The news came as a shock to members of the club. Keane made the announcement shortly after he arrived and said it was the first time he’d spoken the news out loud to anyone other than his family.
Many of the politically active residents in the Kamm’s Corners, West Park and Puritas neighborhoods have noted an increasing agitation and even hostility in their councilman over the past six months, including a less than cordial relationship with the lately re-branded West Park Kamm’s Development Corporation.
“It’s been a weird time in Ward 17,” one meeting attendee said. “But this definitely took us by surprise.”
Keane did not immediately respond to Scene’s request for comment about his decision, but a member of the Democratic Club who was present at the meeting spoke with Scene, and said that Keane explained his decision by saying he wanted to do right by his family, to get them “out of the spotlight.”
“He talked a lot about his family,” the club member said, “but it was pretty obvious that he hated his job.”
Keane told the club that he would be taking an unknown position at City Hall — even Keane himself evidently doesn’t know what role he’ll be stepping into, further evidence to some observers that he just wanted out — and that he had already selected a successor.
That man is reportedly Charles Slife, an Avon Lake native who lives near Riverside School in Ward 17 with his wife and 11-month-old son. In recent weeks, Slife stepped down from his board seat at West Park Kamm’s CDC, citing “personal reasons.” That move makes sense in light of Thursday night’s news.
Slife, a Miami of Ohio alum, worked for seven years for the City of Cleveland in the department of economic development and now works as a corporate location consultant for a local consulting firm.
In an emailed statement, Slife told Scene he credited Councilman Keane for his passion and advocacy in the ward, and while not confirming any agreements with the councilman, said that if he were to be appointed:
“I’d like to build on our neighborhood’s strengths and be a vocal advocate for living and investing in both Ward 17 and Cleveland as a whole. I also believe that neighborhood residents have a deep interest in city services. I’m hopeful that my experience would give me a special ability to connect people to their local government.”
If Slife is indeed Keane’s choice, as Keane told the Democratic Club, he will no doubt be unanimously approved by City Council colleagues, in keeping with the legislative body’s anti-democratic tradition.
Keane timed his resignation, in fact, to minimize his own term and maximize the term of his unelected successor. The city charter stipulates that council vacancies “shall be filled by the Council for the unexpired term” unless the vacancy occurs “at any time which is more than two years before the next regular Municipal election,” (italics added).
Keane waited precisely for the two-year threshold — last week’s elections — and then announced that he’d be bowing out.
The Ward 17 Councilman was first elected to the body in 2007. He is chairman of council’s Utilities Committee and vice chairman of its Transportation Committee.
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This article appears in Nov 13-19, 2019.
If Keane slides into a City Hall job after calling it quits on city council — he is just another (typical) career politician.
Well, it’s the same old, same old shenanigans going on with city Clowncil!!! I wonder what kind of six-figure salary job at City Hall he’ll be landing??? Was it one that was actually posted for the public to apply for??? My guess is probably not!!!
Until crooks like Taxin Jackson are forcibly, and finally removed from office, nothing will likely ever change around here except Paying more and more Taxes to fund these never ending political games!!!
HOPEFULLY whoever gets appointed will do something about the new Metroplex concentrated flight paths that Hopkins Airport and the FAA have imposed 500 ft over our homes,destroying our quality of life.
HOPEFULLY whoever gets appointed will do something about the new Metroplex concentrated flight paths that Hopkins Airport and the FAA have imposed 500 ft over our homes,destroying our quality of life.
Maybe this new dude…who’s a relative unknown quantity…can finally get city leaf pickup in ALL of Ward 17…and not just for the elitists north of Lorain, in the OLA-St. Joe’s neighborhood, where the ward’s councilmen (both Keane and his successor, Mike Dolan), have resided for the last 25 years. People south of Lorain have been bitching about this inequality for decades…will anything change? This being Cleveland. I’m not gonna bet the rent on it.
As a Ward 17 reseident for many years now, I do want Ward 17 to annex from Cleveland back into the City of Westpark! Westpark Ward 17 is a cash cow for the rest of the city of Cleveland! Westpark as a city is a great idea and place to grow on our own instead of holding up many of the other Wards. This proves the former counsel man is convoluting to favor his own agenda. Perfect time to break away now more then ever! Take the 1st district police station and surrounding fire stations. Courts can go where city of Brookpark go, the Berea Courthouse. I believe only a decade before Westpark area completely turns to garbage!
I think there is a lot more to this story
I think there is a lot more to this story.
“…residents in the Kamm’s Corners, West Park and Puritas neighborhoods have noted an increasing agitation and even hostility in their councilman over the past six months, including a less than cordial relationship with the lately re-branded West Park Kamm’s Development Corporation.”
The “re-branding” has included a major turnover in that outfit’s personnel , with the director’s resignation and many other resignations and retirements at the same time. Maybe it was easier to move on than to work with an entirely new and unfamiliarcrew. From the looks of their totally revamped and nearly unreadable quarterly magazine, It does not surprise me that Keane just said the hell with it, or maybe stronger language, and walked.
USMC: I think you must mean you want Ward 17 to SECEDE from Cleveland and BECOME a separate city, the City of West Park. Only trouble is, West Park was ANNEXED…absorbed, eaten, gobbled up, by Cleveland in 1923 after the ancestors of today’s West Park residents voted to become part of the city…to gain better city services…how ironic is THAT?
So legally, they dissolved West Park and became a part of the city and cannot “break away.” It can’t be done. Otherwise, other outlying neighborhoods would have already done it a long time ago.
At about the same time as West Park said YES, Lakewood was asked to become a part of Cleveland and their residents voted NO. Looks like they turned out to be the smart ones, who did the right thing.
Even if West Park …and what would its boundaries be?…became a separate town, problems do not stop at borders. It would happen anyway, as in Maple Heights and Euclid. Also, running a city takes money. Where would it come from? West Park would be destitute and starting from scratch.
test
How the hell does working as a probation officer, as Assistant County Prosecutor of Cuyahoga County, twelve years as a Cleveland City Councilman, as chairman of council’s Utilities Committee, and as vice chairman of its Transportation Committee qualify somebody for a lucrative position at the aiport or with a utility? It doesn’t. The job-to-be-named-later is a reward for being a loyal member of Frank’s Rat Pack for all these years.
Marty Keane had become a joke the last couple of years…he was ignoring phone calls and e-mails about problems in Ward 17 and things that needed to be done. He used to be a TCB guy, but not anymore…and he was not going to get his usual 75-25 majority in the next election…people were getting restless.
And so now it’s meet the new boss…same as the old boss? If that proves true, maybe Charlie Whatever will be booted out on his ass in two years. But don’t hold your breath waiting for it to happen.
Ward 17 used to be called “the suburb in the city”…but now it’s just another crumbling Cleveland neighborhood and a patsy for the clowns downtown. Crime is up and city services are down and the streets are washboards. Bye, Marty! Thanks for all the fish!