Toxic Tango

• time: 1 min. 11 sec.

Presented below is a word-for-word transcription of the audio clip from above.  South Euclid Council President, Dr. David B. Miller made this statement in reference to the pending Tax Increment Financing (TIF) proposal with Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District: 

“…let’s also understand that Cedar Center is moving forward and we are waiting for Cleveland Heights and University Heights School District to do what they’re supposed to do.  So with folks are saying we’re not moving, there is two in this dance, there's two in this tango, and this group has had its shoes on and have been waiting a long time for the other group. So please sometimes, make sure that the right information and the right venom; and the venom is directed at the right group."

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South Euclid Mayor Georgine Welo, her administration and various versions of the 7 city council people made some catastrophic financial blunders. To conceal the blowback of those bad decisions, the aforementioned, with the assistance of the local newspapers have intentionally disseminated information construed to be misleading.  It is unknown whether that combination is a result of the dictation-taking style of journalism often practiced around town, or just some good old fashioned collusion.  Regardless, there are some obvious cracks appearing in the city's armor. 

City officials and the Coral Company presumptuously devised the original Cedar Center development agreement without prior approval from the CHUH School District.  The key financial component of that agreement was the TIF proposal which city officials appear to consider themselves entitled.  The game quietly changed from the property being “sold to a developer” to a “public-private development.”  There’s been an assortment of county funds obtained by one means or another to help subsidize Cedar Center.

Tens of millions of taxpayer dollars are irreversibly engaged, while city officials refuse to divulge details and exactly how much has been spent thus far.

Now, in the event of failure at Cedar Center, South Euclid Council President David Miller points the finger of blame at the CHUH School District should they not agree to subsidize the project. 

Currently, South Euclid City government is nothing more and nothing less than a patronage machine that exists for the purpose of keeping the machine alive. 

Thank you for reading South Euclid Oversight.

Emilie DiFranco and Dave Furry

Please also reference a previous post, A Few Ideas.

For further information regarding South Euclid's proposal to the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District, please see, A Desperate Chase.

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Please click on images to view full size.

Here is a link to the above article written by Bob Rosenbaum at the Heights Observer site which includes their reader's comments.

Please also see the Plain Dealer article, "Board of Revision problems..."

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Below: Please compare the Sun Messenger’s version of Council President Miller’s remarks, and his actual statement regarding the forthcoming decision by the CHUH School District on the TIF proposal.  Quite different indeed.

Councilperson Jane Goodman made the following statement during a committee meeting on Monday, April 19, 2010. That was the first and only time publicly, that a city official has taken some responsibility for the colossal mistakes that have occurred:

“We screwed ourselves, pardon my French, but it’s time for plain speaking—with some expenditures—some loans that—some things that we did that put us in iffy financial positions…And I know that our citizens want to see us spend less if we’re going to ask them to contribute more.”


To view video of the previous statement, please see the related SEO post, Bottomless Pit And Deep Pockets.

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Please also review the following SEO posts:

Failure To Communicate

A Very Costly Shell Game
One Or The Other

Ride It Out

"You Don't Have To Worry About It"...?!

Goodman Speaks Out

Welo Takes The Low Road

Pure Rubbish

Salaries Skyrocket Under Welo

Friends In High Places