Ed Hauser needed no introduction in Cleveland’s government circles.
The tireless kayaker-activist, who died unexpectedly of a heart attack
last November at 47, fought for decades against anything that smacked
of establishment collusion — especially if it had anything to do
with the riverfront, particularly Whiskey Island. City and county
leaders were leery of his due diligence, but came out, one after the
other upon his death, to praise it.
“Ed was somebody who certainly spoke what he believed in,” said Ward
17 Councilman Matt Zone. “He never minced words. You always knew where
you stood with him.”
So why not give the guy a street? And what better street than
Whiskey Island Drive, the road that traverses the peninsula he fought
so hard, and successfully, to preserve for future generations?
For a decade, as founder of Friends of Whiskey Island, Hauser
rallied in support of saving the verdant Wendy Park portion of the
peninsula for public use: the marina, the volleyball courts, the
restaurant. Hauser became known as Mayor of Whiskey Island. Zone
proposed last week, and on Monday council approved, a new name for the
drive. At first, it was Ed Hauser Street, but Zone thought best to call
it Ed Hauser Way, “because he finally had his way.”
Mayor Frank Jackson and several others city leaders are expected to
join Hauser’s family and friends at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 2, to dedicate
the new street. Stick around afterward to enjoy the view. Ed would have
loved that. — Dan Harkins
MSB MINUS MS?
Michael Stanley Band alumnus and co-founder Jonah Koslen and friends
have assembled a show called Stage Pass Now that’s an expanded,
complete recreation of the MSB double-live album Stage Pass. They’re playing the two-hour show at the Winchester (12112 Madison
Ave., Lakewood) Saturday, April 18, and at the Tangier (532 W. Market
St., Akron) Saturday, April 25th.
It’s one of the Michael Stanley Band’s signature records, though its
title player won’t be onstage. The Stage Pass Now lineup comprises
Northeast Ohio veterans Donny Thompson (Easy Street Band), Bill March
(Beau Coup and Koslen’s Heroes), Rik Williger (the Short Circuits) and
Van Eidom (Taxi, ESB).
“I told Michael what I intended to do, and he liked it,” says
Koslen, the lead guitarist who co-wrote and performed many classics
with the bandleader from 1974-77. Koslen says he didn’t ask Stanley to
participate, because Stanley didn’t seem interested in revisiting past
glories. “He was more interested in [playing] his new material.”
Koslen says the two remain close friends. The guitarist performed
two songs with Stanley’s Resonators at the Tangier last month. And
Stanley’s label, Line Level, has issued Koslen’s last two releases.
The band will recreate the arrangements from the record, plus songs
from the era. An expanded acoustic segment will include four extra
tunes: “Ladies’ Choice,” “Blue Jean Boy,” “Gypsy Eyes” and “Among My
Friends Again.”
Culled from four October 1976 sets at the old Agora Ballroom on E.
24th Street. Stage Pass was released by Epic in 1977. “It shows
how great the band was,” says Koslen. “It’s a recording that holds
together as a whole piece of music. I think it could be pointed to as a
milestone in Cleveland music. I’m told all the time by people that it’s
their favorite live album.” — D.X. Ferris
SIGNING OFF
WNCX listeners were surprised to find a new addition to the morning
show lineup Monday, April 6: Cleveland comedian Jeff Blanchard was the
show’s new co-host. His inaugural broadcast and its accompanying press
release failed to mention that Blanchard had replaced Mike Olszewski, a
32-year broadcasting veteran with a textured old-school radio voice and
a head full of rock history.
Olszewski looked fine at the Rock Hall induction Saturday, April 4,
despite getting some bad news the day before. “People we saying, ‘Are
you still with ‘NCX?'”crecalls Olszewski. “I said, ‘well, as of
yesterday …'”
Olszewski had been with the station for three years, since it
introduced the Mud, Mihalek and Mike lineup. The trio arrived after
David Lee Roth tanked as Howard Stern’s successor. Mudd was cut in July
2008. Mihalek followed in December. Olszewski says he asked to be
released from his contract twice in the last year, but the station had
refused. Five months later, things changed.
In the fall 2008 Arbitron ratings, the classic-rock morning show
ranked ninth in the morning-drive slot, but was the second-ranked rock
station, with a 4.2 share, behind WMMS’s 4.5. (The 4.2 was identical to
the station’s ratings from fall ’07 and had since bounced to 4.1 and
4.5.) ‘NCX ranks No. 3 middays and No. 5 afternoons.
“They said ‘We’re just going to make some changes,'” says Olszewski.
“I don’t have any bad feelings. You go into it understanding that this
is how it is, knowing that no job is ever 100 percent secure. Audiences
come and go, and it’s never personal.”
He started off as a WERE intern in 1977, DJ’ed at ‘MMS from 1988-94
and switched to TV in ’94, reporting for WOIO and WUAB. He says he may
return to broadcasting if the right opportunity arrives. But for now,
he’s concentrating on dual careers as an author and Kent State adjunct
professor.
Olszewski, who has written a book about WMMS’ long history and
collaborated on a Donnie Iris documentary, has two new books ready. He
and wife Janice teamed for TV Days, a look at Cleveland TV from
the 1940s through the ’80s. He and Richard Berg co-authored WIXY:
The Story of Pixies, Six-Packs and Supermen, which looks at the Top
40 AM station that dominated Cleveland radio through from the mid-’60s
through the mid-’70s.
“Right now, the academic career is a lot more inviting,” says
Olszewski, “and I don’t have to get up at 2:30 in the morning.” —
Ferris
NO DEAL, SO PLAIN ARBITRATION?
The Plain Dealer‘s editorial labor union, the
Northeast Ohio Newspaper Guild Local 1, has filed three grievances
against the paper. If a settlement is not reached this week, the matter
could go to arbitration. “Our positions appear to be unresolvable,”
says newspaper guild executive secretary Rollie Dreussi.
In the first and biggest issue, the union claims that the December
layoffs of 27 editorial staff included senior employees who should have
been protected by the labor contract. “We don’t feel seniority was
taken into account at all,” says Dreussi. PD management did not respond
to Scene‘s request for comment.
Another point claims that non-discrimination language about age was
not followed in determining which employees were let go. “Older and
more experienced employees were laid off,” says Dreussi. “So we’re
contending [the PD has] discriminated on the basis of age — and
maybe union activity.”
In another issue, the Guild says managers (mostly editors) are doing
the work of laid-off employees and active union members — from
copy editing to page design — in violation of the labor
agreement. This complaint includes the creation of some online
material. The union contract says online work belongs to union members.
But the contract has some vague provisions that allow non-union
employees — from freelancers to managers — to contribute to
exclusively “online venues” such as blogs, podcasts or chatrooms.
In March, PD management cut non-union employees’ pay and instituted
mandatory 10-day furloughs. The cutbacks affect more than a third of PD
employees. Management has not presented the Guild with similar
concessions.
If the grievances are resolved in the union’s favor, some of the
jobs cut in December could be reinstated.
“We don’t want to see anybody laid off or see other people kicked
out the door,” says Guild Union chair Harlan Spector. “My position is:
We need to defend the contract. I’d like to see some people get their
job back without costing some people their jobs. The fact is, there’s
not enough of us to do the work that’s required.” —
Ferris
more online at clevescene.com
BECK IN BLACK? NOT QUITE
The $100,000 worth of news Beck Center for the Arts got from the
city of Lakewood Thursday will help the organization’s long-term
prospects, but does little to alleviate the Beck’s short-term cash flow
problem. This prompted CEO Cindy Einhouse to announce on March 31 that
the center needed to raise $150,000 or face the possibility of closure
at the end of April. The announcement came the same day the
organization was late in meeting its payroll. Foundation and individual
giving were both lagging at a perennially difficult time of year for
the finances of an organization with a $2.3 million annual operating
budget and no endowment.
The $100,000 news comes in two pieces. The first is $55,000 worth of
federal stimulus money targeted at energy efficiency. Beck can’t use it
for operating costs like payroll, but it will help deal with
inefficiencies that go with its aging physical plant, which includes
four buildings and something like 17 different heating systems. But as
far as covering that $150,000 short-term cash need, don’t look
here.
The remaining $45,000 is a little bit like that money you used to
have in the stock market — out of sight, out of mind and
vanishing — except that in the Beck’s case, it was debt, rather
than money in the bank. The center had loans from the city totaling
$45,000, and the city forgave them. The reason this doesn’t matter to
the center’s cash-flow situation is that it wasn’t paying on the debt
anyway, and no one expected it to. (The obligation had been
renegotiated in 2000 with payments deferred until 2010, which sounds
like it was living in fear of a big payment due next year. But in fact,
the Beck was expecting to renegotiate the debt again, says Einhouse,
and the city had never budgeted for the receipt of payment, according
to Mayor Ed FitzGerald.)
But shuffling obligations, Einhouse says, will make Beck’s balance
sheets look better for potential donors. The organization will go back
to foundations and other donors with the news, hoping the confidence
that builds will inspire further donations to cover the still-unmet
$87,000 need from the $150,000 announced earlier.
In exchange for the investment, the city gets to use the facility
for some public events, and much more significantly, gets three seats
on the organization’s board of trustees. This is the first time in the
organization’s history that it’s had official municipal representation
on its board of trustees. Artistic Director Scott Spence said the
city’s board presence is not likely to have an impact on programming
choices.
So, in brief: The biggest arts organization on the West Side and one
of the region’s most innovative theater programs got some good news,
but it is still very far from out of the woods. It’s still looking for
donations to keep operating and carry it into the summer, a financially
an easier time for it because of income from summer arts class tuitions
and ticket sales for big musicals — in this case, a
studio-theater production of the cult movie Evil Dead, opening
May 8, and a main-stage production of the musical about the man-eating
plant, Little Shop of Horrors, opening June 26. —
Michael Gill
This article appears in Apr 15-21, 2009.
