Somewhere in The Plain Dealer archives is a wonderful city. Its lakefront is teeming, there is a waiting list for restaurants yet plenty of space at the bars, which look out over a shimmering lake filled with graceful sails and romantic sunsets. The glass walkways invite a stroll along the water, even on stormy nights.
In fact, the archives hold so many hopes and dreams that they stretch from here to Detroit, making Lake Erie’s coast one of the great aquatic treasures in the entire hemisphere. The newspaper morgue helpfully preserves these fickle come-ons that have been fed to us over the years.
No one in town savors the idea of lakefront development more than The Plain Dealer, and that is why the paper is used by politicians to sell the illusion that they are visionaries with a plan in hand that is on the verge of execution. What would help are some rules to make sense of the finances before any plan is pushed on the public.
When Mayor Frank Jackson announced yet another lakefront vision recently and the newspaper regarded it as news, others looked at the rehashed design for what it was — a part of his reelection campaign. The truth is, Jackson had one of the biggest opportunities of any recent mayor to develop the lakefront, and he blew it when Eaton Corporation opted to build its new headquarters in Beachwood rather than on the lakeshore.
In his characteristic manner, Jackson never really explained what happened, relying instead on his philosophic “it is what it is” — a great slogan for campaign posters, by the way.
This new lakefront plan appears to consist of stray parts from old lakefront plans warmed over by a laconic City Hall. Last year, Scene reported that John Carney, then on the Cleveland- Cuyahoga County Port Authority board, ordered a plan to be altered in such a way that, according to real estate appraisers, it would positively affect his own property in the Warehouse District. It will be interesting to see if this alteration remains in Jackson’s plan.
The new player in the lakefront effort is the Cleveland Browns. Reflect on this for a minute: Is there an organization today that you would want to find yourself partnered with any less than this forlorn franchise? Not since Art Modell moved to Baltimore have fans here been more outraged over the performance of their alleged pro football team.
Also looming is the specter of the Browns’ lawyer, Fred Nance, who appears like a predator over roadkill when public money is in play. He has been involved in so many questionable deals involving the city that his mere presence is cause for alarm.
A deep-pocketed partner makes a handsome ally, you say? Don’t forget that the Browns were clear that their vision for the lakefront would include no investment of their own. The city has no money, and the mayor did not mention a single soul who does. That, sports fans, is because nobody wants to invest in a place where public officials can’t bring vision and authority to much of anything.
Every mayor in the past two decades has had a waterfront plan. The nice thing about a plan is that everyone has their own fanciful vision of what the lakefront ought to be. But the moment that action grinds beyond the planning stage, reality takes hold.
Reality is, there’s no money or leadership to execute any plan.
As the mayor was promoting The PD‘s paper city, a group of citizens was gathered in the Hanna Building to discuss the lakefront. Their talk focused not on design or dream, but on the practical matter of who is in control anymore and why things can’t get done.
Their chat centered around whether time has bypassed City Hall: Does it have the political clout — or even the will — to achieve waterfront development? Since the mayor controls the port authority with six of the nine board members, any waterfront development is the responsibility of City Hall.
The talk around the table focused on how to take control of planning — away from the port authority’s hands and into the arms of the new county government. The table agreed that something drastic will be needed to achieve anything more than another addition to the morning newspaper’s SimCity.
This article appears in Nov 23-29, 2011.
Locked up in the mind of someone in Cleveland are the plans for not just the lakefront development, but the rebirth of the entire sleeping giant–Cleveland, Ohio. Not since the industrial revolution has Cleveland had such an important role in the future of America. All resources needed are in place. The infrastructure becomes a treasure which needs to be united and retro-fitted to the new Cleveland.
The number 1 restricting element to the rebirth of Cleveland is violence. We rank seventh in violent crimes which means that too many of our urban people are very angry. Detroit is number 2 and New Orleans is number 1. The USA is by far the most violent country in the ‘civilized’ and free world.
Americans have degenerated into being a culture of fear and anger. The rude and disrespectful behavior is as bad as I have seen it in my life time, and I’ve seen some angry times. Money has always created greed and the greedy behavior which often results in violence, anger—all forms of fear.
Knowing that thought is made up of mind and reason, we have made most of that which occupys the minds of Americans thoughts of anger, sex and violence. They use most of the brains time thinking about fighting and having sex. The boredom which surrounds the human seeks excitement in the terms of the body. The mind taken over by the ego and the media wants to see sex, violence and empty drama.
If we in Cleveland need to know anything, it is that we have the God given right to choose our thoughts. Not that thinking about sex is anything bad, yet if you are angry and you fantisize about mad and rape-type sex, nothing good can come of it. But don’t feel guilty for having these thoughts as it is what you have been programed by our culture to have.
Now add greed and the love of money and the defense of money to the fruits of the big American cities and you increase the anger with bullies who call themselves movers and shakers behaving as the rich and powerful often do–with enormous ego drives and needs. Leadership has been replaced by money and the men who have accumulated the most have used it to push their will around..but it seems their will has nothing to do with the people–other than as a consumer. And this is the sad leadership which has taken over every city in the USA. We have all come to see money as the trump card for all ideas and work and thinking.
So then, what should be the thoughts which occupy our mids if we are in the bottom 20%. We do not have the money to take to black Friday and the feeding frenzies or the holiday cheer. We can go to parties that don’t cost much or anything at all–maybe just bring a-six pack, and drink a twelve-pack. That’s right all you up-tight republicans! We go looking for hand-outs..tis the season to hand-outs and maybe some of the people we hit up don’t even mind. We already know that we will be talked about after we leave the party and we have learned to overlook and forgive any ‘free-loader’ names and jokes
made. It was worth it to be having a feast..anywhere and with anyone who will have us and not throw us out bodily or get too mad when we take a few helpings for later, or the kids..that’s it. tell them it’s for the kids..that always works during the holidays.
Well I better get to work. It’s Thanksgiving and I have many friends and relatives to see and share food and drink with and laugh and tell jokes and not piss the republicans off. Republicans always put out the best spreads.
What is wrong with this city, region, hell all of Northeast Ohio for that matter. As a native to this area I’ve always wondered why there isn’t more cooperation among the cities of this region. Cleveland and Cuyahoga county residents need to realize that they are losing population, all the political corruption is turning peoples off to this area as a place to live, and people need to engage in the civic process and hold their elected leaders responsible for this mess. I find it intriguing that Cleveland as a city doesn’t use it’s big city charm to attract more people from Northeast Ohio to its’ shores. If Cleveland and Cuyahoga county had any brains it would have used this opportunity of the economic downturn to start investing in things like the lakeshore. One of the things I admire about Pittsburgh is the fact that it weathered the recession a lot better than this region, it draws more people from around the country to conventions to the G20. The same could be done in Cleveland. Unfortunately it seems like so many like a grand vision. The smart thing to do would be to invest in infrastructure, partner with other cities in Northeast Ohio and Western PA to make this region of over 6 million people more mobile with other transportation options to get people to come to the city and enjoy it’s amenities. I’m so tired of the NIMBY attitude in this region. We need more mobility, more investment, and a consolidated form of government. Merge Cleveland + Cuyahoga county. Do what Indy & Louisville has done. Maybe just maybe more things would get done!
Hey Kenny J., seems you have a thing for the Republicans, yet the Democrats have had absolute control of the City of Cleveland and overall Cuyahoga County for the past 20+ years. The result? The highest sales tax rate of Ohio’s 88 counties, a 9.8% county population loss over the last two decades, the City of Cleveland having one of the top ten worst performing public school systems NATIONALLY, and about 33 Democrats and one Republican caught up in the Cuyahoga County corruption scandal.
As far as the county population loss, that 9.8% equals the total populations of Parma, Parma Heights, Brooklyn, Seven Hills and Independence COMBINED!!!
Also, unlike government, any private enterprise needs to show a profit on any project it takes on or the company will cease to exist. Do you realize the average life span of a company is less than 15 years? As far as small businesses are concerned, 50-60% fail within the first 3-5 years.
So remove the bug thats been up stuck up your ass, start your own company, and grow it successfully. Then YOU can take the risks and be the next mover and shaker in the area. Or are you too lazy and/or afraid?
Oh and one more thing, be grateful that the Republican was willing to invite you to share in the food, drink, and laughs since you don’t seem very deserving.
Michael R., any “Wet Dream” coming from Cleveland City Hall is not the white sticky type, but rather, its warm and yellow.
WOW! Some serious comments today. Democrats have been in charge of this County for decades and it has gotten us no where except for the brief time our mayor was a Republican so kind of hard to blame the GOP. In fact, I think Cleveland is a perfect representation of what happens when the dems are in total control of anything. The businesses all leave, the wealthy invest somewhere else, the poor live like kings and have no desire to do anything (note the new townhomes on central avenue with water parks, childcare and computer centers to open in a few months paid for with money borrowed from China) OK, I get that if the GOP was in control we would have filthy water,dictatorship like leaders and the rich would stay because they would be getting all of the money instead of the poor. Semantics my friends.
THE GOOD NEWS is that the FBI slammed everyone and I mean everyone who was corrupt which means we still have someone honest our there.We still have some representation and some hope for change and keep in mind Frank Jackson is an attorney and honest so while a little light on the public speaking side he is bright enough to run this city.I have noticed the lack of articles about all of the construction going on downtown. Do you think that just happened or do you think the Jackson Sweeeney team might have had some hand in this. Give blame when they screw up but no credit when they do well? The real problem is that his ideals of giving everything to the poor while nice don’t pay the bills. So you ramp up the water bills on the wealthy suburbs and you lose Westlake and wind up with less money for homeless shelters. You see that is the real fundamental problem with the Dems. Businesses pay for homeless shelters. Close Burke and make it a park for the people saving 1.5 million a year for the city to hire more police to walk the aisles of Burke lakefront park.Note to democrats: businesses pay for homeless shelters, not the other way around. Accept the fact that Eaton corp is a bunch of greedy bastards and when the time comes to bend over to keep them in the city. Start your bending. If not for you for the homeless and the poor.
Another instance where the city is spinning its wheels in the mud. There’s a lot of noise and mud is flying everywhere, but in the end, we go nowhere and everyone is just dirty.