Live Blogging from Cool Cleveland / Meet the Bloggers Community Forum on County Sales Tax Increase

11:57 a - Arrive a few mintues ago. Mr. Mulready from Cool Cleveland (CC) is getting thigs set up. Was told that approx 150 people pre-registered for this forum. Will be interesting to see who, how many appear. We are in the auditorium of the Louis Stokes wing of the Cleveland Public Libary on the lower level. There is a welcome screen from a "power point" display up on a large screen above the stage, which is flanked by two easels with lined paper. My initial understanding is that one easel is for questions raised by the forum and the other is for issues/comments raised.

12:01 - Council Zach Reed is in the house chatting with Gloria Ferris of Meet the Bloggers. Also in the House is Robert Brown from the City of Clevleand Planning Department. Folks are filtering in.

12:24 - We began about 15 minutes ago. Mr. Mulready is giving an overview of how we got to where we are. This meeting is about giving the public a chance to speak on this issue. Want to hear your questions/issue. We will be writing them down on the easel @ the front. We have subject matter experts/officials here to answer questions, not to make

Bob Brown from City Planning Comm
Zach Reed
Hunter Morrison, former City Planning Director
Micheal DeOloyo - Tech Czt
Dennis Roache, President Convention Visitors Bur
Tammy Brown - CVB
Kelly Brewer - CVB Convention seller
Sharon Kobayashi - CVB
Sam Fryberger - CVB
Misty Elec - CVB
Barbara Balog - CVB
Gary Norton from Peter Lawson Jones' office
Andrew Cox
Joe Marinucci -- Downtown Cleveland Alliance
David Ellison - architect
Introduced the bloggers.

Tom Turner from Lakewood

Question -- why has the not the port authority in their power to issue bonds for this type of thing not been considered?

Great question. Joe Marinucci from Downtown Cleveland Alliance -- good questions, can only issue debt based upon revenues -- cannot issue debt in the absence of a stram



Ray Sikas -- President of Citizens Vision -- comment that Comm. Hagan's close relationship to the Kennedy family who run the Medical Mart should make him abstain himself from a vote on this.

Jill Miller Zimon -- why are the Cleveland taxpayers assuming all the risk of this venture. Would like to see a risk analysis -- what risk is Med Mart and CVB taking.

12:37 p - Steve Merkel -- Citizens Vision -- about two years ago his org thought they could come up with an idea for the lakefront and convention center -- vision needs to be bigger -- connector to lakefront -- we need to think bigger -- do this and a county tax will be alot less [sic more] palitable.

12:40 - Carla Routenberg -- life long resident of Clev. Hts. -- of all the recent new convention centers that have been built, have they lived up to their expectations, etc.

Answer from CVB rep -- convention centers are loss leaders - they don't create profit directing, its the spin. This is thy guy who sells the conventions. Of course he wants to new convention center -- it's going to make his job easier -- is he on commission.

12:44 -- John Eckerly -- comment re: political arrogance, talking about the Breurer building -- then they talk about a new tax -- this is bad politics -- he supports development on Euclid Ave and the Medical Mart concept -- expanded to green building and other cutting edge technologies, but Cleveland has a history of political arrogance and bad timing -- thinks Medical Mart is a positive contribution -- thinks timing is bad for both of these projects.

12:46 Mr. Mulready relates that Mr. Peter Lawson Jones was interviewed and stated his biggest issue is timing as well. See the Cool Cleveland interview for more information.

12:47 - Anastasia ? -- reporter for Free Times, but not here in that capacity. Rosy figures thrown out about the benefits. We haven't been given any of the research to support the rosy figures that have been touted to support the basis for the tax increase. Where so these numbers come from. Would like to see a lot more research, esp on the relationship between conferences/conventions and a medical mart.

Answer from Dir. of Comm. CVB -- she does believe there is support for the numbers. Referred people to Medical Mart web-site. Kelly Brewer talks about research CVB has done regard with lost convention business. He can get us this research. Can we post any of this research -- Tom Mulready -- CVB states

Jeff Buster -- wouldn't trust anyone from the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. A bit of ranting/raving here. Not sure of the points.

12:55 - Daryl Davis -- as a resident of the City of Cleveland, has two big concerns in general -p safety and education. This sales tax increase does not address any of these issues. The sales tax proposal makes no effort to address any of these issues. Do we think that bringing in a bunch of out of towners 50 weekends of the year to spend money is going to fix these issues.

Mark Schumann -- some guy on Mapledale (his quote) -- comment on dishonesty of this. 331 million dollars is a pipe dream, a lie. Recalls this sounding similary to Gateway and Weapons of mass distruction. Response from CVB -- this a direct spending number 331 mil of direct spending from Medical Mart. There is no cost cap guarantee, whatever happend to the all the money that was supposed to be leftover from Gateway for Economic Development. **I caught Hunter Morrison smiling at this comment -- not sure why**

1:04 p -- Zach Reed -- he does support Medical Mart and Convention, but his issue is no taxation without representation he cannot support that. We need to get approval from the citizens --fundamentally wrong for two commissioners to just put this tax on people. We sold gateway, we sold the property tax increase for school buildings -- if this is such a good idea, then let's sell it to the people.

If the Commissioners do it this way, we will NEVER been able to sell another voted tax levy we might need in the future, like schools, etc. We've got to put this think on the ballot.

Dennis Roche -- very much encouraged by the fact the concept of convention/hospitality is a good thing in general -- that this sector of our economy is being accepted, that the concept of the Medical Mart is not being rejected out of hand. He suggests that in hindsight, sometimes political arrogance is deemed to be leadership. Referenced successes in Chicago.

"This is bigger and better than Gateway and Browns combined." "Once in a generation opporunity" -- Dennis Roche

1:23 p -- Gloria Ferris -- concern about Medical Mart tied to a covention center; does tying the Medical Mart to a city convention center give the Medical Mart tax exempt status. This is a great question.

1:30 p Concludes on Time.

Come back later for some more commentary.