Cleveland Water Dept. will conduct Public Dog & Pony Show

After continual complaints of incompetence Cleveland Water Dept. (CWD) will conduct a series of meeting dealings with concerns and complaints of residents served by their over 6000 miles of waterlines.

This is nothing more than a typical Cuyahoga County Dog & Pony Show. Your complaints will be heard, you will be given a pat on the head and a promise they will institute change and everything will be OK - they will fix it. I wonder if that means they will fix it the same way they fo their waterlines that continually explode like popcorn at a Saturday night movie...

From the PD --

• The problems came to light after The Plain Dealer began reporting on issues plaguing residents and business owners who use Cleveland water. The division is run by the city but serves 1.4 million people across Northeast Ohio.
  
  The division, anxious to reach out to disgruntled residents, is holding 10 more customer service fairs over the next three weeks in response to a recent wave of complaints about spiked bills, malfunctioning meters, slow response to service requests and rude treatment by employees.
  
  Cleveland Division of Water meetings

• Thursday: Estabrook Recreation Center, 4125 Fulton Road, Cleveland. 6-8 p.m.

• Monday: Gemini Recreation Center, 21225 Lorain Road, Fairview Park. 6:30-8:30 p.m.

• Tuesday Valley View Community Center, 6828 Hathaway Road, Valley View. 6-8 p.m.

• Wednesday, June 24: Dodge Intermediate School, 10225 Ravenna Road, Twinsburg. 7-9 p.m.

• Thursday, June 25: Brook Park Recreation Center, 17400 Holland Road, Brook Park. 6-8 p.m.

• Monday, June 29: Brunswick Municipal Center, 4095 Center Road, Brunswick. 6-8 p.m.

• Tuesday, June 30: Mayfield Heights Recreation Center, 6154 Mayfield Road, Mayfield Heights. 6-8 p.m.

• Wednesday, July 1: Parma City Hall, 6611 Ridge Road, Parma. 6-8 p.m.

• Wednesday, July 8: Middleburg Heights Community Center, 16000 Bagley Road, Middleburg Heights. 6-8 p.m.

• Thursday, July 9: Stephanie Tubbs Jones Community Building, 3450 Lee Road, Shaker Heights. 7-9 p.m.

I stand by my statement that if any of the so-called leaders of this area were truly sincere about reform or regionalizing - Cleveland Water Dept - would be at the top of their list! Nope they give us lip service and a free Dog & Pony Show.
j

Westlake & North Olmsted's bid to leave Cleveland Water Dept.

It is not often when we find an opportunity to praise some of our local politicians. Most are either party hacks or spineless and it is often a combination of both.

Westlake Mayor Dennis Clough and North Olmsted Mayor Thomas O'Grady are one step closer from freeing their residents from Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson's tyrannical control over single largest unregulated utility negatively affecting 1.5 million people in four counties -Cleveland Water Department.

From the PD --

Discontent with Cleveland water service has North Olmsted and Westlake thinking of buying their water from a Lorain County source.

North Olmsted Mayor Thomas O'Grady said the cities are ready to start on the second phase of a study to set up a water district. North Olmsted has requested $36 million in federal stimulus money to build the system.

Westlake Mayor Dennis Clough said the system could be financed without stimulus money, mainly because buying water from Avon Lake would be much cheaper than from Cleveland.

O'Grady said North Olmsted residents are frustrated by the Cleveland department. "We're not getting the service our taxpayers deserve," he said. He listed among complaints: slow emergency response, fights over bills and rate increases. More...

Mayor Clough has been the one Mayor not afraid to speak out about the failings of Cleveland Water Dept. It is nice to see O'Grady at least appear to be in support of removing the North Olmsted residents from being continually victimized by the incompetence and monopoly of CWD.

Other municipalities serviced by Cleveland Water Dept. would love to be from under their control, but due to logistics and existing infrastructure are unable too.

It should be noted that Bay Village Mayor Debbie Sutherland, who was defeated in her bid for County Commissioner, also had a chance to be part of this study. Sutherland, never the one to be a free thinker, chose not to be involved in this study. In fact, she stated she would just wait and see what happened in the above study. While Sutherland deserves credit for working hard on her campaign, she apparently lacks leadership qualities.

So until more area leaders like Clough & O'Grady start doing what is right for the residents by challenging the Gestapo-like control of Cleveland Water Dept. - any hope of true regionalism is just empty talk by empty headed politicians and the hacks at the Plain Dealer.