The decline of NEO over the last 40 years has much more to do with the lack of adequate checks and balances and lack of sunlight - all leading to corruption and theft in our government - than the region's decline has to do with "rust belt" issues.

We need to get rid of the system, not just the people.   After all, Sheriff McFaul's and Earle Turner's department employees  knew they weren't coming to work - but no one spoke up - like their bosses - they were probably cheating too.  After all, the boss sets the example.

But this has happened over and over again.  The system will not operate as an HONOR system. 

We need to place incentives into the govermental structure - we need to pay regular citizens as "auditors" to  police every dime spent and every employee hour paid for, and every purchasing contract in the system. 

To allow complete citizen oversight, every action taken by our government and every dollar spent by our government needs to be visible - on line real time - this is a "killer app" citizen dashboard feature we desperately need.

With every detail on line, volunteer citizen auditors can view everything, and will be paid a percentage of any theft, graft, or corruption or IMPROVEMENT they identify.   Let the REALNEO audience see the details....and the stealing, lying, and cheating would decline.

Check and balances.   Otherwise Cleveland and NEO will continue to fail...

Image is a mash up of a portion of a Summer in the City (sponsored by clevelandcolectivo.org)  painted mural from the face a church on Woodland north of MLK in Cleveland,  with the black foot Photoshopped.