Councilman Joe Santiago is pissing our tax dollars away - What is wrong with this picture?

Submitted by Henry Senyak on Tue, 06/09/2009 - 23:55.

I am sure this will be supported by Action Jackson & Marty Sweeney!

WHY does not Sweeney fit the bill for this out of his Campaign Account or dig into the Council Leadership fund. I was at City Council Last night Santiago left about 40 minutes before the meeting was over, he got his photo op with the GLBT and split.  Action Jackson can spread his Campaign money too.

REPRINED COMPLIMENTS OF CLEVELAND.COM & THE PD

 

Cleveland's July 4th fireworks show saved when councilman gives $30,000 from council account

Posted by thunnicu [at] plaind [dot] com June 09, 2009 19:34PM

Plain Dealer file"I felt compelled to save the fireworks because the Fourth of July is an American holiday," says Cleveland City Councilman Joe Santiago. "It would be a great loss."

The biggest fireworks display in Northeast Ohio will go forward this July Fourth despite budget problems, organizers said Tuesday.

Some cities have eliminated or scaled back their fireworks displays to save money. Cleveland's annual Independence Day show was about to be canceled due to a lack of money, said Tom Newman, executive director of the Flats Oxbow Association, which runs the show.

The stumbling block was $35,000 that Cuyahoga County could not provide due to its own deficit, Newman said. But the show was saved when Councilman Joe Santiago pledged $30,000 in taxpayer money from his discretionary fund.

"I felt compelled to save the fireworks because the Fourth of July is an American holiday," Santiago said. "It would be a great loss."

More cities are scrapping or reducing their summer displays as they deal with declining revenue.
 

Euclid canceled its long-running show due to the rising cost of fireworks. Parma and Elyria eliminated their shows.

Mentor slashed the budget for its fireworks show by 20 percent and is still looking for sponsors, said Paul Hegreness, who is in charge of Mentor's recreation department.

American Fireworks Co. in Hudson provides fireworks for more than 100 cities, but about 10 of them have eliminated their July Fourth displays because of increased prices and tight budgets, company owner Roberto Sorgi said.

"It's been a difficult year," he said. "Sales are up this year. That's because we're very aggressive."

Other big displays, including Akron, Solon and Shaker Heights, will go forward as planned.

Cleveland's program costs up to $100,000 for fireworks, insurance and advertising, Newman said. FirstEnergy Corp. is the primary sponsor and Cleveland provides an additional $50,000 in the form of police protection, portable toilets and other services.

Santiago said the money is well spent.

"We've got to keep our city in a positive light," he said.
 

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Take one for the team

  Wow--what a great guy!  Shucks, now we all have to vote for the loser, again, cuz, duh, we're so stupid that we can't tell our own money is being pissed away to float this clown balloon...and the parade goes on and on....
 

government spending on fireworks...

This is of course a political move to help Santiago have name recognition for reelection. I don't like society wasting any money on fireworks so I'm not impressed by any of this government spending on fireworks... but then, what did Cleveland waste feeding rich people at the Rock Hall party?

Cancel the wasteful and environmentally unfriendly event.... spend the 4th of July wandering the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, reflecting upon the origins of America, our native cultures, and the curse we put upon all people here in our disrespect for the real America and Americans, which were native before genocide and dislocation of netive people here... celebrated here by Wahooing the (sic.) Indians.

We, as a community, are a racist joke and celebrating "INDEPENDENCE DAY" with taxpaid fireworks won't make us better.

Spend the $100,000 to help fund the annual powwow at Edgewater, and a native American cultural garden.

Disrupt IT

I woke up laughing

 my ass off to this story - what a dummy! did you catch the beating he's taking in the commentary>

my comment - ATLEAST HE"LL GO OUT WITH A BANG!

Cleveland Peace Festival

  This gross misuse of taxpayer's dollar for a fleeting display of explosives is a reminder to myself and others that we should reconsider the terrible misuse of our time and energies in the fall as we annually celebrate militarism, instead of peace and labor at the  Air Show. 

There is an organized effort to redirect our energies--meeting up on June 20th at St. Paul's on Franklin in Ohio City.