My question :  is this part of a behind the scenes maneuver to take over more and more properties in the neighborhood and push out more poor people for as you will notice these properties once belonged to someone - and by Tremont West, 2406 purchasing all the properties, that makes them a major holder of properties in the area as well as other places?

  I just tried to look up the HUD transfers to Old Brooklyn Development Corp.  The CDC, to my knowledge, received six properties...I only find one at 2915 Tampa Ave.
 

I can't pretend to understand the machinations here, but I think you are on to something that deserves more media scrutiny, Jerleen. The Land Bank just went live.  Where are the checks and balances? How do we police the land bank to avoid more demos for developers?...clearing land and destroying communities one at a time, using your tax dollars to do it.

I will be at St. Barbara's later today...How long do you think it has to survive the wrecking ball, now that good ole St. Joe Cimperman will be there to fulfill the bid of the Diocese?  Place your bets, folks...

This is like a chinese puzzle - Tremont West buys some of the properties from somebody for a meager price, a few months later transfers the property to Cleveland Multifamily Ltd. Partnership for -0- dollars , a couple of years later it is transferred back to Tremont West for a whopping $108,304, six months later it is transferred to 2406 Professor (aka TWDC) for -0-. 

719 College was bought in '81 by Tremont West for $4,000, transferred to Cleveland Housing Network LP Ix in 12/92 for $5,500, transferred in 02/07 to Cleveland housing Network LPIx, Cleveland Housing Network for -0-, transferred to CLEVELAND HOUSING NETWORK, INC., in 01/08 for -0-, and then transferred to 2406 Professor LLC (aka TWDC), in 06/09 for -0-.  A maze of Cleveland Housing Network transfers?

This is just a couple of samples.  What is so befuddling is that these properties are transferred from one to the other again and again and what is the difference between Cleveland Housing Network and CLEVELAND HOUSING NETWORK, INC, nothing but the caps lock button.

I don't care how you add it up, it's the shell game right in front of our faces with our federal money and the residents are being gently squeezed  out of their homes (with the force of a vice) which are then being devoured by organizations such as Cleveland Housing Network and are now being funneled back to developers that have infiltrated cdc's such as TWDC who is squandering millions and millions of  federal/hud tax dollars allocated to this area. 

Dear REAL NEO,

Concerning this business of the CDC's..... we repetitively watchdog it within- we watch these transactions on the sidelines and we are forever scrutinizing them ourselves.

Could we congregrate to develop a citizens committee that proposes City Wide legislation that forces every CDC to present their transactions for approval or something (BEFORE THEY CAN BE TRANSFERRED)... like a review panel by and for the citizens of the community?

It's apparent that the "leadership" of these organizations are often times working outside bylaws and doing as they please and using unscrupulous actions to minimize the low income people's direct participation in the CDC's. Thus, their operations would basically fall outside of HUD guidelines and prevent them from receiving funding.... if there was a true watchdog committee overseeing all of them.

It's apparent that HUD, the City of Cleveland, and the CDC's along with all the developers don't really care about the little people at this point... not like they should.... they've all learned how to manipulate the "system" for their own financial gain, recklessly.

So, maybe we could effectuate something that is not complicated but realistic about their actions. I know it's like asking for the moon and stars... but I believe that it's going to take folks like us to challenge this city-otherwise we'll be watching this on the sidelines forever....

What's your ideas & perspectives? 

 years ago many of our neighborhoods had grassroots organizing that established community based groups. LDC's were set up as the counterparts to handle commercial development such as storefront facade improvements, etc. Funding consolidations and other  "problems" lead to the decline of the  grassroots groups and CDC's were the mainstream way to go. Ideally, each planning area in cleveland has a cdc that is supposed to be made of of a balance of the residents, business owners, etc of the neighborhood that make up the Board. The CDC Board make many of the decisions that we have to live with. Some boards appoint their successors, and some have elections from the membership. Memberships are defined by by-laws.

Groups that receive funds from the feds and the state have to adhere to the guidelines given to them. WHo is watching that? the funders and the boards of the CDC's.

Who is watching the CDC's?

I hear what you are saying and agree with the principal but most of all I think that if a CDC is not listening to the people of the neighborhood a new board needs to be in place. Yes, a coup needs to happen.

In all fairness, many CDC's are held hostage to the interests of their city council-person and his/her pet projects. Some council reps also fund certain positions at the CDC so whatever happens in that person fulfilling their job description is up to the whims of that council rep. 

That is a who lot a accountability that needs to happen, and it is across the board. 

I think it will happen by the neighborhood and their CDC when and if enough people say so.

Debbie

With all due respect, the first thing that happens  at this local CDC is that any person who comes up with or attempts to squeeze in a thought or idea that is NOT in the plans that the leadership has in mind they fall under some sort of attack. 

Just like Mr. Cornett of West 6th Street spending months and hours of his time trying to get some type of out-door recreation facilities that is close to home for the kids in this area and he has met  the full force of the Development Director of TWDC.  Called names, like a racist, fascist and a trouble maker. 

What's worse, this same group of residential citizens met to discuss the hazzards of putting a restaurant in a residential zone, in Thurman Alley, with a driveway not much wider than a wagon trail and TWDC want's to support this establishment opening up putting parking in a vacant lot and a patio in a squeezed in a run down little house.  That is just unbelievable and if anybody wants to take a look at this outrageous idea go to 2482 Thurman Alley and see if you can firure it out.

As far as being balanced, the board is so one-sided that I don't know how they stay afloat when it comes a good rain.   What kind of hugger-mugger business is it for an executive director to hire out of 60 applicants one of the big time developers in the community to be the Development Director and sit at the table when other developers come looking for support and endorsement from the CDC that he works for.  Shady business - kick backs, etc., that's what come to my mind.  I know if you're for the community, you don't attack every resident that attempts to offer some type of assistance in getting better things a community needs.

 Jerleen, I know it is not balanced. I am saying when it gets out of control it needs to be taken back. I know what you tried to do, and I hope that you keep trying.

I am giving Angel the reasoning in a nutshell of how what got here with out preaching about the destruction of the grassroots groups.

I live in Ohio City. Lots of fun, here too, with the same BS. 

Debbie

Debbie

Yea Debbie,

I can't really get in on the band wagon about Nelson Cintron.  I don't live in Ward 14 but I was at a TWDC Board Meeting a couple of months ago that Nelson attended and they were all in a fizz about taking over the West 25th Street contract for 80 days or so and getting $23,000 of money that should have been used in Ward 14. 

There was another $150,000 or so that was allocated to Ward 14 some time back that TWDC got their hands on so no wonder Nelson looks good to some of those people.  We need to get some higher authority in at TWDC because they're robbing the people over in the West 25th Street area and trying to make them say "thank you" for doing it. Santiago just keeps standing there with his pockets open saying here take some more.  Nelson may or may not be the best man for the job but I do know and heard him tell the Board members at TWDC that if they signed that contract and somebody else ended up as Councilman, they better be ready to suffer the consequences.  He stated that in no uncertain terms.

I do believe that residents have had just about enough.  I went through West 6th street the other day and ran into a couple of old time dudes who were talking about the high-end bars/restaurants being able to put their garbage on the sidewalk and block the sidewalks with those fenced in patios, etc., and these guys were talking about hooking onto Fahrenheit's black rail fence with a truck and dragging in right down the middle of the street because one of these gentlemen went to walk through the gate and he was told he couldn't. 

The new coalition we've started is teaming up with the other residents in taking an aggressive approach to dealing with some of these matters in Tremont and we have no affiliation with TWDC.  I even told Councilman Cimperman that people were not happy in the hood and that right now there was a following and the numbers were growing to run TWDC right out of town and I do believe the time has come because there is another meeting planned for later this week to put the aggressive forces to work. 

Taking all this money that West 25th Street area residents need and could use is out right thievery and there's no other way to put it.  And the lawyer they have sitting in and helping run that by-law committee is in favor of the CDC"S and the changes they want to make is to appease these big time funders like NPI and Cleveland Foundation and everybody knows that they don't give too hoots about the poverty stricken, the long time residents or the minorities.  It's all about how much of your poor old peoples beat up old houses can we squirrel you out of and build one of those high-end expensive condo's that is built out of sub-standard material anyway. 

There was supposed to be some grant money for drive ways, fencing and landscaping South of Jefferson in Thurman Alley - you should go through there and look at that little bit of  cheap pre-fabbed wooden slats they put up for fencing - what happen to nice ornamental fencing?  They just put this up supposedly last fall and it's already falling over, broken and looks like shit.   The driveways are soso.  Why don the people from West 25th all gang up and head over to Tremont West and demand to know what happened to their cash?  And I think somebody smoked the landscaping?

While Santiago used his powers that be to annihilate the Clark Metro Development Corporation by refusing to fund it for 4 years, the remnants of people who are aware of any historical plans are limited.  Santiago, Cimperman, and Cummins are all verfifiably aware of the NPI plan to reduce/consolidate the number of functional CDC's in Cleveland in the immediate future....and that's why all these CDC's are scrambling to make changes before next year...

Any CDC that is codependent for funding from grants-will be forced to choose- possibly to be integrated with another sister CDC... to stop the reinvention and redundant service administration.

Ultimately, I believe that the knowledge, experience, and ethical practices that we all support are available herein REALNEO. I believe that we could take the guidance that all these agencies are expected to abide by and develop a mother-oversight organization between the funders and the agencies...a checks and balances if you will.

Of course, they'd all lobby against us...call us crazy, cry foul, and file grievances....but enough is enough. A review, oversight, and checks & balances system would reduce the wasteful spending, reduce the corruption, and provide a system of accountability that protected our citizens at large. I believe that there are enough of us who feel strongly enough about this that we could accomplish the mission without much effort...

Looks like the feds are too busy digging up skeletons to react effectively at this stage.

Trust me, I feel what you are saying more than I want to admit. We live in a city that's used to working the underground, collusive, and corrupt network to accomplish their mission... When you get stonewalled by them, the simple reality becomes that they are acting in unethical, corrupt, and sneaky/snaky ways that use tactics such as steering, intimidation, and hushing to push you (the ethical person) out of their way... and so, where does that leave you for whistleblowing when your leadership is all in bed with each other? It leaves you up the river without a paddle.

Let's be the ones to bridge the gap coming and going to all their funding. Let's put it on a transparent format, post it on the internet, and make it all available to the public at large. Let's create the checks and balances to protect our people.

ANGELnWARD14,

Good Luck!  I am with you, but there's a lot of people who've been intimidated by those running the show.  They're nothing but a bunch of bullies anyway. 

They're really easy marks.  They get away with crap because we let 'em.  Right now they're trying to set up and push  TWDC by-law changes through in November which is paramount to pulling another stunt like was pulled at last year's annual meeting. When you get right down to it, they trying to take the authority away from the membership. 

Block clubs and residents need to start pulling together and stop rubberstamping everything that rolls off the mat.  Start bombarding these meetings and stop letting the same two or three people run the show and make all the decisions.  When hearings come up at the zoning board, fill that dam room to the hilt and don't let stuff get by. 

I've just been checking out some properties owned by SCS LLC.  They own the property in Thurman Alley that SII Development Director Sammy Catania wants to endorse for a new restaurant in Tremont - First off - this group owns a number of propertis throughout Cleveland, Second, he' s had big problerms with violations with a number of them, even a board up and I just checked and even though he's been working on the one in Thurman, there is NO  Permit applications made to date.  Sammy probably wants to give this guy a store front renovation plan. 

I agree with you 100% lets get together and force some accountability but there's got to be more done than talking and - we need a lot of people with some "kick ass" attitude on the block 'cause every time I try to talk, I'm either out of line or "dishonest" whichever one they can think of first.  I think I'll buy me a rubber stamp that says "dis," honest.  Henry is great but he can only do so much, of course, I will say he's really good at lighting fuses. 

We've got the one new coalition already formed in Tremont and a second one we're teaming up with.  If we could get something like sister coalitions all throughout the area - who are willing to organize and put their resources together - we could pull this off in a short time.  And I agree also, spread all their underhanded business all over the internet and let everybody know about it.

Jerleen,

Times are changing b/c the whistleblowers are starting to outnumber the corrupt...

It's still a very dangerous subject matter to be addressed in this manner. Too many variables...from those bullies...and I truly know exactly what you mean... I

 I'll email Jeff Schuler to delete your duplicate entries...I've done the same thing before.  I don't know how it happens, but don't try to go in and leave blank entries. 

Thanks! I tried laying down only to have the news on saying that this little baby passed. My heavens, the tears streamed... I am not sure if it is the same family... but I did have a family with a bunch of kids surrounding me, wanting flyers & handouts to give to their grandma the other day...on West 47th! I pray to the Lord above for this family. It's such a tragedy.

2406 Professor Avenue LLC is actually owned by Tremont West Development Corporation.  You can check for yourself on the Ohio Secretary of State website.  It's likely that the properties were transferred to a limited liability corporation primarily because if something was to go wrong with the properties (i.e. someone was injuried), all of the assets of Tremont West would be separated from those of the LLC.

  Thanks Jeff--I wish I understood the ins and outs of the Secretary of State database--It's a pretty big haystack. 

Don't you think that the transfer of HUD properties to CDCs, then LLCs, presents too many opportunities to camouflage property transfers???  You're an expert here.  What do you make of elected public officials also running LLCs and LLPs?

Here's the registration letter for 2406 Professor--note that the authorizing official is Rosemary Vinci.
 

We've always known that 2406 belongs to Tremont West.  There was never any question of that.  The questions arise from all the transfers between Cleveland Housing Network, Inc., and CLEVELAND HOUSING NETWORK, INC., and a couple other aka's, to Tremont West, back to Cleveland housing Network, and then to 2406 Professor. 

With all these inspectors being arrested, the bribes, the use of code violations to drive down property values, and the corruption that's  going on along with the suspected mishandling of federal monies in these CDC's, not to mention the outrageous attacks and intimidation tactics used on residents who oppose the plans, practices and procedures put in play by those working on the inside, the members and  public at large would have to be complete fools to not question why with so much money allocated to some of these areas, you only see the rich with a cash and carry system.

Perfect example is the support of and non-compliance of these high-end bars/restaurant and business retail district and then a drive through Thurman Alley/South of Jefferson and take a look at the cheap, shoddy so called pre-fabbed fencing that supposedly was paid for by grant money.  The road looks like crap and the sidewalks need repaired, vacant lots are full of debris, brush and garbage.   Take a look through the poorer community and them see who sits at the tables of TWDC and who comes out with the help.

They actually discriminate against handicapped people - by not having handicap parking, no handicap signs and keeping the door locked with the door bell so high up on the outside that anybody in a wheelchair who might need to go there for assistance can't get in.  I know this for a fact.  Myself and others have gone there and found nobody in the front office and - if you can't reach the buzzer how are they going to know you're out there?  This deters handicapped residents from coming there.  I sat across the street and watched a abled bodied individual stand and ring that bell for about seven minutes and nobody ever came to the door - he finally gave up and started walking away - as he got about 20 feet from the building,  Sammy Catania drove up and got out and opened the door.  This was about 11:45am.  I would have to go back through my photos but I might have taken a picture of that incident.

Who owns 2406?

Tremont West Development Corp. set up an LLC Corp. known as 2406 Professor, LLC., a few years ago - but recently, this year, they've started transfering most of their real estate holdings and new acquisitions to the 2406 Corp.  Regardless of who owns what.  This is and always has been a non-profit organization - now, I'm not an expert in real estate, tax write offs, etc., but I do think that in a reasonable person's mind when they start juggling properties around it's usually to keep a cat chasing a rat. 

I've done enough digging into Tremont West dealings to know and have the documents that some shady stuff was pulled.  When you start writing up argeements, regardless of who they're with or for what, and TWDC is paying for a private business owner's valet parking space and the agreement includes a limitation clause that states "this agreement shall not be made a part of any publis records," that's not transparancy.  This argeement was signed by Colleen Gilson, Executive Director of TWDC in 2002.

Just like the parking situation when you go to these committees, they will stop you from talking when you bring up something from the past saying they don't want to talk about the past but want to movwe forward.  Well, I hate to break it like this, but it's the past that brings that big FBI box truck to door and hauls out all the paperwork.

In MONOPOLY properties transfer at the blink of an eye....all day and night... or forever how long the players sit there entangled in the game...

It's all about who you know and how slick that they think they are in doing this business of investing into real estate.... which is not always "illegal". 

What we have to figure out in simplicity is what is reasonable and what is not and separate the two.  

Idea: (unsure if it's part of your bylaws) Why don't you all pass a resolution that says "for every sold property from the CDC, a small percentage "X" of the proceeds goes into a "COMMUNITY FUND" that is a "return on the investment" to the COMMUNITY AT LARGE...where the community itself can end up with trickle down grants for the citizens to build parks, new fences, and get needed repairs etc. This would be a proactive step within the CDC that empowered the residents.

Pass a resolution that forces them to post all business transactions on the internet for public perview. The CDC and any investor should be in business to make a profit. The difference is that the CDC is supposed to reinvest that profit into the community at large. (not into increasing salaries).

Like any business, a CDC should be buying, selling, renting, and transacting properties for a profit to become self sufficient (from CDBG Funding) in administration of the business and to provide other grants to the membership-community at large. It's when the payroll starts getting out of control and the little people get neglected that these organizations are then corrupt.  

Point blankly, while you all track the transactions... they continue to do business as usual. They find new ways to hide under rocks, to transfer properties into those nameless entities, and to move about freely. Yet, at the end of the day, that's a business transaction...

Depending on the unethical and corrupt participants...vs the ethical ones- it's simple business and real estate 101 that you are realizing here. Many real estate developers and investors are wise enough to put their investments into LLC's to protect their business interests.  It's not unscrupulous to do that, it's a safety net for liability. And it's not illegal to do that.  

What's the ultimate goal herein by the community at large? 

What do you want and expect out of the CDC? 

What do you want and expect from the developers? 

What do you want and expect from the real estate investors? 

What do you want and expect from the business investors? 

What do you want and expect from the community at large? 

I don't know the entire TWDC history. Using time management to help work a common goal would be the most productive resolve at this stage. Educating the membership as to simple resolves regarding their rights through the bylaws, finding new ways to address the corruption, and building oversight is absolutely critical...but all of this requires time and lots of administrative time...it's like a full time job...and who can do that for no pay? 

I know the frustrations of being on both sides of these situations. If you are an investor and you are busting your behind to improve an area, everyone's a busybody trying to make sure that you are doing something right. If you are a nobody-you want answers... you want to know how come they don't have to pull permits or follow the rules when you do.

It's tough to make everyone happy from any direction. Finding a balance is imperative. Finding qualified, passionate people to protect the interests of the little people is even harder...everyone wants their fair share in this equation of life.... So... here we sit... what can we do to overcome the frustrations? 

Do we work to shut down corrupt CDC's?

Do we work to stop any development at all? 

Do we find an amicable grounding?

Do we complete a coup?

I mean-who wants to actually abruptly take a direct action to mitigate the history? 

How can we build positive productive resolves?

The only power I see with everything inclusive is sitting down with a group of experienced folks and citizens and developing a chapter of ordinances that prepare them for legislation....going grassroots and getting the 5,000 signatures...and creating a city code under the city charter that becomes their official guidance and creates an oversight department that collaborates with all other entities to include the FBI, the IRS, the State of Ohio Department of Taxation, and all other variable interested agencies... ultimately protecting the streams coming & going from being corrupt.

No one is going to like that. But, it's probably going to need to be effectuated. I don't see anyone else caring about our folks enough to do it...just the REAL NEO coop... are we ready for a COUP? 

EXAMPLE: to be a car dealer in the state of Ohio - you get given the book with the state laws in it, I think it's chapter 4501 of the ORC... Dealers have a specific checklist down to chairs, desks, and filing cabinets in a min. sf of space for their inspection checklist. Annually, the BMV sends out inspectors who do a random inspection of the records, the checklist, and the business. It outlines everything from A-Z. (It's dummy proof if you ask me!) Yet, year after year...dealers get busted for failing to transfer titles to customers under buy here pay here deals... (One of the ward 14 candidates-D'Amico)) 

Moreover, when the BMV is working on dealership inspections-it doesn't collaborate with the depts of taxation, the IRS, or other entities to address cited deficiencies in those areas comprehensively...making a watchdog dept fully engaged. But we could implement that in our structure.

Basically-I don't see that kind of checks and balances with the CDC's/NFP's. I believe it should be implemented. But, it's going to take a lot of collaborated citizen proactive energy to do this. Most importantly... the folks who make the most wouldn't hesitate to put our heads on a chopping block to protect their cashflow streams from the government funding that's been abused for so long...

Sorry so long... with the empowerment of it all-we'll trim it down in the future! Smiles.

Through our sharing here on RealNeo...

For way too long...these issues have been hushed, squelched, and swept under a rug... and finally we can be empowered together!

During the many years of disempowerment... we had lost our voices....but NOW....

I am absolutely inspired to hear that someone other than myself is fighting these topics...I love your spirit Jerleen. Sometimes, what we already know-the others are catching up to speed on.

Ultimately, it's inspiring to find a sense of community with people who have the same feelings I do about these things.....

I'm kind of trapped without a car that's viable right now... but I'd love to meet soon to see what options we could execute!

The Constitution and Mission of the OSSCC is to empower the residents to speak up for themselves and have a more independent voice in preserving their civil liberties and safeguarding their basic human rights. 

Norm, I too  think it is awesome that so many are beginning to communicate again.  Within the last two months we've had residents come to this new coalition that have not been to a meeting in 20 years.  Some that have never been to a neighborhood meeting.  We had one family that had seven members of the same family that has lived in this neighborhood for more than 60 years present at the first meeting.  The second meeting, six of those same family members came back.  The second meeting we had three families with three or more family members. 

Mr, Mikota, who was served with a Cease and Desist letter for calling in complaints about noise and wood burning smoke, came to a meeting and stood up and spoke at length about the problems he was having.

I must say that I am amazed to see so many residents taking the first steps in taking back the control of our community.  It just takes some endurance.  If they throw you out, get up and go tight back - all they can do is throw you out again.

ANGELnWARD14, I am sure that we can manage to get together and exchange/share ideas and opinions.