"Cleveland of My Dreams' Postcard by Joe Stanley
Cleveland Plain Dealer Architecture Critic Steven Litt tred upon sacred ground today, as he attempted to extricate a community of failed leadership [1], including that of his failing newspaper, from the shambles forming around their lack of enlightenment, wisdom and courage in planning for the time, now, when we must replace the I-90 Inner belt span across the Cuyahoga River. As Litt correctly concludes, "... the Inner Belt has had a record of missed opportunities and slow judgment. Is no one accountable?" I'll add, all the establishment and government planning around this growing disaster has been disgraceful, and individuals will be called out and made accountable. The current bridge will be replaced, at greater cost and disruption than if planned for well, and it should be called the "Citizen Hauser Bridge", for the one community leader who always showed enlightenment, wisdom and courage in planning the future of the region, and who championed the right approach to replacing the I-90 Bridge the right way [2], from the beginning, until such efforts killed him. [3]
As Litt points out, there was an excellent plan to prevent this moment, which was initially championed by Cuyahoga County Planning Director Paul Alsenas [4], that would have brought the region and world together around exceptional vision, designs and construction of a "Signature Bridge" to replace our failing span.
But, our leadership showed no vision in return. Under obvious pressure from all the POWERS THAT BE, against the better judgement of people who think freely, a moronic strategy was devised to replace one failing bridge with two new bridges, over three decades, and the rest is Really-Stupid-NEO history. This was one of the defining moments when I realized how surrounded by cowards and fools I was, here in Northeast Ohio [5]... and when I learned Ed Hauser was not a coward, or fool.
Inspired by Ed, the people of REALNEO always supported his vision and effort to fight the establishment, against their foolish and wasteful plans, and for the plan Litt makes clear was right from the beginning, and is now our only choice.
And the people of REALNEO will help support Ed's family at a benefit [6], today, to help pay for Ed's funeral expenses. Even if you may not attend, you may send a contribution at the link posted above.