FREE! Vol. 1, Issue 3 • October 22, 2009 A member of the Observer media family of community-written newspapers and websites Mayoral candidates Stone Soup for Collinwood This is your paper. addressWe invited your candidates for Collinwood mayor of Cleveland to submit a story in their own words You write it. Erin Randel addressing their mayoral platform and how it relates to the Collinwood area—Cleveland Wards 10 and 11. We asked that they submit through our website, which they both did, But you’re in Collinwood, and more likely and provide a photo. than not possess a flinty disposition that Their responses were allowed to be up to 500 words, and both gentlemen abided by demands hard evidence to be convinced that limit. We asked that the submissions be factual and not libelous or malicious in na- of things. Not for nothing are our two ture. Both submitted their stories by the Friday deadline established for this story. Their neighborhood mascots the Vikings and the responses are printed below, and continue on page 2. Railroaders, rather than some passive form of wildlife or what have you. We are proud, tough, loyal, determined, independent folk who accomplish much—and on our own terms. We want proof. Again and again as we get this paper going, the fable of Stone Soup has come to mind. In the story, which has been told in various forms in many different cultures, two tinkers fire hot and paying the rent on the cauldron, come to a town that doesn’t know what it has but the contents are up to you. You can help to offer. In the story, there’s usually a famine out with the very next pot, and add some- or some other hardship that’s gone on, and thing very special to the mix. ■ people are hungry. The tinkers (that’s the Irish word for them anyway) arrive on the KSON C A town square, build a fire, set a kettle on it The deadline for the next ATMON G. J P and fill it with water. They toss a few smooth ILL RANK F B issue is Tuesday, Oct. 27 stones into the pot and proclaim the wonders That said, if you’re working on something OURTESY OURTESY C C of stone soup to all who will listen. timely, we can work with you. And, there’s Mayor Frank G. Jackson: Challenger Bill Patmon: The townspeople are curious but resistant. always another paper, so bring it, get it in, I am proud to be committed to City neigh- Collinwood residents have always dem- Little by little, they come forward with a po- so we can get it out. Volunteers will review borhoods. In 2007, we developed a citywide onstrated a strong commitment to and tato here, a carrot there and some seasonings, it for grammar and spelling, then we’ll plan for 36 neighborhoods. Collinwood is involvement in their local schools. I want and before long, all are enjoying a wonderful publish it. one of them. To provide City services and to draw attention to reports on the dismal rich feast made from things they didn’t realize Sign on to www.collinwoodobserver.com, capital improvements to these neighbor- performance of the Cleveland Municipal they had; sharing them in a way they’d never click on Member Center, sign in, click on hoods in hard economic times requires School District under the current adminis- thought to before. Writer, type out a title, type up your story, strong financial planning, and in the City tration from City Hall. So that’s this project in a fairy tale. You are and click ‘submit.’ Don’t have a computer? of Cleveland I have balanced our budgets The Mayor is ultimately responsible for holding in your hand the proof: a bowl of the Head to one of our fine libraries and go without layoffs or service reductions. In the education of all of the 47,000 or so soup your neighbors made together over the online there. Please share your story so we addition, we are working on the following children enrolled in the Cleveland Munici- last two weeks. Betsy and I are keeping the can all enjoy it together. major capital im- pal School District, provement projects and that record un- Collinwood Observer Mission Statement [DRAFT] in Collinwood: der his leadership ✔ This is a preliminary mission statement, based on those of other Observer papers. It C o l l i n w o o d is a dismal failure, Don’t forget to will be revised as Collinwood residents get involved and discuss the purpose this pa- Athletic Complex. and the ongoing per should serve in our neighborhood. This four-year-old, VOTE November 3. consequences are state-of-the-art disastrous for the The mission of the Collinwood Observer is experiment, the Collinwood Observer will high school football city and the region. to attract, articulate, and amplify commu- provide a framework for the neighbor- complex has won praise from at least one His track record on education is indefen- nity knowledge and goodwill in Wards 10 hoods to engage in open and unbiased visiting NFL player, and I am committed sible. When the Mayor gave his state of the and 11—and beyond. discussions for mapping community solu- to improving the facility by adding shower city address in his first year in office he said Our goal is to help Collinwood residents tions, advancing responsible economic facilities, identifying more parking, and cre- that education would be the focus of his and neighbors learn as much as possible development and sustainability strategies, ating easier pedestrian access to Collinwood administration. about our community. The Collinwood and tracking results. High School. We now have the actual record of the Observer will illuminate the many facets Finally, the Collinwood Observer will in- St. Clair Avenue. This major street is performance of the Cleveland Municipal of culture, arts, business, education, and vite the entire community to celebrate the undergoing a $7 million rehabilitation from School District under his ultimate control faith this diverse community has to offer. vibrant mosaic of culture, nature, history, East 72nd Street to East 140th Street which for the last four years, to examine. For the Together, we’ll capture Collinwood life in and personality we call Collinwood. should be complete in 2011. record, the Cleveland Municipal School the present, imagine its promising future, What is your vision for this community? Five Points. My 2009 Five-Year Capital District continues to post declining enroll- and celebrate its rich history. Do you have thoughts on the ways this Program shows $1.25 million for streetscape ment numbers as students and their parents The Collinwood Observer shall provide project can contribute to a spirit of com- improvements to the Five Points area in the take advantage of every opportunity to opt a sounding board for the community: munity? If so, please consider volunteer- year 2011. My staff is working with Council- out of the District. families, children, schools, institutions, ing to serve as a sounding board as part of man Eugene Miller to identify 2009 monies to The high school graduation rate has events, and local government. It will our advisory board,which is now forming. commence design of streetscape improvements dropped by a horrific eight percentage provide a forum for long-running dialogue Send an email titled something like, within a ¼-mile radius of the Five Points inter- points, down to 53.7%, placing us last with everyone who works, lives, or plays in “The Collinwood Observer should. “ and section. Our goal is to achieve a more walkable among Ohio’s 8 urban school districts. Here the greater Collinwood community. send it to [email protected] pedestrian are the stats: In this twenty-first century urban and [email protected]. continued on page 2 continued on page 2 Page 2 The Collinwood Observer October 22, 2009 Around Collinwood Mayoral candidates address Collinwood continued from Page 1 From Mayor Frank G. Jackson From challenger Bill Patmon The Collinwood Observer is a citizen-based news source published every two weeks by Collinwood environment linking Collinwood High School, the Collinwood Branch Toledo: 86.6%; Dayton: 83.1%; Cincinnati: 82.9%; Akron: Observer, Inc., a local business dedicated to the de- velopment of grassroots media and increased con- of Cleveland Public Library, the Collinwood Athletic Complex and 78.3%; Canton: 76.8%; Columbus: 73.9%; Youngstown: 72.8%; nectedness of the citizens, civic groups, nonprofits, other activity centers. and finally, Cleveland at a dismal 53.7%. businesses and institutions in and around Cleveland Wards 10 and 11. Recreation Enhancements at East 152nd Street and Ivanhoe The Cleveland Schools have more administrators than Colum- The Collinwood Observer Road. This year I allocated $2.5 million in bond funds toward bus, the state’s largest school district, and Cleveland’s administra- PO Box 19154 recreation enhancements that can add to and link the existing tors are paid significantly more than the state’s largest district. Cleveland, OH 44119 recreation assets at Collinwood High School and the Collinwood Yet, Cleveland has the worst graduation record, and more schools Copyright 2009 Collinwood Observer, Inc. All Athletic Complex. Our 2009 Five-Year Capital Program calls for an performing poorly by state standards than any other district in rights reserved. Any reproduction is forbidden without written permission. additional $2 million investment in 2010. My staff is working with Ohio. The combined salaries of the top 50 Columbus administra- PUBLISHER Councilman Miller and his residents to develop the best investments tors is $5.7 million annually, while spending for Cleveland’s top Elizabeth Voinovich for this money, and we will coordinate this approach with the Five 50 administrators is $6.2 million.