Stand up, sit down, lie down, it doesn't matter what you are doing, as long as you are counted.

Just don't let that census form that will be arriving by mail in mid-March sit at the bottom of your junk mail pile.

Please open it up and fill in the 10 simple questions, doing so is vital to the health of our neighborhood, our city, and our state.

This could be the single most important thing that you do in the next couple of weeks.

On Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 10:45 AM, Mayor Frank G. Jackson’s Board of Control passed a long anticipated resolution authorizing the City to enter into contract with Panzica Construction for the development of the new state-of-the-art Collinwood Community  Recreation Center to be located at 16300 Lakeshore Boulevard at the former K-Mart / Big Lots property. This facility will be like no other center constructed in the history of the City of Cleveland.  

On February 20th,  the SS&W Boardwalk hosted a benefit party for the recently laid-off Cleveland Police officers. We are proud to share that $2,600 was raised and will be directly distributed to those officers.

How would you like to see a movie on a 60 foot movie screen with an all digital computerized presentation, complete with Dolby surround sound? One of the only places left in Northeast Ohio to experience this treat is at the Lakeshore Theatre, a part of the Atlas Cinema family.

The thing that makes this newspaper project unique is that all the articles are written by members of the community. School kids, moms and dads, grandmas - all have contributed. For many the idea of writing for a newspaper was very new, yet they have done a marvelous job.

This past Christmas instead of bonuses 67 Police Officers got pink slips. Due to city budget cuts they lost their jobs, and countless others took demotions or switched departments to stay on the force.

Where E.156th Street meets Waterloo Road, Gadi and Sarit Zamir are creating a most appropriate intersection of their own. Within the walls of the old Jepson’s Pharmacy and Abby Theatre buildings on the southeast corner, development is merging with sustainability and art to bring a unique new vision to the heart of the neighborhood. 

It's February. By now you've received 2009 tax forms from your employer and any other forms you need to deal with your taxes. If you're feeling confused about filing (Do I need to file some schedule? Can I claim the Earned Income Tax Credit that can bring a refund of several thousand dollars? And how can I get my refund faster?) you might be thinking about taking your taxes to one of the tax preparing businesses that, like winter's slushy piles of snow, are suddenly all over Collinwood. 

Now is the time to sign up your son or daughter for the only nationally recognized Little League in the city of Cleveland - right here in North Collinwood!! If you are between the ages of 5-16, you can sign up this coming weekend at the Slovenian Workmen's Home at 15335 Waterloo Road. Sign up days and dates are as follows: Saturday and Sunday, the 13th and 14th of February - from 1-4 PM.

The Slovenian Workmen's Home located at 15335 Waterloo Road has a very active Auxiliary. These volunteers (a.k.a. "The Kitchen Angels"), under the leadership of June Slapnik, president, hold a popular Fish Fry every Friday during the year, except for a few holidays. Several of the volunteers have been putting on the fish fry for over 25 years. These ladies not only bread the fish; they also scale, debone and soak the fish in a special sauce before breading. 

Hello. My name is Robin Belcher and I am the State Representative for House District 10. On May 27, 2009, I was appointed to the vacated seat by a unanimous vote of the Ohio House Democrats. I am a native of Cleveland, born and raised. As a matter of fact, I have lived in House District 10 for most of my life, outside of the years spent obtaining my education: a B.A. in Political Science from Bowling Green State University; Master’s in Public Administration from The Ohio State University; and Juris Doctorate from University of Missouri-Columbia. I usually boast of my pride and joy at being a graduate of Collinwood High School. As a student, I stayed quite active in sports and organizational activities. 

Although it was not a sure bet, I would have wagered the farm on the Health Care Reform bills becoming law.

I am sure that you read by now about the proposed relocation of Ginn Academy from the former Margaret Spellacy School on East 162 Street to Glenville High School for the next school year.

Many of you know that I worked diligently with Coach Ted Ginn, Sr. over the last three years to find a permanent suitable location to house “Ted’s dream” of a stand–alone, all boys, single gender, academy; one that placed safety, security and academic excellence as its core values. To hear that Ginn Academy is now being proposed to be relocated into a general high school is a tragic turn of events.

After CMSD put $2.5 million into renovating the present building, their consultant from Boston recommends, in order to shore-up Glenville, that the District should place Ginn Academy in the building with an all-girls academy, as well. This would totally defeat what Ginn was supposed to be about from day one. Time is of the essence. We cannot let them destroy this vision because “Ted’s dream” is working.

I am in the process of organizing parents, concerned citizens and anyone else who believes that the young men in Ginn Academy have a right to succeed and to become somebody. I urge you to contact CMSD Board members at (216) 574-8585 or email them via Kevin Burtzlaff, Board Liaison, at kevin.burtzlaff@cmsdnet.net or mail a letter to them at the Board of Education, Administration Building, 1380 East Sixth Street, Room 152, Cleveland, Ohio 44114, to express your outrage and concerns. Members names are online at www.cmsdnet.net.   

What can I do?

I've asked that at times. What can I do to help? There is so much need around and my resources are so low: little money, no extra time, my own family to care for!! How can I help lift up the neighborhood when I have so little?

Denise Wright and Mike Clark may help me answer by having so little themselves and yet helping so much. They recently moved to the neighborhood, don't own a car, don't have steady jobs, but give what they can to help out. So they joined the Nottingham Youth Center and now head the tutoring program. About 10 elementary kids twice a week and only 3 or 4 adults at a time. Some of the children need one to one attention but that can be difficult without a couple more helpers. Mike and Denise give what they have but they can only stretch themselves so far. 

Seasonal Positions are available with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Cleveland Lakefront State Park which includes Euclid Beach, Villa Angela, Wildwood, Edgewater, Gordon and Headlands Beach Parks.  Applicants may express an interest in these positions by visiting: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/hr/jobinterest/job.aspx

Natural Resources Specialist ($7.39/hr.)

Lifeguard (hourly rate varies)

To help eligible Ohioans claim tax credits and public benefits, Governor Ted Strickland is supporting an initiative called the Ohio Benefit Bank, www.governor.ohio.gov/obb.

RTA is proposing many changes in service for the new year.  Here are the changes that will affect Collinwood.

If you would like to voice your suggestions or protest any of these changes, RTA asks that public comments be emailed to public-comment@gcrta.org or mail them to RTA Marketing and Communications, 1240 West Sixth St. Cleveland, OH 44113. RTA will be accepting comments until Jan 21. After hearings, some of the proposed changes might be modified further, so let your voices be heard.

Proposed Service Changes

Discontinue routes, segments of routes:

No. 239 Euclid-- on Babbitt between Interstate 90 and Lakeshore Blvd.

Thank you to all the homeowners of Collinwood who spent countless hours and dollars decorating their homes for the holidays. You brightened our lives and spirits while we drove down your streets.

Dear Collinwood Observer Readers/Writers/Editors/Photographers:

Happy New Year.  I’m writing to let you know that The Collinwood Observer is under new, “all Collinwood” management. As you might have read in the very first paper, I grew up here and came over (from far away, that other “wood” across the river, Lakewood)  to help start the Collinwood Observer because I’m involved in working on the Lakewood Observer and I knew that a community-written paper and Collinwood would be a perfect fit.

The response of the community has been spectacular and the Collinwood Observer started filling up with articles, advice, ideas and recipes from the very first paper. We are entering 2010 with more than 200 members signed up on the Collinwood Observer website, and plans to make sure the paper expands in every way.  The Observation Deck-- a Message Board that runs 24 hours, where anybody can start a topic and get into a discussion or debate-- will be fully functioning this month, as
will the Business Listings section of the website. This section will allow advertisers and business owners to post information, pictures, menus, specials, etc. that will help them get their word out, and help readers figure out where they want to go for services, shopping and dinner.

While most of Collinwood was shopping and preparing to celebrate the holidays, two groups of youth did events raising money for local non-profit organizations they felt strongly needed help. Their efforts were successful in more than just fundraising.

Neighborhood Connections, the small grants program affiliated with The Cleveland Foundation, will offer workshops to those interested in applying for a grant. Funding is intended to support neighborhood projects done by neighborhood people in the City of Cleveland. Grants range from $500 to $5,000. Neighborhood Connections money is available throughout the City of Cleveland and groups that apply do not need to be incorporated non-profits (501(c)(3)s).

The Councilman is making a list and checking it twice. In an age of instant messaging and alerts, Councilman Polensek is creating his own list: an email list, that is.

This list will only be used to get neighborhood news and alerts disseminated out to the community faster. We now have the ability to set up this type of computer program  and enhance the immediacy of communication between the Councilman’s office and the community, and vice versa.  

On Tuesday, January 5th, 2010, Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Dr. Eugene Sanders unveiled his Academic Transformation Plan and Strategic Development Initiative recommendations. Some news was good and some was extremely troubling.  
The good news first: Collinwood High School and O.H.Perry, which had been rumored to be on the chopping block, have been spared from closing for the immediate future. Memorial K-8 school will be monitored for this year for a year two decision and Hannah Gibbons, the Nottingham K-8 school, has been placed in the “repurpose” category, which means that there will be academic changes and hopefully improvement over the next two years. Collinwood High School is also supposed to be repurposed and the question here is – what does this really mean in the long run? O. H. Perry is defined as a “growth school” which is great news; however, it looks like no additional funds are being recommended to improve the physical building, which as many of you know, I landmarked some years back and is in need of some capital repair.

When my husband and I opened our new business, Blue Arrow Records, on Waterloo Road in North Collinwood last March, we were oblivious to the large number of feral homeless cats struggling desperately to survive within a few blocks. It didn’t take long until I noticed kittens and adults roaming the neighborhood looking for food. There was a poorly managed colony near our building, where someone was feeding the cats, but not tending to their other physical needs, which was very upsetting to me since there were several sick kittens. (Feeding cats only keeps them healthy enough to breed rapidly….a pair of cats can produce 2 or more litters per year and the math gets crazy after that.)

The only chartered Little League in the City of Cleveland is located in the North Collinwood neighborhood. Northeast Cleveland Little League (NECLL) has been in operation since 1951. NECLL teams play their games at Grovewood Park in the North Collinwood neighborhood. NECLL is the only league in the city of Cleveland that is part of the National Little League competition out of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. 

This morning the Mayor of Lakewood, Ohio announced his intentions to run for the new County Executive postition. Here in a Observe exclusive is his speech...

Good morning, and thank you for attending.

It's always good to begin an effort like this with a sense of history, and a sense of place.

My great-grandfather moved to this neighborhood from Ireland 130 years ago, and started a small grocery store just down the road from here.

This county has been good to my family ever since that time. I love the Cleveland area, and I'm committed to it, and my wife Shannon and I decided to raise our four children here.

But we have to be honest about what this county is facing. We used to be one of the economic drivers of not just the state but the entire country. We were known all over the world as a center of innovation and economic progress. That's why so many of our families came here in the first place.

 

SNOWSHOE SAMPLER AT CLEVELAND LAKEFRONT NATURE PRESERVE (DIKE 14)—SUNDAY, JANUARY 17 @ 1PM—3PM  Back in Ohio’s history, snowshoeing was a good way to get around in the winter. Today we have modern inventions that are better forms of transportation. But, snowshoeing is still a great way to explore nature’s winterscape and wildlife. We’ll meet at the park office for instruction from the Cleveland Metroparks IGO
Program and then snowshoe our way down to and out on Dike 14. Snowshoe rental and instruction provided free of charge to you courtesy of Cleveland Lakefront State Park. Pre-registration is required. Space is limited to 20 participants. Open to ages 8 and up. In the event of no snow there will be a winter hike offered.

FRIDAY FAMILY FUN NIGHT: FULL MOON HIKE, FRIDAY, JAN. 29 @ 7PM—8:30PM
Get over your case of the winter blues and join me for a night hike under the almost full wolf moon. While wolves haven’t been wild in Ohio in over 200 years, we’ll keep our eyes open for other animals of the night. We’ll meet at the Wildwood entrance parking lot. Dress for the weather.

 

In the premiere issue of the Collinwood Observer, in her article entitled, "How much does Cleveland value its children?"  Rebecca Barbarino wrote about the E. 185th street "dragway" and how it was imperative that a 20 mph school zone sign be erected to alert motorists to the presence of children walking to and from school. She said that over the years she has made numerous calls to the city to ask for a sign. This year, she stopped in to the 5th District Police Station, visited with Officer Howard and Captain Tom Tube and described the situation. The last thing she did was write the story for the Collinwood Observer.

We are pleased to note that there is a brand new 20mph school zone sign on East 185th street between Harland and Schenely. Thanks to Officer Howard, Captain Tube and the City of Cleveland for paying attention and helping to make our neighborhood safer.

It is time to reward the folks who spend so much time, effort, and money to decorate their homes for the holidays. The Observer’s First Annual Holiday Decorating contest is eligible to all residents of Collinwood. You can enter the contest by:

1)     Emailing a photo of your home to ChristmasinCollinwood@gmail.com
2)     Mail a photo of your home to:                                                       

                                                       Christmas in Collinwood
                                                       c/o Collinwood Observer
                                                       650A East 185th street
                                                       Cleveland, Ohio 44119

3)     Don’t have a computer? Don’t have a camera? You can still enter!

Call the Collinwood Observer at 216.531.6790. Say, “I have the most beautiful house!”, or “I have seen the most beautiful house!”,  (then tell us the address)  We’ll take the picture and make sure you’re in the contest.

Awards will be given to the following categories:

1)     Most Artistic
2)     Best use of Color
3)     The “Griswold” Award (most possible lights per square foot)
4)     “A” for Effort
5)     Best Decorated Street
6)     Best Decorated Business

Plus a fabulous prize will be awarded for “Best in Show”.

Judging will be done by a self-proclaimed panel of experts, made up of business owners, residents and actual artists. Contest ends on Christmas Eve. Winners will be announced in our January 7, 2010 issue.

Be sure to log on line at www.collinwoodobserver.com to see all the entrants.

Merry Christmas!

Dear Neighbor,

I’m writing this as a personal letter, from a neighbor, because one of the things I love about living here is that there are so many people who really care about the community and about keeping it a great place. I think a lot of you feel the same way I do when you see parts of the neighborhood going downhill, and want to help pull it back up again.

A few months ago I read a column in the Plain Dealer that I really liked, about shopping locally. The columnist suggested we try to spend $50 a month at an independent store – not a national chain. It occurred to me that we could bring that idea closer to home: why not try to spend $50 a month right here on E. 185th Street?

So I started doing just that – and it’s not just easy, it’s fun! I can buy hand-cut meat and fresh-baked bread, imported cheeses, milk, shampoo, cold medicine, windshield wiper fluid or dog food. I can get my hair cut and visit the dentist, do all my banking and mail all my letters. I can meet friends for lunch, grab a cup of coffee, get a bottle of wine for dinner. And with the holidays coming, there are lots more possibilities – gifts of specialty chocolates, imported beer, Tshirts and music and video games, cards and stocking stuffers and fresh flowers and gift certificates.

And when I can I put the baby in the stroller and we walk, I say hi to neighbors and get to know the business owners and it’s great. This is our neighborhood, and it’s friendly and fun and something you’ll never find in a big box or suburban mall. And every dollar we spend is like a dollar invested, in helping support the businesses that support our community.

Some of our local merchants helped put together a promotion, to encourage more of our neighbors to shop locally this holiday season, called "I Shop 185" -- if you haven't already got a contest card you can pick one up for yourself at any of more than 30 participating merchants:Beachland Hair Design, Chili Pepper’s, Federated Auto Parts, Gus’s Diner, LakeShore Automotive, Northeast Shores Development Corp, Patria Imports, Tuthill’s Florist, Adriatic Pets, Arabica, Fresh Catch , Helping Hands Day Care, Joe Compoli, Attorney, National City Bank (now PNC), Shore Carpet, Azman Meats , Best Friend Self Serve Dog Wash, Blue Sky Bike, Cebar’s, Groom Room, Lakeshore Florist, Martin’s Men’s Wear, Music Emporium, Old World Plaza Barber Shop, Oz Collectibles, Scotti’s Italian Eatery, Seven Star Muffler, Used Cars,Inc., Video Game and Record Exchange, Villa Rosa Pizzeria and Vince’s Barber Shop. And there are also the Weekends on Waterloo Holiday events, including the Holiday Sale at Arts Collinwood Gallery, Dec. 11-13. You may have seen the ads in the Collinwood Observer.  If not, you can find out more about both at wwww.artscollinwood.org.  I hope you’ll stop into a local store and ask for a card, or a sticker. Win some prizes, get some good stuff, let them know you live here. 

Between the independent stores on E. 185, the great galleries on Waterloo, and all the services on Lakeshore, you can give yourself a gift and enjoy your own neighborhood this holiday.  I hope you’ll give it a try.  And I hope I’ll see you out shopping.

Sarah Gyorki lives on Canterbury

Arts Collinwood is facing a very special challenge this year -- and members of the community are stepping up to help meet it.  As the community arts group that has sparked much of the Waterloo Road renaissance, Arts Collinwood has always been fortunate to have incredibly dedicated members and volunteers, from all over the neighborhood and throughout the city. Two of the founding members, both longstanding supporters who have asked to remain anonymous, saw the work of this community group as more important than ever in these tough economic times. And they've put their money where their belief is.

Dear Friends: I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported my re-election efforts in Ward 11 this past November.

Attention all young Grinch fans! The Cleveland Public Library Memorial-Nottingham Branch will host a How the Grinch Stole Christmas Party on Tuesday, December 22, 2009, from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.! Stories will be read, the famous movie will be shown, and the young patrons will get a chance to participate in a Grinch a game and craft!

As we enter the second half of our four-part series, we find our attention shifting away from the Waterloo Road segment of the sausage district and over to the E. 185th Street epicenter. This week, we chronicle our time at Old World Meats, the most recent of the sausage operations to open in Collinwood.

The operation of Ed Jesse (and, he jokes, National City Bank), Old World Meats (651 E. 185th Street) has been a staple in the district for eight years. Lending unimpeachable credence to the Sausage District moniker, Jesse explains why, after working in meat since 1978 for enterprises ranging from mom and pop joints to mega-corporation Oscar Mayer, he decided to open a sausage shop in Collinwood, saying he likes making sausage for people and there isn’t a neighborhood in the whole state that moves more sausage than Collinwood. 

Look for our special Christmas issue on December 10th. There is still plenty of time for you to get a story in. Friday, December 4 is the deadline. Tell us what you're up to for Christmas, send a recipe or recount a favorite Christmas memory from the neighborhood, and if you can, send pictures.  See you in the Member Center soon. Thank you, and thanks to everyone who has already written or who is writing right now. You are making this paper great.

Greetings Clevelanders. It is my pleasure to announce that I will be filming a major motion picture here in Cleveland in April and May of 2010. The movie is an ensemble of about 10 players in a Texas Hold em Tournament together. Each of them have their own flashback and ending to show that the money and the game represent different things to each of them.

I am a graduate of Collinwood High School (CHS), and would like to remind readers about the CHS Alumni Association, which publishes a newsletter with lots of information about get-togethers, class reunions, tours, members information, and meetings. In the October 2009 issue, it said that Councilman Michael Polensek had Collinwood High School declared a Cleveland Landmark. But now the school needs our help! Two projects stand out. The fence surrounding the school and the front steps need repairs. Volunteers and retired repairmen and plumbers who can help are asked to call Barbara Grubb for further information, 440-667-9433.

I yield to no one in praise for our little lakeshore neighborhood, but I’ve always been prepared to admit that it’s a tad, ummm, shabby by comparison with the suburbs. Well! Last week I visited a dentist on Chagrin Boulevard, mere steps from seriously upscale shopping—but also in the middle of a pedestrian wasteland. The dentist’s building sat—squatted—enormously in the middle of a vast parking lot, hedged in by gas stations and fast-food joints. It had no front or back, no name, no number—and no information desk or porter to tell me if I had the right address. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I was assaulted by the wind and deafened by the traffic noise, and I realized: I’m surrounded by suburban brutalism, and I want to go home to my cozy, walkable bit of Collinwood.

Which leads me to my next thought: we could probably all spend more time here and less in the brutal suburbs if we changed our shopping patterns a little. Buying meat, for instance; most supermarkets now sell prepackaged meat (often imbued with a freshness-preserving gas). There are two (two!) butchers on E. 185th Street (Olde World Meats and Azman’s) who cut fresh meat to order, often at supermarket prices. They also—I can testify—dispense good advice on what to do with said cuts.

The Cleveland Division of Police collaborates with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and other law enforcement partners to provide police presence and intervention for the young people of our community.

We’re all told that networking is the way to go. It’s important. Yet for many of us, this type of event has about the same appeal as a tooth extraction. A few months ago, several volunteers with Greater Cleveland Community Shares started to talk about their desire for meaningful networking—the kind that would entice those people who care about Cleveland to get together for a cause and for fun! Shares YP hopes to foster the next generation of social justice advocates and provide a forum for them to discuss timely issues and build relationships.

President Obama made numerous pledges during his presidential campaign, but perhaps none was bigger than his promise to reform our health care system. The debate across the country has been raging for some time, evident in the often contentious "town hall" meetings this past summer, the bickering in Congress over the competing health care related bills and issues, and the continued stoking of the fires of disagreement by much of our media.

We citizens of greater Collinwood are part of this national discussion and certainly have a stake in its outcome. In this issue the Observer wants to start a discussion on the topic. We'll begin with an overview of some of the major health care reform issues, followed by the thoughts of some of our residents, responding to these questions: What have your experiences been with your current health care plan? Do you have a health care plan? What do you do, when you or one of your loved ones has an accident, or becomes ill? What hopes do you have for a possible new health care situation ?

It’s November 1, the day after Halloween, and before you can even begin to enjoy the candy you hauled in from Trick or Treating, you look around and all you see are Christmas decorations. Now if you are like me, you are probably a little annoyed at this.  

Then again, you can be on the other side, and be excited that the holiday season is upon us. By no means am I a Scrooge, I prefer to think that I am a little more traditional and believe that the holiday season should start after Thanksgiving.  

Fortunately for me, many others share my feelings and some of them have come up with a brilliant and fun way to channel their energy.  My family has owned and operated Baker Candies for over 88 years, all of them at our current location on the corner of Holmes Ave and E 162nd. Now moving into our fourth generation, I am sure many of you have visited us in the past. Anyone who attended Spellacy probably bought candy from my grandfather on your way into school, you remember the old guy who looked like Crankshaft from the comics with the red ball cap and jacket.  

Best Friends

Best Friends

Tuesday, December 1, 2009
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.@ Memorial-Nottingham Branch Library 
Case Western Reserve University Medical School students will host a workshop for teens to address life after high school.  During this workshop, students will explore how self-identity and self-esteem influence life choices; the application process for trade schools, community colleges, liberal arts colleges and universities; and resume writing. This workshop will have a special component dedicated to health care career options.

This event is being held as a community service project for the youth of the North Collinwood neighborhood.

In the last edition of the Collinwood Observer, we introduced the first in a planned four-part series documenting the institutional strongholds that anchor Cleveland’s Sausage District.

The moniker references a friend and fellow Collinwoodite’s nickname for our community, itself a hat-tip to the sheer prevalence of high-quality independent authentic European sausage producers and purveyors in the neighborhood. I paired off with Bridget Caswell, and the two of us have begun the process of visiting each of the major vendors in the area, chatting a little with the folks in charge of the operation, and providing you with a road-map to your homegrown charcuterie options.

As the days draw in, in September, central heating begins to loom. Time to bring in the houseplants, so they can get used to lower light and humidity before the dreaded radiators start up. This used to be an emotional operation for me; I couldn’t bear to throw anything out, so I took dozens of cuttings from philodendron and bridal veil and spider plants that had gone mad over the summer, and started dozens of new plants I didn’t have room for.

Lots of local folks—and plenty from outside the area—have already visited the Arts Collinwood Center at the corner of E. 156th and Waterloo. But if you haven't yet, we're offering you a good reason to come visit now. Arts Collinwood has taken over operating the cafe in our building, as another way to support arts programs in our community. Now, every time you grab a sandwich or a coffee, you can be helping make after school programs, gallery exhibits and community events possible here in Collinwood. And you'll love the new menu!  We're here Tuesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Cleveland Division of Police 5th District Neighborhood Headquarters and all of its officers are committed to improving the quality of life for those who live, work, and play in the community. Contrary to news accounts, rumors and speculation, crime as a whole, is down. Statistically, Part 1 crimes—which include robbery, robbery with a firearm, rape, arson, theft and auto theft—are down. 

Results and analysis of races and issues from the Nov. 3rd election

Cleveland City Council Ward 10 Eugene Miller defeated challenger Freddie Moore. Eugene Miller was serving as a state representative when he was asked to complete the un-expired term of long time ward 10 representative Roosevelt Coats, who retired/resigned earlier this year. Miller’s top priorities for the ward are public safety and public education. Miller brings some youth and energy to a ward that had been served by a long-time council person loyal to his ward, but perhaps running out of steam coming down the homestretch.
Cleveland City Council Ward 11 Michael Polensek can still claim the title, Dean of City Council, as he has been re-elected to the Ward 11 council seat by defeating challenger Curtis L. Thompson II. “I’ve won a lot of elections but I’ve never had a win as big as this one, I won in every single precinct,” Polensek said Wednesday morning. “I see it as a victory for inclusion and unity over division and race-baiting. I’m very thankful to the people of this community who supported me, especially the African Americans who said that they weren’t going to tolerate race-based politics. These are the strengths of this neighborhood that we need to build on—diversity, tolerance, inclusion, acceptance.”
Polensek’s top priority for the Ward 11 is to keep the community intact during the next city council reduction, which he says is critical for the growth and stability of Collinwood.
Mayor of Cleveland Frank Jackson will continue his tenure as Cleveland mayor, winning his first re-election fight against Bill Patmon. “The campaign is over, the voters have spoken and it’s time for me to get back to work,” Mayor Jackson said Wednesday morning. “I want to thank the voters for having the confidence to re-elect me.”
He had a specific message for the readers of this paper: “I want to make Collinwood a neighborhood where families live in safety, in a prosperous city with a great quality of life where children and young people have the opportunity for a great education and a successful career path.”

The folks at the Observer have asked me to explain a little of what we do at the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern for some neighbors who may be new to the area or just haven’t had the time to look into our efforts.