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DSCDO is new political machine - building Matt Zone candidacy for higher officeSubmitted by lmcshane on Tue, 08/08/2017 - 20:46.
From Laura McShane: It is absolutely critical for the machine to support the oligarchy behind Frank Jackson. The next figurehead in that line-up is Matt Zone. Detroit Shoreway Development Corporation (DSCDO) allows the machine to continue handing off special deals for special friends. Community Development Block Grant funding will dry up under Donald Trump - each council person also allocates Neighborhood Development Allocations to select groups. It is in Matt Zone's interest to keep this CDO alive and if Cummins does not win - there is the chance that funding will be cut to support the machine. But Zone also has higher political aspirations. On an episode of the CleCast podcast earlier this year, he hinted that his next term would be his last as a Cleveland City Councilman. In a follow-up conversation, he told Scene that running for Mayor, County Executive or state office were all possibilities. He said that after his next term, he's ready to pass the torch to another leader and that he doesn't intend to be a council "lifer." (NOTE: Matt Zone's sister, Peggy Zone Fisher - is married to Lee Fisher - now appointed head of CSU Law School, after years in politics, and equally nebulous roles as the head of non-profits, like Centers for Families and Children and CEO for Cities. Peggy Zone Fisher also heads up and pays herself a lavish salary for the nebulous non-profit Diversity Center of NEO)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From Diane Morgan:
Jeff Ramsey Executive Director Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization August 8, 2017
Dear Mr. Ramsey,
In a previous letter that I sent you I requested that your organization refrain from participating in any political activity with Councilman Cummins, due to your 501c3 status.
Exert: “Given the close ties of the councilman with your organization, I would like to caution you and let you know that should this type of activity continue, I will be filing a complaint against your organization. As you are aware I am sure, your email contact list, phone list are not to be used for political purposes. Any events, like your upcoming Metro West Senior Citizen day, or block club meetings are not to be used for political purposes.” Within the past couple of days, I have received emails that were forwarded to me, from people, who live in the ward, that were sent to them from Mr. Cummins personal email address, plowharp [at] gmail [dot] com, forwarded to his citzensforcummins [at] gmail [dot] com account. They never signed up to be added to his account. They did though attend events like block clubs, or public meetings. It is clear that he obtained the email addresses from events that the CDO hosted or sponsored. I am filing a complaint with the Ohio Ethics Commission. Mr. Cummins was copied the letter I sent you and should have been aware that this would be a violation. Additionally, I will be challenging your 501c3 status, since you are clearly operating as an arm of a political organization as the email from citizensforcummins [at] gmail [dot] com , clearly shows. Sincerely,
Diane Morgan Resident
CC: Brian Cummins Matt Zone
Attachment Tax Code Limitations on Non-Profit Organizations. If an organization is a non-profit, charitable organization which holds its tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3), that is, organizations which may receive contributions which are tax-deductible for the donor), then that organization has an express restriction that it may not “participate in or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.” There are certain activities which have been deemed to be “nonpartisan” activities related to elections (including nonpartisan voter registration activities) in which such organizations may engage and still retain their preferred tax-exempt status. _____________________________________________________________________________
Jeff Ramsey Executive Director Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization July3, 2017
Dear Mr. Ramsey,
On Wednesday June 28, 2017, employees of your organization took part in a political event with Mayor Jackson and Councilman Brian Cummins at the Lofts at Lion Mills.
Community Organizer, Hilda Abreu, had gathered together several women from Mercedarian Plaza and brought them to the event. They were under the impression it was a community event. Instead, they were given campaign t-shirts and used a props for the campaign stop with both candidates.
Economic Director, Keisha Gonzalez presented information to the crowd assembled for the campaign event about some of the work your group is involved in. This event was listed as a community event, but was in fact a campaign event.
I do have documentation to support this claim.
Given the close ties of the councilman with your organization, I would like to caution you and let you know that should this type of activity continue, I will be filing a complaint against your organization. As you are aware I am sure, your email contact list, phone list are not to be used for political purposes. Any events, like your upcoming Metro West Senior Citizen day, or block club meetings are not to be used for political purposes. It is my hope that all of your employees are made aware of the prohibitions in participating in political activities. It is a bit disconcerting when you have members of your staff that are on the Executive Committee of the Democratic Party, although not in your service area. It does make one question their objectiveness when it comes to their job or political loyalties. I thank you for your cooperation and hope that there is no need to have further discussion in the future. Sincerely,
Diane Morgan Resident
CC: Brian Cummins Matt Zone
Attachment Tax Code Limitations on Non-Profit Organizations.
If an organization is a non-profit, charitable organization which holds its tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3), that is, organizations which may receive contributions which are tax-deductible for the donor), then that organization has an express restriction that it may not “participate in or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.” There are certain activities which have been deemed to be “nonpartisan” activities related to elections (including nonpartisan voter registration activities) in which such organizations may engage and still retain their preferred tax-exempt status. __________________________________________________
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Endorsement for Mayor of Cleveland
On Monday Jun 26, 2017 I had the opportunity to attend the Mayoral Forum
Eric J Brewer is a good man
Eric Jonathan Brewer is working it people - you have a choice besides Frank Jackson - who should be investigated for the shady land politics that has been the hallmark of his regime. Jackson is a product of the crony politics that evolved while under the Mike White admin - the rise of a shadow political machine through the CDCs with the support of the council leadership funded by Forest City. Jackson, Rokakis, Frangos, Pianka...and sadly other council folks at that time...now in city hall sinecures. Remember - Jackson was council person in the "forgotten triangle" ... Brandon E. Chrostowski knows some of this ...he wrote excellent piece in East side news about the NuCLEus deal. Other folks are in the the shadow to capitalize on the "network" -Stark, Schneider...
DSCDO - know the real story behind this CDO
https://fundrazr.com/detroit_shoreway_displacement?ref=ab_8zVG5DEDN8N8zVG5DEDN8N
http://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/cle-mother-left-homeless-after-rental-home-boarded-up-without-warning
http://welcome2midnight.com/displacement
Initially funded by churches and foundations, CDCs rescued abandoned homes, rehabilitated them and then filled them with families using lease-purchase agreements. When the young U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development created the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, Cleveland and other cities funneled CDBG money through these community development groups for low-income housing and housing code enforcement services.
At one time, each traditional Cleveland neighborhood, more than 40 of them, had a CDC. But declining populations and waning federal funding have cut that number in half and forced them to find new ways to stay financially solvent.
Kris Harsh should not run for political office while at CDO
MetroWest employee Krish Harsh pulled petitions to run against Yvonne Conwell in the County Council race for District 7. I have submitted the information to HUD's inspector general office. MetroWest is funded through Brian Cummins' allocated CDBG funds until June 2018. I am asking the new city council person for Ward 14, Jasmine Santana, to un-fund this agency. MetroWest is largely funded out of federal dollars, which would make Harsh's campaigning a violation of the Hatch Act - https://osc.gov/Resources/Hatch%20Act%20Modernization%20Act%20Guidance%20for%20State%20and%20Local%20Employees.pdf
And in other news- Armond Budish is running unopposed (disgusted) and his chief of staff (former Law Director for Mike White) Sharon Sobol Jordan resigned because she has enough PERS now to collect that retirement.
http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2018/02/cuyahoga_county_executive_armond_budish_is_unopposed_for_re-election.html
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2018/02/sharon_sobol_jordan_to_leave_c_1.html
Mark Naymik: write about MetroWest power grab, too
East side council folks have not used real estate to bulk their support network - TJ Dow took a page from DSCDO playbook (and TWDC) by acquiring a building using "his" CDO - Hough Area Development. Look for the financials for this CDC?? Can you find them?
http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2015/08/hough_neighborhood_group_offer.html
The same game is also being played on the west side, but will Mark Naymik write about it? Eric Jonathan Brewer - call this out on west sdie, too. Non-representative MetroWest (started as spin-off of DSCO) are about to acquire a church Archwood Ucc- residents have had no say in this - and it is also intended to cement this crap CDC in the Brooklyn Centre, which if it is going to be represented by a CDC should be under Old Brooklyn CDC. I am beyond fed up in this shell game. Kevin Conwell - MetroWest is running one of their employees against your wife Yvonne Conwellon County Council. These games are destroying us.
The building Eric J Brewer mentions below is the offices of Hough Area Development -
" It's just been shared with me that Jones has taken over at least 5 offices in the Hough Multi Purpose Center that at one point were being leased. One lease holder, Cettie Richardson, was told to leave his space by Jones' and his crew; and he voluntarily took another office other than the one he leased."
Eric J Brewer on Basheer Jones:
Unlawful threats of stopping people from doing anything in Ward 7. An unlawful and duty-exceeding attempt to ban a non-profit agency's employee from a city recreation center a member of council doesn't run. Advisors with questionable backgrounds being introduced to the public as Ward 7 development experts. An alleged illegal request of the Famicos board and director to advance "advisors" federal block grant funds. Famicos' minutes are public records under R.C. 149.43. Then there are the allegations he's still a resident of South Euclid.
Let's keep it real simple and by the books. Ward 7's newest member of council is not off to a good start. All this stuff about threats, questionable development advisors, residency law violations and legislative member of government controlling a city rec center is criminal and duty-exceeding. The duties of a "council" are found in R.C. 731.05. There is absolutely NO legal authority an "individual member of council" has in any city building but the council meeting rooms where they get to cast a vote. They direct no city employee and it's illegal for a city worker under the mayor's supervision to take orders from a member of council. They don't tell property owners what they can do on their properties or who they can rent to as a tenant. If you see a member of council "flexing" anyplace but at a council meeting where they're casting a vote they're violating R.C. 731.05. Even if they threaten to have a police officer investigate or arrest you they're lying and violating laws.http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/731.05v1
"Powers of legislative authority. The powers of the legislative authority of a city shall be legislative only, it shall perform no administrative duties, and it shall neither appoint nor confirm any officer or employee in the city government except those of its own body, unless otherwise provided in Title VII [7] of the Revised Code. All contracts requiring the authority of the legislative authority for their execution shall be entered into and conducted to performance by the board or officers having charge of the matters to which they relate. After the authority to make such contracts has been given and the necessary appropriation made, the legislative authority shall take no further action thereon. Effective Date: 10-01-1953."
Now since it's the "mayor's" duty to manage the recreation centers, a member of council who interferes with a lease agreement between a non-profit or attempts to obstruct members of the public from having access to the city's property is obstructing the city's official business. It would be the same if Famicos was approved by council to receive block grant funds under a proposal to the city that did not include paying for the Ward 7 councilman's advisors. This is in R.C. 2921.31 and here's a link. http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2921.31v1
"Obstructing official business. (A) No person, without privilege to do so and with purpose to prevent, obstruct, or delay the performance by a public official of any authorized act within the public official's official capacity, shall do any act that hampers or impedes a public official in the performance of the public official's lawful duties. (B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of obstructing official business. Except as otherwise provided in this division, obstructing official business is a misdemeanor of the second degree. If a violation of this section creates a risk of physical harm to any person, obstructing official business is a felony of the fifth degree. Effective Date: 03-10-2000."
More specifically, it's a violation of R.C. 2921.44(E), dereliction of duty, for Jones to do anything a member of council is not legally authorized to do.
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2921.44v1
"No public servant shall recklessly fail to perform a duty expressly imposed by law with respect to the public servant's office, or recklessly do any act expressly forbidden by law with respect to the public servant's office. (F) Whoever violates this section is guilty of dereliction of duty, a misdemeanor of the second degree."
I'm going to share a link to Chapter 3 of Ohio's revised code. The chapter identifies general laws that supersede Cleveland's charter for removing "officers" of a municipal corporation who engage in "misconduct." It also controls the oath of office, its content, time for taking the oath, residency and other aspects of "every" elected office in Ohio. Jones was administered an oath where he swore to perform only the legislative vote casting duties of a member of council. http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/gp3:
I want you to read it because for those who want to bypass the bullshit of asking the mayor to perform the duties of R.C. 733.35 and supervise the conduct and file charges against delinquent city "officers" like Jones and others, R.C. 3.08 lets residents of Ward 7 collect signatures from 15 percent of the people who voted for governor in the last election and take their misconduct complaint directly to the court of common pleas. It also bypasses the recall process. http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/gp3.08v1
"Proceedings for the removal of public officers on any of the grounds enumerated in section 3.07 of the Revised Code shall be commenced by the filing of a written or printed complaint specifically setting forth the charge and signed by qualified electors of the state or political subdivision whose officer it is sought to remove, not less in number than fifteen per cent of the total vote cast for governor at the most recent election for the office of governor in the state or political subdivision whose officer it is sought to remove, or, if the officer sought to be removed is the sheriff or prosecuting attorney of a county or the mayor of a municipal corporation, the governor may sign and file such written or printed complaint without the signatures of qualified electors. Such complaint shall be filed with the court of common pleas of the county where the officer against whom the complaint is filed resides, except that when the officer against whom the complaint is filed is a judge of the court of common pleas, such complaint shall be filed in the court of appeals of the district where such judge resides, and all complaints against state officers shall be filed with the court of appeals of the district where the officer against whom the complaint is filed resides. The judge or clerk of the court shall cause a copy of such complaint to be served upon the officer, against whom the complaint has been filed, at least ten days before the hearing upon such complaint. Such hearing shall be had within thirty days from the date of the filing of the complaint by said electors, or by the governor. The court may suspend the officer pending the hearing."
The bottom line is the evidence already exists in the form of eyewitness reports that can easily be converted to eyewitness statements and used in a specific complaint of "misconduct" pursuant to R.C. 3.07 and 3.08. Fifteen percent of signatures from Ward 7 residents who voted in the governor's race can't be more than 500 or 600.
As far as Jones' advisors. Ignore them. The only authorized employees of the city council are the Clerk of Council, the clerk's deputies and those who's jobs were created by legislation. Employees who were legally created through legislation are identified in the council's "salary ordinance." The salary ordinance is a public record pursuant to R.C. 149.43. So are every council member's expense accounts.
Just remember the rec center employees don't work for the council and neither does the rec center security guard. That employee is the employee of a sub-contractor who is supervised by the mayor to work for the municipal corporation; not the councilman. The councilman doesn't direct any sub-contractor's employee and it would be a violation of the vendor's contract if its employee were to take instructions from Jones or his "advisors" about anything.
I don't even see legislation that allows a councilman to use a city rec center as a ward office. It's the same as if a councilman wanted to open a ward office inside the Third District police station or a fire station. There's no special right to possess city property granted to an individual member of council.
You're off to a start, Ward 7. It's just not good. Any writer telling you otherwise has something in it for them.
Jasmin Santana - STOP THIS
Laura McShane
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Sam Allard - Harsh is part of political machine
I don't read Scene or the Plain Dealer these days, but an anonymous letter did alert me to the Kelley-Harsh connection.
Sam Allard, at behest of his bestie Brian Cummins, penned a perfectly unnecessary push piece on Kris Harsh in April 2021 - anointing him as the next council representative for Ward 13.
https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2021/04/09/metro-west-housing-director-kris-harsh-announces-city-council-candidacy-in-ward-13
Harsh lives in Old Brooklyn with his wife and three children. In the race to claim the seat occupied by Kevin Kelley since 2006, he will be going up against Kate Warren, a research fellow at the Center for Community Solutions, who formally launched her campaign earlier this week.
(NICE Sam - where's your push piece on Kate Warren?)
Harsh already has an enthusiastic supporter in former city councilman and CDC alumnus Brian Cummins, who said Harsh worked on his campaign* in 2009. Writing from Tbilisi, Georgia, Cummins said he believed Cleveland government needed more candidates like Harsh: "bright, pragmatic professionals who have worked in the trenches."
See related posts - on this page. WHAT Sam Allard doesn't pen in this piece published for Brian Cummins - Kris Harsh works for bogus MetroWest Development Corp set up by Zone, Cummins, Brancatelli and Kelley...HE was also charged with Misdemeanor 1st degree DUI and disorderly conduct in December 2020. I AM VERY SURE that Sam Allard was aware of these charges that he FAILED to mention in his puff piece.
*illegally
http://realneo.us/content/dscdo-new-political-machine-building-matt-zone-candidacy-higher-office