Redistricting Our Voice

By Joe Baur

Cleveland City Council President Martin J. Sweeney submitted an editorial to The Plain Dealer, chastising critics of his redistricting process, calling it “a productive and open process.” Was it?

In a word, no. In two words, abso-freaking-lutely not. Allow me to explain my very practical reasoning how mind-bogglingly undemocratic Sweeney’s “process” has been.

I have the great privilege of serving as the Ambassador of National, State and Local Affairs on the Cleveland Young Professional Senate. Before I continue, allow me to clarify that I am not speaking on behalf of the Senate, only my own frustration.

My primary responsibility is to report on, you guessed it, National, State and Local Affairs to the Senate at least once per month. Though given the fact that we’re not lacking for affairs to cover in Cleveland, Ohio or the United States, I generally always have something to offer.

Now the issue of ward redistricting has been discussed for quite some time now. We all knew it was coming. Beyond that, I’ve had nothing to report. I’ve been the equivalent of an 18th Century meteorologist, unable to identify the coming storm until I’m already tornado-surfing, Wizard Of Oz style.

So my primary complaint is that in the short time Sweeney found it appropriate to share his plans with the fine people of Cleveland and subsequently vote on the map, I did not have a chance to bring the map to my colleagues at the Senate for a discussion on how it might impact young professionals, and how we should respond. This in effect silenced one of the most important growing demographics in Cleveland, not to mention Hispanics and downtown residents (hey, that’s me, too!) who were also snubbed from the discussion.

Yet Sweeney has the gall to point fingers at two members of the Ohio General Assembly, Shirley Smith and Bill Patmon, for calling into question his “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” process. He called them “reckless and negative” in his guest editorial. If Sweeney’s pension for irony were a cake, we’d all have cavities.

There was, however, recklessness at play. I personally find it reckless that a man who is suspected of corruption was at the helm of redistricting Cleveland. I find it reckless to risk stagnating Downtown’s momentum by splitting it up into three separate wards. I find it reckless that the public had little time to respond to a map Cleveland Scene aptly described as drawn up “in a dark closet with the help of a talking guinea pig.”

Whether Sweeney accepts what he did as reckless is moot. He should know that like the customer, the voter is always right. And we the people seem to agree that blatantly and publicly disregarding the public’s input in how we are represented is, say it with me now, reckless.

 

Joe Baur is a freelance writer, filmmaker and satirist with a diverse array of interests including travel, adventure, craft beer, health, urban issues, culture and politics. He ranks his allegiances in the order of Cleveland, the state of Ohio and the Rust Belt, and enjoys a fried egg on a variety of meats. Joe has a B.A. in Mass Communication with a focus on production from Miami University. Follow him at http://JoeBaur.com and on Twitter @MildlyRelevant.

 

 

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