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COMMUNICATIONS RETRIEVED TODAY BY THE PLAIN PRESS - E-MAIL ADDRESSES REDACTEDSubmitted by jerleen1 on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 20:54.
THESE COMMUNICATIONS WERE SENT OUT TO COUNCILMEN, CDC STAFF AND BOARD MEMBERS, COMMITTEE CHAIRS AND SEVERAL MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES ALONG WITH THE MAYOR AND A NUMBER OF OTHER HIGHER AUTHORITIES.
Forwarded Message: Re: WARD 14 CDO Engagement Agreements (Ward 14 Tremont) -- corrected
From:
"Scott Thomas Eversole"
To:
Thanks Henry.
I was not invited to this meeting.
Apparently Jim Pelikan and Gail Long are unwilling to work something out we can both agree on. In that case they had better not publish anything on behalf of Barber-Vega. I certainly hope it doesn't exclude us from receiving benefits and services or from working with the new service model. That would be unfair.
There seems to be some miscommunication and/or confusion about whether we, who were invited to these "Community Engagement" meetings with these consultants, represent our Communities. I guess we don't if these "draft agreements" mean nothing but if they impact how things go moving forward then it could be a problem to say that we are not representatives.
Jim Pelikan first insisted that we are not representatives when I recorded our first meeting, identified attendees, quoted the wishes of Community members and disseminated those transcriptions to the rest of my community because I believe they have the right to know what is going on with their government and public servants and how it impacts us all and us "not being representatives of our Community" was a big part of Jim Pelikan's reasoning that I should not record these meetings so that I could give the most complete and accurate information possible to my Community.
It seems to me that Councilman Cummins referred to us who would be invited to these meetings as "representatives". I could be wrong about that. I'd have to dig back through the communications to be sure. He did refer to us as "representatives" at the November 18th meeting though. I remember that and believe I have that on record as proof.
Henry makes a very good point as I have that if these agreements have anything to do with how we move forward in our relationships with one another then it is vitally important for us who do act as representatives of our community organizations, however big or small, when we participate in any such community activity, to be able to come to consensus within our communities in a way that is seen as fair and reasonable as possible by everyone who is effected before signing any agreements. In my Community, for instance, there are people with differing views (I suspect it's that way in all communities) and if I sign an agreement without full consensus I will be rightfully viewed as unfair by anyone who disagrees with the terms.
The first draft agreement written for Barber-Vega had some language that I liked including the possibility of working with Ohio City and/or the New Service Model but insisted that I agree that we have been served by Ohio City when we have not. Jim Pelikan insisted that we have no choice at the meeting I was invited to to work out the details of this agreement. The consultants didn't want to continue discussing this at that meeting and we agreed to bat the agreement back and forth until we agreed with each other. Then a day or 2 before the November 18th meeting they sent me another draft recommendation which cut out our option of choosing between Ohio City and the New Service model and only included the the one paragraph we disagreed on at the meeting insisting again that I agree that Ohio City fulfilled the contract of service to us when they hadn't. I put some more complete details about our relationship with Ohio City in a draft I wrote and the consultants asked me to call a special meeting with my Neighborhood during our holiday break before they would even make a comment. I told them that if we can't work something out between us then forget the draft. We will just wait until the consultants are gone I guess and go from there.
It's sad you know, it seems like (such as what I witnessed with myself, Henry Senyak and Jerleen Justus in the meetings we attended together), anyone who really asked for genuine accountability to the people from these public servants whose salaries come from the people's tax dollars were attacked by the public servants in what seems to be an attempt to drive them out of the participation process. That's what the people seem to get who are the most passionate, work the hardest for their communities and demand full accountability from their public servants and government in the truest tradition of the American Way. Of, for, and by the People, not the government and public servants. That is the corruption we are entrenched in at every level if I may be so bold as to say.
Again, I'm hopeful that we can come to agreement about allocations, services and partnerships and continue to work with each other in a positive manner as much as possible and I am willing to provide consensus and proof of such to our Councilman but none of us in Barber-Vega want to go through all the scandal we have in past years and keeping this Ohio City issue up will make public what has gone on with Ohio City, Bob Shores, Commander Sulzer and the 2nd District Community Relations Committee for sure. I've done my best in using discretion over these issues for the sake of the community and what can be salvaged but it is all too relevant to this issue and will come up as part of it and will be reported along with Henry's referrals.
Sincerely,
Scott Thomas Eversole
Barber-Vega Block Club
From:
Sent: Saturday, December 04, 2010 9:43 AM
To: Subject: Re: WARD 14 CDO Engagement Agreements (Ward 14 Tremont) -- corrected
Mr. Pelikan,
I can appreciate your well calculated and politicized response. I will request for the final time a copy of the Ward 14 Tremont Document the staff of Detroit-Shoreway have compiled for potential signatures.
At each meeting I heard representatives state clearly they represent a block club or a group. I will just make the case that Scott-Eversole represented the interests of the Barber-Vega block club.
The whole six month process that you and Councilman Cummins created was a top down invite only process until the very last minute. The fact that you had stated at the TWDC board meeting you and Gail met twice with the defunct board of a de-funded CDC to see what they wanted and did not have the courtesy to meet with the TWDC board until you wanted to divert a platoon of concerned residents of the Tremont Community into not participating with the rest of participants shows me this has not been a fair, equitable, and transparent process.
I am hoping you have a change of heart in not forwarding me the document. My next correspondence in this matter will be to the Inspector General of HUD and the Department of Justice asking for a full investigation in to the actions of Detroit-Shoreway,City of Cleveland, NPI, and Councilman Brian Cummins, Gail Long, and yourself Mr. Pelikan.
I will be asking for a full audit of the $300,000.00 in Ward 14 CDBG allocations to Detroit Shoreway, how its being utilized and spent. How much is being used for Ward 15, and Ward 16?
Thank you,
Henry P. Senyak
(I am only speaking on behalf of myself in this email)
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Wow!
Thanks for posting these, Jerleen. Open, inclusive process...not!
It was interesting that the invite to sign the agreement was to "leaders" and not as chairs of block clubs. This can be viewed in different ways: the process to invite leaders did not acknowledge that leaders involve others in the issues at hand (which is why they are leaders) showing ignorance that is unbelievable or, the other view: that inviting only leaders meant that the process was to be small, rubber-stamped with the seal of approval of known leaders, excluding that time consuming process of Q & A's from that bothersome group of people known as residents.
BTW: any good chair of a block club would also know better than to sign anything that could be construed as consent on behalf of a group of residents. Of course, I live in the real world, not the CDC world, so this would be a totally foreign concept to people cultivated by the CDC or a politician to act as a leader.
When did anyone post anything about these meetings on Realneo?
Brian Cummins was a pure advocate of Realneo until everyone began asking these transparent questions...then as we asked, waited, and looked forward to upcoming invitations to this TRANSPARENT PROCESS...we were NEVER INVITED-publicly.
I concur with filing MORE HUD/DOJ complaints...and with filing ETHICS COMMISSION COMPLAINTS... and filing Ohio DOD funding complaints and with removing their rights to these corrupt matters...
Shall we have a meeting to sign a petition for that RECALL?
didn't you post
a notice to the last meeting at Lin Omni?
These appear to be by invite only. The leaders do not look to be falling into the line given to them. They say that this process is not good enough.
I say hold the feet of Cummins to the fire, and make Cummins involve a broader spectrum of the community where anyone who wants input has input. There may be a deadline given to the facilitators by Cummins and the City, one that was chosen for reasons that we don't know about.
Recall? The last one divided Ward 14, and was costly in terms of a special election. As bad as Santiago was, we, the people of Ward 14, voted to let him continue.
I think that the main problem with all of this is in the beginning of the process, an artificial model was put into place and the regular Jane and Bob were not allowed to say how the process should work. These are models used by people who go to school so that they can work in these areas (CDC's) etc,. They are taught that the approach is to create a process of people, places, agendas, and so forth that take people to conclusion that was previously decided before the process began. They will not see anything wrong with this as it is either what they were taught, and or, what they were told to do.
This means that the process lacked the passion and the commitment that is so necessary.
So this new organization is a satellite office of Detroit Shoreway, with Jeff Ramsey as the real shot caller over what happens in the new group. If you think that you have had problems with TWDC staffers, then you must meet Jeff Ramsey.
Maybe that would be a good thing, for the residents to meet Jeff. It would help put things into perspective. Since he is the one that says yea or neigh to things, get him out front.
And a BTW, the new governor elect proposes to close the DOD down in Ohio. Please do not celebrate this. The impact on low income people will be significant.
COMMUNICATIONS FOR WARD 14 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS
RESEARCH FROM MY PAST COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE WARD 14 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.
Subject: Clark Fulton-W14 Tremont/Ohio City Community Leadership & Engagement Meeting
To: Redacted
Dear Community Leader,
You have been identified as an active community leader in the neighborhoods of Clark-Fulton and Ward 14 portions of Tremont and Ohio City.
You are invited to what will be one of the first meetings organized to explore ways to strengthen communications and participation from residents with the new service model that is being developed to provide community development services to these neighborhoods.
As you're probably already aware, there are changes being made in the way community development services are being provided for Ward 14 as well as adjacent neighborhoods in Wards 15 and 16. In addition to changes in services we want to support the establishment of a community involvement strategy in order for your voice to be heard by your Council representative and local development corporation, not just now but into the future
Note that the list of invitees has been limited to a relatively small number of active leaders to ensure the best interactive participation and that others, such as members of organizations and block clubs will have a chance to participate in future meetings. This is the first of what will be several meetings and activities to explore ways to increase community participation and we'll be asking you to help shape that process.
Please respond by email or call Johanna or me to confirm your attendance. I'll also be trying to reach people by phone as well. Please email or call as well with any questions you may have.
I have also referenced several articles that were published in the Plain Press that explain fairly well the processes that have led to the new service delivery model we are pursuing - see below.
MEETING DETAILS:
DATE: Monday, August 30th
TIME: 6:00 sign-in; 6:30 - 8:30 meeting
LOCATION: 3167 Fulton Road, Suite 303 - new Stockyard, Clark-Fulton & Brooklyn Centre Community Development Office
Facilitators: Gail Long & Jim Pelikan
Contacts:
Councilman Brian Cummins & Executive Assit. Johanna Hamm
New Ward Office: 3167 Fulton Road, Suite #305, 216-664-4238
Community Development Services:
Megan Meister, Program Director
Stockyard, Clark-Fulton & Brooklyn Centre Service Office
3167 Fulton Road, Suite 303, Cleveland, Ohio 44109
Tel: (216) 961-9073 ext. 210; Fax: (216) 961-9387
E-Mail: mmeister [at] dscdo [dot] org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" ymailto="mailto:mmeister [at] dscdo [dot] org" href="/mc/compose?to=mmeister [at] dscdo [dot] org">mmeister [at] dscdo [dot] org
Sincerely,
Brian.
216-664-4238
216-333-5453 cell
Regards,
Brian.
216-333-5453 cell
216-664-4238 office
brian cummins
is being the usual councilman, trying to develop a process that is expedient and controlling at the cost of exclusion, fueling the fires that flame in ward 14.
The new organization is a satellite of Detroit Shoreway Development Corporation.
"In the Zone" as in Matt Zone
This Ward 15 newsletter just went out. The first page carries the story : "New programs and services for residents in the Stockyard, Clark-Fulton and Brooklyn Center Areas".
"This past July, Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization (DSCDO) expanded to provide additional services to the city of Cleveland. The Stockyard, Clark-Fulton & Brooklyn Centre Development Office, a program of DSCDO......"
Also, "The office will be operated under the direction of Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization (DSCDO) and will be supported by...."
I do not see a link to view the newsletter on line but a call to Zone's office will probably get one mailed to you.
I have heard Zone speak to organizing in the community. He speaks to this effectively, and should be contacted about the concerns outlined in the e-mails.
Westbrook should also be contacted as he has voiced support for inclusion on this specific subject.
Since this new "organization" made the Stockyards group defunct at the whim of a councilman or two, then they need to be held to account.
There seemed to be some cool people at Stockyards
There seemed to be some cool people at Stockyards.... from realNEO:
I'd never heard of the neighborhood and one of the young CDC folks there filled me in. Are the Stockyards people still involved there?
Disrupt IT
Stockyards
The residents still meet and are working on things.
ETHICS VIOLATIONS....over and over and over again....collusion.
oh well, just another day in the life! I got Jay Westbrook's newsletter for the Fall/Winter 2010... Not a peep about that stuff above.
I'll let it go...I am exhausted...
no collusion, no ethic violation
in Westbrook not covering this. Not everything is collusion.
Detroit Shoreway is the group that is receiving $300,000 of funds from Ward 14 for these services. Zone is the councilman there in Detroit Shoreway (Ward 15).
Collusive practices deceive the citizens, mislead them & defraud
Collusion is an agreement between two or more persons, sometimes illegal and therefore secretive, to limit open competition by deceiving, misleading, or defrauding others of their legal rights, or to obtain an objective forbidden by law typically by defrauding or gaining an unfair advantage.[citation needed] It is an agreement among firms to divide the market, set prices, or limit production.[1] It can involve "wage fixing, kickbacks, or misrepresenting the independence of the relationship between the colluding parties".[2] In legal terms, all acts effected by collusion are considered void.[3
...Misrepresenting the relationship between the colluding parties....
Instead of enumerating the uncountable incidents... none of which were referring to Westbrook failing to put anything in his newsletter -I'll just remind the people that their right to public citizen participation has been steered, controlled, and driven directly by the City Council for the purpose of controlling OUR Community Development Corporation... and those are ETHICS VIOLATIONS because CDC's are supposed to be driven by COMMUNITY (CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT)....not by city council members looking to fulfill the 2020 vision without considering the PUBLIC's INTEREST...violations of the 14th Amendment are also rampant locally.
Certifications
The State must certify that:
For More Information
If you are an interested citizen, contact your local municipal or county officials for more information. The local government may have received or may have applied for a grant from the State. If you are a local official, you should contact the agency that administers the program for your State. If your local government or State officials cannot answer your questions, contact the HUD field office* that serves your area. Note that the State administers the program and determines which local governments receive funding.
ENGAGEMENT AGREEMENTS EXPECTED TO BE SIGNED ON DEC. 8, 2010
Hi All,
Jim and I hope that you all had a quiet, peaceful and enjoyable Thanksgiving Holiday.
We are attaching the Engagement Agreement that that was presented at the Community Meeting on November 18th at St. Rocco’s Hall. The Brooklyn Centre Agreement was not changed as presented and discussed; two points were added to the Clark-Fulton Agreement; and there was a word change to the Tremont Agreement. As of this writing, there is no Clark-Fulton/Barber-Vega agreement and the Stockyard’s Agreement is still being discussed.
You have all been invited as leaders in your respective neighborhoods to come to a meeting on December 8th at 6:30 p.m. to read and sign the Agreement. Councilmen and Staff of DSCDO and the Community Development office shall also be present. What you will be signing, if you so choose, represents six (6) months of dialogue and hard work. Initially, over 70 community leaders were invited to join in the Engagement Process. Several of you joined the process after the first meeting. You may have attended all five (5) neighborhood meetings as well as the drafting session or you may have attended as many meetings as your schedule would allow. Regardless of how many meetings you attended, you participated and you worked hard to develop a way to have your voices heard and to begin to build a working relationship based on trust and dialogue with the Community Development Office, DSCDO and your Councilman.
Individual leaders from your neighborhood supported this Agreement at the November 18th meeting and concluded that a “signing celebration” was appropriate. Perhaps a more appropriate way of saying this would be that this a time to move forward and build upon the work we have done to date – to establish a Steering Committee that focuses on the Community Development Office, to establish communication with our Councilman, to establish a communication network between ourselves and DSCDO, to establish understanding and clarity on funding issues and to build trust among each other.
We look forward to seeing you on the 8th at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Development Office.
Thank you for your commitment and hard work,
Jim Pelikan and Gail Long
ESTABLISH A STEERING COMMITTEE, Commo, & Network...
Who will be participating in the STEERING COMMITTEE?
Perhaps a more appropriate way of saying this would be that this a time to move forward and build upon the work we have done to date – to establish a Steering Committee that focuses on the Community Development Office, to establish communication with our Councilman, to establish a communication network between ourselves and DSCDO, to establish understanding and clarity on funding issues and to build trust among each other.
We look forward to seeing you on the 8th of December at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Development Office.
Thank you for your commitment and hard work,
Jim Pelikan and Gail Long