Something Memorable

Memorial Day just around the corner, a time when he reflect on those who are no longer with us. It's based on the end of the Civil War, but has come to mean more as we give thanks for the men and women of all stripes who protect, serve, and nurture.

It's the "nurture" part I'd like to keep in mind this weekend.

Probably lost in the shuffle of all the storm and usual "don't speed or drive drunk" stories we'll see this weekend is this news release from the Fund for Our Economic Future.

Northeast Ohio's Rate of Local Government Spending is 70 Times the Region's Population Growth, 2.8 Times its Inflation Rate and 2.4 Times its Economic Output

This is a very depressing read.

The Fund is the group made up of 100 or so foundations and public-interest groups concerned that we in Northeast Ohio have lost sight of what kind of world we're leaving for the next round. They've actively engaged in talking about what it costs to live the NEO life, and in particular the really crappy deal we seem to be getting for our money.

Mainly because it isn't our money. It's the money from our kids. And the money from their kids. The bottom line is we are sucking the well dry, digging deep to take what might sustain the next generation, and sucking that to the bone too.

Mpst reasonable folks will understand the need for government to spend more on safety net programs during tough times, but it's also reasonable to expect the money isn't being flushed down the rat hole. The report notes, in northeast Ohio's 17 counties alone, there are "...868 separate entities spend $20 billion dollars to run themselves..." -- a poster child for new thinking and pressure to advance smarter government management if ever there was one.

At a time when Ohio is among the nation's leaders in losing people -- know any families where young people are begging to stay here for their economic prosperity? -- the Fund's report notes local government spending outstrips the rate of population growth by 70 percent. This is what we mean when we talk about unsustainable. Fewer people, more spending. More "public investment" paid for by fewer customers.

In the private sector, this means the company is on a fast track to go out of business. In the public sector, it means the next generation would be crazy to stick around and pay the bill for our feckless behavior, lack of accountability and inability to choose leaders who focus on the future.

We are a region of fiscal crack addicts, and the pusher is the government we elect at the most local level. These foundations making up the Fund have been making the case over the past few years for the need for radical change in the way northeast Ohio does its public business. At a time when Ohio is clearly no longer the driver for economic growth it once was, and at a time when northeast Ohio seems to be engaged in a spiral of mediocrity and leadership paralysis largely devoid of innovative thought, the burden falls more and more to these foundations to help fill the need.

Remember this when it's your time to vote for the future. Decisions you remember to make now become the conditions the next round has to live with. Maybe that should be this year's lesson for Memorial Day: remembering not only those who's sacrifice we honor, but what we actually used to be.

Notes From the Leadership

An interesting session with the latest class of Leadership Akron at City Hall, as the NewsNight Akron panelists got in an hour of yapping (our favorite pastime) in between University of Akron Bliss Institute Dr. John Green and Mayor Plusquellic.

On center stage: Eric Mansfield from WKYC-TV; Jody Miller, formerly print but now more work for public television; M.L. Schultze of WKSU-FM; Steve Hoffman of the Akron Beacon Journal and yours truly.

After doing more than a few of these panels I am always struck by one thing just about everyone agrees with, regardless of their political leanings...how much danger Akron is of becoming marginalized as yet another suburb to the idea of "greater Cleveland." Some may view this as rather parochial, opting instead for a more regional approach to solving the considerable problems here, but I think it goes deeper than simply waving that magic wand of government consolidation. People south of the lakeshore really don't want to see their identify swallowed up in the whole of a larger NEO-identity.

From a radio perspective I think it is important to note the Akron market ranks 75th nationally with 596,500 listeners measured by Arbitron, the ratings company. Among the big markets in Ohio, the Cincinnati market (#28 with 1, 773,000) outranks Cleveland (#29, 1,764,000) by just a tick. In reality the Cleveland market is generally considered bigger because of it's "throw" across the market boundaries to include influence into Akron, Canton, Lorain and a reasonable chunk of the Youngstown area.

But if you were to consider Akron and Canton (#129, 347,800) markets as an area with far more in common than apart it puts our interests at 944,300 -- comparable to a Buffalo, New York, Louisville, Kentucky or Richmond, Virginia. This is something we've long seen in TV coverage of this area -- a third of the Cleveland television market, big enough to pay attention to but small enough to warrant the same kind of coverage given the "East side" or the "West side" when making editorial judgments on stories earning precious time in a 30 or 60 minute newscast.

Now you can call me parochial for the mindset that the five-county metro of greater Akron (south Summit, northern Stark, parts of Portage, Wayne and Medina) matters more to the economic health of Akron-Canton than what may necessarily matter to the NEO-region led by Cleveland but it is those local interests, I think, that hold the key to how and why Akron-Canton can prosper as an entity and market unto itself.

Most would agree the health of the region is important, but political decisions are still made on a local level and not as a region.

Cleveland + Minus Akron & Canton

So much for regionalism; what I'm sure was an off-handed remark to a couple hundred Cleveland big shots reflects more of the real thinking along the lakefront when it comes to regionalism and just how far folks will go in turning "Cleveland, Akron, Canton Youngstown" into Northeast Ohio.

Kudos to Tom Beres of WKYC Channel 3 news for even including the comments from Continental President Jeff Smisek in a "plea" (Beres' description) during a meeting to discuss Burke Lakefront Airport. "Don't fly Akron Canton", Smisek is quoted as saying, in a bid to pump up the volume at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE). There wasn't exactly an outpouring, according to the Beres story, of folks downplaying airport wars.

So much for raising Northeast Ohio by bringing everyone up.

To be fair it is perfectly understandable why Smisek is pushing CLE over CAK; they have a HUGE investment in their Cleveland hub (just as they do at Newark and Houston, their other major hubs) and more traffic equals bigger expansion leads to more profits and more jobs in Northeast Ohio. Granted as well CAK has been a pesky competitor to CLE, what with easier parking, less hassles in the terminal and even getting those massaging lounge chairs for long waits before Hopkins. Also note AirTran just loves CAK over CLE and the smaller airport takes their own shots at "that other airport" in their ad campaigns to the point where Cleveland's TV and radio ads now spend valuable time talking up just how highly Hopkins ranks in passenger satisfaction ratings.

But this is more about political leadership. I've said for years Cleveland always talks regionalism unless Cleveland has to give something up; TBC (The Big City) primped and fluffed when the Plain Dealer built their new production facility off I-480. There was substantial grumbling behind the scenes when radio giant Clear Channel moved to Independence; I've got to believe the Cleveland Mayor's office wasn't happy with the Cavaliers building their new practice facility in Independence, even after Cleveland stole back the team from Richfield after Nick Mileti bought the promises of extending rail lines and commuter service into Summit County when he built the Coliseum. Those promises were worth about 20 years of regionalism and Cleveland drivers learning how to go south of the Turnpike; now Cleveland holds the cards again, northern Summit County is still a drive, not a rail commute, and the Coliseum is home to trees and birds, not the NBA and future Larry Birds.

Both Cleveland and Akron have their regional water systems but both cities still run the departments, not regional boards; the sewer system at least is regional in Cleveland but in Akron the City still sets rates for non-city customers who don't have a voice in the management of the system. Mayor Jackson says Cleveland would be foolish to give up the Hopkins plum to a regional group.

Seems like local governments talk a good game about regionalism so long as it comes to taking money out of our pockets, but it is a different matter when it comes to representation and actual control of these institutions. Cleveland Plus is still more about marketing, a canard to convince northeast Ohioans we all get along and we're all in it together -- until the time comes to actually pony up. At least with Akron's JEDD agreements participants have a voice; note Copley's foot-dragging that cost time and effort to find a new home for InfoCision. Copley's loss eventually became Bath Township and Akron's gain, and while the decision may have been short-sighted by Copley at least they had some control over their own destiny rather than being swallowed up by Akron.

Then it becomes Cleveland Minus.