海角破解版

Updated: 5:20 p.m., Monday, July 19, 2021

Vendors are once again calling for change at the West Side Market after a power outage Saturday brought business to a halt.

The incident is bringing renewed attention to the lack of resources, including a backup generator, in the historic building.

The outage caused problems for many vendors who lost sales and products on one of the biggest shopping days of the week and had to close down without refrigeration.

鈥淟uckily, I have refrigeration offsite, and a refrigerated vehicle,鈥� said DW Meats owner Don Whitaker. 鈥淲e transported out of here. There鈥檚 a few guys that have done that. But not everyone has that capability.鈥�

But even with the option to transport meat elsewhere, Whitaker said there is the financial impact of lost sales to contend with.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a real impact. It will hurt my year, it鈥檚 reality,鈥� Whitaker said. 鈥淚 want to pay all my employees for the day they came in and stuff like that.鈥�

Cleveland Public Power (CPP) workers were at the market Monday afternoon. Some stalls were still empty, but others had resumed business as usual.

Diane Dever, who runs the 鈥淚rene Dever鈥� dairy stand, said the power was out when workers arrived Saturday morning and was inconsistent through the day, meaning vendors couldn鈥檛 run credit cards or operate electric slicers.

鈥淚鈥檝e been here long enough that I鈥檝e just learned to fend for myself because I know I鈥檓 not going to get any help or assistance from the city,鈥� Dever said Monday. 鈥淢y stuff will stay for a couple extra days compared to the guys that have fresh meat, pork and chicken. So I was very fortunate.鈥�

Dever had a battery-operated scale and managed to keep her stall open while the power was out, relying on ice stores under the refrigerated cases to keep products cool.

But the city should do more to support vendors, she said, including having a backup power supply.

鈥淚f they would have bought a generator years ago, it would have paid for itself,鈥� Dever said. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 the first time the power has gone off.鈥�

The West Side Market was open for business Monday after a power outage over the weekend sent vendors and shoppers home. [Taylor Haggerty / 海角破解版]

Alicia Gallagher of North Olmsted usually visits the iconic once or twice a year but remembers more frequent shopping trips there as a child.

鈥淲e would go to St. Malachi鈥檚 and then hop down over here, my sisters and I,鈥� Gallagher said.

Gallagher was surprised to see so few vendors Monday, her first trip since before the coronavirus pandemic.

鈥淭here鈥檚 more empty stalls, so I feel bad about that. I鈥檓 not sure the reason, if it was just a bad year for the vendors,鈥� she said.

The city of Cleveland hired a consultant in February to examine the market鈥檚 efficiency and look for ways to improve. That consultant has met once already with a group of stakeholders, Whitaker said, and another meeting is coming up soon.

But any changes at the West Side Market would need to be approved by the city.

Whitaker said that so far, Mayor Frank Jackon鈥檚 administration has been unwilling to consider options for the market like changing its management to a nonprofit. And present issues like the lack of an HVAC system or a proper generator to cover electrical needs in the event of an outage are continually delayed and put off, he said.

鈥淭hey just can鈥檛 admit they cannot run something. And that鈥檚 just so troublesome. If I ask for help, I need help, you know?鈥� Whitaker said. 鈥淭his is not rocket science. It just comes down to being properly managed. That鈥檚 all.鈥�

If Cleveland wants the market to thrive, Whitaker said, impactful change is needed. Bringing in new vendors and attracting a younger demographic of vendors is difficult with things as they are, he said.

鈥淚f you want younger tenants in here, you got to have some amenities,鈥� Whitaker said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just used to working in an 85-degree building.鈥�

Vendor Kate鈥檚 Fish called the outage a 鈥渟tate of emergency,鈥� on social media over the weekend, saying the city is incapable of running the market without 鈥渃ataclysmic failures, negligence and ineptitude.鈥�

鈥淭he tenants are powerless, the building is in desperate need of serious infrastructure repairs, small businesses and families and hard-working, tax-paying human beings that make their living here have been asking for help for years,鈥� the longtime fishmonger at the market wrote on Instagram and Twitter. 鈥淗elp has not come, things have gotten worse and worse and no help is on the way with a lame duck mayor and all his cronies on the way out.鈥�

Cleveland City Councilman Kerry McCormack also took to social media following the power outage, calling for change at the West Side Market and with Cleveland Public Power (CPP). Current CPP power purchasing contracts should be broken to allow for investment and shifts to green energy, he said, and the city should relinquish management of the market.

鈥淢any peer cities across American have successfully adopted an independent management model for their markets,鈥� McCormack said. 鈥淭his requires administrative action and I hope all Mayoral candidates commit to this.鈥�

Cleveland City Council president and mayoral candidate Kevin Kelley tweeted about additional weekend power outages in and around Cleveland, beyond West Side Market.

Other Cleveland mayoral candidates weighed in on the power outage and troubles at the market. Candidate Zack Reed spent time speaking with vendors about their concerns Sunday.

鈥淭he current leadership at City Hall has proven it doesn鈥檛 have the managerial skills to stop the current decline at the West Side Market,鈥� Reed tweeted. 鈥淚t鈥檚 time for new leadership at City Hall.鈥�

Former mayor and current candidate Dennis Kucinich promised the vendors he would prioritize the installation of a generator if elected, and criticized efforts to discuss restructuring the market or hiring consultants to assess efficiency.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 need city leaders who鈥檝e demonstrated they don鈥檛 care about the West Side Market and wannabe leaders who鈥檝e demonstrated they don鈥檛 have a clue about the importance of this hallowed Cleveland institution,鈥� Kucinich said. 鈥淭hese hard-working, committed, often struggling small business vendors need support from City Hall, and no one running for Mayor understands that better than I do.鈥�

Ongoing debate as to who should own and operate the market continued on social media, with many calling for a nonprofit to step in and take over. But mayoral candidate Ross DiBello tweeted that wouldn鈥檛 be his plan if he is elected.

鈥淲e are going to manage it well and make it work for the public good,鈥� DiBello said. 鈥淲e will not give it to We Have Great Intentions, LLC. There are dozens of well-managed public markets across the country.鈥�

Candidate Justin Bibb also visited the market and highlighted the need for improvements. The power outage shows a need for new leadership and direct action, he said in a video posted to social media.

鈥淲hen I鈥檓 mayor, this will be an immediate priority to ensure that our residents and vendors get the leadership they deserve,鈥� Bibb said.

The city of Cleveland did not respond to 海角破解版鈥檚 request for comment for this story.