In spite of the fact that Cleveland City Council voted on Monday to approve legislation that allows $100 million in construction in Upper Chester in Hough near the Cleveland Clinic, how this was accomplished raises more questions than it answers. Councilman TJ Dow, who had been blocking the project for months with a variety of half-truths and lies, suddenly dropped his opposition to the building of a dental clinic to be operated by Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and a Marriott Residence Inn, not out of any sudden epiphany, but due to being placed in a hammerlock by other, saner members of City Council.
For the first time in memory — indeed, perhaps in Cleveland history — city council refused to let a member have the final word on a project in their ward. Up to this point each member of council had the ultimate and final say in regards to what went on in their ward, no matter the benefits for the city overall, and it’s about time this archaic way of doing the public’s business changed.
Granted, rarely has a project created as much controversy as the Upper Chester site, and just as rarely has any member of council proved so inept in regards to negotiating a good outcome for their ward. This action by city council could prove historic, inasmuch as it demonstrates that the members of that body can, when necessary, put the commonweal above the machinations of one sole, megalomaniacal councilperson.
And when it comes to using the term “machinations” it really doesn’t do justice in regards to the plotting and scheming TJ Dow engages in here in Hough. But his efforts to keep the community divided are beginning to show cracks.
During a finance committee meeting earlier that day, Dow was doing a good job of whistling past the graveyard, pretending that everything was just hunky-dory between him and the entities that want to bring the development into the ward — when nothing could be further from the truth. While representatives of CWRU, Cleveland Clinic, the Finch Group and Ozanne Construction (all of whom he attempted to shake down) will play nice in public, they are all savvy and experienced enough to understand what happened: Dow didn’t change or mend his ways, he was simply forced to do the right thing. But at the end of the day Dow is still Dow — a petty grifter.
In a written statement issued the Friday before the Monday meeting, Dow claimed that he was “very excited” about the project now that “the community has been given assurances that earlier issues and concerns it had will be addressed. Now we are moving forward.”
Oh, really? Is that how negotiations are carried out, by digging your heels in until you’re forced to do the right thing, and then having to settle for whatever crumbs these large, wealthy entities are willing to throw your way? Or do you bring in experienced negotiators right from the beginning and allow them to craft packages that include real community benefits?
Dow’s preferred method of operating is to bring together a group of bozos (some of whom don’t live in the ward), sycophants and family members of his employees, call them an “advisory council,” and then hide behind them while making outrageous, preposterous demands. The jig is up on this type of shady dealing, Councilman. Not everyone in the ward is so dumb they can’t see through your transparent scheming.
Next Dow will call another community meeting, all of which have been laughable events where he invites a group of crazies from around Greater Cleveland to come into Hough and act out like complete fools. In this way he assures that any residents with an ounce of common sense, decency or pride either won’t attend or won’t stay very long. Then he can always say, “This is what the community told me, this is what they say they want.”
But Dow eventually — albeit inadvertently — let the truth that he is a fearmonger slip out. “Folks are scared — they’re scared of the Cleveland Clinic. I’ll just put it out there. They see the Cleveland Clinic come in, and it kind of takes over. That’s their perception. Whether it’s reality, I don’t know.”
Why don’t you know, Mr. Dow, since the community you’re referring to is Fairfax, which is just a few blocks away? It’s your job to know, and not attempt to spread fear, Donald Trump-style.
The fact is, going back years and years, other former councilmen like Ken Lumpkin were able to negotiate very successfully with all of the institutions you claim Hough residents are afraid of. Just take a look at Beacon Place, the row of townhouses running from 79th to 87th Streets, between Chester and Euclid. That’s the kind of development that can happen when experienced, honest negotiators are brought to the table.
But Dow is right; the residents of Hough should be scared — but only because we have someone so inept doing the negotiating for us. With a rank amateur at the table, bringing along the Three Stooges (actually make that five or six of them), we’re always going to come up holding the short end of stick.
“We will fight for projects in our ward,” said city councilman Jeff Johnson. “We just will. I want to go on record as saying that I don’t think Councilman Dow did anything wrong by challenging the Cleveland Clinic and Case to do more.”
Of course they can always do more, if someone knows how to twist their arm.
Standing up for his fellow councilman, Johnson said during the council meeting that he takes issue with those highlighting Dow’s tactics by suggesting that he was attempting to “shake down” these entities. He conveniently forgets that Dow originally asked for $10 million, without offering any plans for what he wanted the money for, other than some vague “resource center” that only his advisory council seems to want.
“Gimmie some money” is not negotiating, Councilman Johnson.
Granted, it’s going to take some time for all members of city council to get used to the new way of doing business: To abandon the practice of standing up for a fellow member of the body, no matter if they are right or if they are wrong. But anyone who aspires to move into a greater leadership role in city politics should learn sooner rather than later that the old-school game of “divide and conqueror” is swiftly going out of fashion. The future is about consensus building and creating win-win situations.
From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.com.