I offer these flowers for Mr. Bartimole and Mr. Renner to put on their desks.   Their's is the type of reportage which we need more of in Ohio. 

In particular look at the end of Roldo’s article on Cool Cleveland and read the list of gratuities which Mr. Wolstein is intending to take from the taxpayers in broad daylight.  I will bet $100 that Mr. Wolstein’s attorneys, and not the city, were the primary drafters of the items on this list.  Only they could keep a straight face while planning the hugely expensive transfer of public money to this private developer.  Look at the very last paragraph “any and all soft costs” – you know how many millions that will add up to for just this item?   Totally open ended.  It is disgusting.

In California it works just the reverse – the developers PAY the state and county and city for the additional traffic their project may generate.  Private developers PAY to build new freeway interchanges or to widen a bridge or road.  What is happening here in NEO is, in my opinion, a corruption of common sense and fairness.  Our “leaders” have sold us out.  Cleveland is being plundered.

Thank you Roldo for all your time researching and  putting this into print. 

Mr. James Renner has also put a lot of shoe leather into his Free Times report on Chris Carmody, (who runs the state, county, and philanthropically funded Cleveland Film Commission) which was originally brought to my attention on Realneo by Norm Roulet.    Mr. Renner went to hear Mr. Carmody at the City Club and asked a question which made Mr. Carmody uncomfortable.  That’s the type of question that needs to be asked more in NEO.  Mr. Carmody became irritated enough that he had Film Commission lawyers talk with Free Times lawyers and the editor.   That suggsest to me that Mr. Renner is getting close to the quick.  Mr. Carmody comes off like Attorney General Gonzales – questionable. Cleary the Sony 5 million dollars-spent-in-Cleveland figure is just pulled out of thin air in an attempt to justify the existence of the Film Commission and Mr. Carmody’s salary.  

Anybody out there have another viewpoint on Chris Carmody?  I don’t know him myself. 

Notice [just above ACT 5 in the article]  that Peter Miragliotta, CEO of Tenable Security said (in reference to Mr. Carmody’s Film Commission and free police details for filming operations):

“We have other things we need to do with that money before we give it away to producers. We still have lead in all our old houses and you want to give tax breaks to producers?"

Publius will soon see that Norm isn’t the only person in town “fixated” on lead poisoning.  We haven’t been “fixated” enough for the last century or two. 

Anyway, hat’s off to Mr. Renner for digging away . 

Take those spring flowers and put ‘em in some water,  James.