1980 Retrospective

THE PLAIN DEALER . SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 1999 5-H OURCENTURY 1980 ATA GLANCE Census losses set off alarms By Fred McGunagle Clevelanders were prepared for bad news from the Census Bureau. But not this bad! The city’s population had fallen to 573,822.It was down 176,000 from 1970 and 340,000 from 1950, when it had peaked at 914,000. Cuyahoga County had fallen to 1,498,400, down 223,000 from 1970. Even the four-county metropolitan area was down to 1,898,825 in 1980, from 2,064,000 in 1970. That 8 percent drop was the largest in the nation after St. Louis. The suburbs were the first to get preliminary figures. “That’s just ri- diculous,” exclaimed South Euclid Mayor Arnold D’Amico. He pointed out that in the previous year alone, subdivisions with 54 homes had opened in the suburb. Lakewood Mayor Anthony Sinagra couldn’t be- A workman hangs a banner welcoming lieve his city’s population had the country to Cleveland and the dropped by 8,500 — not when it had presidential debate. added more than 1,000 households. Early figures showed Cleveland’s count as only 532,000. That meant Co- Ninety minutes lumbus would pass Cleveland as Ohio’s largest city. Community De- of debate fame velopment Director Vincent Lom- “It’s a 90-minute campaign now,” The Plain bardo complained of “severe under- PLAIN DEALER FILE PHOTOS Dealer headline said of the race for president counting.” Some census-takers said — and the 90 minutes was in Cleveland! workers had lost census forms or The remains of vacant, leveled houses littered lots across the city. A week before the election, the national me- merely counted names on mailboxes, dia descended on the city for the climactic debate between President Jimmy Carter and Re- rather than interviewing residents. publican Ronald Reagan. Cleveland’s leaders The final count showed that Cleve- went all out to show 1,000 reporters that the land was still the state’s largest city, city wasn’t as bad as they thought. Council though it had been passed by sun belt President George Forbes even ruled out speeches at the meeting the night before the cities like Memphis, Tenn., and San debate. “We’ve got a good city and I want to Jose, Calif. But it could take solace keep the image that way,” he declared. that cities across the Northeast and On the Public Hall stage, the candidates Midwest also showed losses. Of were cautious.A survey showed that television Ohio’s dozen largest cities, only Co- viewers thought Reagan won by 2-1. Reagan’s lumbus had gained, thanks in part to margin among voters turned out to be almost annexation. that large. He swept the nation, including tra- ditionally Democratic areas such as Parma. The mayors were right about the Sen. John Glenn was one of the few Demo- growth in households — the suburbs crats to survive the Republican landslide, de- had added 70,000 in the decade. But feating State Rep. James Betts. Democrat the county’s population per house- Dennis Eckart narrowly defeated Judge Jo- hold had dropped from 2.97 to 2.58. seph Nahra to win the 22nd Congressional Dis- trict seat. Thirteen-term Rep. Charles Vanik North Olmsted Mayor Robert Swiety- didn’t run, citing his discomfort with fund- nowski couldn’t believe it. “We are a raising. largely Catholic community,” he said. Republicans took control of the Cuyahoga “It is impossible to believe we aver- County commissioners. Vincent Campanella age 2.9 persons a household.” ousted Robert Sweeney, and Virgil Brown be- came the first black commissioner by defeat- Edric Weld, the Cleveland State ing Timothy Hagan. University economist who had been CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY trying to warn civic leaders about the North Olmsted Mayor Robert Lakewood Mayor Anthony • population trend, chuckled at that. City planner Norman Krumholz: Swietynowski: “We are a largely Sinagra: “How could Lakewood’s For the first time, Browns fans had Super “Sure,” he said, “but they’re also an “Sometimes, things that are good Catholic community. It is population have dropped by Bowl fever. After losing their first two games, aging Catholic community.” for people are bad for cities.” impossible to believe we average 8,500 when it had added more the “Kardiac Kids” won 10 of their next 13, six 2.9 persons a household.” than 1,000 households?” of them in the last minute. Leading the heroics The children whose tricycles filled was quarterback Brian Sipe, the National sidewalks in the 1950s were growing Football League’s most valuable player. up and moving into apartments. The They still needed a win over the Cincinnati birth rate had plunged. There were during the ’70s, but 2 million moved Bengals for the Central Conference champion- 45,000 fewer area teenagers than in in — a net loss of 1.2 million, or 2.2 ship. They got it on a 22-yard Don Cockroft 1970, and the number of children un- field goal with 1:25 left. “Browns, city drink in percent. der 5 was down from 140,000 to euphoria that goes with division title,” a Plain The movement was, as usual, Cleveland climbs Dealer headline read. 96,000. greatest among those in their 20s, es- The wild-card Oakland Raiders stood in the Meanwhile, the number of city way of a trip to the American Conference title pecially the educated. That meant households had fallen by 30,000. out of default game. The game was played in a zero-degree Cleveland fell behind other cities in Stadium with wind whipping off the lake. Bulldozers tore down the vacant, van- college graduates. It had few jobs to After a year and four days, ized himself as a corporation pres- Trailing 14-12 with 2:22 left, out of time-outs, dalized houses that were left. Thou- offer the graduates of local colleges, Cleveland was out of default. With ident reporting to his sharehold- Sipe took the Browns 72 yards to the Raiders’ sands of families had achieved the let alone Stanford or MIT. the state guaranteeing the loans, ers. “What you, the shareholders, 13, in easy field goal range. They had a second “American dream” of a house in the eight local banks lent the city $36.2 want to know is what has this new down with 1:35 left, and the Raiders were suburbs, but they left behind a waste- Actually, Greater Cleveland’s was million on Nov. 19 to pay off the president done to place the mecha- down to their last time-out. land. “Sometimes,” observed long- a tale of two cities. The city proper defaulted notes and meet pressing nisms that will solve the vast array Coach Sam Rutigliano called a play that be- time city planner Norman Krumholz, was hemorrhaging people, busi- needs. of problems facing the corpora- came etched in the memory of all Browns fans: “things that are good for people are nesses and jobs. But a booming com- That meant the city’s bonds were tion,” he said. Red Right 88. Sipe threw it in the end zone — bad for cities.” investment-grade, though they to Oakland’s Mike Davis. “The interception munity twice as large surrounded it, Voinovich named 89 business with new homes, shopping centers would carry a higher interest rate executives to an Operation Im- turned Cleveland Stadium into a frigid mauso- There were benefits to the popula- than before default. The city would leum — so quiet you could hear 77,655 dreams and industrial parks. provement Task Force. In July, it tion loss. The “overcrowded slums” not free itself of state oversight for recommended steps to improve drop,” wrote Ron Smith in “The Cleveland were at least less crowded slums. six more years. Browns: the Official Illustrated History.” Clevelanders — which is how all city operations. They included Housing was more affordable. thought of themselves — focused on Still, the new administration of closing 14 fire stations and turning • the population numbers. After dec- George Voinovich was not out of over the air-pollution division to More blacks were moving into the the financial woods. Two weeks Cleveland’s other pro teams gave fans little ades of growth, “the best location in the state. suburbs. Living costs were rising at earlier, voters had turned down a to cheer about. New Cavaliers coach Stan Al- Many council members were rates below those of other cities. Per- the nation” was losing people. Its 0.5 percent income tax increase. beck traded Jim Chones and Bingo Smith, two skeptical. “Inviting this kind of ex- sonal income lagged other areas, but sports teams, whose championships The opposition was led by former of the heroes of 1976. The season was memora- ecutive task force to analyze the per-capita income — total income di- had swelled civic pride, were losing Mayor Dennis Kucinich, who had ble for a 154-153, four-overtime win over the ills of the city and prescribe the so- vided by population — still was games. With national attention fo- been keeping a low profile since Los Angeles Lakers, but not much else. The lution is like asking an embezzler cused on default, the city was losing his defeat by Voinovich in 1979. team finished 37-45. among the nation’s highest. to come in and audit the bank Voinovich said he would resubmit face. books,” said Jay Westbrook. • It took several years for the Census the tax in February to avoid facing The Cleveland Press had been founded by Bureau, still struggling with comput- Clevelanders couldn’t help think- a 1981 deficit.

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