Submitted by Jeff Buster on Thu, 01/26/2006 - 11:54.
I sat for lunch at the table with Mayor Brewer of East Cleveland last Tuesday at NeoExcellence Roundtable. I had read the PD’s review of the events surrounding Mayor Brewer’s anxiousness to get physically into the City Hall. The PD article left a very negative image. Listening in person to Mayor Brewer left a positive image. Here’s one reason Mayor Brewer recalled for us at lunch:
In his first several weeks in office Mayor Brewer had the number of telephone poles with street lights on them in East Cleveland counted. Then he met with CEI officials and pointed out to them that the City was being billed monthly for (more than) 100 more street lights than existed. Mayor Brewer recognized that the City was not being billed by CEI on a metered kwhr electrical bill, but rather a flat fee per street light – so if the light wasn’t using electricity at all – because it didn’t exist – the City was still being billed for it.
This is the type of attention to detail that every City needs to set a tone of responsibility and concern for the taxpayers money.
Other examples included weigh scale issues with BFI trash collection in the City, illegal dumping remedies, and improving the general professionalism of everyone in the City government.
Mayor Brewer is street smart, well spoken, and has polish and humor. He has a tough job ahead. I wish him the best health to tackle his challenge.
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When is the next NeoExcellence Roundtable?
Hi Jeff,
How does one get invited to the roundtable event?
ROUNDTABLE OPEN 2 ALL
Check in to this site's home page - Coming Roundtables will be posted in the event section. presently at upper left. All are welcome. Contribution of $16.00 is appreciated for the lunch - good buffet! Bring your civic interests and viewpoints to bear on the speaker. Please RSVP.
Actually, it's $13 - here's how to get on the list
The Excellence Roundtables are usually held at lunch on Tuesday's, at the City Club of Cleveland. We assemble between 11:30 AM and 12:00 PM and have a buffet lunch, and then everyone introduces themselves to the group and a featured guest spends 15-20 minutes discussing a issue of current importance in our region. We then have a 30-45 minute group discussion. We ask attendees to pay for their own buffet lunch, which is $13. There are no other costs, and those who cannot afford to pay are sponsored by REALNEO.
We send out announcements for Roundtables a few days prior, by email, to a list we have assembled. Anyone who registers for an account with REALNEO will be added to this list, so you will be added, William.
We also post Roundtable announcements at realneo, on the calendar, and at http://neoexcellence.realinks.us - we ask you to RSVP to norm [at] realinks [dot] us
the fact that...
The fact that companies such as BFI and CEI that are screwing the city should be ashamed of theirselves. This is most certainly a good way to put the city's foot down and say "we will not be moved...or screwed". This could be good for the EC.
Derek Arnold
Cities can't manage what they don't measure
As this week begins the Enron trials, we are not suprised by corporate abuse - buyer beware. Seems Brewer is aware. Baltimore started a program called CitiStat that tracks city costs and activities - Mayor Campbell started something like that in Cleveland - perhaps East Cleveland will do something similar... I expect very cool developments in East Cleveland