Jackson, PD, Larkin Wrong
The Plain Dealer gave me a sour stomach Sunday. That’s not too unusual. This time it was particularly sour.
I had to read letters to the editor in the Plain Dealer from Cleveland Foundation’s Ronn Richards and Greater Cleveland Partnership’s Joe Roman. Both were applauding Mayor Frank Jackson’s double-dealing on the Cleveland school teachers.
No wonder there. Hadn’t they given the mayor orders to do exactly that? I think I’d bet on it. So they cheer themselves. Not unusual.
Jackson — an opponent of Gov. John Kasich’s SB 5, we’re told — urged state Republicans to give him the same powers for the Cleveland school system as SB 5 does. Does he think that passes the smell test?
It once again shows that mayoral control of the Cleveland schools does not work honestly.
The hypocrisy of the PD is clearly evident in the letters and its Sunday editorial beating the drums for Jackson and the elite leaders. Let’s coordinate our attacks.
Hear who is complaining about the merit of others.
Richard made $506,748 in total compensation in 2009 and Roman made $456,677 in total compensation in 2009.
Together they made $963,425, records show.
Now if merit pay were the measure of Richard and Roman do you think they’re worth it?
Does the Plain Dealer ever put a critical eye on these characters? Leaders of our community and its agenda — and where are we? Are we doing well with their help? Do they deserve any rebukes?
These are the stooges of real power in Cleveland. They are well paid to do the dirty work of corporate leaders.
Oh, let’s pick on the teachers, the firefighters, police and garbage collectors. They’re making too much money. Isn’t that corporate America’s cry now? Aren’t they trying to cut wages, Medicare, Social Security for everybody?
This is the same gang, folks. Better wake up. They’re coming for you next.
Such rank hypocrisy in the media can only come from editorialist and columnists. They couldn’t tell the truth if their lives depended upon it.
They are major cheaters of the public. They make the Russos and Dimoras petty criminals. Not worth the cost of putting them in jail if we allow the real criminals in our community to enjoy hefty salaries, praise and sway. (Cleveland State University recently sent me an invitation to join in honoring Roman. Can Richards be far behind?)
Meanwhile, the Plain Dealer remains silent on the expanding give-aways of tax abatement and tax incremental financing that gives downtown developers a clear route to take millions of dollars from the Cleveland schools.
Give to the rich; take from the rest.
And thanks to Brent Larkin for telling us that Mayor White was a Democrat ahead of his time seeking to restrain labor. White was a Democrat in name only. He was a stooge of the same people Jackson and the Plain Dealer columnist genuflect to.
Time Jackson got a farm, too.
If we’re going to start judging teachers on merit let’s do it after we judge mayors, council members, state legislators and especially non-profit bosses. Then you might have a case.
Maybe for every 10,000 drop in population we can take $10,000 from the pay of our leaders.
We’re going in the wrong direction. And very fast.
Roldo Bartimole celebrates 50 years of news reporting this year. He published and wrote Point of View, a newsletter about Cleveland, for 32 years. He worked for the Plain Dealer and Wall Street Journal in the 1960s.
He was a 2004 Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame recipient and won the national Joe Callaway Award for Civic Courage in 1991. [Photo by Todd Bartimole.]
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13 Responses to “ROLDO: Jackson, PD, Larkin Wrong”
Pat Ballasch
Excellent point. Newspapers and media need to be a part of effective oversight. I assume media owners have some personal agendas and that makes cleaning up and taking out the political trash tough. I doubt if much would have happened in Cuyahoga County without the F.B.I shake up.
If we look at the condition of Cleveland in general, we could conclude the decision makers lack priorities, vision and the will to formulate a comprehensive workable plan.
It is a good time to do a performance review and adjust pay schedules for poorly operating management.
When management makes big mistakes everyone pays dearly.
bob w.
IF I CAN flit thru the web n rest n dig up HOW little n WE HERE LOOK LIKE….TYPE IN ANYTHING…HOW viable are we…or woould be ‘projects’…flit thru my reply to Frazier today…DO have to wunder..UNIV.CIRCLEland…Ok HAve done great things..open heart,etc. LOT of it is patent protected,etc.BUT….Buuut…
School thing…..EVEN w/vouchers WHO has THaT kind of $ TO do…maybe answered own question…
Abatement thing…X POWERFUL ALREADY HAVE said..or their whutever..WHY…TO BE MORE HONEST…THINGS HAPPEN..contracts die..NIH $ dries up…WHUTEVER…DO I WANT to be STUCK w/some mega $ deal n its like Ohhhhhhhhhhh Sh8*888t NOW WHATYA do…
AFRAID WHUTEVER WE DO…small,NUANCED, TECHIE BEYOND BELIEF n AINT much to hold up…for goog,PR or other purposes….FIRST HAVE TO EXPLAIN WHA THE H “THEY do”….Ohhhhhh….
I FEEL FOR THE SCHOOLKIDS….HERES $2M,a map, a…Goood luck…Psssttt..SCREW THAT *$*@ flakeball BubbalandGoodOleSouthernboyz in some a8*$*@ flakeball factory or whutever…
bob w.
COULD SAY UNDERWHELMED….
http://www.SOLAREN.com
http://www.Davinci robot.com
http://www.Copenhagensuborbital.com
WHA payin HOMEAGE to X for some $ n whutever..wha is THAT….
bob w.
Richard&ROman…BETTER START burning that jetfuel n web AS CRUISE bigtime cuz GOT OTHER BIG $ NGOs,etc. CHASIN same dreams….n it gets EVEN MORE $**@….BUT THEY are the Names n THEY signed up FOR n allllll THAT….
WE ARE NOW down to funky firms makin funky &/or servicing funky services/products…carbon what for WHO to do WHAT were ….THAT kind of stuff…
AND CLOWn *8 builDERS WANTED TO BUILD MORE UNNEEDED $**@* buildings FOR…I FEEL for bluecollar guyz doin THAT kind of WORK BUT…THE LONGterm trend HAS been…. COULD debate the 5 Ws BEHIND ISSUE 6 but if read blogs….
Lets see HOW long before CutlerHammers ‘owners’ book…PAST HISTORY NOT good…lets face it…BP just biggest n deepest $ pocket Name firm…
DUMPING on unions…SUSPECT figure SLOW or stop gov spending sooo CAN hold onto house n all THAT…. w/ALLL THAT entails….n yeah THAT crew looks like HEROES for stoppin the dastardly…n so it goes…
PETITION thing…BIZARRE…issue 5 won ONLY to get repealed..or least STRONG ATTEMPT AT..n KASICH JUST won election?! if THAT aint schizoid…
bob w.
the 2 Rs….THEY MAY have a problem…DEPENDING ON WHA kinds of grants,etc.n other n WERE THE ‘public thing’ crops in n WHO TRYING TO SNAG n ‘backgrounds’….like no one else hasnt thought of THAT….WHO WANTS to get ‘checked out’ n NEW election ‘issue’….THEY have BIG paychecks…THAT DO DEFINITELY ADD UP…but compared TO…n quite frankly RUNNING OUT OF PLACES TO find THAT kind of $ TO pay…
PUT ANOTHER way…subprime mess..ok..THEY made thier pile of $…NOW WHAT…DEPRESSED WHUTEVER…HAD to wunder bout X at the time..MAYBE ONLY WAY INTO…now get to put some $ DOWN on NEXT rentawreck…Baltimore doin THAT…HIDEOUS wha hear,read…STOMACH CHURNING… HOUSE worth SUPPOSEDLY $300M or $200M SOLD for like $40 or $50M ..AVERAGE…yeahhh….U START FEELING A FOO…n PLAN N PLAY THAT way toooo….CATCH ME if can…..
EVERYONE pinning hopes on YUPS doin THIER thing n the seedcorn n alll THAT… HOW much OF THAT can one have?! I WOULD BE THE FIRST TO EAT MY houseslipper if can be proved wrong… wha redribbon time at election time? Yeahh get into ‘contracts’ n finally YEAH X slides by…NOT enough whutever…beyond X point HOW far can it go? ?? SErrriouslly….
FINALLY X sooo much levled…
ROLDO..ROLDO..ALERT ALERT…waitin for…..
bob w.
ROLDO ROLDO..HERES THE ALERT….MERGER OF NONPROFIT HOOD assoc.cuz X%# LEVELED n JUST like the councilpeople,fire stations n rest of it….
PIT THE POLITICOS,etc. SUZIY*ME JAPANESE babydoll franchise ?! wha a vers.of JiJo of yesteryear? NO NOT doin EITHERS advertising…sooo BIZARRE seeing said storefront…or IDEA of someone..wunder if had ‘rentals’…(THEN again soo is RealDoll…SPARES SOME gal…THEN AGAIN maybe cuz DO have X til GET THE “REAL” gal n SHE WISHES HE STILL DID X w/…..ick..NEVER MIND…) …ASTERISK gallery…SADDER PART…I THINK bakery pastry shop THAT came afterwards..THEY went PUFF…go figure…*$*@ art INSIDE but lasted YEARS….meantime the politicos who try n stand THERE AND….ACTUALLY PRAISE the nerdgeekgreekWeek…THEY get to do *$*@… HATE naming names but flit thru local media rags… arts crew….THEY do put heart n soul n whutever into it…BUT…hey THAT whutever they took in…a place,tiolet,etc. MAYBE just delayin the INevitable B4 sliiidee on dooown to some *$*@ down in Fla panhandle or Tenn or…THEY get to *$@* w/THEIR cops,etc. THOSE small biz owners get to ‘deal w/’…ThAT little *$*@ F did WHAT n took WHAT n which direction went… after cops stop LOL…yeahhhh….
LIKE I SAID….SUSPECT thou the 2 Rs peddle the NICE shiny NEWEST glass n steel down around Civic area…THAT idea…
Richard
Pat,
The FBI couldn’t find it’s own butt, if it used both hands.
They been cutting deals ala Presser,Green and dozens of other “Decision Makers” for DECADES. Long before they snagged up these petty thieves.
I would suggest your education start with getting some back issues of Point of View by some guy who was making “excellent points” before most knew there was even a problem with our “leadership”.
Richard
And I’m STILL waiting for the real thieves to be cuffed and stuffed. But, I am not going to hold my breath while waiting.
James
“Oh, let’s pick on the teachers, the firefighters, police and garbage collectors. They’re making too much money. Isn’t that corporate America’s cry now? Aren’t they trying to cut wages, Medicare, Social Security for everybody?
This is the same gang, folks. Better wake up. They’re coming for you next.”
One can argue that they came for private sector employees *already*. The truth is that the average private sector employee in Ohio does not enjoy the benefits a public sector employee does, and hasn’t for 10 to 15 years now.
The future of SB 5 depends on whether voters view the issue in those terms, or see the public sector employee as being a victim of malice from the elite.
John Polk
I have no qualms about establishing a merit pay system for teachers, and have been in enough situations where seniority rules preserved the jobs of lard-assed bureaucrats at the expense of younger, better-educated and more productive workers to be willing to debate the merits of some reforms in collective bargaining rules for public employees.
But the PD’s shameless flacking for an extension of mayoral fiat over Cleveland schools, is a bit unseemly, even for them. At least the “civic leaders” whose letters were published had the nerve to show their faces, instead of hiding behind anonymous “process.”
It says a lot about why Frank Jackson is such a lame leader; he simply does what he’s told by his enablers…which is all too often ,”read this statement we’ve prepared, then sit down and shut up.”
I was similarly off-put by the paper’s stroke-job this week observing the retirement of Sam Miller and Albert Ratner (with Henry Meyer thrown in as a fig leaf). I can’t think of two people in recent history whose “leadership” has been more egregiously self-serving, and whose penchant for intrigue has been more destructive to the civic fabric and the life of the community. The landscape is riddled with the bodies of good people whom these goniffs have thrown overboard because they were perceived as threats to their agenda, and our “civic leadership” is packed with amoral and acquiescent hacks who have been propped up by these guys because they were willing to play ball.
Then again, there are those who would observe that all Sam and Albert have done is play the game of local power politics more effectively than anybody else in recent years….for their own benefit…while using the community’s “economic development” organizations to enrich themselves with hundreds and hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.
Westside Sue
I swear, I must be Roldo’s long lost daughter. I seem to agree with just about all that he says. Hey, Ronn, nice paycheck, but just what have you done for Cleveland? Furthermore, as a life long resident, I have never supported the idea of the Mayor having such involvement with the schools. I certainly think the Mayor of any city the size of Cleveland would haveplenty to do just running the city. But, then again, I doubt THIS mayor runs anything. And the idea of merit pay for legislators, why that’s just plain heavenly.
Anastasia P
John, I have deep qualms about establishing a merit pay system for teachers for several reasons.
A. No proven system for judging “merit” has yet been established.
B. No merit pay system in place anywhere has been shown to have an impact on student achievement.
C. Using student testing as part of judging “merit” leaves teachers at the mercy of factors they have no control over and doesn’t remotely judge THEIR so-called “merit. In addition, extensive new testing will have to be developed to judge teachers whose grades and subjects are not currently tested, leading to tens of millions of dollars going to enrich testing companies without improving education and many more hours of instructional time squandered on testing.
“Merit pay” is one of those totally unproven ideas that kinda SOUNDS good and like it might be beneficial but in practice has no value at all, or a negative value — kind of like term limits.
Anastasia P
Also: Joe Roman? Seriously? What was the last thing he did to help improve the Cleveland Public Schools? Our priorities are topsy-turvy when we demonize and punish the hard-working teachers who go into those schools every day to teach kids that start with so many strikes against them, while citing Joe Roman as an education maven. I would like to send Roman into a Cleveland public school for a week to teach and see how he fares. And honestly, I think the average public school teacher probably deserves to make $456,000 just as much as he does.