海角破解版

Cleveland voters will decide in the March primary on a citizen initiative to slash city council鈥檚 membership and pay 鈥� a measure backed by a Westlake restaurateur over the opposition of council leadership.

The campaign, which calls itself Clevelanders First, pitches the initiative as an effort to bring city council鈥檚 size and salary in line with that of other cities. Tony George, the owner of Harry Buffalo and other Cleveland-area eateries, funded the petition drive, according to the group鈥檚 financial disclosure.

鈥淲e want to streamline government,鈥� John Kandah, a spokesman for the campaign, told ideastream.

The proposed charter amendments would cut the number of council members from 17 to nine and reduce their pay from $83,370 to $58,000. 

Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley said the measure would give residents less access to local government, not more. He pledged an 鈥渁ggressive campaign鈥� in response.

鈥淐ity council is the way that most people interact with their government, it鈥檚 where they go to get answers,鈥� Kelley said. 鈥淚f you cut the pay dramatically, and almost double the amount of constituents and geography that a council member has to take, that access is going to be tremendously diminished.鈥�

Council Clerk Patricia Britt flagged several potential violations in Clevelanders First鈥檚 financial disclosures, in a Monday letter to the city prosecutor.

Clevelanders First does not appear to exist on paper, Britt wrote. A name reservation filed with the Ohio Secretary of State for 鈥淐levelanders 1st鈥� expired in November. Britt also notified the city prosecutor that the disclosures do not enumerate how much George paid for the petition drive, only that he contributed 鈥渕oney.鈥�

A 2017 city ordinance requires initiative campaigns to submit itemized disclosures detailing 鈥渁ll moneys or things of value鈥� paid for circulating petitions. Kelley called Clevelanders First鈥檚 disclosures 鈥渧ery deficient.鈥�

鈥淭o me, the law is pretty clear on what鈥檚 required,鈥� Kelley said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 significant that the financial disclosures described a group called Clevelanders First, but according to the secretary of state鈥檚 website, there is no such group. So where鈥檚 the money coming from? We have no way of knowing.鈥�

George told ideastream council was 鈥済rasping at straws,鈥� saying he believed the committee did not need to list how much money he had given. Kandah said he had not seen Britt鈥檚 letter, and council had not raised issues with him about the campaign鈥檚 financial disclosures.

鈥淭ony George has more invested in the city of Cleveland than the average Clevelander does,鈥� Kandah said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a high stakeholder in the city of Cleveland, and has a lot to lose or gain, and has given the city a lot.鈥�

Kelley said the debate over council鈥檚 size would be different if it had originated with Cleveland residents.

鈥淭his didn鈥檛 come from the Citizens鈥� League,鈥� Kelley said. 鈥淭his came from one person who doesn鈥檛 live in the city of Cleveland, who paid people to collect the petitions.鈥�

from 21 to 11. Martin Sweeney, then the president of city council, agreed to a compromise proposal to cut seats as Cleveland鈥檚 population declined. George said he now regrets making that deal with Sweeney.

鈥淭his is the Cleveland that I love,鈥� George said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 not going to watch it go down the tubes in the later years of my life.鈥�