Former municipal court judge C. Ellen Connally put it succinctly when she wrote, for CoolCleveland.com, that Budish “just doesn’t qualify” for the award.
“Spend five minutes in the county jail and that message will come across loud and clear,” she wrote. “For the SCLC to single out Budish as Humanitarian of the Year is like naming Hue Jackson coach of the year.”
Black Lives Matter Cleveland was even more incensed by the announcement. In a Facebook post, the group said Budish’s award was “meaningless” in light of child deaths (due to cuts at Cuyahoga County Child and Family Services), abuses at the Juvenile Justice Center and the horror show of the Cuyahoga County Jail. The post said that SCLC and its leadership had lost credibility.
“One only assumes [Pastor E. Theophilus Caviness] has secured himself and his church [Greater Abyssinia Baptist] county [grants] and other perks that come along with being pals and unconditional supporter of the Cleveland’s Mayor and Cuyahoga’s County Executive.”
On that note, Connally reported that Budish’s campaign committee made a $5,000 contribution to the SCLC on December 31, 2018.
“Interesting timing,” she wrote. “Considering the more than $723,000 that he has in his war chest, $5,000 does not seem like a great deal of money but it was enough for the SCLC. The SCLC has put a serious dent in its credibility. The other awardees should gracefully decline to accept their awards.”
This article appears in Jan 16-22, 2019.
Seriously??? Budish should be named THIEF OF THE YEAR!!!!!
How do property owners like their massive, 40% average increase in property tax bills that are going to be due next week???? All this so Budish and his cohorts can waste even more millions on more ridiculous pet projects!!!!
Until Budish is recalled from office along with Taxin Jackson, nothing will change, other than more and more taxpayer money being squandered and misused!!!!
After both of these thieves are recalled from office, their next step should be sent right to jail for their constant shenanigans!!!
One again, religious “leaders” selling out for chump change.
Next year’s winners: The entire Cleveland Division of Police.
The oldest profession in Cuyahoga County — political whores.
Serious question, Sam: What does the Cleveland SCLC do besides give awards? I’m not far away from a lot of the civil rights and anti-racist activism in this town but I haven’t seen SCLC people around for any of it.
Also, fun fact, Rev. E.T. Caviness worked for Geo. Voinovich back when he was Mayor–I think he had a paid staff position even–and mainly served to deflect criticism of Voinovich for his outright racist policies in the 1980s and 1990s. So it’s predictable that his organization is caping for Budish today.
Anyone who read the federal report on the state of CCJ knows that this scumbag getting a humanitarian award is like giving Harvey Weinstein an award for compliance with workplace sexual harassment laws, in other words, it’s absolutely fucking ridiculous. Inhumanitarian of the year maybe. To give this guy an award like that is disgraceful, and typical Cleveland at its worst. The culture of indifference and mediocrity that this mouth breather has allowed to flourish in that hole is why the FBI and US Marshalls refuse to house their prisoners there, and it’s also why our own judges are hesitant to throw anyone in there who isn’t an imminent threat to the public. The SCLC should be ashamed of themselves right now, just like every Clevelander should be ashamed that our city officials are so corrupt and dysfunctional that they can’t even run a damn jail properly.
The SCLC award is about as worthless as they come. In addition to Budish they gave an award to a Cleveland school administrator in spite the district getting Fs for the 5th straight year. SMH