You may have heard the above radio spot on WTAM 1100, WERE 1490, 107.3 FM, or 107.9 FM. It’s a political ad, natch, released Monday, slamming Mayor Frank Jackson. It was paid for by the Service Employees International Union, District 1199.
The service workers union came out in support of challenger Jeff Johnson, shortly after Johnson announced his candidacy. The union support was due, in large part, to Johnson’s support of minimum wage legislation in 2016, which Jackson opposed and helped quash.
But instead of an ad praising the Ward 10 councilman, the union opted to point out ways in which the current Mayor is failing residents.
Jackson announced earlier this month that he’d be seeking an unprecedented fourth term and thinks he’s the only candidate qualified for the gig, but in the partisan language of political advertising, Jackson is “bad news for Cleveland families.”
Here’s the ad’s full transcript:
Man: Uh-oh. Looks like Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson made the news again.
Woman: That’s usually bad news for Cleveland families. Hasn’t he failed us enough? Like when Mayor Jackson shut down the buses on Public Square.
Man: Putting RTA funding at risk.
Woman: And the homicide rate continues to climb. It’s the worst in 10 years.
Man: How about the staggering number of Cleveland families struggling to make ends meet on poverty wages?
Woman: And the children. Half of Cleveland kids are living below the poverty rate.
Man: All of this while Cleveland politicians beg their Republican cronies in Columbus to stop our city from voting on the minimum wage.
Woman: And how about this? After Mayor Jackson lavishly hosted Donald Trump and the RNC, our neighborhoods are still falling apart. And grocery stores are now closing. Mayor Jackson’s list of failures just goes on and on.
Voiceover: Stop this insanity. Call the Jackson accountability hotline at 216-512-1740. Let’s work together to build a better future for our neighborhoods and our families. Paid for by SEIU District 1199. Becky Williams, president.
This article appears in Feb 8-14, 2017.
The job market has been a joke for a very long time, and this clown has been in office for over a decade. Then slaps his own people in the face by quietly making the minimum wage increase “problem” go away. An afterwards, tells everyone it “should be decided at the state level.” You, sir, are a cowardpeople are starving!
Fact: Cleveland’s ranked dead last in the nation for median annual income. Oh, I’m sorry, we are tied with a small town in Florida (Hialeah). And the population continues to decrease.
No incentive to bring business here or local small business tax incentives for your 12 year reign ? HA! Just the same old-hat nonsense of saying “It is what it is.”