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He said the city budget should be of huge concern for citizens
and with $1.4 billion at stake; “Who will you trust with the
budget, take care of crime, high dropout rate in high school? I
am that candidate,” he said, adding he stands behind his track
record and it speaks to his abilities of being able to unite the
diverse voices of Ward 14, rally support around causes and
building teams that get work done.
As former councilman, Cintron said while he can’t take full
credit he was instrumental in the Tremont reconstruction
efforts, and carried the torch for the W. 25th
Corridor project. His greatest achievement though, he said, was
being accessible to the youth by speaking at the school,
providing them with recommendations for college or jobs.
A
graduate of Lincoln West High School, he said he’s a proud
product of the Cleveland Public School systems and wants to seek
grants to employee youth with criminal records. He said as jobs
become available crime will go down and he wants to encourage
Cleveland to flaunt its ports to foreign investors.
He said the United States needs to change its laws and make it
easier for other countries to bring their money in.
Acknowledging the borders of the Ward have changed, Cintron
welcomed residents of the old Ward 15, stating, “your needs are
no different than the people of Ward 14.”
Brian Cummins – Global experience, local solutions
Brian Cummins,
49, serves as Councilman for the current Ward 15 and he wants to
bring accountability back to council politics. His Peace Corp
experience in the Dominican Republic gives him a good
understanding of Latino culture and command of Spanish, and he
said it gives him a very hands-on approach to leadership and
community organizing.
His vision for the new Ward 14 focuses on involving
citizens in issue-focused watch clubs, who will rally around
important causes like crime, jobs, education, and take ownership
of their own neighborhood. This model, Cummins said, worked in
the Old Brooklyn neighborhood, which he lead under Ward 15, and
will be effective in Ward 14 as well. The key, Cummins said, is
to provide good quality of life which can only come from
bringing in good employers and investing in the development of a
workforce.
His staff is taking a hands-on approach by trying to meet with
registered voters and passing out literature. “It’s important
for the residents to get to know the candidates, especially in a
race with this many candidates,” he said after the debate and
added he is trying to facilitate another public form within the
Ward so residents can access what the candidates bring to the
table and make informed decisions.
James D’Amico – Bringing the people back to politics
James D’Amico,
54, is concerned about the low voter turnout and said the
leadership needs to reflect all of the residents, not just the
chosen few. The soft spoken former Cleveland Municipal Court
deputy bailiff said though he is not a well-known candidate he
won’t be an embarrassment for the people of Ward 14.
His vision for the Ward is to make a safe place again, work with
the fire and police departments to keep them open 24 hours a
day, and take care of the senior citizens needs. He said the
current problems are the results of poor communication between
Ward Council and the Mayor’s office. “We need to stick together
to improve Cleveland,” said D’Amico.
He said, if elected, he will allocate funding for the
construction of a new recreational facility where the youth can
go to let loose, engage in sports and most importantly stay off
the streets and out of trouble.
Incumbent Joe Santiago – Defending his record
Incumbent Joe Santiago, 45, informed this reporter via telephone
that he took control of a neglected Ward from Mr. Cintrón, which
the previous leadership had left in shambles, leaving him only:
“two paperclips and a desk to work with.” Santiago said
residents realize big changes don’t happen overnight and he has
made steady progress in his first term.
His focus has been to bring unity to the Ward and its neighbors
and help revitalize business and housing in the Ward. “You have
to look at situations differently every time you approach them
and I believe I have done that,” said Santiago.
He said Clark Avenue a is prime example of improvement—a street
that is alive with business and safe for pedestrians again. He
acknowledges community involvement is lacking but argues it does
exists and if reelected he would like to work with
revitalization projects currently underway—such as a housing
facility for senior citizens, which will break ground on Sept.
17.
“People would have you believe there are no block clubs at all;
in fact, there are 10 active block clubs,” said Santiago. In
addition, his office is working with the city to bring in
consultants to invigorate Community
Development Corporations.
Santiago said the Ward has 9 schools, with 4 more under
construction. His goal is to remove the stigma of ‘drop-outs’
from the growing young population and is engaging the young
first-time voters by reaching out to them during his
door-to-door campaign.
He said the neighborhood needs be branded with a distinct
identity, and work is underway to define it as the
International Village of Cleveland. “We have 29 languages
spoken in the Ward,” said Santiago; he said his goal is to
encourage ethnic business to make the Ward their home, and to
invest, live, and thrive.
He said the future of the Ward is bright, and he would like to
continue to oversee many of the projects underway. Depending on
the economy, capital budget, and
tax revenue, Santiago projected $7 million will be invested in
the Ward between now and 2013, part of which will be allocated
for reconstruction projects of Fulton Road and development of
the International Village.
Santiago said his office has identified nearly 800 properties
that have been abandoned for foreclosures; and negotiations are
underway for the city to reclaim them, refurbish them, assist
low-income families to buy or, “if we have to, tear them down.”
Looking back at his first term, he said supporting La Copa’s
liquor license was a mistake
that he would not repeat. He said the decision was made in an
environment where business were closing or leaving the area. “I
want to make it clear, our office nor the city have any power
over issuing liquor licenses,”
he said.
Horvath could not be reached for comments.
Editor’s Note: There are several non-partisan primaries for
city council in Cleveland. Ward 14, which is almost 48 percent
Latino, is the focus of one race. The office of the mayor of
Cleveland is also contested. The primary is Sept. 8, 2009
[Toledo holds its primary on September 15, 2009.]
Candidates and Issues for Cuyahoga
County
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