I understand the challenge for the candidates because the forum is being moderated by an ex-mayor who's also an investigative journalist and newspaper publisher. The candidates aren't going to be questioned by a reporter who's never held elected office, who's never read a charter or managed a city. They're going to be questioned by someone who's been on the inside, and who knows that shit and more. They're going to be questioned by someone who's actually investigated and exposed some of the corrupt and fucked up shit that elected officials and bureaucrats have done through the years.

So tomorrow's District 9 council candidate forum won't be one where candidates who have nothing to do with "creating jobs" can get away with promoting that kind of unchecked bullshit while their planted "clappers" stand up and applaud on cue.

All the candidates are current or former city council members. They should have knowledge of their city's charters and ordinances, its budget, audits and issues, and what they've done to address them.

They've served a full or partial term in office, which at least modestly prepares them for the job of county council. So nothing I ask should be unfamiliar to them. I'd be more worried about some of the wild-assed questions reporters who are moderators ask when they don't really know jack shit about the inside of a city hall or the county council. Besides, we're only talking about 90 minutes.

What the audience will learn, if I achieve my goal, is how "prepared" the District 9 county council candidates are to represent the voters. My interest is not in "showing off" at the expense of the candidates. I encourage Americans to seek elected office and respect those who do whether they serve well or not. At least they stepped up.

But Cuyahoga County's current council and executive are supposed to have implemented a new charter under a "reformed government" that has never been thoroughly scrutinized by the media. The Plain Dealer's Laura Johnston did a pathetically piss poor job of covering county government. She was nothing more than Ed Fitzgerald's publicist.

The Call & Post hasn't touched the county council or executive's office with any stories of relevance. The television news stations have covered the county so poorly that WEWS-TV5's John Kosich interviewed Fitzgerald about his campaign for governor inside the county administration building and didn't realize he'd recorded him committing a felony "Hatch Act" violation.

Visit YouTube and review the Cuyahoga County Council meetings. I've seen meetings that had only "10" fucking views.

No media outlet has examined and exposed how Fitzgerald and his transient, carpetbagging band of rag tag appointees and the current council conducted business. We're "told" the county has been reformed by the Plain Dealer and Fitzgerald, of course. I guarantee that if I examined some of the contracts Fitzgerald has awarded, it would take me a day to find a deal that should have him prosecuted instead of running for governor. I also believe the current county council did not perform to "congressional" standards.

I think my views on how local elected officials "should" perform their jobs are well known. I believe when you raise your hand to uphold two constitutions, general laws and to perform legal duties that you should know them. I believe you work for the voters who asked you to represent "THEM" and that you are not their leader. The seat belongs to the people, not to any individual or family of politicians who think they're entitled to possess it.

I believe elected officials should be honest, fearless, independent and deeply committed to reading and mastering information. I hate lazy, non-reading assed elected officials and public employees with a fucking passion. I hate those "go along to get along" city and county council pussies who are too afraid to challenge and expose wrong when they see it. That political mindset, to me, is un-American and serves only to encourage and not fight public corruption. It wouldn't be just the FBI investigating public corruption if councils used their powers to investigate and expose it.

I also believe in the "congressional standard" for city and county councils since they are local versions of the U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate. The U.S. Congress and Senate investigate everything, and our federal representatives enact legislation based on what they learn. They use congressional and senate committees as agents of change, not to simply serve as the president's rubber stamp.

City and county councils have full investigative and subpoena power just like the U.S. Congress and Senate. They can examine any city or county department and scrutinize its functions. They can order directors and public employees to appear and testify before them, and to produce documents. And they can closely examine any area of government that is the source of a problem and enact legislation to correct it. Cleveland city council could have long ago ended Mayor Frank Jackson's failure to prosecute cops who murder unarmed American citizens by enacting legislation that requires it.

All the District 9 county council candidates were provided with the Cuyahoga County Charter, the county's most recent state audit, and the Ohio Revised Code chapters that identify the duties of the offices appointed by the county executive. The links to that information is below, and I've provided it to you as well.

So the "A" District 9 county council candidates will have read the documents I've suggested that they read to prepare themselves, since it's information they'll need to know anyway if elected. The "D" and "F" District 9 county council candidates will do what they do, and it will be reflected in their answers and discussions.

All I'm doing is moderating the flow of the discussion so that relevant information is shared with voters who have an interest in knowing the quality of candidate who is asking for their vote to represent them in county council District 9.

Kimberly Brown has told me that one candidate has chosen not to attend, who I didn't even know was in the race. Andre White. He must be intimidated since he's never held an elected office. He doesn't deserve District 9's consideration if he can't talk to the people.

Saturday's forum will be straightforward, at least from my perspective. To the candidates, just bring your "A" game if you got it, because we really won't have a whole lot of time to fuck around.

Cuyahoga County Charter
http://council.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/Charter-cuyahogacounty.aspx

Cuyahoga County audit / financial condition
https://ohioauditor.gov/auditsearch/Reports/2014/Cuyahoga_County_12-Cuyahoga.pdf *************************************PLEASE READ************************************************

Sheriff's duties
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/311

Coroner or Medical Examiner's duties
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/313

Engineer's duties
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/315

Treasurer's duties
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/321

Auditor's duties
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/319

Recorder's duties
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/317