A Tale of Two Plain Dealer Headlines

Submitted by Lee Batdorff on Tue, 12/29/2009 - 01:37.

Pre-Cleveland mayorial election (Sept. 29, 2009) head: “Despite revenue dip, city sees no layoffs and balanced budget” running above a story by PD reporter Henry Gomez which had this final paragraph: “In 2010,” [Sharon] Dumas [city finance director], told council members, “as we look at balancing our operating budget, it is our intent to do that – we're hoping – without any layoffs or service cuts,” [Metro | B3].

Sure enough, the day before Christmas, the last paragraph of the above mentioned story played out in a Dec. 24, 2009 PD story titled “100 Cleveland safety workers get layoff notices,” [Metro | B3] by PD reporter Joe Guillen.

In eighty-six days, (49 days after the re-election of Mayor Frank Jackson), what was hoped wouldn't happen in the last paragraph in the first story, became the headline of the second story!

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Things change quickly after

Submitted by ward14resident on Tue, 12/29/2009 - 03:32.

Things change quickly after the elections, don't they?  I wonder how many more people will flee Cleveland as it continues to deteriorate?  The city workers no longer have to live here, so they will most likely leave, if they haven't done so already.  Why would anyone want to live in a city that has insufficient safety forces?  Get out if you can and don't look back, is my advice.  The City of Cleveland is not a good place to live, and it especially is not a good place to raise a family, unless you want to raise a hoodlum, a gang member, or a criminal. 

I am disgusted with the leadership in Cleveland.

Charles Dickens-revisited...

Submitted by lmcshane on Sun, 04/25/2010 - 11:17.

Charles Dickens would have a field day here in Cleveland.  I recently saw this movie--Flash of Genius--and I am reading this book The Monuments Men: Allied heroes, Nazi thieves, and the greatest treasure hunt in history.

Protagonists in both of these works of art (retelling the story)--were influenced by living in Cleveland, OH.  Robert Kearns attended Case and James Rorimer grew up in Cleveland.  Both are deceased. 

I wonder what they would make of our city today? 

The tagline of the movie depicting Robert Kearns life sums up my feelings--

Corporations have time, money, and power on their side. All Bob Kearns had was the truth.

Robert Kearns, 77, died in Baltimore on Feb. 9, 2005. He invented the adjustable windshield wiper for automobiles. During World War II he served with OSS.

 

 

Cleveland layoffs

Submitted by Gone Fishin on Tue, 12/29/2009 - 20:21.

The safety forces, specifically the police department, are already having a hard time controlling crime as it is.  Crime is rampant and only getting worse.  If a person cannot feel safe in their own home, they are going to hit the road.  With horrible schools, taxes increasing everytime we turn around, and public official corruption everywhere, Cleveland is just chasing all of the people out of the  City.  If the housing/credit market was in better shape, a big share of City workers would have already moved out.  There are many other areas in the City workforce to make budget cuts that would not affect our safety and probably be more efficient if they get rid of the waste first.

86 days

Submitted by westward on Fri, 01/01/2010 - 23:54.

It is not like Jackson or the PeeDee did not know the depth of the budget deficit, it is that they choose not to let reality interfere with the election. In the real world, an executive that handled a business this way would find themselves in hot water with their board of directors. 

Thank you for coming out and saying it!

Submitted by Lee Batdorff on Mon, 01/04/2010 - 16:41.

Dear dwebb:

Thank you for your clear view of pre and post election moves by Mayor Frank Jackson and the Plain Dealer. In a real world company, the board of directors would likely fire Jackson and sue the PD for providing false information to the shareholders, (in this case PD readers who also vote in Cleveland elections).

Mayor Jackson hires before election, then fires after - WCPN-FM

Submitted by Lee Batdorff on Fri, 01/15/2010 - 00:01.

More than a hundred layoffs among Cleveland safety forces leave some wondering why the mayor even bothered expanding the forces last year. 
        Sound of Ideas show
        Dan Moulthrop - WCPN-FM 90.3
        Thurs. 01/14/10 - 9-10 am
        http://www.wcpn.org/WCPN/soi/29259

I hope Moulthrop keeps on

Submitted by westward on Fri, 01/15/2010 - 00:38.

 "But in the midst of a recession, Jackson points to his budget, which he balanced without laying off workers or cutting services, and practically rests his case." read more

who is laughing (crying) now

Submitted by westward on Fri, 01/15/2010 - 00:37.

The big lie was told to us by Frank Jackson. Was it so covered up so well and then unveiled early in the new term that people will forget in 4 years?

Bill Patmon 11/4/09: "I suspect in the next month or so there will be an announcement of catastrophic layoffs and restructuring of city government," Patmon told a reporter at his campaign party. read more