By Mansfield Frazier
The day after Election Day political pundits began weighing in with speculation in regards to who will next occupy the mayor’s office in Cleveland. Such prognostications, guesstimates and machinations rank as one of America’s most favorite pastimes.
And sometimes — hell, all the time — it’s agenda driven. Everyone, whether they admit it or not has a favorite candidate they’d like to place their bet on.
The author of one of the articles I read cast a very wide net, including virtually everyone except Larry, Curley and Moe. It’s hard to guess wrong if you throw every conceivable candidate into the mix … even those who have never expressed the slightest interest in running for elective office. But hey, since politics makes for strange bedfellows, why leave anyone out? Besides, it’s a clever way to point out (and perhaps curry favor with) up-and-comers.
While no one is sure who’ll even be in the race this far out — let alone who’ll win it — I will go way out on a limb and make this one prediction (and I’m willing to bet anyone lunch on it): The next mayor of Cleveland will be black. While there are some whites moving into downtown Cleveland, their numbers are comparatively miniscule compared to the overall population and not nearly enough to offset the fact that Cleveland is, indeed, turning blacker by the day. By the 2017 race that number will top 70 percent.
I used to jokingly tell Jane Campbell that she would be Cleveland’s last black mayor … a fact I actually decry. The electorate should be voting for the best-qualified person, not along color (or party, or surname) lines. But all too often — with an occasional anomaly thrown in — that’s what usually happens locally and statewide. It’s virtually impossible for any candidate of color to win statewide office in Ohio.
Now, before anyone starts taking blacks to task for voting for race over any other consideration, ask yourself this: From whom did blacks learn this type of reductive politics? Why, whites of course. I submit that blacks are more willing to vote for a qualified white candidate than vice-versa.
But what’s next is really more interesting than who’s next. The real potentially hot topic coming on the heels of the election is the idea being floated around in some quarters for Cleveland to annex East Cleveland. Yep, you read it here first folks.
Given East Cleveland’s population it would be equivalent to Cleveland adding another ward, and on paper at least it makes a lot of sense for both municipalities — but that doesn’t mean it’s about to happen. East Cleveland politics are ziggity-boo.
For Cleveland, annexation would mean that more of the money we send to Washington would come back to us, plus the potential for General Electric (East Cleveland’s largest taxpayer) to make additional investments in its Nela Park facilities due to the increased stability being within the City of Cleveland would offer.
For the citizens of East Cleveland (which, through no fault of the residents, has little in the way of a tax base), the upsides are obvious and myriad: Increased safety (the County Sheriff’s Department had to step in and help patrol the streets after officers were laid off); much needed infrastructure repairs; financial help for its wonderful library system (which always seems to be tottering on the brink of insolvency); and doing away with the wobbly and sometimes wacky court system.
Most people don’t realize it, but there are some magnificent homes, blocks and entire neighborhoods in East Cleveland, but of course the media would rather focus on the negative, crime-ridden parts of the city. However, with that said, how East Cleveland can increase its tax base is a complete mystery … a Gordian knot that cannot be solved.
Nonetheless, those who derive their power from being big fish in East Cleveland’s small and somewhat polluted pond are not about to get on-board with anything that might help residents … if that means they have to let go of the stranglehold they have on the city. What’s the old saying: They’d rather rule in Hell than serve in Heaven … the citizens be damned.
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://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.com.
9 Responses to “MANSFIELD: Who’s Next… But More Importantly, What’s Next?”
Dick Peery
Let me pick a couple of bones, Mansfield. When Ken Blackwell ran against Ted Strickland for governor, everyone knew that Blackwell was African American and Strickland wasn’t. Yet, Strickland got at least 90 percent of the black vote in Cleveland.
Merging East Cleveland with Cleveland would not affect the library. It is a separate political entity that is aligned with the school district, not City Hall.
mansfield frazier
Both points well taken, Dick. But I did point out that blacks will vote for white candidates, didn’t I? Especially when the black candidate doesn’t represent their point of view. That vote proves blacks can pay attention at the ballot box.
mansfield frazier
Oh, and if the annexation took place, wouldn’t the schools become part of Cleveland’s system also, and therefore the library would also become part of Cleveland’s?
b
Goood luck figuring out WHO….Johnson? CONNALLY? Cimperman? ANYTHING can happen in next four yrs…NO one could have believed a BARACK would make it (SMART man,etc.etc. SOME compassion,honor,etc.)…Took this bizarre GWB43 and REST of it to force,other folks to back BHO… MITT R was just this Wooow…AND I AM saying all THAT even while being a blue collar midaged white guy …. MAY have some doubts bout BO but dang on REST of it….LANCI? SUPRISED got 34% of the vote…somewhat impressive…I THINK a angst of sorts IS out there but I THINK,feel LANCI viewed as this bizarre WTH WGW MittLITE (Ross Perots “Ghost”) type character who maybe has heart in right place but it just didn’t ‘click’…I THINK LANCI got blowback CUZ of TEAPARTY thing to rest of it…COULD go round n round with all this til the cows come home and go nuts with it in meantime….
NO idea if a corner turned or not…or SOME sense of stability WHICH I THINK WE have ….I HATE making it sound like get X far,let nature work its way,folks do it ALL to keep it going or prosper, and a MedMart or shale oil Is the savior but not sure what else can do….
BREAKthrough school thing or ANYTHING LONG overdue….AFRAID reached point of almost no return or LITERALLY DOWN to the most niche stuff….or WORST crappy funky side biz around no one else wants to touch elsewhere….
b
True bout E.Cleve. Far as hoods n homes…Ok got NEARBY Clev.Clinic and rest of it…THAT EVEREXPANDING UNIVERSE…SO FAR…talk of job layoffs…TIME will tell with new med school… What a BLACK med n ed incubator? TAKE on most obscure fields,subjects,medico and go with THAT…GOT whaz His name the NEW rising politico star…Newton,Newsome…Illustrious mayor…FEAR OF HIM being brought on board…OR some arrangement made…WOW….ACTUALLY considering REHab,other work STILL needed maybe NOT such a bad idea….
b
CLEVELAND,STATE of OHIO,Feds,other such MAY FORCE East cleve.TO finally give up the ghost in one shape,form or another whether water dept to RTA to whuever…..HOW many cities ran into trouble…HOW LIMITED the funds of all kinds across all spectrums….NO idea if a Kasich would pull a MICH.gov.SCHNEIDER routine or not…Ok so got BHO…still…HOW many fiscal crisis and other such can one have…..HOW many games can ONE play AT HOME…. COUNTY? You tell me…..SO far they have….Ok I KNOW got “HIM” and HIS own ‘run’…..HOW HE can peddle whatever thru REST of state while got whatever at home is anyones guess (Win? Welll…gonna find out. Never say never but. WHOLE other dynamic…CELESTE was whole other politico in another era and..)…OK SO E.Cle.is tiny slice of that…PARTS MUCH MORE responsible for,control over RIGHT NOW Oh yeah CRASH BANG BOOM WOW….Hi there….
b
FUNNY thinkin bout EAST cleve.has home to ROCKEFELLARS and rest of it and FANCY homes while ACTUAL $ making facilities,etc.in Cleveland and final end result…be funny n funky if same happened to TODAYS hot bedroom burbs…. I see the land of bitcoin meets rest of the wild funky Freakonomics type stuff….COULD always have movies shot in E.Cleve.GOT the old architecture tooo….
b
Mayor JANE…NICE lady,did some right stuff,etc.BUT THAT MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL BIG NAME BIG DOLLAR office building DOWNTOWN biz crew DID a number on HER and practically twisted her boobies into a knot to get MED MART among other things….AND NOW THAT crew SEEMS to think CAN get NEARLY ANYTHING past and done to their liking….ENDORSE ANYTHING….
CTownPlan
Library systems are separate from the school districts. They are different taxing entities. Annexation of East Cleveland is a must. The City of Cleveland, as bad as it is in many respects, would do a much better job at administering city services and federal aid programs than the City of East Cleveland.