Griffin’s floor speech was inspired by a voter rights forum hosted by the Ohio Democratic Party and the Service Employees International Union Saturday. It featured as a special guest Stacey Abrams, the voting rights activist and 2018 Georgia gubernatorial candidate. At the event, an SEIU member asked Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley to leave. Kelley was escorted out.
For Griffin, this “aggressive” encounter defiled the dignity of the high office of City Council. He said it was unlike anything he’d ever seen in his political life and that it was now incumbent upon the body to make a “profound statement” to the following effect: City Council and its elected members must be respected.
It was an unintentionally violent, authoritarian speech.
“We must protect this house,” Griffin said. “We’ve got to set a tone that nobody should ever mess with this body. These folks need us because we were duly elected and we put ourselves out there to work hard on behalf of the citizens, not them… The body of this council needs to be shown respect whenever we go anywhere. We need to send a strong message that when you mess with us, you will be dealt with.”
What an inspiration!
Griffin’s speech was not only a grave political miscalculation — mayoral hopefuls must distance themselves from Kelley if they stand a chance — but also a basic misinterpretation of his role as an elected official.
“You don’t have to respect me [or Kelley], but you have to respect this seat,” he said. “You have to salute, as they say in the army, the rank, not the person. You can detest me, but you have to respect the seat.”
(Valiant words from a man holding the seat in question.)
Though this is diametrically opposed to the “servant leadership” rhetoric popular among local electeds and CEOs at annual luncheons, the above can be interpreted as the true stance and one of the most deeply held convictions of city council members: that they are accorded automatic reverence by virtue of their position, irrespective of what they do.
Griffin was railing against the Ohio Democratic Party, co-sponsors of the Saturday event, and even threatened to take matters to the Democratic National Committee — what??? — but the fact is, Kelley was asked to leave by a member of SEIU, not the ODP, for readily identifiable reasons: specifically, what he has done as city council president.
Despite his recent efforts to rehabilitate his image, voters know and will always remember how hard Kelley has worked to suppress their voices, how effectively, on key issues, he has removed the public from the conversation. Saturday’s forum was about voter rights. Does Kelley not understand how cruel and troll-ish his presence there no doubt seemed?
City council has been the most anti-democratic force in Cleveland for the past several years. And while Griffin claimed that he “punches up, not down,” the actions of council leadership, to say nothing of his own speech, dramatized the contrary. “These folks,” he said, referencing the activists and loud mouths he was at that moment pooping all over, “need us … because we work hard on their behalf, not them.”
Preach!
The woman who asked Kelley to leave Saturday was SEIU member Lynn Radcliffe. She was at Monday’s council meeting and can be heard in Griffin’s video, linked above, shouting in the background. She responded to Griffin’s remarks in a Facebook comment later Monday night.
Griffin, a peacemaker by disposition, will no doubt walk his comments back. He responded to Radcliffe’s post congenially.
“Thanks Lynn. We can agree to disagree,” he wrote. “I will not disrespect you Sis. But I am also going to challenge people when I believe there is a lack of decorum.”
But again, Griffin will only challenge people for a lack of decorum directed at City Council members, to whom, remember, constituents must show respect or be dealt with. Griffin has not challenged a lack of decorum by his city council colleagues, neither the snide remarks directed at activists nor the unhinged, totally indecorous ravings of Ward 4 councilman Ken Johnson, directed at his own constituents.
He’s punching down, in other words.
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This article appears in Oct 16-22, 2019.
Love seeing the Democrats getting eaten by the SIEU Communists. Love Griffin being exposed for the thug he is. I thoroughly enjoy the deflection of the Media to pretend Trump and Republicans are the problem.
They are all their own worst enemy, and no one needs the help of a foreign government to make them implode. Keep up the good work Commies & Dems….its gonna be a landslide in 2020!!!
Trump/Pence 2020
MAGA all the way to the bank.
Kevin Kelley is the living embodiment of a lack of decorum. Sure, he’s all smiles and platitudes, but he’s really just crapping on us all. Not exactly good manners!
What a dunce. Blaine get a real grip on yourself. You talk about disrespect. In totality you and your so called seat holders disrespect yourselves and the people you are supposed to represent. When in the last 3 years has the council body ever challenged the mayor on a budget or anything that he has or has not done. In short, just like your mentality, you like the mayor continue to present a worthless line dross, “it is what it is.” You talk of disrespect. You gathered a collection of people, met in secret and crafted an empty idea to address the lead issue 2 yrs down the road. Get your pathetic big headed ego in check. You are a part-time Cleveland (Mayberry) councilman with very little authority. Lastly, how dare you even invoke a military honored tradition. You have no basic idea of what a salute means along with being a servant.
Go back to Youngstown and get a real job.
I’ll eat some lead paint to that!!!!
Well, yet ANOTHER reason why city Clowncil and corrupt Taxin Jackson need to all get removed from office now!!!
Until we get leaders who actually think of something other than themselves and lining their own pockets, nothing will likely ever change around here except paying higher and higher taxes for more and more of their shenanigans and blatant tax thievery!!!
The ENTIRE city council board needs to be replaced, as well as Mayor no action Jackson! Blaine as well as that fake ass Basheer, are straight up embarrassments! The only thing they’re good for, is pumping their egos, with their titles, and neighborhoods, and citizens are suffering! Blainegot his position HANDED to him, now he’s the man!? SMH, sit yo ass DOWN!
Sam, you have the potential to be a good reporter, but you always make things so personal and come off as so angry, which distracts from the points you are trying to convey.
-NewsPaperRock
Time to focus. As Black people SEIU uses you to further their agenda. Youre just cannon fodder. The same goes for the Stonewall Democrats and the Cuyahoga County Democratic Progressive Caucus.
If they were serious they would stand and fight with you instead of setting an agenda and then forcing you to join them in hopes that you will benefit in some small way
Black people better form their own party and then align themselves with people who share their values. Stop being used
When things finally get bad enough, Cleveland will burn, and Frank and His Pack, which includes the entire rubber-stamp Student…er…CITY…Council, will be seen for the ash-holes they really are. And they’ll be presiding over an ash-hole, as well. Boot them all out? yeah, right. As Buddy Holly sang “That’ll be the day.” Things will just keep on swirling into the poop chute as long as these gasbags continue to pontificate.
That;s Frank and his Rat Pack…
This story reminds me of one I read in fourth or fifth grade… it was called “The Wizard of Oz”…
I AM OZ…THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE! …(
(…when you mess with us, you will be dealt with….respect this seat…”)
And then that yapping dog shows the world what a powerless little pissant Oz really is.
Pay no attention to the loudmouth behind the curtain.
Griffin -Peacemaker? Allard- why don’t you revisit Griffin’s twitter rants as head of Community Relations at the City of Cleveland? “Have heart! Don’t hide in the shadows! Should #ourcle be burned down? Speak up.” How about his “screw you” comments to immigration attorney – Richard Hermann. Glad for this reporting, but seriously don’t sugar coat this guy.
Blaine Griffin has Suge Knight vibes. Wannabe Gangsta, more like an oversized Clown.
Blaine Griffin makes George Forbes (remember him?) look like a classy gentleman.
That takes some doing. Ask Carl Monday
He also makes a couple of other Georges look pretty good…
George Foreman…and George Jefferson.
As the Italians like to say…”Whatta gavone!”
Articles like this really chap my ass. Who died and left Lynn Radcliffe as
owner of “her Union building”? I discussed this article briefly with Kevin
Kelley last night at the OBDC annual dinner and am in full agreement that removing an elected official from a public meeting [without just cause} is tantamount to equivocating the Democratic Party with Trump-ism {better known in 1939 Germany as Nazi-ism}. Whether or not you agree with the councilman’s public positions you do not have the right to arbitrarily and capriciously trump the will of the people who voted him in. Tonight for homework Ms. Radcliffe needs to read Democracy for Dummies and submit to a pop quiz in the morning. I hereby demand a public apology to Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley and his re-admission to any further public meetings sponsored by the SEIU and the Ohio Democratic Party. We democrats are about to embark on the most important election ever in the history of this country and we already have one sour apple causing division. As Lincoln said “a house divided will not stand.” Neither will the Democratic Party if antics like this keep occurring.
Tonight for homework Ms. Radcliffe needs to read Democracy for Dummies and submit to a pop quiz in the morning.
Thats in the comment by another poster.
In Blaines twitter bio there used to be a statement to the effect of the boss. I also once saw that a councilman jokingly refer to him as boss man. Funny? No, it is not.
If they threaten you, take notes.
This blabbermouth deserves a boot in the butt. but would he learn anything from it? Naaaaah…
This party will self destruct in 20 seconds on 10/22/2019 at 12:05 PM said:
” …no one needs the help of a foreign government to make them implode.”
But your Boys (Trump/Pence) sure are working hard at bootying up to them anyways, lol.