MANSFIELD: Cash Mobs

You’ve heard of Flash Mobs, which started out as events organized via social media where people showed up in a public space (or sometimes private, like a shopping mall) to sing, dance and celebrate… and then put their joyous spontaneity up on YouTube for the world to enjoy. Then, a bunch of punk kids took over the idea and decided to turn them into mindlessly destructive riots and looting.

But when local attorney and out-of-the-box thinker Andrew Samtoy and a few of his buddies at Cleveland Bridge Builders were sitting around after a meeting talking about the negative phenomenon, they came up with a very bright idea.

“We were thinking about how businesses could be ruined just by kids running in and stealing stuff,” said Samtoy. “But what if responsible, law-supporting citizens decided to go into these businesses — or, really, local businesses in general — and spend their money, en masse, to give the business owner a little bit of economic stimulus? Imagine if 100 people showed up at a farmers’ market and each spent $20. That would be $2,000 into the local economy for stuff that we need or want anyway. We’d help businesses grow, we’d make people happy, we’d get stuff for ourselves, and we could all go and have a drink to celebrate afterward.”

When Marty Mordarski, a member of the group, suggested the name Cash Mobs there was no turning back.

The rules they set up were simple: The mob must be announced a week in advance via Twitter; the specific location will be announced six hours before the Cash Mob takes place; the amount to spend will not be above $20 (although people can spend more if they wish); the business must have products for both men and women and be locally owned; the business owner must give back to the community in some way and must approve the Cash Mob before the event is announced. Additionally, the Cash Mob will occur during the evening on a weekday or on a weekend and adequate parking must be available.

Now for the important rules: The business must be within one block of a watering hole, and Cash Mobbers must meet up for celebratory drinks afterwards. (With Samtoy involved, I should have guessed this part.) You can follow the group on Twitter @Cashmobs; email them at cashmobs@gmail.com, or you can bookmark http://CashMobs.wordpress.com. Get ready to Mob Up!

 

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”

Shakespeare has Marcellus utter the above words upon seeing the ghost of Hamlet’s father. Over the years they have come to connote and reference cancers on the body politic in society… cancers like the man-made and propagated one swirling around Cuyahoga County President C. Ellen Connally. Who’s attempting to poison her career, and, more importantly, why?

In spite of the fact no sanctioning body (nor any of her 10 fellow elected members of the Council) have found a hint of impropriety in deed or spirit relating to a violation of Sunshine Laws, the drumbeat against Connally continues, almost unabated. Why?

Even if she had somehow violated Sunshine Laws, calling for her to resign, as a piece in Crain’s did, would be inappropriate since the punishment would not fit the crime. But when such a punishment is called for and no “crime” (or even a thought of a crime) has been committed it can only be categorized as bizarre… maybe even beyond bizarre — it’s bordering on the diabolical.

Here’s the problem this manufactured controversy creates: All of the progress and great work this Council has accomplished under Connally’s leadership is relegated to the sidelines in this debate, but more importantly, greatly distracts from the effective carrying out of the public’s business.

The simple fact is, “reform” movements often turn into witch hunts. The problems that sparked the cry for change in the way business is carried out in Cuyahoga County have largely been rooted out and corrected, but some people obviously still have buckets of tar and pillowcases filled with feathers… and they don’t know what the hell to do with them.

If these clucks just want someone to pick on (seemingly just for the sport of it… to use up their leftover tar and feathers) at least they’re picking on a woman tough enough to handle it. Trust this: When the dust settles Connally will still be standing — and standing strong. The words from a favorite poem we all learned as teenagers comes to mind:

“If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools …”

–Rudyard Kipling

Truth be told, many bright and fair people — people Connally knows, trusts and admires — people who know this entire episode has been conjured up from thin air — are telling her to stay strong in the face of this unfairness… but why won’t those same people come out publicly with their support?

Connally’s critics wrap themselves in the flag of “reform” but act like a pack of howling and snapping pit bulls. But no one should confuse this with good government… it isn’t.

When she attempted to have the PD place this reasonable explanation (see next article) of the facts in the newspaper, she was told they didn’t have the space.

                          *     *     *

County Council’s response to the Plain Dealer By C. Ellen Connally, President – Cuyahoga County Council

In an attempt to establish a 2012 schedule for Cuyahoga County Council, the Clerk raised the issue of changing the time of the meeting. Her reasoning centered on uninitiated individual discussions both she and I had with individual members of Council who indicated a desire to alter the meeting time. These suggestions were based on a variety of reasons including but not limited to the cost of keeping county employees past business hours; the inability of Council members to attend district events on Tuesday evenings; the lateness of the hour, especially in winter months and the fact that county governments around the state meet during the day or late afternoon. In an attempt to gather the input of all members, an email was sent requesting their opinions. No decision was made and it was never anyone’s intention to make a decision based on a straw poll.

In order to get the issue on the floor of Council for a public debate, I introduced legislation with a starting time of 3:00 P.M., anticipating that there would be an open and public debate on the question. Whether the time changed or remained the same would be up to the vote of the members of Council in an open meeting. Based on this attempt to initiate an open debate this newspaper has concocted an orchestration on my part to change a meeting time through allegations of secret meetings and violations of the Ohio Sunshine Law. Nothing could be further from the truth. Prior to the release of the story the County Law Director emailed his opinion to Reporter Laura Johnston stating that there was no violation of the Sunshine Law. This email was either ignored or discounted while Reporter Johnston sought out the advice of those who agreed with her position.

The real irony of the allegations of secret debates that made headlines, a cartoon and an editorial is that there were major pieces of legislation passed that evening. One involved a major change in construction contracting — the first such legislation in the State. Council in its oversight capacity raised issues regarding millions of tax dollars; specifically the possibility of a $35 million dollar tax lien sale and millions uncollected by the Clerk of Courts, but Reporter Johnston found these issues too insignificant to cover.

As to the issue of whether or not Council members can “keep their day jobs,” every person elected to Council should recognize the serious responsibility that election to public office means. If the public wants a Council to merely show up for an evening meeting without assuming the responsibility of attending committee meetings; meeting with county agencies and staff; reading legislation; studying issues; meeting with constituents and being a watchdog of the budget, then this newspaper is asking for an ineffective, rubber stamp Council that will have no impact on the governance of this county.

To insure openness, Council and committee meetings are live streamed online, a process that was developed without spending additional tax dollars. Recordings of meetings are being sent to local access channels for airing (once again, at no additional cost to the County). Council provides free parking for the public and mandates by rule an allocation of time for public comment twice during every meeting. Council actively encourages every citizen to attend our regular and committee meetings and to send us their comments and opinions.

Cuyahoga County Council has made great strides during its first year — very few of which have been covered by this newspaper. There are two sides to every story, not just the one presented by this newspaper. I believe that our Council has done an outstanding job. I wish this newspaper would recognize at least some of our achievements.

 

From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://www.neighborhoodsolutionsinc.com.

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