The Cauldron

Issue date: 11/9/09 Section: News

Cuyahoga County made a statement on Election Day, demanding a reformed county government in the immediate future, as opposed to waiting for a committee to determine the best course of action a year from now. The votes on issue five, which asked whether to institute a committee, and issue six, which institutes a new system with a single executive and an eleven-member council, showed near seventy-five percent in favor of immediate action.



The absolute certainty associated with the decision should make it clear to the current government of Cuyahoga County that the coming changes must be approached diligently. This is a poor occasion for another blown-initiative. The structural changes will take place approximately one year from now, after the general election when the new executive and council are elected.



Cleveland gave Mayor Frank Jackson an enormous vote of confidence, backing his re-election primary bid with 77 percent of the vote. Jackson faced former city councilman Bill Patmon, who received 22 percent, in the general election.



This was an important election for Cleveland voters as the right leader must have been chosen in a time of so much uncertainty. Jackson has received a lot of credit for managing to keep Cleveland's budget small and avoiding major city-worker layoffs to this point.



However, the budget gap for the next fiscal year is supposed to be upwards of $50 million, leaving many to wonder whether Jackson can maintain the standard in the next few recession laden years. Patmon agrees with that assessment, saying, "I suspect in the next month or so there will be an announcement of catastrophic layoffs and restructuring of city government," according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer.



Also passing was Cuyahoga County's issue four, guaranteeing continuance of education at Tri-C. The measure, which passed with 58 percent of the vote, provides the school with 50 million replacement dollars, important in the current economic climate as record numbers are going back to school. A large number of those re-enrolling in college have chosen the more reasonable costs of Tri-C. The overwhelming support of the issue makes it clear that education is still a high priority on the minds of many.



Statewide, issue three, legalizing the construction of four casinos, one each in Ohio's four largest cities (Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo) passed 53 to 47 percent, or by several hundred thousand votes. Dan Gilbert, Cavalier's majority owner and a huge proponent of the casino gambling vowed that construction on the Cleveland casino would begin no later than the second half of next year.



Issues one and two also passed easily. The former guarantees new GI Benefits to veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, or the families of those soldiers, should the soldier be MIA, POW or die in action. The GI Bill is widely regarded as a positive measure for Ohio and received widespread support.



The latter relates to farms and will set up a statewide board for the standardization of animal treatment and encourage the purchase of locally grown food. Opponents fear the board, which is supposed to be made up of consumers, veterinarians, family farmers and representatives of farming groups and a county humane society will be a proponent for industry, and that animal rights will be sacrificed in the process.

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