This is my first text contribution to the deadeuclid blog as a longtime collaborator and factfinder as well as driver and photography apprentice I decided now was the time to let you all hear my voice concerning the current Mayoral debaucle.
I received my mail as usual this afternoon and placed in amongst the typical issues of "Gold Clipper" and my last cable television bill were the typical (at least for the last two weeks) campaign ads. One ad showing former Euclid Mayor Tony Sustarsic and the new Euclid Senior Center, the other a bucket of what appears to be straw filled feces with a "Re-Elect Mayor Cervenik" sign poorly photoshopped over it. I was intrigued, to say the least. The back sides of these humble pieces of equally sized paper propaganda intrigued me further. Cervenik's advertisement featured in bold lettering "The Difference is Clear". Gudenas's piece featured most prominently a black and white photo of a rather bothered-looking Bill Cervenik with the text "Don't Stand for the Dirty Tricks".
I have a few complaints about both of these pieces of free mailbox literature:
1. Bill Cervenik's advertisement features some honest looking faces and quotes about how he has seemingly single-handedly brought the city out of a longstanding debt, attracted strong businesses and jobs, strengthened our safety forces, and destroyed the eyesores and safety hazards around our city. The ad continues by stating he "Expanded vital senior service programs" and "helped create a vibrant new senior center".
The fact of the matter is, and what should be pointed out is WE as Euclid residents paid for that "vibrant new senior center", we as Euclid residents who pay our taxes, are bankrolling our fire and police departments, and that we as Euclid residents are the ones ultimately responsible for our further development. This, however does not a mayoral campaign make.
2. Ed Gudenas's advertisement, besides featuring a nice big bucket of you-know-what on the front, also shows us that he is endorsed by the Euclid Sun Journal. Not the most reputable publication in the cuyahoga county area by any means, the Euclid Sun is owned and operated by a much larger company and after a dealing or two with them in the past it is obvious to me that nobody is actually captain of that ship. Some Endorsement! The next part troubles me the most, paying no mind to the black square of "poo slinging" at our current mayor, the next blurb states Gudenas is "Endorsed by 8 out of 9 Euclid City Council members".
EUREKA!
This at long last explains part of Euclid's problems. Any candidate that is a current member of Euclid City Council and has the support of that many consider worries me. It also gives a good reason why the city is falling into decline, despite all the flag-waving and hot air ballooning by the candidates. The problem does not fall into the executive branch of our government as our candidates would have you believe, the problem lies in the legislative branch. EIGHT out of NINE council members get along with Ed Gudenas more than they get along with Bill Cervenik. This explains things stalling out despite debates continuing long and hard. This explains why we didn't just settle out of court in our case against the United States Justice Department that eventually broke our city into 8 wards. Cervenik saw the initial plan laid out by the Justice Department made sense, Gudenas and City Council did not, chose to stalemate against mediation and send it to court, where it eventually ended up costing the city, the Euclid residents, SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.
This is the same city council that was still licking it's wounds after a failed recall election of Bill Cervenik showed that he indeed had the popular vote. It is obvious that these past 4 years have had no real results for Cervenik and ultimately our city because our own legislative and executive branches of local government cannot come to amicable solutions to problems, even amongst themselves.
There's been a lot of activity on the blog lately, and it is nice to see that both sides have come out and shown their positions, but after seeing and reading what I have I've come to an interesting idea. Perhaps the problem isn't the mayor after all. Perhaps a big shakeup in city council is needed. Perhaps every council person should stop trying to push their own agendas and attempt to focus on the elephant in the room. Rather than backbiting and pushing each other all year only to put their hopes on the guy who doesn't even own property in the city, they should have focused on working with their current mayor, like him or not, to see that repairing an already broken city is brought to the forefront.
Vote for Gudenas or Vote for Cervenik, chances are, you're not going to see a really big difference either way.
Formerly the Dead Euclid blog, Euclid Evolution aims to show what Euclid once was in pictures and words, and how Euclid is today. Our focus is on history and architecture. Our goal is to photograph the changing face of the retail and restaurant industry in our Cleveland suburb, because we think that kind of thing is fascinating.
While I agree that the legislative branch is the real problem (and part of the reason that smart, responsible voters should avoid Gudenas like the plague), I disagree that voting for Cervenik won't change anything. While it will probably take until March for any real change (when the City Council elections take place), four of the current City Council members all live in one of the eight new wards. Also since this election and the one in March are considered one election, Gudenas is barred from running for City Council President again. That means that come March, the citizens of Euclid *have* to elect at least three new City Council members, and four if none of the current council runs for President (which, unfortunately, is unlikely).
ReplyDeleteMarch is when an out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new vote will really make a difference. Hopefully we can elect a City Council that won't tie up the City by fighting more lawsuits or trying to recall the Mayor within two years of his election.
I also think your criticism of Cervenik's literature was unfair. Of course *we* are paying for it. But, we don't come up with the budgets and don't have to fight an incompetent City Council to get any competent legislation passed. Cervenik provides the leadership that ensures these things happen. If no one at City Council fights for them, it doesn't matter who is willing to pay for them - it doesn't get done. Just as we can blame President Bush for the war in Iraq even though *we* are paying for it, Cervenik should get the credit when he leads us into something good, even if we're paying for it.
Gudenas's literature would be hilarious if it didn't tell us exactly the kind of person he is: deceitful, dirty, and pathetic. In addition to the bucket literature (which would be more appropriate if it as attacking him than coming from him), he's now using one of those stock photos you get at campaign events of him with Peter Lawson Jones to suggest the County Commissioner supports him. I researched this to make sure I hadn't missed Peter's endorsement of a city candidate. Peter doesn't appear on either candidates' page as an endorser and I couldn't find any statements by him suggesting he's for Gudenas or endorsing him. It's pathetic.
ReplyDeleteGudenas's attempts to claim endorsements is only a slicker, slightly more believable, version of what Litinowitz did in showing a picture of LeBron James. But, this isn't the Student Council election at Central. You don't just get to pretend people have endorsed you. If Peter Lawson Jones didn't endorse Gudenas, he shouldn't be showing up on his literature. But there he is.
Gudenas is left attempting to full the citizens of Euclid with tricks like this because, as you wisely noted, he was endorsed by the very unreliable and unreputable Euclid Sun Journal, 8 Council people, Rose Allen and Kent Smith. That’s it.
Cervenik, though, has the following people endorsing him:
Governor Ted Strickland; Lt. Governor Lee Fisher; Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones; State Rep. Kenny Yuko; Kent Smith’s much wise boss, Cuyahoga County Commissioner Bill Mason; The Plain Dealer; the Cleveland Call and Post; Cuyahoga County Commissioner and Democratic Party Chairman Jimmy Dimora; County Commissioner Tim Hagan; Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo; Cuyahoga County Engineer Robert C. Klaiber; Cuyahoga County Coroner Frank Miller; Former Mayor Tony Sustarsic; NINE unions; and yes, only one Councilman Christopher Gruber (because he’s the smart one). I believe there are others in the ODP who are endorsing Cerenik, but those are the official ones I could locate (I'm assuming I don't just get to claim anyone who has ever signed a picture for or had a picture taken with Bill).
It’s cute how the Gudenas party claims he’s the “only” endorsed Democrat, but again, this isn’t an eighth grade Student Council election. Euclid deserves at least an honest leader. And if we’re going to be honest, the people who know how to run things are endorsing Cervenik because he knows how to run things, too.
(By the way, if there was no other reason to vote for Cervenik, the comparisons of their websites should do it. If this is Gudenas’ idea of information and follow-through, I wish he really was running in the 8th grade election.)