Comments on: PD’s Susan Goldberg, You go girl! (You go, too, Henry and Mark)

By: Jill Miller Zimon

Jill Miller Zimon — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:55:08 +0000

Dweller – I agree on Hagan – and he seemed SO passionless.

That’s part of what really galls me – at least Peter Lawson Jones acts like he WANTS and values his job outside of it being a paycheck.

There’s something much less genuine with the others somehow – can’t name it.

By: Jill Miller Zimon

Jill Miller Zimon — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:53:27 +0000

Danny – I haven’t seen the references re: fat and stupid but you wrote a very balanced comment so I’m going to take your word for it that that’s been intimated – and you are right – it’s unnecessary.

Since the PD has gotten more into online stuff, I find them getting even more loosey goosey – getting snarky when they’d get upset at a non-print connected writer doing the same.

They need to decide whether they are tabloid or not.

Sticking to the legitimate criticisms certainly should provide more than enough fodder and everyone has a breaking point. But Dimora – he is unique.

I’ve not met him personally in years and have met people who swear that he’s been their support and savior

But this kind of behavior and the reputation…well, it’s hard to support, don’t you think?

By: dweller

dweller — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:16:02 +0000

Growing up ’round here is like a phrase in the TV series Battlestar Galactica “… All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again.”

If I’m not mistaken. Don’t the county precinct bosses determine who will be on the ballot representing Cuyahoga County’s Democratic ticket? Being that he’s also the HEAD of the county democratic party. Who can oust him? Other members of the party board?

As for Hagan…Man. I still can’t believe people chose him over Tim McCormack.

I recall Tim Hagan had a “dimora” moment like this in 1998 when he caught hell for the death of a girl the county was supposed to take custody of or something. He just went ballistic in a videotaped meeting on TV and I think, retired.

By: Danny

Danny — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:09:32 +0000

No question that Dimora was out of line in throwing those reporters out of the room. But his frustration with the Plain Dealer is totally understandable. His reaction isn’t excusable – but I think it’s explainable.

Just one example is that the PD lambasted him years ago for offering the buyout to county employees, running story after story, editorial after editorial. Guess what? Dimora was right. The buyout saved taxpayers millions. And not a peep from the PD.

And how many references to his weight can they make? Yeah he’s a public official and it’s funny for a while – but come on, we get it: He’s fat. He also has kids.

In his diatribe against Gomez and Puente, I really felt sorry for him when he said he was tired of people pointing out his lack of a college education. I can understand people accusing him of being manipulative, unfair, lazy or intimidating. But he’s not dumb. Come on, how could he be good at those other things if he were dumb!?

So yeah, the reporters’ questions were totally legitimate, and throwing them out of the meeting was totally inappropriate. But it’s also inappropriate for a serious journalist to badger a public official at his home at 9:30 at night. And there’s a lot of genuine criticism that can be made of Dimora. But stop calling him fat and stupid.

By: Susan Miller

Susan Miller — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:21:41 +0000

posted this a while back in regard to Boss Tweed reference
http://realneo.org/blog/roldo/can-i-build-you-a-house-pay-you-to-live-in-it#comment-5550

By: John Ettorre

John Ettorre — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:12:33 +0000

Co-holds the purse string for the county and heads the county Dem party, a powerful combination, and the underlying source of his unique power and at least low-grade corruption.

By: Tom Rexroth

Tom Rexroth — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:09:23 +0000

I went to a county commissioners meeting. Demora arrives late as usual. He is joking with some toadies It appears that they just had a closed door meeting where business was actually conducted. The topics were hardly discussed before being voted approved. What a joke. He was like Boss Tweed in Tammany Hall. Most seem afraid to hold him accountable since he holds the purse strings for the county, but it is time for him to go.

By: Susan Miller

Susan Miller — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:35:14 +0000

well that would be good. a free press… what a concept. Do we have to dig up Upton Sinclair or can we just quote him?
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”

By: John Ettorre

John Ettorre — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:24:24 +0000

To her credit, she has already signalled that she’s heard and understands the structural criticisms of Larkin and his crony-like ties to all manner of insiders, beginning with his best chum, Hagan. Not long after she arrived, she began visiting with various embedded powers in the region, without Larkin. That loud signal couldn’t have been missed by anyone.

By: Susan Miller

Susan Miller — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:18:36 +0000

At the BOCC, Dimora needs to see retirement – clearly he’s burned out. Hagan might escort him from the room of public service and I suggest neither of them return. It could be a graceful voluntary exit.

Since Goldberg seems to have stepped up, perhaps her next bold move could be to show Brent Larkin the door. He needs directions and not directions from the people who are telling him what to write currently. His sales pitches for the opportunity corridor make one wonder if someone is sliding him cash to promote this bad idea. The PD could benefit from someone who is part of the solution, not part of the problem.