Comments on: Cuyahoga County Executive coverage

By: Have Coffee Will Write » Blog Archive » WHAT THEY SAY…

Have Coffee Will Write » Blog Archive » WHAT THEY SAY… — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:36:40 +0000

[...] Anastasia writes: I also think there’s a glaring problem with their mention that Nina Turner would have to step down from the transition team if she opted to run – but they make no such mention with Marty Zanotti, who has managed to self-appoint himself to HEAD the transition team. [...]

By: Anastasia p

Anastasia p — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:15:56 +0000

It’s not just the gender and skin colour; the backgrounds are very narrow too. Considering that the ideal person – who doesn’t exist — should equally balance experience in politics, government, human services and business, there is a grotesque tilt toward business here. It’s absurd that names like Joe Roman’s should even be in the mix, or someone like Tom Chema, who helped perpetuate the public-money grab that was Gateway.

Also, they’ve included a bunch of names of people who have categorically said they aren’t running. Why? Do they know something these people aren’t saying? When someone like David Abbott says, “I am not a candidate,” I believe him.

I also think there’s a glaring problem with their mention that Nina Turner would have to step down from the transition team if she opted to run – but they make no such mention with Marty Zanotti, who has managed to self-appoint himself to HEAD the transition team. In fact, it would be the most flagrant and egregious breach of trust if there were any HINT that he was running. Among the many things he needs to do to build even a shred of trust in his involvement in the process is to make an unequivocal statement that he will have NO involvement in any future county government — that he will never run for any county job. Since he has arbitrarily decided to exclude both candidates for those jobs AND current officeholders — who have no conflict of interest since their jobs will no longer exist but can provide the single most valuable pool of information on how the county runs — he needs to do this, pronto. He’s been deceptive throughout the whole process, so i see no reason to trust him at all. His statement in the PD this morning about keeping politics out of the transition was a sidesplitter — this coming from a man who has been quoted repeatedly as saying no one who was against Issue 6 should have a role in the new government? That’s not only the most extreme partisanship — it’s revenge politics.

By: Have Coffee Will Write » Blog Archive » MY COMMENTS…

Have Coffee Will Write » Blog Archive » MY COMMENTS… — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:32:22 +0000

[...] 0731: Cuyahoga County Executive coverage [...]

By: Jeff Hess

Jeff Hess — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:31:10 +0000

Shalom Jill,

While:

That must not, must not, must not be the sum total of what 1.3 million people have to offer up as possible leaders.

it is very easily the tightly controlled group of acceptable puppets allowed for consideration by those who wield wealth and power in Cuyahoga County.

B’shalom,

Jeff

By: Mark W. "Some Guy on Bridge" Schumann

Mark W. "Some Guy on Bridge" Schumann — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:36:24 +0000

I agree, Tim, especially from my somewhat Democratic point of view. It’s not like electing Democrats per se (at the national level) gets us any particular policy or program–it’s not a parliamentary system in which the party as a whole is held responsible for delivering on its promises.

By: Tim Ferris

Tim Ferris — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:32:50 +0000

Good points. I like what you said earlier, too, about the politics of entering politics.

Do we, in the age of the lateral connection, the network, the wired community, do we really need the layer of political parties? I think they keep us at odds and keep talent from emerging as quickly as it should be able to. Parties seem to limit access and to perpetuate mediocrity.