What's Wrong With Us?

God knows I love freedom of expresssion, but sometimes you've just got to wonder why the Founding Fathers neglected to add a note about being polite.

What passes for politics this day would make my late mother sick. And I don't think I ever heard her say a word about politics. She sure did have opinions, though, on how we should treat each other.

This week's story about the Reymann-Tarle exchange on a hot and humid Sunday makes so many good points about why politicians should observe the old adage "if you can't say something nice..."

I spoke with David Reymann the evening of the tussle; the facts in the police report, Reymann's account and Tarle's account, for the most part, all match. What is being glossed over in the aftermath is just how a mother (Mrs. Tarle) and a father (Mr. Tarle) explain to their ten-year old son just why another guy (Mr. Reymann) felt it worthwhile enough to run down the boy's dad.

Reymann tells me he "100% regrets" being the one to put the anti-Ernie literature in front of Ernie's son. I think any of us would be outraged, just as Mom and Dad Tarle were, that their son would be dragged into the childish political games adults play. Where the elder Tarle went over the line was in threatening Reymann; where Reymann went over the line is in not paying attention to what he's doing when handing out political literature to kids.

An outraged father spouts off and makes a threat; a concerned candidate is clueless who he hands his literature to and pulls out a gun. Both men should take lessons from the ten-year-old, who told his mother. Neither of these guys stand as role models for what Akron voters have a right to expect from people seeking to serve them.

What is wrong with this picture?

My Twitter friend "Wayne In Akron" -- who does a remarkable job explaining his opinion using public records -- calls to attention a tweet from Akron Ward Council Rep Kelli Crawford noting voters can cast absentee/early ballots now. She tweets "vote early, vote often!" Wayne finds it inappropriate. I respond in so many words "so what?" and note it's a common phrase. I've heard it every election since I started voting 34 years ago, along with jokes about dead people in Chicago voting twice and West Virginians trading votes for liquor. Where's the intent? Are we really turning into such a humorless society that an "oldie but moldy" phrase triggers alarm? Are we so sensitive we are now insensitive to an easy, throw away laugh?

The comments here on AkronNewsNow enable anyone with an opinion to express themselves, but we spend more and more time reviewing those opinions flagged by readers as offensive, obscene, racist, vulgar, profane or containing vicious attacks on private individuals. The Akron Beacon Journal shut down commenting on their first report of the Firestone Park fireworks beating, and I have to admit plenty of sympathy with the editors on Exchange and Main because we had the same struggle. Open debate is one thing; caustic, hateful, despicable speech is another. In the end, it's the decision of the editors and publishers what we let through, but are we really that rude a people where it must be a constant battle? We've banned some, suspended others, posted warnings -- yet the level of dialogue reflects how easy it is to be nasty when you don't sit face-to-face. Send is easier to hit than reminding ourselves it is best to be polite than sorry. This is the lesson we want to teach our kids?

What the hell is wrong with us?

The statewide games adults play is just as bad; we are a year out of next year's races for Governor and U.S. Senator, and already both sides engage in what passes for raising issues by taking every opportunity to flood newsroom and supporter email boxes with some of the most juvenile, smarmy messages you could imagine. There's a good reason you rarely see this stuff in the paper or hear about it on radio and TV; it isn't designed to be credible political debate, it's designed to get people hacked off enough to send money to "fight the good fight." God help us when 2010 actually rolls around and this spills over to political advertising which fills every television, radio, newspaper and mailbox in the state.

What are we doing to deserve this?

On the national stage, the same folks who smirked and applauded when protesters targeted the President and Vice-President a year ago now cry foul when greeted with the same tactics over the health care debate; there are no opposing viewpoints, only liars, myths, propaganda, Nazi-like suppression of free speech, and even thugs wearing union shirts providing a beat-down on someone hold a protest sign. Despite the courage of a few elected officials such as Missouri's Claire McCaskill, who took on all comers, but is now forced to cancel Town Hall meetings. We're treated to representatives such as Georgia's David Scott -- a Blue Dog as he tells it -- yelling down a local doctor who dared ask questions about the biggest issue in the nation today after he couldn't get through to Scott on his own. Now Scott has a swastika painted on his office door. President Obama gets a more respectful reception in New Hampshire -- not exactly a bastion of liberal thought -- but Pennsylvania's Arlen Specter gets shouted down at his own meeting.

What can we do to stop this?

Usually, the American public is level-headed and responds to the above with a shrug, a comment about how happy we are that the nuts in Washington are kept away from the rest of us, encircled by a beltway, and remind ourselves we vote in spite of our elected representatives and the way politics is played. But after watching an Akron recall draw fewer than one in five voters -- and an income tax in Columbus to protect police, fire and other critical services attract the same kind of interest -- I'm beginning to think voting no is becoming a louder voice than those screaming in our ears.

We need to condemn -- in our strongest, respectful voices -- those who would seek to shout down other voices. We shouldn't accept violence anymore, whether it comes from guys puching out a protest sign holder or a cream pie in the face delivered to Ann Colter. We shouldn't tolerate those who shout down, throw down, or personally put down our neighbors who simply have another idea. That goes for the red-faced, spittle-throwing anti-war protester just as much as the red-faced, spittle-throwing health care opponent.

Enough's enough.

Isn't Free Speech Wonderful?

All the gum-flapping over the Obama White House asking supporters of the President's healthcare plans to "rat out" (the phrase used if you oppose) or "simply report myths" (if you are in favor) point out one thing: it's still great to wrap ourselves in the First Amendment.

The cynics targeting Obamacare charge even asking people to "inform" on those with opposing views -- under the edict to report false statements so they can be dealt with -- conjures up memories of secret police behind the Iron Curtain, getting even the kids to report on their parents.

On the other side, the cynics targeting any questioning of Obamacare charge even asking those questions or offering a passionate objection is little more than Nazi-era storm trooper tactics designed to build enemy lists.

Lost to both sides: by even having this discussion, and by extension painting the other side in the most over-exaggerated prose, Americans continue to prove just what is great about America. We have the freedoms to call those in power to account not just for what they do, but what we think they want to do. The First Amendment gives us that right, and it is the ultimate equalizer keeping power with the people.

Speaker Pelosi and her oh-so-serious-it-hurts-listening band of spin doctors would have us believe democracy is being taken over by the mob; Rush Limbaugh and his equally too-serious-to-want-to-invite-to-my-dinner-table band believe we are on the cusp of becoming Maoist China or, worse yet, East Germany.

Both sides have enough little truth to feed their fears to spark a conflagration among a public looking for leadership but instead settling for manipulation. Is it really a wonder most of the public mentally checks out of these beltway brawls?

It's gotten so bad passionate people who disagree are now portrayed as disruptive enough to force member of Congress to hide from their constituents, an excuse to not talk about why they vote the way they do or show their faces in so-called "Town Hall" meetings that traditionally were little more than photo ops to begin with. Now that we have something of substance to openly discuss with the folks writing the checks, all of a sudden the masters of the presentation are afraid to present.

Suggestion: send flag@WhiteHouse.gov an email EVERY time you see a posting, hear a voice in opposition or see a talking head straying from the party line. I mean EVERY time -- include CNN, MSNBC, Fox, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, even this blog -- to the point where it becomes apparent we appreciate the wide diversity of opinion on this issue. Better yet, add the National Republican Committee to the list: their website is being revamped and while they want you to tell them how you like the new look I'm sure they'd love to hear what you think on other issues. The national Democrat Committee wants to know what you think on the issues, too. You'll also be surprised just how similar the two sites look -- right down to making sure "give us money" is featured prominently.

To our elected representatives enjoying some time back home from the sauna of democracy in August, man up -- aimed at LaTourette, Ryan, Space and Boccieri. Betty Sutton should woman up. You weren't elected to sit in comfort and make decisions based only on the words of the party bosses, lobbyists you allow in your office, or union and industry big-shots back home.

These folks back home who want to hear from you, talk with you and even yell at you are more important that Obama, Pelosi, Limbaugh, Gingrich and the rest of the beltway bunch. These people are your bosses.

Earn your pay. Talk to the people. Listen to what they have to say and then vote your conscience. Then accept what comes next -- good with the bad. Just end the whining about having to put up with either side exercising this little thing called free speech so many Americans fought so hard for.

Nothing Good Happens At Closing Time

It's almost as though I've had to break my own fingers to hold off posting some thoughts on Mayor Plusquellic's most interesting adventure on Akron's downtown streets nearly a week ago...but now that just about all the video and audio has been viewed and heard, the fingers are doing the talking again.

By now the facts are pretty clear:

• Mayor Plusquellic had a busy Saturday night tending to official duties welcoming and introducing acts at the Ohio Ballet and Lock 3 before heading over to one of his favorite night spots to help celebrate a friend's birthday;
• the night went long, a few drinks may have been had, but overall nothing spectacular and the type of night many of us have enjoyed at one time or another with friends;
• as is sometimes the occasion at closing time, party turned to pounding. Outside a nearby club a nasty fight is underway; it does not involve the mayor's group but he is about to observe and witness;
  
• Plusquellic walks into a bad situation on the way to his car. He does the right thing, calling 9-1-1 for help...just what any good citizen should do.

That's when it goes sour.

There's no dispute he was excited after seeing what he saw. Being a take-charge kind of guy, he wants to help (charitable view) or direct (critical view) what police do next. He doesn't dispute "adult language" may have been involved, admits he wasn't happy with the APD response he saw, and points out he is, after all, Akron's boss.

That's a big part of the issue. Now that this seems to be winding down, the issues of was or wasn't he (intoxicated) and did or didn't he (overstep his authority) seem to be working their way out. But the question most folks seem to have an opinion on seems to have less to do with policy and more to do with style. On that point, it would benefit both sides to remember a boss should be treated like a boss, and the employee should be treated with respect.

Apply The Other Shoe Test: if it had been Officer Plusquellic responding to the same situation and being cursed at, would Plusquellic have tolerated it? Eyewitness Wayne Jones, who says he was treated professionally by police, says the Mayor didn't cuss out the cop. I do know if we (John Q. Public) cussed out a cop, we'd be on the line for jail food the next morning. Then again, if my boss started telling me how to do my job I'd probably grumble about it but do what he said.

There's no easy answer, other than to hope the level of discourse between Chief Executive and people who work under the Chief of Police drops down a couple notches, and soon. Doubtful, given the response to city union leaders asking for more details about cuts they're supposed to swallow to help the City deal with the July budget surprise. Even from overseas, where he's talking peace in Japan on the anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the mayor's response was typical: fault and pointing blame rather than collaboration. It's just his style.

Another chapter in the ongoing Hatfield and McCoy saga of City politics. Wouldn't it be nice to get beyond the feuds and get right to solutions?

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This week, Columbus voters went to the polls in numbers even worse than Akron's recall election (just 18% voted) and by a slim margin (just 51.7%) approved hiking the city income tax to help stuff a big deficit and stem layoffs to "critical" city workers. Mayor Coleman -- a close friend of Mayor Plusquellic -- thanked residents for putting their money where their critical services are, in marked contrast to Plusquellic, who quickly dismissed an Akron F.O.P suggestion of a public safety levy here despite threatened layoffs. Columbus notes there are "critical" city services, including police; Akron takes the stance uniformed services should get the same budget treatment as other departments.

Question to Mayor Plusquellic and City Council: if there's a rush to reform the recall charter language without a public hearing why not even hold a single meeting to openly discuss giving Akron voters the power to decide for themselves if police, fire and EMS are important enough to shell out more?

The last time a "police levy" was on the ballot it was part of (a much smaller part of) a bid to load up economic development programs. With the budget $12 million out of balance -- according to this month's figures -- would it really hurt giving city voters the option of making public safety critical enough to pay for?

Memo To Jack: The Right Thing

The ethics case against University of Akron trustee and Summit County Board of Elections chairman Jack Morrison is over, at least the first round. There will be appeals of his misdemeanor conviction relating to the sale of a building by his son but this argument isn't about the law, it centers on perception.

Politics is an odd game. Substance often doesn't matter, but perception can be everything. Think of the great managers perceived as incompetent boobs, or the smiling hand-shakers who barely understand the words someone else writes for them. The history of politics is full of 'em.

In the case of Jack Morrison and his continued service to the University of Akron as well as the Summit County Board of Elections, the perception is now everything. The name of the board members themselves -- trustees -- invokes the image of men and women serving the public interest, entrusted with our full confidence to do the right thing.

In this case, the right thing to do is for Jack Morrison to step down from his position as a Trustee of the University of Akron. He should consider doing the same from the Board of Elections.

Summit County, like any other collection of government agencies, has a history of leaders snared in ethical lapses. Party affiliation doesn't matter; ideology isn't a defense.

Remember a few years ago; Summit County Elections Board member Wayne Jones was caught in a scheme using false records to hide a smear campaign targeting County Probate Judge Bill Spicer. At that time, then-Secretary of State Ken Blackwell suspended Jones for six months from his position on the BOE but did not remove Jones, even though the hardball political strategy went to the very heart of rules and regulations governing the elections process Jones was entrusted to uphold and support.

Blackwell later argued it wasn't up to him to impose a political "death penalty" on Jones. Blackwell's take was it was our job to clean up our local problem. But the perception and admission by Jones was enough for him to find a solution where Jones would pay a price for his transgression. Jones served his suspension, returned to lead his party and even serves on the Board of Elections -- even as chairman last year.

Fast forward a few years, when it was GOP leader Alex Arshinkoff's time in the box. Now-Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner removed him from the Board of Elections, largely on the folder of evidence provided by Jones. Consisting mostly of newspaper articles targeting Arshinkoff as obstructionist, the Secretary of State ordered Arshinkoff's removal. No law broken, no regulation ignored -- the perception and how it impacted the reality of the Board of Elections was enough to pull the trigger.

While other actions by Brunner were later reversed on appeal by the Ohio Supreme Court*, Arshinkoff continues to guide his side of the debate, including a triumph over his harshest critics when challenged for leadership of the Summit County Republican Party.

Now we have the situation of a sitting trustee and a guardian of the very foundation of our democratic process convicted of two ethics misdemeanors. Morrison's lawyers argue his appeal, on legal grounds that insider knowledge which benefited his son and ultimately himself as shown by forgiving a loan.

That's the legal argument. This is the political: does the University of Akron and Summit County deserve better than splitting hairs over the perception of "here we go again" behavior by individuals charged with rising above the rest of the pack?

We see this play out on Wall Street. Million-dollar bonuses awarded the captains of sinking business ships draws continued outrage, and more anger at a system which doesn't seem capable of checking itself. We note it from Washington, where the same politicians serving oversight on financial and housing institutions also belly up to the trough of VIP-club mortgage deals and campaign funding paid for by the architects of the wave of real estate greed responsible for plunging the strongest economy on the globe into crisis. We see it in ourselves, even as we cry for leadership that accepts responsibility for their actions but remain in power because we won't vote.

Apathy wins because we perceive our voices and votes don't matter.

Jack Morrison has given much to our community; his years of service on behalf of the GOP on the Board of Elections has been spirited. While his opponents may not have appreciated his strategies, he has been an able public servant.

The University of Akron is a much better institution because of the leadership and dedication shown by trustees such as Morrison, and the community is well-served by individuals who pay their own way forward with their time, passion and hard work to keep the wheels turning.

But passion to serve the public doesn't trump conviction of ethical lapses. Summit County has a next generation of leaders on both sides of the political aisle capable of carrying forward the work to be done.

Just as local and statewide political institutions have survived scandal in the past, so will not only Jack Morrison and his family but the University of Akron and Board of Elections without him under a cloud.

The right thing is respecting the business of the people, and understanding that perception matters.

*Editor's note: to clarify, the Supreme Court decision involved the appointment of Brian Daley by the Summit County Republican Party to replace Arshinkoff. Daley's appointment was challenged as well but the state's high court ruled the appointment was the local party's to make, removing Brunner's appointee Don Varian from the Board of Elections.

LeBron, Best Places & Why The Healthcare Rush?

Not quite the dog days of summer yet -- those pop up in August -- but there are some interesting stories making the rounds beyond the Heaven Can Wait saga and attacks in Firestone Park.

The celebrity-watching site TMZ.com is at it again, this time with promises of a video coming later today that will be sure to have Akron watching.

The website that broke the Michael Jackson story -- and seems to continue to "own" the latest revelations, giving traditional media bigwigs fits -- says it has landed what we were led to believe didn't exist.

Video of LeBron James getting dunked on at his basketball camp.

By now you should know the story: LeBron holds a camp for up-and-coming players, and Jordan Crawford of Xavier University does the unthinkable during the LeBron James Skills Academy and slams one home over LBJ. Nike reps, thinking as fast as their shoes can carry then, proceed to scour the arena for anyone with video and point out this isn't acceptable and confiscate the video.

One apparently got away.

It isn't posted yet; TMZ's too smart for that, knowing this is a golden opportunity to showcase their TV show to get the first taste of the video with all the traffic to the web site to follow. Smart marketing...especially with advance notice it'll be posted after 9:45 p.m. tonight.

- - -

Seen the latest edition of Money Magazine featuring a list of the 100 Best Places to Live -- Small Towns version? Not really surprising to note Ohio towns didn't make the top ten, we've become accustomed to getting dissed. But what is interesting is noting how well Ohio communities placed among the towns cracking the top 100.

Westerville (15), Highland Heights (18), Solon (23), Twinsburg (30), Medina (40), Springboro (41) placed well. In fact, Medina was one of two small towns with "A" ratings in all but one category (the other was Plymouth Township, Michigan) ranging from housing affordability, safety, education and leisure/arts.

Guess what's dragging down the top performers?

The economy. Medina earned a C, the same as the other near-perfect. Otherwise northeast Ohio looks like the best location in the nation with Solon, Twinsburg and Highland Heights joining Medina to stake their claim to four of the top 40 rankings.

- - -

Tonight President Obama holds a news conference where the dominant questioning is likely to be over health care. No wonder, since the White House determines when it holds news conferences and right now that's all Washington is talking about. Tomorrow, Mr. Obama brings the health care road show to Shaker Heights for a Town Hall meeting.

The debate now seems to be over which version making its way through Congress is the best, what parts are the worst, and how much/who gets hurt/how long we wait in line for care on the minds of the little people who wind up paying for all this. There is another question, however.

Why the rush to get this done in the next couple weeks?

We've seen just how well managed going trillions of dollars in debt has been so far with the bailouts/recovery many members of Congress approved without reading. If health care truly impacts one-sixth of the economy, isn't this time to keep the heat on public debate without an artificial political deadline?

The Democrats running Congress seem to forget the lesson the Republicans ignored in the rush to war: talk may be cheap, but real debate and actual deliberation is the cornerstone of America's legislative process. It's designed to be clunky and time-consuming because more than 130 years ago a group of rebellious wise dudes decided the wisdom of bringing diverse opinion together and forcing them to talk was a better idea than turning America into a juggernaut dominated by "damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead" political strategy.

It would be wise to remember this when talking about policy that will either fix the problem or turn us into a nation with even less money in our wallets to harden the longer wait for a doctor.

Cronkite & Today's Leaders

I'm likely not going to make many friends with this post, but what the hell.

Someone ought to point out that President Obama's platitude delivered over the weekend after the death of Walter Cronkite, that for generations Cronkite "was the news", was a nice catch phrase and easy to roll off the tongue. After all, it's the kind of thing people want to hear to make us feel better about ourselves and salve the loss we may be feeling.

I think it's the kind of political babble Cronkite may have found distasteful.

Article after article, post after post from my colleagues and far deeper thinkers than myself, comes the message over and over and over again that Walter Cronkite was the "most trusted" because of his energy, wit and desire to make sure what he was reporting was the truth he could stand behind. Not a case of Walter being the news, as some news anchors have become in our day, but Walter reporting the news. Because "the way it is" continues to mean what is says in simplest terms; not the way I see it, but the way it is. Not an anchor's view, but a reporter's delivery of the story.

Cronkite had credibility because he approached the job of television anchor with a reporter's sensibility. There was no consultant peering over his shoulder, advising him on how to part his hair or look thoughtfully over his glasses. That kind of stuff he figured out on his own because it was just him. The important part of the job was telling the story.

Not to say the show business aspect of broadcasting didn't matter; it just didn't matter as much as the content of what he wanted us to know about. As much a managing editor and reporter as an anchor, Cronkite's legacy many of us hold in reverence today was in telling the story. Not being the story.

I was struck by this thought while watching CBS-TV's excellent (for the most part) special on Cronkite that aired Sunday. But I wondered: where was the reaction and thoughts of the last living U.S. President in office during the Cronkite era? Instead of Jimmy Carter or George H.W. Bush, both from the same generation who served as President or Vice-President in the years prior to Cronkite's retirement, we are treated to Bill Clinton, who took office a decade after Cronkite had stepped down from the anchor desk.

Apparently instead of telling the story with the contemporaries in history it was better television to "relate" to a younger audience who likely had no idea who Cronkite was. But hey, wasn't it cool to see Clinton and Mickey Hart!

Part of me wants to think this is because it was easier to get a video clip from the White House or Bill Clinton to do a short-notice sit-down for a quick special, or even pull out the Grateful Dead and Jimmy Buffett clips to showcase how cool Walter could be. It added to the entertainment side, the glitz and show-biz of television. Make the story something we can emotionally relate to. One could almost hear the consultants sighing with pleasure.

For me, the real power -- the real emotion -- wasn't in the words of today's political leaders. It was in the power of seeing Cronkite's work as history. My wife wanted to know why I couldn't talk after watching Cronkite in Vietnam, or his coverage of the Kennedy and King assassinations, or the reporting on the Civil Rights movement. It's because 55 years after those Chicago conventions, 46 years after those shots rang out in Dallas, and 41 years after he came home from Vietnam the weight of those times is sometimes too heavy to lift without emotion.

It wasn't Walter being the news; it was Walter telling our history.

We've become so deadened to what's real; the reality television-style politics played out in today's media. Is the race for the White House really that much different than "Survivor"...maybe Jeff Probst should moderate the next debate in 2012, with the losers kicked off by a show of hands? It made me sad to think our version of reality is now the reality TV of the cable news talk shows, and empty words designed to stir emotion -- but not too much emotion, mind you -- from our political leaders interested more in manipulation and posturing than leading. Perception becomes progress, because we feel so good about it.

- - -

There has been lots of talk about how nobody will ever be another Cronkite, much in the way we would never see another David Brinkley, nor even another Peter Jennings. I'm not sure I buy into that argument. The conventional wisdom is the business has changed, but I think the real truth is we don't want to seriously examine our own credibility in telling the story in a way our viewers, listeners and readers still hope for.

Cronkite, Murrow and their peers came up from the reporting ranks to secure their place in journalism. Somewhere along the way the model broke, as network and local broadcast executives looked to short-cut the process and find someone with the gravity of Cronkite or Huntley without the costly grooming to earn those stripes. It became easier to find someone who would act authoritative without being authoritative; never mind they couldn't Q&A their way out of a paper bag with a newsmaker.

As an industry, we somehow need to get back to the idea that reporting big stories, surviving campaigns of war and politics and walking in the shoes of the people we are reporting on matters.

I still remember the sheer force of will of Brian Williams, Anderson Cooper, Robin Roberts, Sheppard Smith and Ohio's own Martin Savidge and others showed during Hurricane Katrina coverage. They felt it was their job, their mission, their duty to make us see what was happening.

In typical American fashion, it is something we've forgotten because it was more than 90 seconds ago, but it doesn't have to be that way.

We know the way it was. We know the way it can be again.

VIDEO Taking The Tour

Our recent vacation time included an opportunity (thanks to Nature Girl's planning) to take in one of the great spectacles in sport -- the Tour de France. We picked up the second day of actual racing, choosing a spot in Villeneuve Lobet, a village stretching from the Mediterranean just west of Nice into the Cote d'Azur hills. This was the first day the cyclists left Monaco and headed into France's cities, towns and villages.

The folks behind this "World Series" of cycling show an absolute genius for marketing not only the sport but also the sponsors and even the country itself. Different routes each year highlight new cities, towns, villages and areas of France. The practiced eye will see cameras on motorcycles before, at the head of the pack, at the end of the pack, and located in strategic points along the packed route.

Many thanks to our newfound friends Corrine and Klaus for their patience with our very poor French and their excellent English. It was great to spend the time between Tour activities talking about the history of this region (the Marquis of this village was one of the few to keep his land and his head during the French Revolution) as well as get a European view of things. I'm always struck at just how much we have in common despite the miles that separate people.

We were told it would be two hours of waiting for a two minute payoff. He was wrong. It was more like nearly three hours of waiting, but it was worth it watching the crowd grow and the long line of sponsors with brightly-colored cars and trucks stream by as part of the "Caravan," sometimes tossing trinkets and hats. At this point the cyclists are secondary; we're here for the party.

View From The Bench: Is It THAT Bad?

Judging the pace of headlines, one would think we are still swimming in foreclosures, sinking in unemployment and drowning in crime. But according to a new report from Ohio's Supreme Court -- we're actually trending better than one would imagine.

At least that's my takeaway from today's news release, citing the latest statistics compiled by reports from courts all across Ohio.

A reduction in the rate of growth for foreclosure cases is among the conclusions of a new report released today by the Supreme Court of Ohio that for the first time examines 10 years of data from Ohio courts.

Previously, the annual Ohio Courts Summary provided raw statistical tables of activity in Ohio's courts '“ from trial courts to appellate courts to the Supreme Court '“ including statistics about caseloads, case terminations and clearance rates from the previous year. (Mayor's courts' statistics are published in a separate report, which will be released later this year.)

Beginning this year, the raw data are published in a separate publication titled the Ohio Courts Statistical Report, which was published earlier this year. The Ohio Courts Statistical Summary now analyzes the data of the Ohio Courts Statistical Report and identifies trends.

As has been the case for the last several years, foreclosure cases stood out among the court statistics from 2008. In February, the Supreme Court reported a record high number of 85,773 new foreclosure filings in general division courts of common pleas in 2008. Beginning in 2007, foreclosure court cases outnumbered criminal cases in Ohio's common pleas courts for the first time on record.

However, today's report shows that while foreclosure cases have increased for 13 consecutive years, the rate of growth slowed considerably in 2007 and 2008 compared to previous years.
The number of new foreclosure cases filed in Ohio's common pleas courts increased by 23.5 percent from 2005 to 2006. From 2006 to 2007, foreclosures increased by 5.3 percent, and from 2007 to 2008, the rate of increase was 3.1 percent.

A special section on foreclosures delves deeper into these specific caseload statistics. Other notable trends from the report include:

• The rate of trials in civil cases declined from 1999 to 2008.
• Divorces and dissolutions are down nearly 20 percent over the decade.
• Custody and visitation cases in juvenile courts involving unmarried couples are up more than 25 percent since 1999.

Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer, in his letter introducing the new report, noted the importance of providing reliable, transparent and accessible data on the courts.

'Transforming the mass of caseload statistics collected each year into useful and meaningful information is key to fulfilling our duty to maintain an effective and responsive judicial system,' he said.

Information contained in the reports is provided to the Supreme Court on a monthly basis by all courts except for courts of appeals and probate courts, which provide statistics on a quarterly basis.

If, as the report suggests, the rate of growth in foreclosure cases is actually slowing does that mean the recovery is starting, or are we pretty much hitting bottom in the world of double-digit unemployment? The actual number of foreclosure cases did hit an all-time high, leading one to suggest this is the worst -- but what does the slowing rate mean?

Among the other findings noted in Moyer's release: fewer divorces and failed marriages, fights over where the kids live when parents don't marry are up and trials in civil cases are down. On that last item: does that mean all the stories of a legal system run amok, with trial lawyers taking over the world, were just scare tactics?

Ohio's Supreme Court and, in particular, Chief Justice Moyer should be commended for putting these statistics out for public view and discussion. These relatively dry readings usually wind up in the legal journals but they have a big impact (and paint a vivid picture) of all of us.

Dogs, Cats, Daddy Talk Show Hosts & VISA

The week that keeps on giving. An update on a raid of an animal rescue operation, the reaction from a father and an update on why VISA isn't recognized everywhere.

Cats and dogs first -- more than 100 pulled from 51 Vesper Street in Akron, provoking some pretty harsh comments aimed at the leader of "Heaven Can Wait" and those seeing political payback lurking behind every nook and cranny.

You likely know the story by know, but if not here's the original report and the follow-up with HCW executive director Heather Nagel talking with WAKR's Ray Horner this morning. Both include audio interviews and the Nagel story has photos provided by the City of Akron on conditions inside the home. You can almost catch a whiff (or a gag) from the slideshow.

Right off the bat -- it's easy to condemn those trying to help so many animals. But those casting the first stone should take a breath, a deep breath, and consider just what it takes to mind so many of God's creatures the rest of us have kicked to the curb, or worse. It can't be easy in any scenario to take care of dozens and dozens of cats and dogs, keeping up with the mountains of food needed and what comes later.

I give Nagel and Heaven Can Wait high marks for trying to do the right thing, and following their hearts in helping the animals. I'd give them all the benefit of a doubt and trust their intentions in this endeavor were good, old-fashioned open hearted service.

But it appears the well-spring of caring was just flooded by the reality of so many animals in such a relatively limited space. A few years ago, my NewsNight Akron crony Jody Miller and I toured the Humane Society digs on Quick Road and got a reality check of the cards stacked against those who seek to help the forgotten animals of our community. They do a wonderful job under conditions most of us wouldn't tolerate for a minute much less the days, weeks and months put in by volunteers who lead with love rather than their sense of smell.

That said, the conditions on Vesper appear absolutely out of control. It's a shame the finger-pointing now even includes cries of political subterfuge and payback. Let's be real for a minute: it's a house with over a hundred dogs and cats. It ain't the Ritz, and common sense should suggest it wasn't fit for human or animal. Give Heaven Can Wait props for seeking to serve but let's hope they find a place better suited to pursue their passion.

- - -

The back story on this is more than just the usual political positioning: I was on the receiving end of what I can charitably describe as a "flaming" call from Heather's father, WNIR-FM talk show host Tom Erickson. Needless to say threats of legal action were hurled, harsh words were tossed, and it was unpleasant -- exactly what I would expect from a father after his daughter's trip through the news.

I don't blame Tom for being upset over the coverage. What parent wouldn't be? What surprises me, frankly, is a "shoe on the other foot" syndrome we see and hear so often today. If it had been the child of another prominent figure -- let's say, for example, either Mayor Plusquellic, Warner Mendenhall, or a media figure such as Matt Patrick or the bevy of TV anchors in Cleveland -- don't you think that would be part of the conversation at the water cooler?

Wouldn't it be noted -- especially if proud Papa had included interviews with said child on his show?

I believe it was fair to make note of the family link because it was public, defined not by my definition of celebrity but Tom's decision to include Heather's activities on behalf of her animal rescue group as well as her politics. I must say Heather displayed more reason in her interview with Ray Horner than I heard over the phone Tuesday.

- - -

Finally, an update on my post regarding using your credit card to pay Summit County bills. What about VISA?

You can use Discover, American Express and MasterCard but leave the V-card at home. Jill Skapin of County Executive Russ Pry's office explains it isn't the county's call, but instead is an odd requirement from Visa that the government workers processing payments aren't allowed to swipe the credit card. It has to be done by the consumer, and since it would cost more money to install public card readers outside of security windows than it's worth you should leave the Visa card behind.

If we cannot swipe, we are left to gripe.

VISA -- everywhere you want to be except paying my county tax and service bills.

Priceless.

Gettin' With The Times

Summit County Executive Russ Pry ought to get a nice round of applause for helping to drag local government into the late 20th century by updating collection practices to include credit cards. Going plastic is more than just everyday; it's the way the world does business.


Pry's publicity machine reminded the news media of this in a news release today, noting Summit County's Animal Control and Building departments were the latest to go MasterCard, AMEX and Discover ( I'm not sure what happened to VISA; there's the follow-up) in giving taxpayers the same opportunity to pay public bills as they use to pay private.


With the explosion of digital payments -- not just using a credit or debit card, but also using e-banking to serve your e-commerce needs -- it was long overdue, and surprising that it didn't come sooner than the March 2009 vote from County Council on Pry's bid to modernize government billing.


You DO pay a convenience fee for this; the company managing the payments charges 2.5%, a heck of a lot cheaper than many businesses enjoy (and pass along to their customers) and considerably less than what it costs to buy a ticket to a concert or sporting event with all their consumer-unfriendly add-on fees. But in the long run it's worth in, allowing the government to more track with more accuracy their payments and cash flow. Ditto the consumer: the end-of-the year statement most credit cards provide is a gold mine when figuring out taxes and tracking our own payments.


If you've been tagged with a traffic ticket recently (count me among the nailed) then you know you can do the same thing through the court systems on the most routine violations, saving considerable time and trouble.


There is always great discussion on the impact of the web on government information, most recently the "costs" of opening city records to critics of the Plusquellic Administration. But the growing use of web-based payment and electronic billing shows another side to making government records more available online; it includes the system of billing that no longer ties us to remembering to send the check or taking time out of the day to drive down to the courthouse to make a payment. And unless the mainframe computer has a serious case of e-digestion, there's always a record of it.

During a recent trip overseas, I was struck how restaurants and cafes in even the smallest of towns used wireless credit card processing (such as the unit, at left) and servers and hosts didn't have to take the card away from customer view to process, they would tally up the bill and slide the card right in front of you. It addresses a security concern while also standardizing the use of wireless technology, which provides great opportunity for growth in other ways as well.

Welcome to the new way of doing things. It is a great reminder of how far we've come -- and how far we still have to go in taming technology to work for the end user: us.

A Sure Thing: No Longer Postal

Time was there were few things as reliable and solid as the post office; they brought it rain, shine, snow, gloom of night -- and for those looking for a lifetime of stability the U.S. Postal Service was the gold standard of getting a job for life.

My, how times have changed.

Across the newsdesk comes this note:

"The Postal Service now projects a loss of more than $6 billion this fiscal year. The losses are the result of dramatic mail volume declines caused primarily by the economic downturn but also reflective of electronic diversion '“ online bill paying and electronic correspondence.

In Fiscal year 2008, these factors resulted in a mail volume decline of 9.5 billion pieces, or 4.5 percent, the largest in Postal history. Projections for this year are no more encouraging; it now appears volume decline for this year may exceed 20 billion pieces. From a peak of 213 billion pieces in 2006, the Postal Service may handle only 180 billion pieces this year.

To improve efficiencies, the Postal Service has offered early retirements, adjusted delivery routes, adjusted Post Office hours of operation, reduced hours of operation in mail processing facilities, suspended new post office construction, consolidated mail processing operations, removed underused blue collection boxes, cut travel budgets, and reduced administrative staffing by 15%, among many actions taken.

Because the options and choices customers have been given to conduct their postal business has increased exponentially '” many of those choices and options do not involve physical post offices '“ the Postal Service is now reviewing its retail network to determine if operations in some branch offices could be consolidated with other offices. Nationally, more than 3,000 stations and branches are being reviewed.

In the greater Akron area, the following offices will be reviewed:

Chapel Hill Station, 2000 Brittain Rd.
Downtown Akron Station, 209 S. Main St.
Maple Valley Station, 1518 Copley Rd.
East Akron Branch, 1763 Goodyear Blvd.

'No determination has been made to close any stations or branch office,' stresses Akron Postmaster Rose Spraggins, 'but we have an obligation to pursue strategies and solutions that will mitigate the impact of the economy and electronic diversion.' Factors such as impact on employees, service standards, cost savings, customer access, environmental impact, real estate values and long-term Post Service needs will be taken into account during the review process, said Spraggins."

Never thought I'd see something like this, but then again I never would have imagined the postal service advertising "if it fits, it ships" in my lifetime. Then again, my lifetime has seen the rise of UPS, FedEx and a host of other delivery services taking away from the people's mail service followed by the explosion of email, texting and other social networking replacing social mail.

Keeping Quiet On Justice?

There's an odd little battle playing out behind the scenes of Summit County Common Pleas Court in the case of the State of Ohio v Ashford Thompson -- and it doesn't have a thing to do with the eventual sentence the admitted killer of Twinsburg police officer Josh Miktarian will eventually get.

The issue is apparently answering questions from the media, namely Ed Meyer of the Akron Beacon Journal, regarding even the simplest of requests for information -- such as when a hearing will be held or scheduled.

Judge Elinore Marsh Stormer fired off an order dated June 25th, 2009 (read the .pdf version here; it's one page) which is unusual in that it specifically targets Summit County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Brad Gessner to keep his mouth shut.

This after Thompson, who admits he shot and killed Miktarian during what was apparently a routine traffic stop, already pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing. Not by a jury which may be swayed by comments in the media, but instead a panel of judges which will rule on a life-or-death sentence.

Gessner is talking back, but by motion -- filed July 7, 2009, in response to Stormer's motion. While Judge Stormer took two lines to have her say, Gessner's filing (read the .pdf version here) runs about a dozen pages and points out the power of judges to slap gag orders on cases usually stems from the desire to seat a fair, impartial jury unaffected by commentary or coverage by the media. Such gag orders are quite rare, and in this case it is pretty unusual to see it ordered in a case where the jury deciding Thompson's fate is actually made up of judges who are supposedly immune to public opinion.

Gessner argues the gag order doesn't fit the bill for the normal "purpose and intent" of gag orders, and should be either removed or expanded to include court employees who aren't covered by the order (right now it is aimed at prosecutors and defense lawyers, not court employees) and shouldn't be answering questions posed by the media to the state.

He has some pretty strong language on his side, citing a Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeal (the Feds) decision noting that when a case is decided by a judge rather than a jury there are "...no compelling reasons to restricting lawyer's comments to assure a fair trial." The specific case even mirrors the Thompson case, where the defendant had already been convicted and was awaiting sentencing. In the Summit County case, it is a three-judge panel making this decision.

Gessner's response also note Ohio Supreme Court rulings that a gag order was "...a prior restraint on free speech," and there was a "heavy presumption against its constitutional validity..." when ruling against the broad use of gag orders by judges.

The quote that apparently started all of this? The Prosecutor's office was quoted by the ABJ's Meyer saying "Unfortunately, justice is not coming quickly" shouldn't be enough to issue a gag order, argues Gessner, even if the court (Marsh-Stormer) may find it "offensive." Meyer was questioning (as other news organizations also wondered) why it was taking until October to move forward in the mitigation phase of Thompson's sentencing. His story reported the costs taxpayers would wind up paying for expert witnesses on Thompson's behalf were enough cause for concern to the court.

Both sides were told to not comment on the case, but does that actually include answering procedural questions or something as generic as explaining the process? It has been a year since Miktarian was gunned down in the early morning hours after pulling up beside Thompson's car, and clearly there is interest from the public in seeing how justice is dispensed after the murder of a police officer.

Notes On The Recall

Blowout. Not even close. Over when it started. Wiped the floor with 'em.

We've got the cliche wagon pulled over and I'm sure my fellow pundits will exhaust the supply to describe Tuesday's results of the Change Akron Now bid to recall Akron's Don Plusquellic. I don't know anyone (including Warner Mendenhall) who believed CAN could DO it. Citizens For Akron ran a smart campaign -- how could they not with a 22-to-1 money advantage? CFA understood all too well the value of CYA, leaving no stone unturned, the value of a professionally-positioned "grassroots" base and effort to define issues, control the agenda and get out the vote. And they did this all without the one candidate on the ballot stepping out in front of the target painted on his back. Don Plusquellic's defense worked best when his team played offense around him.

In the end, GOTV trumps shouting from the Town Square.

The 20% turnout is nothing to be proud of, summertime or no summertime. In the end it wouldn't have mattered if half that number turned out. A 3-1 advantage spells landslide, especially when "absentee voting" -- why can't we just call it early voting? -- provided everything the anti-recall forces could have hoped for. This is the strategy executed to a "t" by Obama in 2008, by Citizens For Akron in 2009, and future politicians smart enough to understand a 30-day voting window means 30 days to win.

Even with the crushing defeat, Change Akron Now promises a slate of council candidates, one led by oh-so-close Plusquellic opponent Joe Finley in 2007. I'll be very surprised if this works, unless they learn from their defeat in June and turn it into fresh strategy for September. These next few months will see the game continue, only with surrogates now carrying the standards for both sides. Those on the outs still want their piece of those on the inside, and the incumbent machine knows all too well they cannot afford to let their guard down now.

That said, I'm still wondering if this recall election was the reaffirmation of love Mayor Plusquellic needs? Or was the vote more a reflection of what most editorials noted: not really a personal endorsement of Don Plusquellic, and all his personality brings to bear, but rather a rejection of the concept of tossing the bull out from the china shop because he hasn't broken anything?

Despite the branding of "our" mayor for "our" city, there are few who disagreed that Plusquellic's style leaves much to be desired. In between stomping around with hurt feelings after opponents questioned the obvious timing of a flood of pro-Akron announcements, cherry-picking interview opportunities -- did he do ANY radio live or long-form? -- he still managed to rub many the wrong way with behind the scene hardball which lends easily to depictions of him as "The Don." I give him great credit for the rep: he's earned it.

This isn't just my observation; the Beacon Journal, Plain Dealer, WAKR/AkronNewsNow, other bloggers, other media -- all made note of the ill-temper described as "passion" as not enough to warrant being tossed out. His own supporters, at the same time calling the vote a mandate for the mayor, also hope he learns to tamp it down; this scuffle cost a quarter-million dollars and plenty of their time. Which Don comes out of this as the smoke clears? Does he sit down and bury the hatchet with the FOP as they've asked? Will he ever talk with enemy-for-life turned anti-recall ally Don Robart again? Will he ever say the name of his chief opponent in public?

Even Obama knows how to say Cheney. The key to the next chapter in this political soap opera is whether those in support offer honest counsel and not just what he wants to hear. That a head-on approach need not be offensive to be a good offense; that being defensive need not be so offensive. That a legacy politician with an iron grip on the job can and should be satisfied everyone knows he's the driving force without having to tattoo it on their foreheads. Which Don Plusquellic will we see, the statesman elected to represent his nation's mayors or the one stepping into the ring?

This is a legitimate question, and one not so easily glossed over. As owner of the "company," Akron voters are the managers; they decided their highest performing employee gets results and needs to stay, even if he can occasionally be a real piece of work. The stakeholders want to keep him because he gets the job done. Even if he snorts and throws his weight around, so long as the dishes don't break. The main message conveyed with such clarity over the past 90 days has been he leads, even with a few scratches; Akron voters know to not mess up a good thing.

But the danger, if he allows the ego of unchecked incumbency to swell beyond his vision, is in continuing to ride that wave of performance goodwill for those times when the next big challenge comes. When a younger, fresher, more energetic version seizes the moment. When Akron's good name is finally dragged down to the level of the other northeast Ohio big cities. Those times when some with new ideas poses a real threat to more people beyond the 25-30% who always say no.

Blogger Pho's Akron Pages is no fan of Change Akron Now nor it's tilting-at-windmills leader Warner Mendenhall. His observations are pointed, but thoughtful. His post "Whither Akron" reads from the heart: who will step up and challenge the status quo, in this case Plusquellic, in the interest of confronting power? It's a core question: just how healthy is the cult of Don for Akron's function as a democracy over the long haul? Akron, Pho writes, needs a "sensible loyal opposition."

Unlike the fairly universal acknowledgments of Plusquellic's prickly personality, this isn't a concerned aimed at him as a manager, a political leader, or as a person. Few of the serious thinkers in this debate disagree in private that more open debate and decision-making is a bad thing. We just want it to mean something, and drive the community forward in ways that Cleveland and Youngstown just can't seem to figure out. We know Akron is too progressive to be considered a fiefdom, but we fear losing the iron will to fight to keep the train running on time will mean we will be lost having to do it without the conductor ahead.

It's easy now to villify those who dare ask the question, or push the system to hold a midsummer's day vote. But even losing in a landslide, voices wondering about alternatives or even succession planning can be heard. And the conventional wisdom won't be able to drown them out forever.

- - -

A note on the media coverage of the election: what a vacuum we are seeing develop as a city of a quarter-million people boils down to a handful of outlets. Former WKYC-TV producer Chris Hyser notes correctly in his "Diminishing Returns" post the brave new world of learning results. Those good old days of multiple, competing media outlets using all the tools at their disposal have shrunk when it comes to servicing Akron. The blog world hasn't stepped in, and those outlets in a position to step up didn't show it Tuesday night.

I have a very vested interest in this; for the most part we did what we thought was best on Election night, just as the Beacon Journal did in getting results, analysis and coverage to the public. But seeing the region's second biggest city shunted aside to true suburban status on a single, important issue ought to be an eye-opener for all of us.

This was a campaign successfully managed professionally to maximize positives while minimizing risk of damage, which meant no town hall-style forums on cable, broadcast, or digital television. No Press Club luncheons at the Martin Center, where a couple hundred folks could feast on split chicken breasts as the pros and cons were delivered. This was a great example of controlling the message, and not allowing it to get messy. Using websites to position and parry, and employing social media such as Twitter and Facebook to bypass the mainstream. Who needs to sit down with Ray, or Larry, or Howie or Matt? Can't control what they ask, but you can control what others hear and read.

This is the new politics, and Akron's media landscape is not ready for what is to come.

- - -

For those who missed hunky Lt. Governor Lee Fisher's "guns," note YouTube has taken down videos containing the copyright material.

The posts are still up on this blog but you won't be able to see the buff Lee flexing over a late-night video visit while he's answering email.

The Fisher folks worked quickly to flag the video, so it's a no-no now. Fisher followers, rest easy; Brunner backers, at least you had a laugh over the last week.

Back to good government now...

LIVE VIDEO The 2009 Recall

Unfortunately, not live video streaming from locations where the candidates are. Our efforts to pin down locations so we could assure more reliable wired access to the web fell short and, in fairness, we opted not to just webcast from one location and not another.

That said, our partnership with Dan Mosher of Mosher Media here in Akron allowed us to stream live video and audio from our newsroom. Early on it'll be pretty boring, but once we start getting reports and results in you'll be able to see how our newsroom functions during coverage of an election.



This tends to be a full-steam ahead exercise punctuated by long stretches of "is this what they do?" It's news sausage being made...

VIDEO The Stud: An Update

On a day when Akronites are going to the polls (well, OK, a few of 'em ARE trickling into voting booths) to determine Don Plusquellic's political future, I just can't shake the image of the hunk who just might be our next United States Senator.

In followup to the post last week on the video snagged from a documentary on Ohio Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher comes word from Karen Kasler, who heads up Ohio's Public Radio and Television news bureau in Columbus.

Sure enough, Karen't popular "The State of Ohio" had the Lt. Hunkmeister on the plate for discussion and sure enough, there's now a YouTube selection of the pundits talking about the candidate -- complete with a more suitable soundtrack:



Methinks Mr. Fisher and company will be glad to get this out of the way before campaigning for real in 2010, although one has to believe the campaign gurus at Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's headquarters would like to see this get more views...

Dad: A Letter For All Of 'Em

Part of carrying the "guy card" is understanding just when it is OK to give an emotional shake of the head, allow a catch in the throat, or God forbid shed a tear.

It doesn't happen often, according to the John Wayne rules: shy of our favorite sports team winning a championship (good news, northeast Ohio guys -- the only ones doing that are OSU fans or those of you living in Youngstown during the Tressel Years or Alliance cheering on the Purple Raiders) or losing our dogs these tender moments are best reserved for immediate family only, please.

The my pal Joe Bialek of Cleveland forwards an open letter he penned to his father earlier this year. Speaks for itself. Hits home.

Thanks, Joe...

Dear Dad,

I am writing to you for two reasons. First, because I want to apologize for being unreceptive to your advice and second, because there are some things I want to say before you pass away from us. I want you to know that no man has ever been blessed with such a loving and understanding father as you. You have taught me what is necessary to adhere to the principles of the faith and at the same time demonstrated (by example) what it is to maintain a strong and upstanding character even in the face of extreme adversity. I think about you every day and am preparing myself for the day when you and I will be temporarily separated and you will be permanently reunited with all of our relatives.

I remember when we were at one of your birthday parties and somebody suggested that each of us write out (on your birthday card) a memory of a time that was important to us. One of my memories was when you used to bring us home from Busha's house (never could spell it right) to the house in Parma Heights and I would fight with Tweety to stop you from driving away because your leaving us would cause me alot of sadness. Knowing the fact that you may be leaving soon brings back memories of that sadness. You said to me afterward that when that when you used to leave us, your heart would ache with sadness.

My heart will ache with sadness everyday that you are not here because one of the very few people who truly cared about me will be gone. I love you Dad and I am sorry for all the times I caused you grief and anxiety like the times when you used to stop at Dairy Dell and I would throw a tantrum just to get you to buy me a stupid comic book. I am sorry for any contempt that I may have had for you especially at times when you were trying to help me; like the time over at Busy Bee when I said things to you and the owner's son that no fool in their right mind should ever think, never mind say.

I am sorry for the times when you got yourself hurt trying to help me and I did nothing to help you like the time at that service station when the clerk caused you to panic and trip over that bar in the garage and you shattered your knee. I should have rushed to your side when you called me but instead you had to drive yourself to the hospital. If anything ever happens to you or anybody else in this family, I will beat down the Great Wall of China to help them.

I am also sorry for not powdering your toes that you could not reach because of your knee. Before Jim Bonkowski died, he apologetically asked me to put his socks on because his feet were so swollen and he pulled a back muscle; I told him I would gladly do it because it was God's way of giving me a second chance to do something I had failed to do before. There are so many other things that I am sorry for but either I cannot remember all of them or it is getting too difficult to type while I weep.

There are some things I would like to thank you for as well. First and foremost, for being my dad who always looked out for me and made phone calls on my behalf whether it be while I was at work or looking for work. I remember when I used to work nights at Coca-Cola and sometimes we would have to work straight through the night and you would call to see where I was. I remember feeling embarrassed that my father would call looking for me but the dispatcher told me that some guys don't have a father who cares enough to look out for them.

Thank you for staying in a marriage that has been difficult for you and Mom. A former professor of mine once said to the class that anybody who can survive marriage ought to be canonized. You both have done very well in upholding your vow before God. You both have also done very well in raising us the best way you could as there has yet to be a perfect way of raising children. I have come to realize that there comes a point when each of us (supported by our family) needs to take responsibility for our lives and play the cards we are dealt.

Thank you for supporting me the best way you knew how. Thank you for feeding, clothing and sheltering me especially the time you came home from work and had to put the storm windows up in the middle of a driving rainstorm. I remember feeling sad watching the mud drip from your shoes as you struggled to put them up.

I have your army picture in front of me and am always struck by how handsome and dignified you are. You are a man's man. Well, the kleenex box is about empty and my eyes are not drying so perhaps it would be wise to end this letter. Always remember Dad that I love you very much and will miss you even more. As Patton said about his father, you are and always will be my darling papa.

Love,

Joe

Walter Joseph Bialek celebrated his 91st birthday on January 6, 2009

VIDEO Lee Fisher: Stud Candidate

There's a video making it's way through the blogosphere showcasing Ohio's Lieutenant Governor as a man who won't sleep until he's sure his message is getting out -- and this message shows off more than just political will.

On one hand, I'm not sure this is the kind of message a sitting government official really wants to get out; on the other hand, it is slice of life -- kind of -- just like the photos of the hunky Senator Obama in the Hawaiian surf in early 2008.



Couple thoughts here before things get too weird:

- I first saw this version of the video on Gateway Pundit, a political website with a conservative skew. If the intention of the video maker and campaign is to show Senator-to-be Lee Fisher in a rare moment of candor, they might want to consider the viral nature of where voters will see this;

- Don't know about you, but this kind of stuff hit it's apex with those creepy laughing-during-the-affair plane interviews then-presidential candidate John Edwards did with the film producer, the one he was caught cheating with. This one's a bit creepy, too, especially with the music in the background;

- Is that Jackson Browne singing in the background? Too bad there are no candles to help set the mood even further...

- Note to ALL political campaigns: DO NOT SHOW YOUR CANDIDATE HALF NAKED. Does anyone really think we don't keep this image in our minds when your hero steps to the microphone during a debate to discuss global warming? Not the most flattering photo when we're looking to leadership rebuilding a shattered economy.

Finally -- gotta admit, Lee's in good shape.

The Numbers Game

Wednesday's official announcement -- after the news broke Tuesday -- of jobs coming to Akron is welcome news from any camp. The question is: just how many, really?

There's no reason to doubt the people behind this latest announcement of good times to come (with a week before an election; nice timing!) in Akron, but AkronNewsNow's Chris Keppler asks some pointed follow-up in a video Q&A featuring PlusOne Communications Bob Madden about the number of jobs to be created in their new support center in the old Firestone Bank building.

When Mayor Plusquellic first included the project in his listings of accomplishments (2008 State of the City address) it had 300 jobs attached. The actual number was closer to 250, if the reference was directed at construction jobs renovating the building. Madden and his wife Jill Bacon Madden spent about $2 million dollars on the project, a hefty investment but not bad considering they bought the empty building for $2 (no million) from the City.

Call me a cynic for wanting a better understanding of all this, especially with less than a week to go before the election. The biggest economic activity lately seems to be the frequent news conferences, video opportunities, photo ops and media push both for and against the recall. But even as a cynic, I think it is admirable the Madden's put their hard work and money (most of it coming from themselves, according to what we can ascertain) behind their mouths in recognizing opportunity here at home.

It's easy to say "oh, again?" when any politician holds forth on the next best thing; if all of those best things really happened the way they are presented we'd at least have a perception things are getting better. At least we keep throwing it up against the wall to see what sticks.

On Tuesday, City Hall advised the media there would be a big announcement, with the promise of a thousand-job announcement. By the time it wound up in print this morning in the Akron Beacon Journal, that number was 1500. Note, though, it'll take awhile to ramp that up to the thousand or even 1500 level if hiring at 40 or 50 jobs a month.

Comment postings on the story note some of these jobs may be coming at the expense of another Akron-area telephone support company, so does that mean we get over a thousand new jobs or are we moving pieces around on a chess board? Without more information on which clients make up this new economic base for PlusOne Communications it's difficult to figure out the gross job picture from the net job picture.

But at this point in economy-starved northeast Ohio maybe it's treason to examine the fine print. After all, the headline's what matters, right?

- - -

Speaking of timing, 1590 WAKR and the WAKRNewsNow all-news online stream from AkronNewsNow will be re-broadcasting our two-hour special on the recall election. "WAKR Primer: The 2009 Recall" airs from 7:06 p.m. through 9:00 p.m. on WAKR Saturday, and we'll repeat our continuous stream of this program online again on Sunday from noon to 10:00 p.m.

At this point I figure there aren't many voters in Akron who haven't made up their mind on the simple question of stay-or-go for Plusquellic, but just in case here's another chance to listen to each side make their case. You can also access more audio and video here on AkronNewsNow.

- - -

Akron voters can still vote early (or late, at least until 8:00 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Monday evening) in the recall election. The Summit County Board of Election is keeping absentee voting booths open for duty at the 470 Grant Street offices from 8:00 in the morning through 8:00 at night each weekday and from 8:00 a.m. through noon on Saturday. Maybe by Tuesday everyone in Akron will have voted early so we can find out the result early on June 23 and get back to hoping the Indians bullpen figures out how to hold a lead...wouldn't it be wonderful to get back to winning instead of whining?

R Minus 7; No News2Night; Marriage Politics & Got Safe?

Both AkronNewsNow and the Akron Beacon Journal provided extensive coverage over the weekend of the Mayor Recall race, and with just over a week to go you can expect to see a stronger push from both sides. That'll include saying anything to energize their vote.

At this point, the question isn't what voters think but how many can be counted on to turn thought into a mark on the check box. So far, the conventional wisdom is the Citizens For Akron crowd have done a better job of getting their vote out early.

CFA have performed extremely well in Ward 8, expected to be a stronghold for Mayor Plusquellic's bid to turn aside a recall push his side is already toasting money-wise by 40-to-one. The interesting thing about this election, however, is the sense that big money may not be a big factor. Funny thing about grass roots efforts -- and despite the spin, the ChangeAkronNow folks are grass roots for sure -- is they are not predictable. Nobody really knows for sure just what motivates voters to apply shoe leather on their own to cast their ballot; even in the 2008 highly-hyped Presidential election the actual turnout percentages were higher four years prior.

Likely doesn't translate into for sure, which is why there will be a flood of web postings, emails, news conferences, robocalls, direct mail and photo ops showing either the foot soldiers who wrap themselves in reform or the Administration wanting to be seen as on the job.

Wonder how many events the Plusquellibots and Mendenbots can squeeze in?

The final decision still rests with the votes cast right up to 7:30 p.m. a week from this Tuesday. Early voting continues all week at the Board of Elections 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Saturday and against 8:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. next Monday.

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The timing couldn't have been worse for PBS 45/49, aka Western Reserve Public Media, forced to bump NewsNight Akron from the usual Friday night lineup because of a mandate from the public television network. With a week and a half to go, host Eric Mansfield lined up Akron FOP Lodge 7's president to stop by and explain the vote his members took last week on the recall. No go, not even online, but Eric tells me they did talk with Paul Hlynsky and it's slated to air this Friday.

Among items in my goofy file: the listing of Mansfield in the Citizens For Akron financial report. On WAKR this morning, Eric related how his name also appears with wife Lisa's on their checks; I know, joint checking -- who'd a thunk? So when she signed up for an under-$30 fundraiser because she's running for the Akron School Board and is politically active, the CFA folks gladly took the check but instead of listing her they listed Eric.

This sexism in financial reporting is very common; campaigns (all stripes) will look for the names and addresses on the check when listing a contribution. Enter the CAN conspiracy theorists, who first cried out it showed bias and then switched gears to show sloppy book work from CFA.

I guess anything works to stir up the crowd to close to an election. Memo to any couple who ever thinks about attending a political function: set up separate checking accounts.

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The Downtown Akron Partnership, in the meantime, picked a strange time to circulate a poll asking folks just what they think about safety and security downtown. Crime in Akron is one of those "under the surface" issues getting lots of comments and ink from folks following at home, but it wasn't a major topic addressed by either side in interviews over the weekend. After reading and listening to the respective combatants, and our (the media's) focus on the economy and pure politics at play, maybe you have something to say to the power-that-be that can help track just how the public feels about downtown Akron as a safe place to play.

It's a good idea to get a read on how the true customers of Akron's downtown entertainment offerings feel about the social core of this region. We've seen how center cities can drive perception, and despite the political back and forth on downtown v. neighborhood it doesn't take a rocket scientist to compare the health of cities with more vibrant downtown neighborhoods and the impact it has on quality of life overall. This kind of polling -- asking questions we all ask ourselves -- is invaluable in moving beyond the anecdotes and working on policies to address problems.

The link to the poll in an email says the poll can also be accessed from the Partnership's web site, but I couldn't find it when I checked this afternoon. The Downtown Akron Partnership advises it is in an orange box on the left after a scroll down.

Mayoral Recall: A Media Planning Guide

With two weeks to go before the June 23, 2009 Akron election to determine if Mayor Don Plusquellic will continue in office, here's some thoughts and planning advisories.

When petitions were first delivered then certified, it was pretty clear there would be a vote this summer on the ChangeAkronNow push to recall Plusquellic. No more talking; a deadline to finally put this issue to bed.

Akron Beacon Journal Editor Bruce Winges and I had been having some conversations on issues where it might prove useful for both our respective news organizations to not only coordinate but even collaborate with a joint project. We thought the recall election was one of those issues, and agreed to try and pursue interview opportunities with both sides where our respective reporters would be able to bring multiple views to bear on the key players.

Unfortunately, things didn't quite work out that way.

Mayor Plusquellic's response to WAKR was that we publish (on AkronNewsNow) and broadcast (on WAKR) coverage of his chief opponent's tax troubles before he would accept our joint invitation. The ABJ has already reported the issue, including in a story last year, but we made an editorial decision to skip that issue. It is our view that while Warner Mendenhall's personal finances were certainly fair game for the Mayor to go off on, it wasn't our role to tee up the shot for him. We feel there's been plenty enough childish name-calling and personal attacks on both sides, a viewpoint many individuals on both sides also privately share with us. Our policy has also been exercised in the case of Plusquellic's opponents, who haven't been shy about their own attacks on the personal behavior of mayor and those close to him.

There was also a small matter of accepting conditions for an interview with the mayor, who appeared on our airwaves as a guest on the Ray Horner Morning Show on April 1st. We feel it was inappropriate to accept such conditions, and reserve the right to make up our own minds when it comes to our editorial direction and policies. We respect the right of the mayor to decide who he will talk with, but think Akron deserves more independent voices, not fewer.

Full disclosure: our parent company, through our radio stations, has a business relationship with the city, primarily in the form of a partnership to help promote events and activities such as Lock 3's summertime concerts and events. This type of relationship extends back decades; many will remember when the "WAKR Good Guys" helped promote local concerts and venues. In addition to being good business, we view this as important to our community. That said, it does not influence the editorial decisions made by our newsroom. Anyone who's been around the mayor when those deicisons come up can attest.

As of this week, the mayor's office neither accepted nor rejected the invitation. We decided to move forward. It is the mayor's right to decline our interview request, but our listeners and readers should be fully aware the offer was extended. Both WAKR and the Beacon Journal will offer up their own comprehensive stories, including separate interviews. We have agreed to promote our competing coverage, because the issues involved with the recall are simply too important for one news organization to "own" by itself.

Both of our news organizations already feature extensive coverage with easy-to-navigate special sections online through these links to the Beacon Journal and AkronNewsNow coverage. In some cases, stories date back more than six months. There are also a wealth of other online sites in Akron produced by proponents and critics of the recall, including those of the two main organizations noted below. Some are serious, some are entertaining, but all add to the general debate: what decision should Akron voters make June 23rd?

On Sunday's 1590 WAKR and AkronNewsNow.com will feature portions of what the mayor said in April in addition to a full sit-down with State Senator Tom Sawyer, heading up the anti-recall Citizens for Akron group. Our full interviews with Warner Mendenhall and Patti Longville of ChangeAkronNow will also be broadcast and available online. In addition to our on-air coverage "WAKR Primer: The 2009 Recall" to air Sunday, June 14, 2009 from 12:00 to 2:00, we will also feature repeated webcasts of the audio on our news stream WAKRNewsNow and video on AkronNewsNow. We will also include easier-to-digest podcast "chunks" of these interviews, but feel it is important to present full and complete versions as well.

The Beacon Journal will also feature extensive coverage, including in-depth interviews conducted by Stephanie Warsmith. She and other staffers at the newspaper have done a wonderful job of presenting viewpoints and issues for voters to consider, and on Sunday, June 14 it should be required reading to compare as both Plusquellic and Mendenhall make their respective cases.

On a local journalism note, there may likely be critics of the decision of the Beacon Journal and WAKR in promoting our "competition." But with local television pulling their limited resources closer to home and shrinking news budgets impacting the number of bodies covering stories despite the urgent need for news of our communities, we may be seeing even more collaborative projects in the future. Personally, I hope so; it seems we spend a lot of time worrying more about the masthead or frequency number than what matters most.

Our readers, listeners, viewers and visitors need to know what's going on more than ever.

Stimulus Bait & Switch

It has been a slight talking point here in northeast Ohio, but down south there is plenty of hot conversation and downright hostility over reports Columbus, Georgia may get federal stimulus money to build new headquarters and manufacturing facilities for Dayton sell-out NCR.

Unless you were out of town last week, it was pretty hard to miss the news that the former National Cash Register Company -- with roots deep in Dayton -- would be pulling up stakes and moving to Georgia. Thanks for the state incentives, but no thanks. Big jobs gone. Think adios Goodyear. Remember au revoir Firestone. Left behind: retirees and history but no more high-paying executive jobs.

Then came whispers of federal stimulus money, in part our tax dollars, being used by those crafty Southerners to lure our jobs to the sunbelt. That set local officials off, including U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown. He may love the whole idea of Uncle Sam bankrolling stimulus packages across the nation, but this one has political nightmare written all over it; imagine running for re-election as the party that bankrolled the NCR to Georgia? Might work if you're looking for votes in Columbus, GA but it won't play well in Columbus, OH much less Dayton.

Now the Dayton Daily News reports it really isn't the case; it's only that officials of the southern Columbus only applied to use stimulus money to help pave the way (literally) for a new headquarters building and new manufacturing center to house 850 employees. Whew, glad that worked itself out: they don't have the money, they're just applying for it.

We should feel so much better now.

Compare the NCR story in Dayton with what's happening in Phoenix, where there's a rebellion over using government money to provide retail real estate developers with what amounts to no-money-down safety nets. Arizona's constitution forbids such publicly-funded gifts, but as is the case across the nation (including here in Ohio) the use of public funds for such private purposes has become a very blurry proposition. Some of the western sunbelt state's thinkers are now musing things have gone too far, putting local governments on the hook for what should be the risky business of real estate magnates. It's in the courts, anti-"gift" politicians have replaced the go-go pro-developer officials and all in all there's quite a bit of discussion on just how much public should be part of the private partnership.

Rule of thumb: take the total amount of money going into the project, then divide by the number of jobs to be created/retained/promised. That's one simple metric that might make this whole debate a bit more understandable for the general public.

That is, if having the public understand matters.

Getting Nailed v Getting Screwed

Observations on how the courts, at least in the case of one of the biggest bankruptcy actions to ever grace the docket, can mean less about fairness and justice and more about power and where one stands in line.

It is worth noting that auto dealers, on the whole, don't really get a lot of love from us. Granted, car salesmen do rank higher on the public confidence scale than Congress but that's not much. The events of the past couple months may be changing that vision.

Enter the bankruptcy of Chrysler, and soon to come General Motors. Spurred on by the rotten economy, management decisions to keep cranking out inventory even though buying ground to a halt, union contracts once the builder of the middle class and now decried as the last straw to topple American auto power -- the perfect storm leaves entire classes of people who put their money where their mouths were on the sidelines, holding the bag.

The State of Indiana is fighting back, noting the public pension funds that backed Chrysler shouldn't be shoved to the back of the bankruptcy bus behind the nation's taxpayers and the union who stand to benefit if Chrysler-Fiat figures it out. They argue they shouldn't have to settle for pennies, or nothing, on their investment. One can also argue the decision to pour millions into Chrysler stock on behalf of the Hoosier State's public workers wasn't made under duress, and the owners of the company (shareholders) knew the risk of ownership. With reward comes risk, and the profit potential has an alternative - flat broke. That would be called getting nailed. Their choices, their harvest.

Except the government, which says the billions and billions we pour into keeping Big Auto alive will be repaid to taxpayers. Someday.

In the meantime, the way a bankruptcy should work -- secured creditors in line first, all others behind -- displays a real flaw in our system.

Which brings me back to car dealers, and the getting screwed.

Only when we seriously think about life without the neighborhood car dealer do we get a real sense of how the impact comes home. And for the dealers now shoved aside, those who put heart and soul into shilling for Chrysler and GM, they have less than a week to unload inventory they won't even be allowed to sell after next Tuesday.

Putting this in perspective: you buy that hula dancer lamp at a yard sale you visited last October; you plan to unload it this summer, and yes you know you may not sell it for what you paid for it but what the hell, it at least made you laugh while gathering dust in the basement. But along comes a judge who says hold off -- you have to sell it today even though you bought it on your time, fair and square, with the understanding you could sell it when you wanted to. Or could sell it.

The double whammy for dealers losing their franchises isn't just losing the line; sales representatives have lost primary clients for years, and understand with every peak comes a valley. But these are local business people, our neighbors, people who support the Little League teams and the bowling teams and the local charities and high school sports. Along with scrambling to figure out how they're going to make a living, they can't even sell what they already own.

Unless a bankruptcy judge comes to his senses and sees that there is a bigger picture involved in this quickie divorce between an American car company and the partners who made the mistake of taking Detroit at their word.

For these local dealers to have 30 days to unload inventory they took on good faith, often as a sign of support for a company now driving the cruelest of paybacks, isn't just unfair it is un-American. These dealers took the cars with the intention of selling them. If a hardware store took possession of a truck-full of shovels wouldn't you consider it theirs to sell, even if the shovel company went belly up? At the core, how is a car any different? Inventory is inventory.

Let our good neighbors sell the goods they were sold, without penalty, just as any used-car dealer would have the same option of doing. Or tell Uncle Sam's new auto overseers to take those cars back, and roll that inventory into the already bloated pool of autos waiting for savvy consumers to see the benefit of what a fire sale really looks like.

Common wisdom is seeing how the powerful treat the meek for a true picture of character. Now is the time for those still holding the reigns of power when it comes to cars to display some character.