen etc. rather than building duplicate ones). We've tried the first two approaches and we've seen they don't work at all. So when we make baby steps toward the third, someone who is uncapable of understanding what's at stake dumps on it. Great thinking, MJ.

 

I have had to withhold my tongue here a bit on Skala's past columns. But not anymore.

 

I encourage all of you to write letters to the editor of Sun to express your own opinions on regionalism....

 

Mary Jane Skala, senior editor East

3355 Richmond Rd., Suite 171

Beachwood OH 44122-4171

(216) 986-5890

Fax (216) 464-8816

or (216) 986-5891

[email protected]

and/or [email protected]

 

Be sure to include a daytime phone number with your letter so your identity can be verified.

Criticize Mary Jane all you want.  But she's more right than wrong, and close to 100% reflective of the views of typical suburbanites.  Suburbanites make up about 2/3 of the population of Cuyahoga County.

 

Even in the so-called "inner ring" suburbs, there would be very strong resistance to a merger with Cleveland.  Ask people in Maple Heights, Euclid, or Lakewood what they think of the idea.  Expect to hear some unbroadcastable language. 

 

Indeed, a referendum in Collinwood would probably favor splitting off from Cleveland, for exactly the reasons specified.  Even though they'd probably still be stuck in Cleveland schools (ask Walton Hills about that issue.)  Of course, the schools would be another reason why suburbs from East Cleveland to Strongsville would object to a merger.

 

People don't trust "big government".  When they have the option, they prefer to deal with smaller, more accesible governments.  People in the suburbs also see the caliber of elected "leaders" the city selects, and how they run their campaigns.  They want no part of it.

 

Some aspects of regionalism make sense, but taking it to its extreme (merger) is unfeasible.

^ No doubt you're right about suburban fear, but regionalism around here isn't about merging the cities. We're talking about SERVICES. In 2020, will we have really lost so much if a Lakewood cop's cruiser says "Cuyahoga County Police?" This place can be so parochial, it's obnoxious.

E Rocc, that type of hyberbole fear of things that aren't even on the table is the kind of action that stifles innovation and productive change. MJ was irresponsible for even suggesting that such a merger was a topic of discussion among government leaders. She owes her readers an apology, and you should know better for buying into it.

 

For a more rational discussion of regionalized public services, please see Parma Heights Mayor Martin Zanotti's letter to the editor which appeared in some of today's Sun papers (the Brooklyn Sun Journal was one of them).

 

This reminds me of Stephen Douglas' response to Abe Lincoln's "House Divided" speech, in which Douglas fomented fear that abolitionists wanted white people to "sleep" with black people. Lincoln, in his common-folk style, replied "Just because I don't want a negro for a slave doesn't mean I want one for a wife."

 

Remember that a mind is like a parachute, it only functions when open.

E Rocc, that type of hyberbole fear of things that aren't even on the table is the kind of action that stifles innovation and productive change. MJ was irresponsible for even suggesting that such a merger was a topic of discussion among government leaders. She owes her readers an apology, and you should know better for buying into it.

 

The thing is, everyone jumped on her comments, but no one criticized her for taking "regionalism" to its obvious conclusion until I defended her.  The first three pages of this thread made it clear that many see the current explorations of regionalism as "baby steps".  Baby steps towards what, if not mergers? 

 

The suburbs and even Cleveland aren't the self contained bureaucratic islands some claim.  Examples of regionalism abound:  RITA, Southeast Area Law Enforcement, the Cleveland Division of Air Pollution Control, and even RTA come to mind.  Though the last two show some of regionalisms drawbacks:  CDAPC's generally believed to be giving applicants in Cleveland proper priority these days, and RTA does not serve places like Maple Heights as well as the old MHTS did.  Another good example would be trash pickup, though it's been "regionalized" largely through privatization.

 

Ironically, the examples most often given are police and fire services.  Those are already quite regionalized through mutual support agreements.  Indeed, some towns don't even have their own stations or departments.  For example, Walton Hills is covered by Maple Heights and Oakwood's departments. 

 

Regionalism is already happening, though it usually doesn't cover the entire region.  But when people talk about "baby steps", or use Indy, Louisville, and Columbus as examples, suburbanites are going to get suspicious.

Structural consolidation is probably unlikely... what Greater Cleveland should investigate is something like the tax base sharing program implemented in Minnesota's Twin Cities region. 

If mergers happen, it doubt it will be in my lifetime. Baby steps can mean a whole range of changes. Remember, we're dealing with elected officials here, who consider mutual response agreements (a step up from mutual aid) among fire departments as a dramatic step. A more dramatic change might be a regional economic development fund that's in the offing. And tax-base sharing may be considered as downright radical. Mergers are so far in the unobservable distance for elected officials that no one I've interviewed is even willing to give it much more than a nervous chuckle.

 

Problem is, MJ doesn't interview the people who are involved in these discussions. I do. Yet she saw fit to comment on something of which she has little knowledge, and used innuendo to fill in her many voids of information. How do I know this about her? I don't think it's a secret here that we work for the same company.

Neighbor cities see benefits to uniting

 

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Thomas OttPlain Dealer Reporter

Talk of regionalism in Northeast Ohio typically begins with an ambitious look at countywide governance and ends with most of us too timid to take the leap.

 

But what if we began with baby steps?

 

What would you say about merging some of our suburbs? Are our municipal identities worth millions of dollars in duplicated services? Does a region of our size need hundreds of city council members, scores of fire chiefs and dozens of libraries?

 

 

More at http://www.cleveland.com/region/

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Also visit this link about a Cleveland Heights and University Heights merger.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/region/wide/index.ssf?/region/wide/region1_0617.html

 

 

And this one about comparing the merged cities w/cities of similar size.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/region/wide/index.ssf?/region/wide/region2_0617.html

 

 

And this interactive map we've seen before about the top spots for folks out of NEO.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/pdgraphics/interactive/neoohiomigration/map/m10000.html

 

 

For once, I like what the PD wrote

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Also visit this link about a Cleveland Heights and University Heights merger.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/region/wide/index.ssf?/region/wide/region1_0617.html

 

as a tax paying CH resident, I would have absolutely no objection to any type of merger with UH.....

Rocc, I don't think it's as negative as some may think. Here in the DC area....most schools, police and fire are run on a county level. There are a few hamlets that may take control of one aspect or another....but you don't have 45 police departments in one county or 40 school districts. As for the idea that a central government controlling a vast area means less representation or an idea of "big government" is a bit far fetched. We have county reps that represent certain districts that are held accountable for their actions, just like mayors of suburban 'cities'. Looking at the political corruption that has plagued Parma over the last 30 years or so, I'm all a 'regionalism' change there.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/region/wide/index.ssf?/region/wide/region2_0617.html

 

regarding this link, it's interesting that they leave out wickliffe from the willoughby, willoughby hills, willowick, eastlake, lakeline, timberlake theoretical merger.  unless you are from the immediate vicinity, everyone just calls this area willoughby.  the overabundance of places starting with W just confuses outsiders.  that and the fact that wickliffe and willowick are virtually indistinguishable.  i do realize that these are collections of burbs that share school systems.  wickliffe is the hole in the half-eaten donut of the willoughby-eastlake district. 

Rocc, I don't think it's as negative as some may think. Here in the DC area....most schools, police and fire are run on a county level. There are a few hamlets that may take control of one aspect or another....but you don't have 45 police departments in one county or 40 school districts. As for the idea that a central government controlling a vast area means less representation or an idea of "big government" is a bit far fetched. We have county reps that represent certain districts that are held accountable for their actions, just like mayors of suburban 'cities'. Looking at the political corruption that has plagued Parma over the last 30 years or so, I'm all a 'regionalism' change there.

 

I used to live in Maple Heights, which is one of the worse run suburbs out there (it used to be one of the better ones).  Would I ever have wanted it to merge with Cleveland? No way.  Now I live in Bedford, and the idea of merging with Maple Heights would suck (as anyone who's ever crossed their border after a snowfall could attest).  If I lived in Walton Hills, no way would I want to merge with either....but Maple Heights does WH's building inspection and Maple and Oakwood share fire duties. 

 

There's nothing wrong with limited sharing, indeed its often a good idea.  But the PD article (and some of our earlier posts) clearly advocated something bigger and more cumbersome, namely the absorbtion of suburbs.  Which exist for a reason.

Now I live in Bedford, and the idea of merging with Maple Heights would suck (as anyone who's ever crossed their border after a snowfall could attest). 

 

I don't think it works that, there's something called "economies of scale", You don't take good plowing from bedford add in bad plowing from maple heights, divide by two to get "so-so" plowing.........

 

(and seriously, if snow removal is the worst thing you can say about a city.....)

Study: Region must face divisions

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Thomas Ott

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

To benefit black residents, regional cooperation in Cuyahoga County must go beyond government reform and tackle divisive issues such as housing and education, a new study says.

 

The study, commissioned by the Presidents' Council, a group of 17 chief executives at black-owned businesses, recommends opening high-achieving suburban schools to Cleveland children.

 

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

 

 

 

Speaking of regionalism

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

 

Consultants will talk today about their new report, "Regionalism: Growing Together to Expand Opportunity to All," which outlines how regional cooperation can benefit the poor and minorities.

 

The report was commissioned by the Presidents' Council, a group of 17 chief executives at black-owned businesses The event is at 11 a.m. in the conference center at the InterContinental Hotel Cleveland, 9801 Carnegie Ave., Cleveland. The report's recommendations include:

 

Curbing sprawl by imposing fees on development in Cleveland's outer suburbs.

 

Getting rid of rules that discourage construction of affordable homes in outer suburbs.

 

Offering tax breaks to developers who build less expensive housing and landlords who accept rent vouchers.

 

Expanding Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority service and building homes near bus and rail lines.

 

SOURCE: The Presidents' Council

PD:

 

A Region Uniting?

Region's leaders are slow to take the reins

Sunday, July 15, 2007

 

Our congressional delegation: They collectively bring millions of dollars to the region for colleges, hospitals and other projects, yet most are reluctant to make governments cooperate as a condition for getting the money.

 

Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a Cleveland Democrat, says it's not her job to push for local tax sharing or regional planning.

 

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

pd:

 

A Region Uniting?

Regional cooperation? Great idea! Let's do lunch.

So many leaders. Who will lead us

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Thomas Ott

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

And so it goes with regionalism in Northeast Ohio. Lots of talk, little action. Many acknowledge the untapped potential to streamline government, save money for taxpayers and perk up the economy, but inertia rules.

 

Who can get the ball rolling? In the third installment of The Plain Dealer's

 

“A Region Uniting?” series, we name names.

 

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

pd:

 

How regional reforms were achieved elsewhere in U.S.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Thomas Ott

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

A central city losing population. A region with duplicated services and high taxes. Cries for unity behind economic development.

 

Sounds like Northeast Ohio. But these were actually factors that drove regional reforms elsewhere in the United States.

 

The moves, however, did not happen on their own. They required leadership. Here is a look at who led and who helped.

 

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

pd:

 

Hurdles to regional planning: Surrendering power, staying focused

Sunday, July 15, 2007

 

State Rep. Tom Patton, a Strongsville Republican, on offer ing state money to spur regional cooperation: "It's like the old saying about you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. They still have to do it. At the end of the day, people like being mayor, like being the city council president. . . . Everybody has their own territory, and no one wants to surrender it."

 

State Sen. Bob Spada, a North Royalton Republican, on where he thinks regionalism ranks: "Some of the things that we're doing, like putting more money into K- 12 and higher education, it seems those are the priorities that we're hearing from our citizens rather than streamlining government. If it got to a point where citizens' priorities became different, I think you would see us respond accordingly."

 

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

 

I'm sure this will stimulate some discussion!!

_______________

 

 

THE EDITOR'S COLUMN:

Think regionally, obstruct locally, stupid planning

 

By: John G. Cole, Editor, The (Lorain) Morning Journal

07/29/2007

 

Regionalism, shared strategies for growth and government, has been the professed goal in Northern Ohio for some time now. Sharing services and cooperating on economic development can save money and avoid unproductive competition over jobs.

 

In theory, it makes sense and I suppose there exist some fine examples of success. But when you look closely at regionalism you see the same bureaucracy, bullies and baloney that are too often more an impediment than a help.

 

More at

http://www.morningjournal.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=18633805&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=566374&rfi=8

Wow!

I don't even know where to begin with that.

Sadly, that is probably the opinion of many residents outside of the county.

Somebody please get this guy to come to this website and LEARN something, dammit.

City Hall Press Release:

 

From: Office of the Mayor and the Department of Public Utilities

Andrea V. Taylor, Press Secretary (216) 664-4171 or (216) 857-7998

Michelle Watts, Assist. to the Chief of Communications

(216) 664-3999

 

For Immediate Release:

July 30, 2007

 

Cities of Cleveland, Lakewood and Bedford

Reshape Business Practices for a Successful Future

 

CLEVELAND – Through the leadership of Mayor Frank G. Jackson and regional cooperation from the Cuyahoga County Mayors and Managers Association, a Water Service Agreement has been reached between the City of Cleveland and the City of Lakewood, as well as between Cleveland and the City of Bedford. These monumental agreements are rooted in the basic principles of economic regionalism: the participating cities equitably share income taxes when businesses move from one city to another, allowing both to benefit from the move.

“These agreements signify the end of ‘business as usual’ and mark the beginning of how we do business in the future,” said Mayor Jackson.

 

WHO: Mayor Frank G. Jackson, City of Cleveland

Mayor Thomas J. George, City of Lakewood

Mayor Daniel Pocek, City of Bedford

WHAT: Water Service Agreement Signing

WHEN: TODAY - Monday, July 30, 2007

11:00 a.m.

 

WHERE: Mayor’s Red Room, (Room 202)

Cleveland City Hall

601 Lakeside Avenue

Cleveland, Ohio

 

- 30 -

 

Louisville, Ky. (left):

 

A bipartisan, grass-roots alliance persuaded voters to merge Louisville and Jefferson County into one city, the nation's 23rd largest when the merger took effect in 2003. Louisville's then-Mayor Dave Armstrong and Rebecca Jackson, the county's chief executive at the time, led the "Vote Yes for Unity" campaign. The consolidation, which passed on the last of four attempts dating to 1956, kept Lexington from passing Louisville as Kentucky's largest city. It also united the county in its attempt to attract jobs.

 

Historically the big cheerleader for merger was the Louisville Courier-Journal and Louisville Times, as the family that owned the papers were quite progressive and saw this as a positive thing.

 

Also, in the early days of postwar suburbia, some things were merged, or never allowed to split off.  The sewers were all part of the Metropolitian Sewer District (MSD), and water provided by Louisville Water Company.  When parks were extended to suburbia it was via the Metroparks, which included both the city and suburban parks.  And, most important, planning and zoning was done countywide, not via seperate entititys.  There was also one county school district and one city district (merged in the 1970s). 

 

There was a plethora of little suburban governments, which started out as tax dodges from the city.  Yet, these were never really viable communitys...in most case they were just incorporated subdivisions, which didnt really have the tax base to provide a full range of services.  They were represented in County government and paid County taxes, so when merger came, they also were represented by merged government, too.

 

It is really the paradox of merger that the excessive amount of suburblettes helped make merger more a possibility as "Holly Villa" or "Strathrmoore Manor" or "Plantation" as muncipalities were seen sort of as more neighborhood government (maybe they could afford one cop in a LTD cruiser), while "real" govenment was at the county level.

 

"The most despicable misdeed by NOACA was when they slow danced with Congressman Dennis Kucinich and blocked commuter rail from coming to Lorain and points further west.

 

The plan was to explore using short, fast commuter trains on the N&W tracks from Cleveland to downtown Lorain and back with quick stops along the way. It would reduce auto traffic, encourage redevelopment of downtown Lorain (including the reclamation project of turning abandoned shipyards into upscale housing), and provide a tourist attraction on the weekends.

 

But some knuckleheads from the western suburbs, who voluntarily chose to build or buy a house close to the tracks, complained about added noise pollution and safety and Kucinich galloped to the rescue. This self-annointed populist lowered the hammer on NOACA who lowered the hammer on commuter rail. I'd like to lower the hammer on his peculiar brand of political phoniness.

 

Anyway, a worthy project was buried because an occasional train whistle kept some white-loafered geezer in Bay Village from his afternoon nap.

 

The truth is, we are being bullied in the name of regionalism. I'm not sure we can do much about it, but at least let's recognize it for what it is."

 

Hmmm....I suspect some here might have an issue with the blocking of the commuter rail project, and I can certainly sympathize with the antipathy towards those who object to things that were already there when they built/bought their house.

Cleveland and suburbs are starting to pull together - an editorial

 

Sunday, August 05, 2007

 

When one Cuyahoga County municipal ity gains population and jobs, chances are it's because another lost them.

 

That's what happens in nongrowth markets. But small signs indicate that this winner-take-all mind-set is starting to change, thanks in part to agreements dealing with water that Cleveland has forged with about a dozen communities.

 

More at

http://www.cleveland.com/politics/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1186217215124870.xml&coll=2

I don't know about Lakewood, but Bedford maintains its own water department.  I suspect that had something to do with this deal.  Other suburbs are already part of CDW/NEORSD.  Which, by the way, is one of the the least efficient local utilities to deal with.  For example, bills can't be paid online and they expect two checks to be sent...one to CDW, one to NEORSD (separate PO boxes).

 

A lot of the industrial growth in the Twinsburg area isn't in Twinsburg, it's in Twinsburg Township.  A few years ago there was a ballot initiative to merge the two.  It would have had to pass in both (IMO, the way it should be).  IIRC it passed in Twinsburg and failed massively in the Township.

[i know this is a relatively long article, but I agree with so much of what he had to say. It was originally printed 5 years ago, and the PD just re-printed it as a commentary on today's largely unchanged situation.]

 

Cleveland's problems have been identified; leaders are needed: Richard A. Shatten

Region must move past old complaints

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Richard A. Shatten

 

Over the last 20 years, I have been struck by the ease with which people offer simple strategies to address highly complex problems.

 

In the late 1980s, for example, I had occasion to speak across the region on our economy. I would speak to the need for a stronger research base, a better downtown, housing and more entrepreneurs. Virtually without exception, the first solution offered in those days was, "Aren't we going to build a domed stadium?"

 

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

pd:

 

Mayors call regionalism key to competitiveness

Friday, August 10, 2007

Jesse Tinsley

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Communities throughout Northeast Ohio, from small struggling townships to economically thriving suburbs, must embrace regionalism if the area is to remain competitive on a national and global level, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said Thursday night.

 

Jackson's appeal for regional cooperation was echoed by the mayor of Youngstown and a deputy mayor of Akron, who spoke at the Cleveland 365 forum "The Region's New Vision" at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. About 1,000 professionals from the area attended.

 

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

It's great this stuff is finally beginning to happen. It's exciting that communities are trying to think and work together to better this whole region.

Just merge Cleveland and Cuyahoga County and get it over with pls.

no  I don't want a "miami dade county" personally

Just merge Cleveland and Cuyahoga County and get it over with pls.

 

On my list of things to do.

 

no  I don't want a "miami dade county" personally

 

OK, so merge and rename Cleveland County, Ohio.

Thread has been cleaned. Enough with the image responses.

Come on!!!

Less talk - more action.

 

pd:

 

Cleveland development chief Chris Warren calls for regional thinking

Development chief devising strategies

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Susan Vinella

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Cleveland's new economic development chief said Tuesday that if the city and the region want to grow, leaders should work toward more joint development, shared taxes and mandatory "green" building standards.

 

Chris Warren, the city's first regional economic development director, said he's working with Mayor Frank Jackson on a game plan for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio that could include:

 

More at

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/118777312438490.xml&coll=2

Come on!!!

Less talk - more action.

 

I'm excited by the fact that they are at least getting a plan together. I think it's about time the city is thinking outside the box in some ways, and I definitely applaud their efforts at moving forward on this.

One item I haven't seen discussed much here was the highway/roadway infastructure of the region.  If we are really going to move towards regionalism, we're going to need to be able to travel within the region with a lot more simplicity.  Some of the Inner-Ring suburbs on the East side are simply land-locked.  Trying to get to Cleveland Heights, University Heights, or Shaker Heights from anywhere outside those areas is pretty tough - even Univesity Circle is a challenge.  Road Construction projects seem to take FOREVER to complete. How long has the 480/77 Intersection been under construction?  And aside from resurfacing it, are they actuall adding lanes or doing anything that will improve traffic flow?  What about the Euclid Project?  Or Mayfield Road?  S-L-O-W.

 

Travelling point to point downtown isn't that easy either.  I will be moving downtown shortly, but don't work downtown.  My company has an office there, but it really wouldn't be any more practical for me to work downtown as I'm a little too far to walk and jumping on the RTA to go across town would be just about as long as driving 15 miles to my office.

 

I lived in Dallas for 6 years, possibly the dictionary definition of Urban Sprawl.  People would live as far as 45 miles from downtown and still commute.  Why?  Because it wasn't that hard to drive anywhere.  All highways were 4 lanes and even your regular streets were all 2 or 3 lanes.  Why aren't roads like 82 from Strongsville all the way to Twinsburg 2 lanes the entire way?  Or other state routes like 14, 17, 21, 43, 237, etc.  It's almost faster to get to Solon from the airport than it is to go to Bay Village, which is about half of the distance.  State Road and Ridge Road are traffic nightmares.  Why does 480 shrink down to 2 lanes by 71/Airport?  There are just a lot of major roads that aren't as effective at funneling traffic as they could be.

 

I think part of the lack of a regional feel falls on this problem.  Everyone is so confined to where they can get easily, they aren't able to appreciate the great things various parts of the city (which is all relatively close) have to offer because they are trapped in their own part of town.

this is why we need express rail in the city.

 

Getting to shaker heights or cleveland hts via public transportation from downtown is quick and easy!

So are you saying you want to encourage urban sprawl?