“... officials who point their finger like a compass points north towards other bloated public salaries in justifying getting theirs, is starting to wear thin. Higher taxes and higher public salaries is not the answer most of us want to hear.” ------------------- Joe Liptow, South Euclid
“Time and time again, important information is kept from the public.” ---------Patricia Checkel, Lyndhurst
Recently, public salary hikes have been scrutinized and challenged. Public officials ferociously defend their often gluttonous appetite for a hefty piece of the taxpayer pie.
The first part of this post contains back-story to help readers/viewers of SEO put into context the circumstances surrounding the South Euclid-Lyndhurst School Superintendent Zelei pay hike, and the fashion in which it was reported to the public.
Troubling is the glaring inconsistency at the Sun Messenger between the gobs of ink used to chronicle the Zelei raise compared with the complete lack of reporting on the proposed $15,000 increase for the Community Center Director in South Euclid.
Under public pressure, the Administration and Council of South Euclid decided to shave away all but $5,000 of the pay increase to the dismay of one councilperson who stated that a mere $5,000 amount was an “insult.”
SEL School Board officials shut down a well attended public meeting with nary a moment's notice when the public caught wind of the truth. Ultimately, the South Euclid-Lyndhurst School Board voted 3-2 to go with the $30,000 increase even as the s--t was hitting the fan. If the School board had reduced Mr. Zelei’s raise, would the Sun Messenger have buried the story as they clearly did concerning the Community Center Director salary in South Euclid?
The retiring editor said it best, “The most important paper you get is this one. You can find news about Washington and Baghdad anywhere, but you can only get news about your neighborhood, your schools and your city here.” A local newspaper editor admitting the importance of the role they play in the community and then not delivering is nothing less than shameful.
Please click on individual images below to view full size.
Below is an excerpt from the original article published by the Sun Messenger:
It is recommended to view the following posts and videos in the order of their presentation:
- Hope You're Sitting Down For This One
- Standing By The Proposed Raise
- Modified Raise
- Taxpayers - Watch Your Back
- The Raise Revisited...And More
- 2009 Salaries And So Much More….
- Ordinance 12-07: Mayoral Pay Raise
Click on the link below to view commentary made by readers regarding the above online Plain Dealer story. The comments were captured from Cleveland.com in their entirety and archived by SEO:
Please note: Traditionally, South Euclid Oversight has made a conscious decision to not focus on the South Euclid-Lyndhurst School system. However, the magnitude of a matter such as this does deserve some proper attention. A public records request for the school superintendant’s contract has been made. The information will be posted on SEO when it is received. Thank you to all for your participation.
