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DONT BE FOOLED BY THE THREAT OF SAFETY FORCE LAYOFFS WHILE THE ADMINISTRATION INCREASES IN SIZE AND SALARIES. PLEASE CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK FOR INFORMATION ON THE LAND AQUISITION TAX SCHEME, ALSO KNOWN AS ISSUE 65 - SAFETY LEVY:

PLEASE CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK TO VIEW 2015 TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGE FOR ALL CITY OF SOUTH EUCLID EMPLOYEES.





Monday, December 31, 2007

Great Programs

South Euclid Oversight endorses the "COMMUNITY ALERT NOTIFICATION SYSTEM". To register on line, please click on the link below:

  • http://216.144.36.96/signup/communitysignup.asp
  • Fire Chief Thomas Cannell seems to be prepared for his task as Emergency Coordinator of this newly implemented system. He is also the adviser for the "CERT" program - "COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM". It would be great if they could include a unit of volunteers to this team specifically devoted to animal rescue. Please click on the link below to read more about "CERT".

    Please click on the image below to view full size.

    Tuesday, December 18, 2007

    Your Right To Know

    To obtain public records from the City of South Euclid, contact:
    • Keith Benjamin
    • City of South Euclid
    • 1349 South Green Road
    • South Euclid, Ohio 44121-3985
    • Telephone: 216-381-0400
    • Kbenjamin@seuclid.com
    The Ohio General Assembly passed the Open Meetings and Public Records acts, collectively known as the "Sunshine Laws."
    You may obtain a FREE copy (they'll also mail it to you at no charge) of the "Ohio Sunshine Laws Update" - frequently referred to as the "Yellow Book" by contacting:
    • The Ohio Attorney General's Office
    • Constitutional Offices Section
    • Public Records Unit
    • 30 E. Broad St. - 17th Floor
    • Columbus, Ohio 43215-3428
    • Telephone: 614-644-5224

    2010 Ohio Sunshine Laws Manual


    Click on the following link for the Ohio Attorney General's website and to view the "Ohio Sunshine Laws."

    Please click on the article below to view full size.

    Sunday, December 16, 2007

    Inconsistent Explanations

    Two different individuals seeking information regarding the "certified Arborist" at the Cutter's Creek development received inconsistent information from the City of South Euclid.

    Why are City officials avoiding these questions and concocting answers to fit their desired scenario?

    • First- the City responds that the Arborist report can only be obtained by contacting the Developer.
    • Next- City officials state that the Developer is "on notice" regarding the Arborist report.
    • Finally- the City claims that an Arborist is not required until after the construction is completed.

    Please review the entire text of the Resolution that granted a Conditional Use Permit to build the Cutter's Creek development:

    On the website for South Euclid that contains "approved" minutes from City Council meetings, we find it cagey that the public comments from the meeting on July 23, 2007 have been conveniently omitted.

    Please click on each individual image to view full-size document. Use your "back arrow" to return to the origonal post.

    Saturday, December 8, 2007

    Actions Speak Louder Than Words

    Caution: The article below entitled "SE looking to be more green", may induce vomiting. The words hypocrisy and absurd come immediately to mind. The current decision makers at City Hall who are on the public dime and supposed to act on their behalf, have managed to successfully promote the destruction of some of the last remaining forested areas of the City. They have displayed rampant disregard for the citizens' outcries and concerns for the sake of development and developers. A chummy relationship with those willing to help bolster a political resume has superseded the responsibility owed to the taxpayer doling out the cash to pay their ever-increasing salaries. So what if the acres upon acres of irreplaceable greenspace are mowed down in the name of "progress"? Now, suddenly in an attempt to appease on paper because the natives are becoming aware and restless there is a concern with nature?
    • Greenvale can NOT be considered "greenspace" by any stretch of the term.
    • A "splash park" in lieu of a former city pool is not "greenspace".

    Meanwhile, the City has battled entire neighborhoods in court to force the approval of inappropriate cluster housing in perhaps the last of the truly unique areas of South Euclid despite the outrage of the people.

    • Will their alleged sudden awakening inspire new legislation to eliminate the highly controversial "PURD", otherwise known as Planned Unit Residential Development?
    • Will City Council enact legislation to reduce the density of new housing projects being forced down residents throats in established neighborhoods?

    We question the sincerity of these banner-waving efforts in the name of the environment considering almost all the previous actions at City Hall have proved to be the opposite.

    Please click on individual images below to view full size.

    Friday, November 30, 2007

    Disgraceful Legal Fees

    The exhibit below represents legal fees paid by the City of South Euclid for the first 10 months only of the year 2007. The information was provided by the city in response to a public information request. Please note that South Euclid Oversight interprets the information provided. Indecipherable or unverifiable expenditures have been EXCLUDED to err in favor of the city. The calculated totals shown are most likely TOO LOW.
    • According to the calculations, the total amount spent on legal fees for the Law Director (including the base salary) and "outside" or contractual legal counsel for this administration's first term in office, January 2004-October 2007 = $728,107.53

    • Of that total, the amount paid to the Law Director for the same period of time was at least $474,365.30 including his "PART-TIME" base salary as noted in the exhibit, but excluding benefits.

    Please click on the link below to view the summary of legal fees for 2004, 2005 and 2006:

    http://southeuclidoversight.blogspot.com/2007/03/south-euclid-legal-fees_13.html

    Please click on document to view full size.

    Wednesday, November 28, 2007

    YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!

    CONTACT ROBERT SCHOENEWALD TO JOIN THE MOVEMENT TO REPEAL ORDINANCE 65-05 AT: rschoenewald@roadrunner.com or call 216-381-9933.

    Friday, November 9, 2007

    Band-Aids vs Reconstructive Surgery

    After acknowledging that this problem has existed for at least 4 years- this is the best our local government could come up with - allocating $ 25,000 regarding this issue?

    Flooding problems appear to be a much more serious issue than say, what window treatments residents might choose or be able to afford.

    Without the help of any scientific research, we will hazard a guess that there are more residents whose houses are inundated with water and/or sewage than those worrying about their neighbor’s window coverings.

    The council recently touted their window treatment legislation calling this a “strong law.” We are unaware of a rampant predicament in this city regarding inappropriate window coverings. We must question the effectiveness of the Administration and City Council to work together, when more time is spent on such trivial matters, when other issues require more attention, and in a quicker fashion.

    If a substantial amount of South Euclid’s infrastructure is in need of repair or replacement, our local government should give us the straight story once and for all, and stop delaying the inevitable.

    Perhaps some of the TAX INCREASE from 2005 could have been used for this instead of raises across the board.

    As usual, these people who we look to as leaders have come up woefully short; and once again choose to use the word LEGAL to justify their questionable maneuvers.

    Please click on image to view full-size article.

    Saturday, November 3, 2007

    Tax Increase Bell Rings AGAIN

    The South Euclid Lyndhurst School District is preparing to ask voters again to dig a little deeper into their seemingly bottomless pockets for more money. Details regarding the specific staffing and program cuts that will be necessary have not been released. Does this put the SEL School District’s potential involvement in a Recreation Center to rest once and for all? Please click on image to view full size.

    Sunday, October 28, 2007

    A Few More Thoughts....

    Please click on the link below for a reader's comment along with a few more thoughts regarding the post, "Show Me The Money". We thought that based on the much appreciated reader's comment that some clarification was in order. We welcome your comments and thank everyone for their interest and support. http://southeuclidoversight.blogspot.com/2007/10/show-me-money.html

    Saturday, October 27, 2007

    Show Me The Money!

    Seeing is most absolutely believing; so we ask that South Euclid City Hall open up the books and show people the money in the form of a canceled check. Now, we know that it has been their practice in the past to handle messy details such as these behind closed doors in “Executive Session”, but Mayor Welo could not be more accurate when she stated the city's need to “...explain what we're doing...” Trust but verify indeed; while they are at it, it would be most appreciated if they provide the details regarding the ($17 Million) Bond repayment schedule.

    How interesting that between September 4, 2007 and October 25, 2007 the Sun Messenger’s reporting on the total cost of the Cedar Center development fluctuated $60 Million.


    What will it take for us to get the whole TRUE story on this venture?


    How can it be that the tax payers of South Euclid must foot the bill for environmental cleanup? Would this not be Coral Company’s concern now that they are supposedly going to PURCHASE the property?


    Some of the so called facts don’t quite add up in this tangled web.



    Please click on image to view full size.

    Wednesday, October 24, 2007

    Changing Story

    Notice the dates on these Sun Messenger articles located online. Please click on image to view full size.

    Saturday, October 20, 2007

    Drowning In Retail

    The Plain Dealer published this article on October 16, 2007. As previously discussed at this site, retail will not be the savior of Cuyahoga County and certainly not of South Euclid. Did this Administration and City Council act responsibly by spending 17 million taxpayer dollars to purchase the Cedar Center property and run established business out of South Euclid? Should City Hall be in the real estate business?

    Please see other postings this site regarding Cedar Center:

    Thursday, October 11, 2007

    Encouraging More Tax Hikes

    Cuyahoga County Commissioners held a public hearing regarding the proposed "Medical Mart". The topic has generated much controversy due to the lack of public input on a possible tax increase initiated by the Commissioners to pay for the project. At the meeting, South Euclid Mayor Georgine Welo spoke during the public participation portion. The following commentary came from two separate individuals who attended the presentation. A link to the entire article published by each person will follow the excerpt. "...Mayor Georgine Welo who essentially said that she wanted to give the county commissioners their first 25 cents towards this wonderful project. I feel for the people of South Euclid when their mayor doesn't realize that the actual tariff is $7.75 not the 25 cents that she stated in her "oh so cute" two minutes. Be glad she doesn't handle the books." --see link to entire article at-- http://www.gloriaferris.net/2007/09/defining-public-hearing-in-cuyahoga-county/ "South Euclid Mayor Georgine Welo cleverly offered one 25-cent piece to Commissioners Hagan and Dimora. Presumably mocking critics. It was to show people how small the cost would be to consumers. Welo was misleading; it will cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars for each family. It is not a one-time tax, but a constant tax, every day on almost every item, for 20 or more years." --see link to entire article at-- http://www.lakewoodbuzz.com/RoldoBartimole/RB-080107-Suckered-HaganDimoraTax-LakewoodOhio.html

    Saturday, October 6, 2007

    False Advertising

    In 1998 Councilwoman Georgine Welo was already sounding the tax increase alarm. Seven years later in 2005 as Mayor she was able to convince the taxpayer’s of the need for a tax hike. It should be noted that in 1998 the state of the economy was much healthier than it was in the year 2005. In the public dialogue regarding a proposed tax increase there was no mention of pay raises for nearly everyone at City Hall. Why didn’t at least one councilperson object to pay raises when the original intent of the tax increase was sold to the public under vastly different circumstances? Please see other postings this site dated July 20, 2007:

    Please click on article to view full size.

    Tuesday, September 25, 2007

    Tax Increase Necessary For PAY Raises?

    With the November election pending, it is an interesting time to look back and reflect on the year 2005. The Mayor wrote a letter to the editor. The Sun Messenger wrote an article. South Euclid was in dire need of passing a tax increase on the upcoming ballot. It was indeed a state of emergency for the City of South Euclid according to Mayor Welo and the Sun Messenger. The Messenger quotes Welo as saying, “South Euclid won’t be recognizable as it is today”.

    Jump two years ahead to present day 2007. It appears there is plenty of money to go around now. The Mayor was awarded a 16% pay increase by City Council. City Council voted to increase their OWN pay, and nearly every member of the administration was given a raise.

    The original plea for a tax hike was supported in part by the need for better snow removal and other service equipment. Has there been a noticeable and significant improvement of these services?

    Welo cited, “…Northeast Ohio’s weak economy…” in her letter written a mere two years ago. The City has borrowed $17 million for the purchase of Cedar Center and $1.8 million to purchase the “Greenvale 9”. Were these all frugal and prudent decisions on the part of the administration and council, who are supposed to be the guardians of the taxpayer’s money? What a difference two years have made.

    The article and letter to the editor below were in the Sun Messenger on July 28, 2005.

    Please click on each image to view full-size document.

    Thursday, September 20, 2007

    End The Quest For This White Elephant

    Sun Messenger editorial from September 20, 2007. The Sun Messenger has captured the basic sentiment regarding the Rec Center: No tax increases to pay for recreation that is available at other facilities in the area. Both the executive and legislative branches of Lyndhurst's government took action over a year ago, and still not even one public meeting hosted by the city of South Euclid. Why did South Euclid exert money and time towards this issue for so long without ever letting the community weigh in? Regionalism should not be shelved entirely, but for a Rec Center to be the first serious proposal involving the Hillcrest suburbs is not effective leadership. In the future the entire public and not just known supporters should be strongly encouraged to participate in preliminary discussions regardless of what the topic may be. It is behavior such as this that gives some people qualms when it comes to regionalism. Please click on image to view full-size.

    Saturday, September 8, 2007

    Cedar Center Opposition

    This letter to the editor appeared in the Sun Messenger on January 11, 2007. Please click on image to view full-size.

    Point-Of-Sale : Ordinance 65-05

    The City of South Euclid already has exterior inspections.

    Why implement these extreme measures when a program for this is already in place?

    Please click on individual documents to view full size.

    Sunday, September 2, 2007

    This Program Has Great Potential

    This article appeared in the Sun Messenger on August 30, 2007.
    Please click on image to view full-size.

    Saturday, August 25, 2007

    A Call For Responsibility And Accountability.

    A Lyndhurst resident voices his opinion in this letter to the editor from the Sun Messenger on August 23, 2007. Please click on image to view full size.

    Digitally Recorded Meetings

    This Article is posted on The Sun Messenger website. This development will enable the public to have quicker and easier access to all City Council Meetings.
    Please click on Image to view full size.

    Vanishing Habitat

    This photo appeared in the Sun Messenger on August 23, 2007.
    Please click on image to view full-size.

    Friday, August 24, 2007

    People Want Trees

    This letter to the editor was printed in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on August 23, 2007. Please click on image to view full-size.

    Sunday, August 19, 2007

    Rain Barrels A Good Idea

    This article appeared in the Sun Messenger on August 16, 2007. This could be a positive step forward toward making South Euclid more environmentally friendly. Please click on image to view full size.

    Friday, August 17, 2007

    Letter To The Editor

    This letter to the editor appeared in the Sun Messenger on August 16, 2007. Please attend a special meeting of the South Euclid-Lyndhurst School Board regarding the proposed Recreation Center to be held on Thursday, August 30th at 6:00 p.m. - The meeting will be in the administrative conference room at the Board of Education building at 5044 Mayfield Road (corner of Richmond and Mayfield). Phone contact: 216-691-2000 SEL Board of Education. Please click on the article below to view full-size image.

    Saturday, August 4, 2007

    What Is The REAL Story At Cedar Center?

    This photograph of 13901 Cedar Road was taken on July 27, 2007. Why would this property be for lease if the Cedar Center "project" is sought after by multiple developers?

    The Sun Messenger reported on March 1, 2007: "South Euclid Mayor Georgine Welo on how developers are knocking on her door to be part of the Cedar-Center renovation- 'I'm the prom queen. Everybody wants to talk to me.' "

    Perhaps her assessment of the situation was not accurate.

    Who will pay the taxes on these properties in the meantime? What about the maintenance and upkeep including snow removal?

    Please click on individual images to view full-size.

    Saturday, July 28, 2007

    Was Eminent Domain Appropriate?

    City Hall wielded eminent domain like a weapon to strong-arm the sale of the Cedar Center properties.

    Who's next? Will hostile acquisitions attract prospective business to the city in the future, or will it make them leery of setting up shop in a potentially unwelcoming location?

    Please click on image to view full size.

    Thursday, July 26, 2007

    Editorial: Point-of-Sale / Voters Should Decide

    This editorial was in the Sun Messenger on February 1, 2007. Also see other postings this forum, April 7, 2007 - "Just say "NO" to Point-of-Sale Inspections!!" and May 15, 2007 - "Point-of-Sale Inspections Without A Vote?" - Why don't city officials want the issue on a ballot so the citizens can vote on it? Please click on image to view full-size.

    Friday, July 20, 2007

    Greenvale Dangers

    If demolition began on June 25th, how could this situation have gone unnoticed for so long? Particularly perplexing if city officials inspected the site daily as reported in the Plain Dealer.

    Please click on article below to view full size.

    Stop Rec Center Dreams

    This letter to the editor was in the Sun Messenger on July 12, 2007. Please click on document to view full-size.

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