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Saturday, February 19, 2011

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:

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tango? Venom? Someone missing a shoe? Why does this man speak?

Anonymous said...

Excellent post.

Anonymous said...

Take a peek over at the PD today, they're covering an angle on this story:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/02/board_of_revision_problems_cos/691/comments-2.html

Anonymous said...

So who is going to contact the Sun Messenger?

Concerned Citizen said...

This is a bit off topic, so I apologize in advance.
I'm new to this site, but the links concerning salary increases, etc. got me thinking:

In 2005, faced with the threat of budget cuts (that would impact leaf pickup, the city's fire/EMS services, etc.), South Euclid residents agree to an increase in income tax from 1.5% to 2.0%. While campaigning for this tax hike, Welo assures residents that the city's 75% credit will "remain in place."

In 2010, the city council repeals the tax credit for 2 years [Ordinance 19-10]. And, thanks to a favorable "legal opinion" from Michael Lograsso, the city is apparently convinced that this "rollback" wouldn't be subject to referendum [somehow the repeal of a tax credit, in Lograsso's mind, is an "administrative" rather than "legislative" action; to give an example at the federal level, the IRS, an administrative agency, couldn't promulgate rules which repealed tax credits, even if the proposed rule was "temporary."]. http://www.cityofsoutheuclid.com/images/Ord._19-10_Law_Director's_Legal_Opinion.pdf

In defending this tax credit rollback, the mayor and council essentially argue that they're blameless:
http://www.cityofsoutheuclid.com/images/Temporary_Income_Tax_Rollback_Information.pdf

So now, the same mayoral administration that's recklessly betting taxpayer money on a redevelopment scheme (which hinges on the CHUH School Board's approval), has, in the past 6 years, claimed a "budget emergency" justified pushing through a tax increase and repealing a tax credit?

What are the odds that the "temporary" tax credit repeal (set to expire next January 1) gets extended, thanks to another "emergency" situation?

Anonymous said...

None of the minutes from 2011 meetings are available on the SE web site. Any idea why?

Anonymous said...

They usually run a good 60 - 90 days behind schedule posting those to the website.

Anonymous said...

None of the minutes are available according to Keith Benjamin due to a malfunction of whatever he uses to take the minutes - whether it be recording device or computer...I suggest someone brings up the fact the SEO records council meetings as a public service and volunteer to share them with the city...as these were the meetings in which residents were highly critical of the Administration and Council and when the Citizens for Accountable Government brought their lawyer to a council meeting...just a suggestion...see what happens

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