Standing By The Proposed Raise

Council President / Finance Committee Chairman Moe Romeo remains steadfastly committed to the $15,000 proposed raise for the Community Center Director, despite repeated pronouncements of reining in spending.

• time: 1 min. 33 sec.

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Hope You're Sitting Down For This One

If you have never viewed any other video on South Euclid Oversight, this is the one to watch.


South Euclid City Council held a Budget Hearing on February 21st, 2009. One of the many items on the agenda was the proposed $15,000 pay increase for the Community Center Director.


Pay close attention to the discussion as it unfolds. Ward 4 Councilwoman Jane Goodman questions the amount, but caves under pressure from others and eventually makes a suggestion to shave a mere $2,500 off the exorbitant amount. Councilwoman-At Large Sunny Simon says, “…I’m a little skeptical about that kind of increase in today’s climate…”
WHAT?!?! A little skeptical?!

Where is the outrage from our elected officials regarding this preposterous proposal?!

Also, observe Council President/ Ward 2 Councilman/ Finance Committee Chairman, Moe Romeo as he attempts to justify this insanity by saying:

• When the Community Center Director was hired, the salary was “extremely low.”
• He also falsely reports that the salary for this position held by this individual for 3 years has only increased 3% in that time period. The facts are that in 2007 the salary for this job was $40,000 plus benefits. The 2008 rate of pay was $45,000 plus benefits which reflects a raise of approximately 12.5%.

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• time: 8 min. 32 sec.

Must see related SEOversight follow-up posts:

Standing By The Proposed Raise

Modified Raise

Taxpayers - Watch Your Back

The Raise Revisited...And More


Please see other related posts at SEO:


2008 Salaries

Proposed Mayor's Raise

Financial Concerns?

How much of the taxpayer's money did it cost to purchase this full-page color ad in the January/February edition of Northern Ohio Live magazine? What purpose did this ad serve? No other municipality had an advertisement in this issue. This is not consistent with keeping expenses down.

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Below, Mayor Welo and Council President Moe Romeo discuss the current financial state of affairs in South Euclid.

• time: 2 min. 15 sec.

Please also see:

• 2008 Salaries

Behind The Scenes

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Here is a link to a very relevant article published in The Plain Dealer:

• Port Authority Balks At Retail Projects

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Below is the information provided by the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority in response to the public records request above.

• http://www.scribd.com/doc/12406990/Port-Authority-1

• http://www.scribd.com/doc/12407163/Port-Authority-2-Email-

• http://www.scribd.com/doc/12407324/Port-Authority-3-Email

Please also see:

• Is Retail The Answer?

• Too Much Retail Space?

South Euclid Municipal Realty Company?

• time: 0 min. 35 sec.

On February 9, 2009, South Euclid City Council voted unanimously to approve Ordinance: 09-09.

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• City officials are on record stating that they don’t want property to be purchased by the “wrong” kind of people. Once the property is owned by the city, what system will be in place to prevent discrimination of any form from taking place? Is it ethical for the local government to be selective regarding what kind of people purchase property in South Euclid?

• Is it appropriate that the City of South Euclid be given the “first right of refusal” on HUD homes?

• Ordinance: 09-09 authorizes the Mayor and the Housing Manager to spend up to $25,000 to purchase property without the prior approval of city council. Do they have the necessary real estate, appraisal, and construction knowledge and skills to effectively make those decisions?

• If the grant money must be spent within 18 months of being obtained, it doesn’t seem logical to claim the money will also be used to MAINTAIN the properties once they have been acquired by the city. What happens when the money from the grant is gone? Will the maintenance money come from the general fund?

• How will the selection of contractors be made regarding the rehabilitation of these homes?

To view information regarding the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, please click on the following link:

• http://development.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/Neighborhood-Stabilization-Program.aspx

• time: 5 min. 47 sec.

• time: 8 min. 57 sec.

• time: 2 min. 53 sec.

Overdue Explanations Needed

• time: 2 min. 01 sec.

For information regarding the "Greenvale 9," please see:

• Greenvale 9 Review
• Greenvale Houses- Before & After
• STILL Looking For Answers On Greenvale Drive
• A Shameful Saga

For information regarding Cedar Center, please see:

• Irreconcilable Details
• Cedar Center Facts
• Crunching The Numbers

For information regarding the "Playground of Possibilites," please see:

• Financial Discrepancies
• You WILL Be Donating

"Nip It In The Bud!"

The Mayor of South Euclid, Georgine Welo, also serves as the Safety Director for the city. Ward 1 Councilwoman Ruth Gray is the chair of the Safety Committee. The Chief of Police, Kevin Nietert was appointed by the Mayor, who is ultimately responsible for the actions or inactions of the safety forces in South Euclid.

The Police Officers who serve and protect South Euclid deserve better. Their efforts and performance are not what is called into question. The most important aspect of South Euclid's future growth and prosperity depends upon the police and the safety of this community. Confronting this matter is long overdue.

Why haven’t city officials given priority status to providing the Police Department with adequate staffing and resources to get results?

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The Sun Messenger reported the crimes shown below. These occurred in December 2008 and January 2009.

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An important function of government is to keep the citizens informed. Note in the following video, although the local paper reported some very serious crimes including murder, the Chief of Police has no report to offer at the City Council meetings. Is this a strategy by the Welo Administration to keep a lid on the public acknowledgment of such crimes?

• time: 0 min. 26 sec.

• time: 2 min. 31 sec.

Please see another related post at South Euclid Oversight:

• Hovering On The Brink

Opposing Views

The following editorial and letter to the editor ran in the same issue of the Sun Newspaper. Has the Editorial staff at The Sun Messenger completely lost their minds?

Thankfully, as demonstrated by another on target letter, the citizens are able to see through the high profile cheerleading conveniently provided to City officials by the local paper.

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