The schools need improved in Cleveland Hts, but that has nothing to do with the Mayor. We have all the same issues that every other town in America is struggling with and those issues cannot be solved by a Mayor or a City Manager. We have a lack of affordable housing, face massive consumer debt from healthcare and student loans, there are 30 years of stale wages, a lack of a social safety net, and poor health care are the main issues facing our city and pretty much every city in America. What could an elected Mayor do that a City Manager can't do with regard to any of these issues?
Now, the Plain Dealer has weighed in with support for changing the Cleveland Hts government to a strong Mayor, which seals the deal for me. If the Plain Dealer supports an initiative most of the time they are wrong. I could spend days detailing all the times that the PD was wrong with their opinions and endorsements including the change in County government to John Kasich to Armond Budish to George W. Bush. Even their business strategy is off base. How can anyone think staffing a major newspaper with so few reporters will lead to anything but the same fate of Youngstown Vindicator. The Plain Dealer has the worst judgement on policies and politicians, and I know that this Cleveland Hts proposal is wrong for the City.
We all knew that Donald Trump was a corrupt, lying, tax evading, draft dodging, womanizer, poor business man who only got to where he was with the money from his father and we still elected him. If this can happen on the federal level, why can't it happen in Cleveland Hts? Our schools are not the best and so I believe that a sizable number can fall under the spell of a huckster. They do not teach how to recognize propaganda and fight against it in schools anyway. We live in a world in which a well placed tweet or insta-gram post can transform an election. The smart, intellectual leader can be taken down on the eve of an election with a rumor spread through social networks about a pedophile ring in the basement of a local pizza shop. It is harder to take down a hired effective City Manager.
I have heard that they could attract businesses or could be more accountable to the people. But in my opinion, I would trust a professional manager over a person who is popular and speaks pretty words. I mean there is no way to fire an elected Mayor. A strong City Council President can also attract businesses and could force the City Manager to be accountable to the people. A populist Mayor could lead us down the Donald Trump strong dictator road. A strong Mayor could begin a war of words with University Hts over support of the schools or the Cleveland Mayor over water rights. A strong Mayor could bankrupt the City in an attempt to build a business incubator or dramatically increase the number of Police to "keep everyone safe." They could put barriers up on Noble Road to keep out the bad elements as Shaker Hts did in the 1980s off Warrensville Center Road. They could cause South Euclid type division among the elected office holders or start calling out the Council for being a bunch of landlords and businessmen who are only enriching themselves. A "strong" Mayor could do anything to stay in power--no matter the costs, just like Donald Trump.
There are problems in Cleveland Hts, but an elected Mayor is not going to solve those problems. No thanks on the change. I am sticking with a professional in charge over a politician. I will vote "No, on Issue 26."
Brian Davis
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