All three are more or less Republicans. Kilo is a gung-ho conservative, a patriotic religious man with old-school values. He is officially endorsed by the local Republican party. Madalone is “running unaffiliated” but is a registered Republican. Chrostowski is more mercurial. He is running as an Independent and says he has supported both Republicans and Democrats in past elections.
“I have some conservative views that are extremely liberal,” Chrostowski told Scene in March. “And I have some liberal views that are extremely conservative.” When Scene asked directly if Chrostowski voted for Trump, he said no. He “avoided both clowns in the election and stayed out of the circus.”
At a candidates forum Tuesday night at Market Garden Brewery in Ohio City, all three were questioned about their support for Donald Trump. (In the audience Q&A portion, audience members could direct their questions to specific candidates).
Kilo is the only candidate who has stated publicly that he voted for Trump. And last night, when asked to defend his vote — and his safety plan, which is the most concrete of the mayoral challengers — in light of Trump’s rhetoric around immigrants and the recent pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona, Kilo said he’d voted for Trump for two reasons.
“I am ardently pro-life, and I believe that his economic policies can positively impact this city,” he said. But Kilo also said, echoing the theme of servant leadership that has underscored much of his platform, that a Cleveland mayor must put ideology to the side.
“You need a mayor who’s going to be humble enough to recognize that whether it’s Republicans or Democrats at the county level, the state level or the federal level, you need someone who’s not going to bring his personal politics to the office, but who’s going to lay his life down in service to the community,” he said.
The last question of the night, wrapping up the two-and-a-half hour event, also concerned Trump. Ohio City resident Paula Kampf, who serves as administrator for the “Cleveland Resistance Community Against the Trump Administration” Facebook group, asked Brandon Chrostowski and Tony Madalone what it was they admired about President Trump and which of his policies they supported.
Chrostowski, for the first time (that we’re aware of), identified himself a “Bernie guy,” and said there wasn’t much he stood behind in terms of Trump’s actions and policies. He cited, in particular, Trump’s ostracizing of minorities and immigrants. Madalone, for his part, said that he doesn’t support any of Trump’s policies currently, but did appreciate how Trump said what he felt on the campaign trail, and the fact that his candidacy “took on the establishment, which is what I’m doing.”
Kilo answered as well, doubling down on earlier comments:
“Whatever happened to us as a society respecting the office the person holds?” He asked, at which portions of the crowd laughed. “You can laugh, but whether you’re the President of the United States, the Governor of Ohio, a congressman or -woman, or the Mayor of the city of Cleveland — I can assure you when you’re the mayor of Cleveland, you better be able to work with Republicans, Democrats, the White House, Capitol Hill, the state legislature, the governor. It’s so easy to take pot shots at leaders from the sidelines. It’s a lot different to get stuff done on behalf of the people.”
The forum was, in general, more laid back and jocular than recent events have been. Several of the eight candidates in attendance — all but Mayor Jackson — mentioned how close they had become on the campaign trail.
“These guys are like family members,” candidate Dyrone Smith said in a touching opening statement. “I’ve been to so many forums with them they’re like extended family members now.”
The complete CLEcast forum is available to stream and download here. (And please feel free to skip to 1:25:20 to hear Eric Brewer ask if Citramax is a laxative.)
This article appears in Aug 30 – Sep 5, 2017.
You have contenders who – for whatever reasons – just don’t seem committed to going all out for victory…..and you have pretenders who make David Lee Rock’s bizarre 1993 mayoral bid seem amazingly credible and legitimate.
look at the man sitting in center stage…that’s Eric Brewer the next Mayor of Cleveland
oh and by the way the only reason Eric Brewer asked whether or not Citramax is a laxative is most likely because of all the bullshit coming out of the mouths from the other candidates…believe me it was enough to make me throw up and drop a load {both at the same time}
The main question that comes to my mind is, Why is it that only the three white candidates for Mayor of Cleveland were drilled about their votes for the president race and drilled on their thoughts about president Trump’s policies? Why not ask the black candidates these questions? Is it an assumption by this committee, or is it the predjudists of the committee that only the white candidates voted for Trump and that their predjudists make them believe that a white mayror might have some of the same thoughts as the president?
How in the world can their be a fair vote for the Mayor’s office if the committee itslef is predjudist?
Just a thouggt
The mayor’s office of Cleveland has been crooked as far back as I can remember.
I remember like it was yesterday when the Broadway fire happened. It happened when the city was trying to acquire the land there for their Youth club. I remember this so vividly because a few days before the fire happened there were fire trucks all around that area.
I would make comments to friends and family about something big was about to happen in that area. Three days before the fire there was fire trucks just sitting in the McDonald’s parking area. I don’t mean that they say there just long enough to eat a happy meal. I mean they sat there for hours and hours. Same with other businesses in the area. For at least three or four days before the fire that whole area was infested with fire trucks, city political vehicles, utility vehicles and such.
What a coincidence that the building that the fire was supposedly accedentally started was an abandoned building full of flammable material?
People just turn a blind eye to all of the obvious in that area.
I am pretty close to some of the insiders and I’ve heard stories that I have sworn by life to take to my grave but tell you that if the public learned about what really happened so.e very powerful people would be living the rest of their lives in a resort funded by our government…
On Monday Jun 26, 2017 I had the opportunity to attend the Mayoral Forum
sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus and the Ward 14
Democratic Club at the VFW on West 61st Street in Clark-Fulton.
Ive since attended most of the other forums as well.
Of all the candidates present at the event the one that caught my attention
was former East Cleveland Mayor Eric Brewer. He was the only one who
appeared to have a true grasp of the issues concerning Cleveland combined
with a positive track record to validate his claims. He comes across as
someone who chooses to be a statesman rather than a politician. This combined with his intelligence, charisma and burning desire to serve the citizens of Cleveland makes him the ideal successor to soon to be former Mayor Frank Jackson. Frankly, he is the only candidate taking this election seriously.
Contrary to what the media and his opponents would like the public to believe
Eric only appears to grow angry at two things. One, when he is falsely accused
of something and two, with the rampant injustice that pervades the City of Cleveland. Just as with Eric I am not satisfied with the performance of the Cleveland Schools and its inability to teach our children the basics of reading, writing, speaking and listening. I am not satisfied with the anemic job growth in Cleveland especially the blown opportunity of failing to land the Amazon Fulfillment Center which ended up in North Randal. I am not satisfied with the lack of discipline and training in our police department resulting in the unnecessary deaths of Cleveland citizens when it clearly could have been prevented. I am not satisfied when Cleveland is ranked at the top of the list in poverty while crime is rampant in our city. I am not satisfied with the catering to owners of sports teams by Cleveland officials when they know in their own conscience it is the wrong thing to do.
I believe it is time to get the City of Cleveland moving again. We have stagnated for the last 12 years under a political philosophy of “it is what it is”. Never let it be said that this was the time the tide ran out on Cleveland but rather was the time the tide finally came in. Eric Brewer is that tide and represents the pro-active change Cleveland needs during these challenging times. Right now Cleveland is a ship without a captain {and a rudder as well}. Eric Brewer will be that captain if voters make the right choice on September 12, 2017 {my 54th birthday}.