Upfront

CMSD OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST RESIGNS AFTER CAPITOL SIEGE PHOTOS SURFACE

A CMSD OCCUPATIONAL

therapist submitted her resignation the day after photos surfaced and allegations followed that she participated in the Jan. 6 riots in D.C., including entering the Capitol and posing for photos on the floor of Congress.

The district confirmed Christine Priola’s resignation to Scene and shared her resignation letter, which said she was leaving her position because she refused to take a COVID-19 vaccine, because she doesn’t agree with how her union dues were used, and because, “I will be switching paths to expose the global evil of human trafficking and pedophilia, including in our government and children’s services agencies.”

In a brief statement, a Cleveland schools spokesperson said: “Questions raised today about a former CMSD employee’s alleged involvement in the riots at the U.S. Capitol this week have also raised questions about the District’s position on such behaviors. While CMSD deeply believes in the right of any individual to peacefully protest, as many did on the Capitol plaza on Wednesday afternoon, the District deeply condemns the actions of those involved in the riots inside the Capitol opposite of what we teach our and on the Capitol grounds. The right students. Anyone who participated of peaceful protest, as protected by must bear the very serious the first amendment, is a foundation consequences of their actions.” of our democracy. The forcible -Vince Grzegorek takeover and willful destruction of our government is not.”

The Cleveland Teachers Union Bibb! Formally Launches acknowledged the reports in a Cleveland Mayoral Campaign statement and condemned the violence. Citing an urgent need for a new

“Rioters who broke the law generation of leaders at City Hall, should be held fully accountable,” 33-year-old nonprofit executive the statement read. “Our Justin Bibb formally launched his national affiliate has called for the 2021 Cleveland Mayoral campaign immediate removal of President Tuesday afternoon. Trump for instigating this assault “From the streets to the on our country. boardroom, I’ll never stop fighting

“We are aware of reports of a for Cleveland,” Bibb said in his Cleveland educator who engaged announcement materials. “I love in rioting in the Capitol. We take this city and I believe we have the these allegations very seriously potential to become a model of and if true, they must be held revival and possibility. We have all accountable. While we support the right assets to revitalize our city the right to peaceful protest, what and we are uniquely positioned to happened inside the Capitol on lead America’s economic recovery.” Wednesday was not a protest, it Bibb was born and raised was an insurrection. It is the exact in Cleveland’s Mt. Pleasant 6 | clevescene.com | January 13-19, 2021

Photo courtesy Justin Bibb

neighborhood and holds graduate degrees in law and business from Case Western Reserve University. He has been a corporate and nonprofit professional for at least the past decade, working for both Gallup and KeyBank. He now manages a portfolio of “cutting-edge” projects for the Tacoma, Washingtonbased nonprofit Urbanova, which attempts to find smart city solutions in midsize cities nationwide. He recently founded the nonprofit Cleveland Can’t Wait, which focuses on building opportunities in underserved neighborhoods.

With a professional background “at the intersection of government, business and the nonprofit sector,” Bibb is billing himself as a “bold, dynamic and visionary leader” who can bring both his professional and lived experiences to bear on city government. He says he will deploy new strategies and technologies “to make neighborhoods safer, communities healthier and [the] economy stronger.”

In a virtual launch Tuesday, he outlined a number of key campaign issues including public safety, (more officers on the streets, better enforcement of Consent Decree, new policing models); education (accelerating the pace of change at CMSD by investing in teachers and modernizing curricula); and economic development, (equitable economic policies centered on new jobs and higher wages).

He highlighted what he called a “back to basics” agenda for City Hall, saying that he wanted to deliver services more efficiently and make conducting business with the city easier. He said he wants to elevate residents’ voices, making “democracy building” more than an election-year exercise.

Throughout his career, Bibb said he’d had one primary focus: bringing people together. And he said as Mayor he would work to convene Clevelanders “from the grassroots to the grass tops.”

“The next mayor must be unifier

in chief, with the energy and insight to do things differently,” he said.

Bibb will be among several highprofile mayoral candidates in 2021. And despite his lack of experience in elected office, he has already raised significant funds which makes him one of the race’s early heavy hitters. Scene reported last month that only three months after forming an exploratory committee, Bibb had raised more than $180,000 from local and non-local contributors.

Bibb clearly has the resources to produce professional campaign materials. And he also has a wellregarded political operative at his side. Ryan Puente, who recently stepped down as the Executive Director of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, where he was widely respected for his quiet, organized leadership, will manage Bibb’s campaign. -Sam Allard

CLASH Leader Rebecca Maurer Launches Campaign for Cleveland City Council

Cleveland attorney Rebecca Maurer has been hankering to make public comments at City Council meetings for years.

In 2017, when former councilman Jeff Johnson was trying to get a lead safe ordinance off the ground, (ultimately to no avail), she wanted to speak on its behalf, to tell a story of her own street in Slavic Village which made the lead issue more urgent and personal for her. In 2019, she wanted to offer comment on the same topic, this time as a leader with Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing (CLASH), whose work forced the city to revive and strengthen Johnson’s 2017 bill. In early 2020, she watched in dismay as local minister George Hrbek had to noisily interrupt a council meeting to speak in support of the city’s unhoused population. There was no other way for residents to make their voices heard.

Now, Maurer’s running for Cleveland City Council. And she’s less concerned with her own voice than she is with the voices of Clevelanders. She’s launching her campaign with a public engagement pledge that she says will help residents build a better city together.

“I think there’s a real sense in Cleveland that residents have disengaged from City Hall,” Maurer said in a phone interview with Scene, referencing the low turnout in the 2020 election as Exhibit A. “The way I see it, that’s not a resident problem, that’s a City Hall problem. And City Hall has to fix it. We cannot tackle the large issues facing our city until we get this right.”

Her pledge asks 2021 council candidates, both incumbents and challengers, to agree to three simple steps: 1) establish public comment at council meetings; 2) give residents the opportunity to engage with the city’s budgeting process by, among other things, creating an interactive budget document online; and 3) take City Council on the road, convening meetings at neighborhood rec centers, libraries and public parks to make the legislative process more transparent and approachable, doing work that’s “worthy of public viewing,” in Maurer’s words.

These are “easy, no brainer” commitments, Maurer wrote in a post announcing her candidacy and the ‘Better Council, Better Cleveland’ pledge. They are designed to improve engagement for a body that Maurer says has “grown accustomed to operating without resident input.”

Maurer has been a Slavic Village resident since 2016 and currently serves as the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Ward Leader in Ward 12. She has been an active and vocal community leader, particularly on voter engagement and housing issues. She told Scene that she intends to focus on a number of important issues during her campaign, including public safety, health and housing. But she said that all of these link back to the issues of public engagement, which she said were “fundamental to democracy and fundamental to good governance.”

Ward 12 is one of only two wards in Cleveland that spans the Cuyahoga River. Maurer told Scene that unlike some wards which have unifying neighborhood identities — Ward 9, Glenville; Ward 17, West Park — Ward 12 includes not only the majority of Slavic Village on the east side but pieces of Old Brooklyn, Brooklyn Center and Tremont on the west. She said she’s heard repeatedly from residents that they want better transparency regarding how resources are allocated across neighborhoods.

The current Ward 12 incumbent is Councilman Anthony Brancatelli, who has been the representative there since 2005. Maurer said that she plans to pull petitions at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in the next couple of days and wants to host a number of small, virtual campaign events over the next few months.

During the campaign season, she said she wants to leave voters with “a sense of excitement about the future of the city, one that maybe they

haven’t felt in a few years. I want to leave them with a sense of a vision, that Cleveland can be a 21st century city with really good city services, but also progress and innovation that we haven’t seen.” -Sam Allard

Cleveland Public Utilities Director to Resign

Cleveland’s Director of Public Utilities, Robert Davis, will resign from his cabinet-level position Friday, the city has announced.

The tidbit was included in one of Cleveland’s daily coronavirus press briefings last week and provided no context or explanation for the sudden departure. A generic statement from Mayor Frank Jackson accompanied the news.

“I want to thank Robert for his service to the City of Cleveland,” Jackson said. “His work has helped advance our efforts to provide reliable and affordable utility services to residents and business.”

Davis chimed in with a personal Cleveland Public Auditorium, where the city has been administering vaccines. farewell, too.

“I am extremely grateful for Davis’ pending resignation. His last “Should any of us be surprised?” the opportunity to have provided day will be next Friday. He asked, after Council President essential and critical utility services The city of Cleveland was unable Kevin Kelley had finished to our customers at an affordable to furnish additional information summarizing publicly available cost,” he said. “I was able to help do beyond the press release, though documents to demonstrate that this while focusing on good quality they did provide a copy of Davis’ FirstEnergy had funneled money customer service to make the city resignation memo, dated Jan. 4. to Consumers Against Deceptive of Cleveland a great place to live In it, he listed recent achievements Fees, (CADF), a nonprofit created work and raise a family. The City of at the Division of Water, Cleveland to discredit CPP. “No, not at all. Cleveland is truly a great city.” Public Power and Water Pollution [FirstEnergy has] embarked upon a

Davis was appointed by Jackson Control. He gave no reasons for his campaign for decades to gut CPP.” in 2015 after serving as the city of departure but noted that 2020 had Polensek invited his colleagues Warren’s director of utility services. been a “unique year with numerous to review FirstEnergy’s history and In fact, Davis has been a resident challenges” due to Covid-19. suggested that the same tactics that of Warren for the duration of his “I just want to make it known the company had used in the past — tenure in Cleveland. In a minor that throughout this unprecedented contributing to political candidates, 2017 scandal, News Channel 5 year,” he wrote, “[Utilities] employees pressuring members of the corporate documented his daily 120-mile round- have shown strength of spirit community, lobbying to achieve selftrip commute, (in a vehicle paid for during this time. They have all serving legislative ends — would be by CPP ratepayers.) He still owns demonstrated what teamwork truly on display once again in 2021. his home in Warren, according to is.” -Sam Allard “We’re talking about dark Trumbull county property records. money, and it will be used this

The focus on “good quality year,” Polensek warned. “It’s customer service” is an odd one FirstEnergy Money Will Fund all coming. It’s a reality. It’s a for Davis to highlight on his way 2021 Cleveland Mayoral, Council concerted plan to destroy CPP. It’s out. Last year, cleveland.com’s Leila Races, Councilman Warns been one action after another.” He Atassi reported that CPP had no referred to FirstEnergy’s actions standing board of review — as During a Cleveland City Council as “clandestine,” “dastardly,” required by city ordinance — to hear committee hearing intended to and “devious” at various points appeals from customers disputing update members on a resolution in his remarks, and implored charges and payments. And last passed this summer which his colleagues to recognize that month, Frank Jackson lifted a authorized an investigation into FirstEnergy had not changed. They moratorium on utilities shutoffs the HB6 scandal’s local ties, one have always been, and will continue as Covid-19’s spread was at its councilman warned his colleagues to be, focused on eliminating the most severe, when roughly 90,000 to be wary of FirstEnergy and their municipal utility. Cleveland Water customers and financial contributions this year. “So let us be very careful this 28,5000 CPP customers were behind Councilman Mike Polensek, who campaign year,” he said. “They will on their payments. routinely mentions that he has more try to undercut and destabilize our

A spokeswoman for Cleveland Cleveland Public Power customers body in councilmatic races and in Public Power, when reached for in his Ward 8 than anyone else, was the mayor’s race. We need to be very comment, said that CPP staff had unequivocal in his message about wary.” not yet been formally made aware of the character of FirstEnergy. Polensek’s speech occurred 8 | clevescene.com | January 13-19, 2021 during the Q&A portion of the meeting. Kevin Kelley’s initial presentation was a straightforward accounting of the known financial link between FirstEnergy and Consumers Against Deceptive Fees. That group, which had received a $200,000 lump sum from another nonprofit exlusively funded by FirstEnergy, had showered Cleveland with social media ads and flyers about CPP’s poor service and high rates. In late 2018 and early 2019, it met with Cleveland council members and drafted legislation that Kelley said would have proven fatal to CPP.

The Q&A period covered a number of related topics, including the ongoing woes at CPP and the unresponsiveness of the Jackson administration. Councilman Blaine Griffin asked why council had not yet subpoenaed FirstEnergy in its ongoing investigation.

Kelley said that subpoenas and other legal remedies were being actively considered. But he said the fundamental question of council’s summer resolution — did HB6 entities funnel dark money into operations adverse to the City of Cleveland? — had been conclusively answered in the affirmative.

Councilman Charles Slife wondered whether anything might be done about the publicly owned Browns stadium, which bears the name of FirstEnergy. He lamented that this company which had sought to undermine a public utility was deriving “substantial marketing revenue” from a publicly owned facility.

“The good news,” Kelley replied, “is that FirstEnergy Stadium is powered by Cleveland Public Power.” -Sam Allard

Cleveland Has Administered Only 20% of Its 6,000 Vaccines, But “Plan” Is Still in Works

The City of Cleveland announced last week in a Covid press briefing that it had received 6,000 doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine and that more than 1,200 people had already received their first of two doses. Assuming the city’s estimates are correct, more than 1,600 people will have received their first dose by the end of this week.

The detailed update was likely a

DIGIT WIDGET

33% Reduction in total automobile travel in Cleveland between March and December of 2020. Ridership on buses and trains was down by 50%.

8-0 Horizon League record for the Cleveland State University men’s basketball team. It’s the program’s best start since 20072008. (The Vikes’ overall record is 8-3.)

0 Total Spanish Speaking contract tracers (out of 70) currently employed by the City of Cleveland’s Department of Public Health, nine months into a viral pandemic.

37.5 Percentage of the PD/Cleveland. com editorial board (3 out of 8) who believed that Congressman Jim Jordan is deserving of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

$225-250 Million

Total contract offered to Francisco Lindor by the Cleveland Indians, according to Paul Hoynes, before the team traded him to the Mets. response to reporting from Fox 8 that thousands of un-administered vaccines were “sitting on a shelf” in the city’s possession. The local news station reported that in the first two weeks after receiving the vaccines, only 600 people had received their first of two doses. It quoted city council members who were incredulous that no plan appeared to be in place. (When the city released its update to the media Thursday and scheduled an in-depth conversation with Cleveland.com, it did so without communicating information directly to Cleveland City Council, according to WKYC’s Mark Naymik.)

The City reported last week that from Dec. 24-29, 660 doses were administered to city employees (largely in the division of fire and EMS), and to non-staff residents who belong to the state of Ohio’s Phase 1 population, healthcare workers and those who interact regularly with Covid-19 patients.

Currently, vaccines are being administered at Public Auditorium downtown. In the conversation with Cleveland.com, Frank Jackson and health officials said that six additional sites are being considered. Those are likely to include the city’s recreation facilities. Over the next few weeks, the city will continue to vaccinate Phase 1A employees and said it would begin vaccinating those in congregate living facilities, potentially setting up mobile units to administer the vaccine on-site.

The biggest problem, Jackson said at a Tuesday press conference on the topic, was that the city lacked the infrastructure to administer the vaccines on such a widespread basis. Observers will note that though the public health department has long been a dysfunctional part of City Hall, city officials had months to build a plan to efficiently deliver vaccines to workers and residents. And, if it felt ill-equipped to do so, could have relied on the extensive (and extensively touted) world-class medical community to help design one.

The city took pains to note that vaccines were not being disposed of unused. Though a formal scheduling process still sounds like it’s being worked out, the Department of Public Health says it is working with other city departments to identify essential workers “who are able and available to receive the vaccine” in the event that those scheduled to receive the vaccine don’t show up at their appointed times. - Sam Allard