In creating the new charter government, we wanted a leader to have the single minded focus of creating jobs and economic development for the region. This individual would be responsible for going out and getting the current companies to expand, consolidating municipalities, getting companies from outside the state and country to relocate to NEO. In unfortunately, the sheep like behavior of the people of Cuyahoga County lead us to chose someone like Ed Fitzgerald who is beholden to the Democratic elite and most importantly has never created jobs and economic development.
Ed will use the excuse that he is taking time to clean up some of the departments within the county, which is a good thing but, he forgets that we have a County Prosecutor, a Inspector General (position created by Ed), Sheriff Department and FBI working closely within the region. Also, Ed forgets that he is suppose to be guided toward Economic Development not Law Enforcement. Yet another reason why Ed was not only NOT qualified but, he was one of the worse people for this position out of the six candidates( I would put Ed fifth out of the six candidates). Even the trimming of county staff hasn't been up to par, Ed has laid off around 300 people to this point, which pales in comparison to what was suppose to be done by now in eliminating thousands of jobs and taking the money and putting it towards economic development.
After one year since winning the election Ed has yet to merge the departments of the Treasury, Recorder and Auditor. We still have a treasurer and recorder(weren't these positions suppose to be eliminated almost six months ago)?? He put out a five year economic development plan that stated what we already knew in terms of the resources we had and what we can do with them. To this point Ed has yet to tell how, when and where he is going to use his $100 million economic development plan, Ed has yet to put for sale the county entities that can bring about much needed revenue to the region, one of the hallmarks of Ed's April state of the county speech was that he wanted to give Scholarships to college bound students but, it was later found that the council is to administer this process and not the Executive( Ed, did you read the charter)???
All in all, Ed Fitzgerald seems like a fish out of water because soon we will be more than a year behind in where we are suppose to be in terms of where the charter demanded . Ed is bad news for the region and us realizing the awesome potential we as a region have with proper leadership.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Redistricting...
I was pleasantly surprised about reading about the redistricting within the county. As you know, I am for destroying the Democratic Machine within Cuyahoga County. I am truly disgusted by the things that they have done to keep power amongst themselves at the expense of making this a tremendous region for everyone to share in. I will do whatever I can to make sure the message is out in order to get those individuals who were not only apart of destroying this area but, those individuals who stood on the sidelines knowing what these individuals were doing and did nothing. It's time for a new beginning in Cuyahoga County. One that is free from patronage hirings, pay to play, kick back schemes and racial politicking that we all know to well.
I will be supporting Marcy Kaptur over Kucininch. It's time for Dennis to go. We have had enough of his running for President, his dependency on unions and his allegiance to the Democratic Machine. I am not the biggest Kaptur person in the world but, she is an upgrade over Dennis.
I am hoping that Vernon Sykes decides to run against Marcia Fudge. Fudge owes here position to the Black, Democratic elite who decided they wanted another black woman to take over the position vacated by the passing of Stephanie Tubbs Jones. This is problematic in itself because Fudge owes everything to the Democratic Party. She opposed issue 6 because she wanted to keep the status quo and continue the gate keeper mentality of the region. Skyes on the other hand is smart and willing to go against the grain if necessary from his own party. He has earned a good reputation and will be a breathe of fresh air in representing this region.
Other races to keep an eye on is Renacci vs Sutton . Another Machine person beholden to the Democrats vs a Tea bagger whose region has been cut out for him. Simple, I cannot bring myself to vote for Machine Democrat so Renacci would have my support.
Pernell Jones vs Yvonne Conwell in Cuyahoga County. Conwell is another Machine person who owes her job to the fact that she is married to Kevin Conwell. It's embarrassing to go to council meetings to hear her talk. She can barely put sentences together and shouldn't be in her position at all. Pernell Jones is a good Council member who has his heart in the right place, however, I do feel he uses the race issue and the fact that he represents very segment of Cuyahoga County as a crutch instead of concentrating on jobs and economic development. For this race, I would side with Jones in a landslide, however, if Cooper(who lost to Jones in the Primary last year) decides to jump in the race, I would side with him in this race.
I will be supporting Marcy Kaptur over Kucininch. It's time for Dennis to go. We have had enough of his running for President, his dependency on unions and his allegiance to the Democratic Machine. I am not the biggest Kaptur person in the world but, she is an upgrade over Dennis.
I am hoping that Vernon Sykes decides to run against Marcia Fudge. Fudge owes here position to the Black, Democratic elite who decided they wanted another black woman to take over the position vacated by the passing of Stephanie Tubbs Jones. This is problematic in itself because Fudge owes everything to the Democratic Party. She opposed issue 6 because she wanted to keep the status quo and continue the gate keeper mentality of the region. Skyes on the other hand is smart and willing to go against the grain if necessary from his own party. He has earned a good reputation and will be a breathe of fresh air in representing this region.
Other races to keep an eye on is Renacci vs Sutton . Another Machine person beholden to the Democrats vs a Tea bagger whose region has been cut out for him. Simple, I cannot bring myself to vote for Machine Democrat so Renacci would have my support.
Pernell Jones vs Yvonne Conwell in Cuyahoga County. Conwell is another Machine person who owes her job to the fact that she is married to Kevin Conwell. It's embarrassing to go to council meetings to hear her talk. She can barely put sentences together and shouldn't be in her position at all. Pernell Jones is a good Council member who has his heart in the right place, however, I do feel he uses the race issue and the fact that he represents very segment of Cuyahoga County as a crutch instead of concentrating on jobs and economic development. For this race, I would side with Jones in a landslide, however, if Cooper(who lost to Jones in the Primary last year) decides to jump in the race, I would side with him in this race.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
On Browns' loss to Bengals...
Yes, like alot of people, I was extremely disappointed in the overall performance of the Browns in the loss to Cincinnati. Things like seven penalties in the first quarter and the overall lack of execution at different points were totally unacceptable and needs to be corrected asap.
In saying this, however, we need to put to rest the idea of firing Pat Shurmur after one game and start talking about getting the number one pick in the draft. This kind of talk not only doesn't do anyone any good but, it shows a bit of ignorance on behalf of the fans in the area. It also, shows that the fans haven't learned from previous lessons on giving up on certain coaches/managers in the past.
I was overall impressed with alot of the rookie play of Marecic, Sheard, Taylor, Little and others who seem to be contributing one way or another. In fact, overall I was more optimistic than pessimistic from the loss. Please, don't get me wrong. Winning is the only thing for me but, considering that the Browns mostly beat themselves rather than Cincinnati beating them leads me to believe that they are indeed headed in the right direction with better execution.
I do think the Browns' Front Office should be taking alot of heat from the lack of aggression this offseason. I do understand the thinking of building thru the draft but, who said that you couldn't have that strategy and sign guys to one year contracts who can come in and be productive role players for this time THIS YEAR??
The mistake was made because of the all or nothing attitude of both Hecker/Holmgren of only wanting to wait for draft picks. Also, they are already assuming that the picks they do make will automatically pan out, which is problematic in itself!!
In saying this, however, we need to put to rest the idea of firing Pat Shurmur after one game and start talking about getting the number one pick in the draft. This kind of talk not only doesn't do anyone any good but, it shows a bit of ignorance on behalf of the fans in the area. It also, shows that the fans haven't learned from previous lessons on giving up on certain coaches/managers in the past.
I was overall impressed with alot of the rookie play of Marecic, Sheard, Taylor, Little and others who seem to be contributing one way or another. In fact, overall I was more optimistic than pessimistic from the loss. Please, don't get me wrong. Winning is the only thing for me but, considering that the Browns mostly beat themselves rather than Cincinnati beating them leads me to believe that they are indeed headed in the right direction with better execution.
I do think the Browns' Front Office should be taking alot of heat from the lack of aggression this offseason. I do understand the thinking of building thru the draft but, who said that you couldn't have that strategy and sign guys to one year contracts who can come in and be productive role players for this time THIS YEAR??
The mistake was made because of the all or nothing attitude of both Hecker/Holmgren of only wanting to wait for draft picks. Also, they are already assuming that the picks they do make will automatically pan out, which is problematic in itself!!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Ed Fitzgerald...
It has been almost 10 months since Ed Fitzgerald won the election to become the Cuyahoga County Executive and in looking at his performance to this point anyone who follows objectively will be less than impressed with his performance thus far.
To this point Ed has focused on cutting county employees but, not at the pace that was to be expected to this point. Only 256 employees have been cut and an estimated (by his numbers) $14.3 million has been saved by the public. These figures were expected to be a lot higher when we went to this form of gov't, I heard 2000 employees and about $50 million to be saved.
The part that is unacceptable is the fact that Ed has spoken very little about bringing jobs and economic development to the region. This is indeed the Primary role of the county executive and little has been done to answer these questions. It seems as though Ed is focusing on making the county more transparent which indeed is commendable but, indeed at some point in time Ed is going to have to address his role as bringing jobs and economic development to the region.
To this point Ed deserves an "D-" for the performance he has delivered to the public to this point.
To this point Ed has focused on cutting county employees but, not at the pace that was to be expected to this point. Only 256 employees have been cut and an estimated (by his numbers) $14.3 million has been saved by the public. These figures were expected to be a lot higher when we went to this form of gov't, I heard 2000 employees and about $50 million to be saved.
The part that is unacceptable is the fact that Ed has spoken very little about bringing jobs and economic development to the region. This is indeed the Primary role of the county executive and little has been done to answer these questions. It seems as though Ed is focusing on making the county more transparent which indeed is commendable but, indeed at some point in time Ed is going to have to address his role as bringing jobs and economic development to the region.
To this point Ed deserves an "D-" for the performance he has delivered to the public to this point.
Friday, August 5, 2011
John Kaisch
Going into the first full year, I have been highly impressed with John Kasich and his administration. He has proven to be willing to make big and bold decisions no matter who he may or may not like it. He has shown that is going to work for the best interest of all Ohioans and not the political parties. This type of government is not only a breathe of fresh air but, sorely lacking in both local and national politics. Gov. Kasich has accomplished a great deal in going into this his first year in office.
What has impressed me is the creative things that he is willing to do and not worry about the political consequences that might follow. Balancing the budget without raising taxes, taking the funding for local gov't so they are forced to merge, supporting SB5, saving thousands of jobs of companies getting ready to leave. Helping OH jump 11 spaces up in terms of being business friendly. Gov. Kasich has proven to be the right choice for OH and I can only hope to see more of what he is doing within the next three years!!
What has impressed me is the creative things that he is willing to do and not worry about the political consequences that might follow. Balancing the budget without raising taxes, taking the funding for local gov't so they are forced to merge, supporting SB5, saving thousands of jobs of companies getting ready to leave. Helping OH jump 11 spaces up in terms of being business friendly. Gov. Kasich has proven to be the right choice for OH and I can only hope to see more of what he is doing within the next three years!!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Indians trade
I love the Indians deal in which they gave up among others White and Pomeranz( Gardner and McBride as well). It shows that the Indians front office isn't taking the fact that they are in the middle of a division run lightly and the future cannot and should not be taken for granted. For far to long the past Indian front offices along with the media and fans have been content with the future. The future is now and we will worry about tomorrow, TOMORROW.
The biggest disappontment is in the fact that the Indians weren't able to get a couple of hitters at the time of the deadline. Let's hope that Antonetti can get one or two hitters thru waivers like the Giants did last year. Remember they got both Aubrey Huff and Cody Ross thru waivers in August. Also, let's not forget that the Giants were as many as five games behind in September.
With a rotation of Jimenez, Masterson, Tomlin and Carrassco pitching in the final months of the season, no telling how far they can take this team. It will be predicated if Antonetti can find some hitting
The biggest disappontment is in the fact that the Indians weren't able to get a couple of hitters at the time of the deadline. Let's hope that Antonetti can get one or two hitters thru waivers like the Giants did last year. Remember they got both Aubrey Huff and Cody Ross thru waivers in August. Also, let's not forget that the Giants were as many as five games behind in September.
With a rotation of Jimenez, Masterson, Tomlin and Carrassco pitching in the final months of the season, no telling how far they can take this team. It will be predicated if Antonetti can find some hitting
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
On Cleveland sports...
Now that the NFL season APPEARS to be getting underway shortly. I am very much interested in listening to the Cleveland fans and media in regards to the Browns. In particular I will be interested to see the browns draft picks, I for one feel the Browns had a n excellent draft and I even feel it was better than last years draft in which the browns got great quality in the likes of Haden, Ward, Hardesty and others. I personally believe that Taylor will be a monster against the run, teamed up with Rubin. Looking forward to Jabaal Sheard but, I feel he will need another proven big time DE on the other side of him to prosper. I also believe that Greg Little will have the most impact of the rookies that the browns selected. The reason I say this because he is someone that can catch anything and everything and will look to catch alot of balls from Colt McCoy who doesn't have a strong arm and will concentrate on throwing short passes.
On Colt McCoy.....
I will be watching very closely the balls the Colt throws. I want to see what kind of throws he makes, especially I want to see if he can make the deep out throw to the sidelines and the deep ball down the middle of the field. Last year, I can count on one hand how many times he made these types of throws. I don't know if it was him or the coaching staff but , I don't think he will have the same excuse this year if it wasn't him. With Hillis, a healthy Hardesty with Cameron Jordan, Little, MoMass and Robiske, I think it's time for Colt to put those critics to rest who question his arm strength ( I am one of those critics).
On the Indians...
Shame on those media folks and fans who think the Indians should just stand back and do nothing, simply because they don't feel that the Indians should give up prospects to go after pieces they might need. These individuals don't learn from previous failures where the Indians had chances to get ballplayers to put them over the top but, elected to go with prospects who either had marginal careers or was later traded for something else that didn't put the Indians over the top. I would like to see the Indians go out and get Hunter Pence, he would be my first choice because he is an impact player. Other players under consideration would be Morse from Washington, Melky Cabrera, Jeff Francoeur, Chris Davis and a few others. I also, would like to see the Indians get a Super Sub and another starter preferably a vet who can come in and win some games down the stretch . I would love to see the Indians bring up both Jason Donald and Jason Kipnis to go in their infield. Donald could play third and Kipnis would be a real stick at second base.
On the Cavs trading JJ Hickson...
This was a typical Cleveland move IMO. First, the Cavs have no one to start at Power Forward if we were to start the season. Tristan Thompson isn't even close to be ready to start. I do like his defense and the fact that the Cavs are making a more concerted effort to improve the defense, however, you must score at some point in time and the mere fact that you don't have anyone in the front court that can score consistently at all anymore is troubling. I also don't like the fact that they traded a guy who is 22 years old and over the last 40 games averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds, AT 22 !!!! I know people mention that he isn't very smart and doesn't get it on defense. This maybe true but, some times and coaches no how to get the max out of players who seem to be weaker in some areas. Also, what I find hypocrtical is that the Browns fans will be quick to work around Colt McCoys weakenesses such as, his suspect arm, his limited athletic ability, his propensity to be injured. They will be quick to defend him but, they will say get other players around him and the players around him aren't any good. JJ Hickson has weaknesses, his players weren't very good but, he thrived and was shown the door instead.
One last thing the person they got for Hickson is a back SF on a good team and will be marginal at best. THe draft pick you will probably never see, SO you gave away a 22 year old, who averaged 18-12 his last 40 games for nothing !!! Also, if money was the issue and the fact that JJ was going to ask for $10 million a year. I think your argument is weak because Andy Verajao is very one dimensional and is getting $8 million at 28-29 !!!
This was a horrible move by the Cavaliers and it took away the euphoria I had when they drafted Irving. Also, the cavs weren't able to pull the trigger on the TPE. This IMO is totally unacceptable and depending on how the season goes once the lockout ends and the other moves they might make then it might be time to start taking a look at both Scott and Grant to see if they are what we need in our coach and GM.
On Colt McCoy.....
I will be watching very closely the balls the Colt throws. I want to see what kind of throws he makes, especially I want to see if he can make the deep out throw to the sidelines and the deep ball down the middle of the field. Last year, I can count on one hand how many times he made these types of throws. I don't know if it was him or the coaching staff but , I don't think he will have the same excuse this year if it wasn't him. With Hillis, a healthy Hardesty with Cameron Jordan, Little, MoMass and Robiske, I think it's time for Colt to put those critics to rest who question his arm strength ( I am one of those critics).
On the Indians...
Shame on those media folks and fans who think the Indians should just stand back and do nothing, simply because they don't feel that the Indians should give up prospects to go after pieces they might need. These individuals don't learn from previous failures where the Indians had chances to get ballplayers to put them over the top but, elected to go with prospects who either had marginal careers or was later traded for something else that didn't put the Indians over the top. I would like to see the Indians go out and get Hunter Pence, he would be my first choice because he is an impact player. Other players under consideration would be Morse from Washington, Melky Cabrera, Jeff Francoeur, Chris Davis and a few others. I also, would like to see the Indians get a Super Sub and another starter preferably a vet who can come in and win some games down the stretch . I would love to see the Indians bring up both Jason Donald and Jason Kipnis to go in their infield. Donald could play third and Kipnis would be a real stick at second base.
On the Cavs trading JJ Hickson...
This was a typical Cleveland move IMO. First, the Cavs have no one to start at Power Forward if we were to start the season. Tristan Thompson isn't even close to be ready to start. I do like his defense and the fact that the Cavs are making a more concerted effort to improve the defense, however, you must score at some point in time and the mere fact that you don't have anyone in the front court that can score consistently at all anymore is troubling. I also don't like the fact that they traded a guy who is 22 years old and over the last 40 games averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds, AT 22 !!!! I know people mention that he isn't very smart and doesn't get it on defense. This maybe true but, some times and coaches no how to get the max out of players who seem to be weaker in some areas. Also, what I find hypocrtical is that the Browns fans will be quick to work around Colt McCoys weakenesses such as, his suspect arm, his limited athletic ability, his propensity to be injured. They will be quick to defend him but, they will say get other players around him and the players around him aren't any good. JJ Hickson has weaknesses, his players weren't very good but, he thrived and was shown the door instead.
One last thing the person they got for Hickson is a back SF on a good team and will be marginal at best. THe draft pick you will probably never see, SO you gave away a 22 year old, who averaged 18-12 his last 40 games for nothing !!! Also, if money was the issue and the fact that JJ was going to ask for $10 million a year. I think your argument is weak because Andy Verajao is very one dimensional and is getting $8 million at 28-29 !!!
This was a horrible move by the Cavaliers and it took away the euphoria I had when they drafted Irving. Also, the cavs weren't able to pull the trigger on the TPE. This IMO is totally unacceptable and depending on how the season goes once the lockout ends and the other moves they might make then it might be time to start taking a look at both Scott and Grant to see if they are what we need in our coach and GM.
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