Opinion

Library entrenched in march to waste PEACE building

On Oct. 8, at a joint meeting of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library and the cities of Cleveland Heights and University Heights, library leaders revealed their planned future for the Coventry PEACE Building. It involves the smell of mothballs. The library’s director, Nancy Levin, and its trustees say that a boarded-up building is worth more than a lively art center currently populated by local nonprofits.

The meeting, which you can watch at bit.ly/CHUHLibMtgVid, exposed tensions between the library and the nonprofits, with Levin referring to the nonprofits as “those people,” suggesting the library doesn't see the organizations as part of its community.

The meeting was intended to explore solutions for preserving the Coventry PEACE Building.

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Volume 17, Issue 11, Posted 4:20 PM, 10.31.2024

Cheers for UH's new recycling program

It's an early Tuesday morning on Glendon Road in University Heights. Today is special—we are experiencing our first curbside pickup of loosely recycled items, deposited directly into an automated recycling truck. We neighbors cheered the service workers in this moment of glee.

It's been a long journey to reach this milestone in our community.  Several years of resident surveys addressing trash collection, arguments over the surveys themselves, more arguments over the survey results, local candidates running for office with trash collection preferences stated on their platforms, the powers that be ultimately realizing that the majority of residents wanted to ditch the blue plastic bags for recycled items (irony noted), and lots of negotiating at various local government meetings led to this morning. Opt-in loose recycling with curbside pickup in University Heights is now official.

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Volume 17, Issue 11, Posted 4:12 PM, 10.31.2024

Turkey Ridge should not be developed

We live in a city known for its natural beauty (especially its trees) and climate awareness. Cleveland Heights has been designated as “Tree City USA” for over 20 years and prominently features a tree in its logo. Upon his election, Mayor Seren outlined sustainability and climate action as cornerstones of his new government, hiring a sustainability and resiliency coordinator and announcing the creation of a Climate Action and Resilience Plan.

Seemingly, Mayor Seren and the Cleveland Heights government have failed to remember the importance of these ideals in active governance.

From 2011 to 2017, Cleveland Heights saw a more than 10% decline in tree canopy.

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Volume 17, Issue 11, Posted 3:53 PM, 10.31.2024

Forced migrants are already our neighbors

I’m a Cleveland Heights resident who’s been working in solidarity with forced migrants for the past year. While I’m very new to this work and have much to learn, I know enough to be concerned by Alan Rapoport’s August 2024 opinion in the Heights Observer: “Illegal migration is potential problem here.”

Mr. Rapoport gestures toward a hypothetically dire future if a range of “what-ifs” occur, while invoking, seemingly without irony, the xenophobic height of Cold War Red Scare media. But he does little to explore what’s already happening for forced migrants in Greater Cleveland, and how many in Cleveland Heights are already taking action to ensure that this remains a safe and flourishing community for everyone who lives here—no matter what citizenship they hold.

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Volume 17, Issue 11, Posted 4:09 PM, 10.31.2024

District to explore renaming Monticello

From 2017 through parts of COVID, I, along with other community leaders and parents in the CH-UH school district and Oxford Elementary PTA, identified an issue of equity within our elementary and middle schools that would have a long-term effect on our children's education. Through our then PTA program, we launched Courageous Conversations and held workshops and panel sessions to press the district to answer our long-unanswered questions and encourage parents to speak out. At the time, our specific focus was Oxford Elementary and Monticello Middle schools. What were we eager to bring visibility to, you ask? Redlining and a lack of resources.

As years went by, we continued our fight, and soon 2020 was here and COVID touched all our doorsteps.

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Volume 17, Issue 11, Posted 3:57 PM, 10.31.2024

Heights merchants must learn to compete with Amazon

The recent Heights Music Hop was a great success. It showed how local merchants can provide the public with some services that Amazon cannot offer. Such a success should inspire Hop organizers to expand the concept on future occasions.

There are not enough promotional events for local merchants in Cleveland Heights or in University Heights. It did take a lot of work to organize the Hop. It might not be practical to have frequent Hops. But less ambitious events in commercial districts certainly could be staged on multiple occasions.

More retail shops should have stayed open at night during the Hop. This was a missed opportunity.

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Volume 17, Issue 11, Posted 3:54 PM, 10.31.2024

A message to U.S. House candidate Rapoport

I've lived in Cleveland Heights and University Heights for most of my life. I have a good idea of what kind of people live here. And I know that using rhetoric that dehumanizes those that seek asylum or simply a better life is not a great way to solicit votes in this specific part of Ohio.

Referring to undocumented immigrants crossing the southern border as "invasions by criminals, terrorists, and drug dealers" is incredibly xenophobic, harmful, and innacurate. Multiple studies show that immigrants, both documented and undocumented, are far less likely than U.S.-born Americans to commit crimes.

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Volume 17, Issue 11, Posted 4:10 PM, 10.31.2024

Seeing Cedar Lee through new eyes

Before our daughter came into our lives, my husband and I frequented the Cedar Lee district, just a five-minute walk from our house. Those were simpler days, filled with leisurely strolls, spontaneous date nights, and discovering all the hidden gems this neighborhood has to offer.

Now, as parents, it's incredible to realize how seamlessly Gabrielle has fit into our beloved routine. Cedar Lee has not just remained our go-to spot, but has evolved with us, supporting our family in ways I never anticipated.

As a new parent, my appreciation for local businesses has shifted. These places have become touchstones of our community—spaces that have embraced Gabi just as they did us.

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Volume 17, Issue 11, Posted 3:50 PM, 10.31.2024

Mr. Mayor, let us swim

I did something I never expected to do on Sept.3. I went to the Cleveland Heights City Council meeting in my bathing suit. I wasn’t the only one in swimwear; I was joined by the strong and proud swimming community of Cleveland Heights.

We have been asking repeatedly for the return of public lap, water aerobics, and family swimming hours at the new high school pool, which we enjoyed as a community until 2020. Prior to this, we had available swimming hours for years at the South Pool in the old high school building.

Our community has grown tired of Mayor Seren and the school board pointing fingers over the logistics of this amenity offered by countless other communities in Greater Cleveland and beyond.

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Volume 17, Issue 10, Posted 12:21 PM, 09.30.2024

Bidding Danny Williams goodbye

Cleveland Heights Mayor Seren now has failed in his second attempt to fill the position of City Administrator. And this was not for lack of finding excellent candidates. First, he failed to retain Joe Sinnott. Now he has failed to retain Danny Williams.

I once wrote in the Heights Observer that Mayor Seren found a good man when he hired Danny Williams. Mr. Williams has the right skill set. He is an experienced administrator. He always has worked well with others. As critical as I have been about Mayor Seren in the past, I thought he got something right this time.

Mr. Williams will quit at the end of the year.

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Volume 17, Issue 10, Posted 12:14 PM, 09.30.2024

Help, dying while CH council and mayor ramble on

Fellow Citizens:

Have you ever attempted to watch a Cleveland Heights City Council meeting and found yourself hunting for your therapist's number? I have, and the rancor, disjunction, and verbosity has got to stop now.

When citizens sign up to speak before council, they are given a time limit: three minutes. That might not seem like a lot, but if one is prepared, that three minutes is ample time to make one’s positions known.

When some elected officials speak, it appears that the goal is to win by attrition: If they go on long enough, citizens will either give up or die.

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Volume 17, Issue 10, Posted 12:10 PM, 09.30.2024

Keep Judge Clary on county court

As a former colleague of Judge Timothy Clary, I am heartened to see our Cleveland Heights neighbor's endorsement by the Plain Dealer.

Having served in civil and criminal law, as an assistant prosecutor for the state, and for community members as an assistant public defender, Clary has a breadth of experience that is refreshing to see in a member of the judiciary. His ”excellent” ratings from five of six bar associations who evaluated candidates demonstrate the superior qualifications he has accrued over his 13 years of practice.

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Volume 17, Issue 10, Posted 12:02 PM, 09.30.2024

Council President Cuda’s message to CH residents

There is a lot going on at Cleveland Heights City Hall, so let’s get to it.

Thanks to vigilant city council oversight—especially council members Petras, Larson and Cobb—our city did not renew the ARPA consultant contract with Guidehouse. The mayor has since hired the Bricker Graydon law firm to take us the rest of the way as the administration disperses the ARPA money allocated by city council in December 2023. As of today, this looks like a much better option.

September begins budget season. Our most important decisions on spending priorities will be made over the next few months. In February, I asked city council members to direct their budget priorities to our clerk of council, to keep a log of our collective ideas. We will be presenting these in the coming months.

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Volume 17, Issue 9, Posted 2:55 PM, 08.24.2024

City should address county's tax increases

I am writing to urge the Cleveland Heights city administration and members of city council to coordinate a forum to address the recent county tax increases. Council and the administration cannot directly intervene in county policy, but can and should convene a discussion for citizens to interact and ask legitimate questions.  

In a single tax cycle, the county’s assessed values have increased by as much as 50 to 100 percent. My personal taxes increased 54 percent. In the same three-year cycle, the Consumer Price Index outpaced wages by 300 percent (like many, I live on a fixed income, i.e., a wage growth of zero). I am being commanded to cough up more than $8,000 annually—17 percent of my pension—to live in a 108-year-old, largely original and un-modernized 2,000-square-foot house in a not particularly desirable area of Cleveland Heights, let alone Northeast Ohio. Incredible.

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Volume 17, Issue 9, Posted 4:01 PM, 08.27.2024

Illegal migration is potential problem here

In the 1966 Cold War film “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming,” a Soviet submarine runs aground off New England. It has no hostile intent, but villagers go into a tizzy. The movie was a comedy. All ended happily. But a movie made today might be called “The Migrants Are Coming, the Migrants Are Coming.” Today’s invaders also may have no hostile intent. But what happens after they arrive might not be a comedy. And there might not be a happy ending.

This all occurred to me when I recently heard a rumor that some migrants are illegally occupying vacant housing in East Cleveland. Such occupations happen in other American cities. It is not paranoid to imagine the same might be happening so close to where we live.

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Volume 17, Issue 9, Posted 4:05 PM, 08.27.2024

'Home of the Arts' fails Cain Park Art Show

Many readers may know me from my 12 years on the school board, seven years on the library board, or 15 years running the Cleveland Heights High School Alumni Foundation, but for the last seven years I been exhibiting my photography at venues throughout Northern Ohio. During this time, I have exhibited at over 100 art shows, festivals and events, including all of the “legacy” art shows: Boston Mills, Willoughby, Medina, Chardon, Chagrin Falls, Lakewood, Akron and Cain Park. 

After last year’s season, I wrote to Mayor Seren and city council, sharing with them several ways I felt the city could improve the Cain Park Art Show. As I said to them, Cain Park is possibly the best in our region for artists regarding vendor services. The issues I raised to the mayor and council were outside of the ravine, namely marketing the show, polishing the area around Cain Park for visitors, and connectivity to Cleveland Heights businesses.

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Volume 17, Issue 9, Posted 4:03 PM, 08.27.2024

Cedar Road is more like weeder road

It's been a couple of years since my last submission regarding the declining conditions of Cedar Road in Cleveland and University Heights—and things have only gotten worse.

Out-of-town landlords continue to avoid basic maintenance to maximize profits; commercial and residential tenants are held unaccountable for trash, left-out bins, and trash in yards; and the cities set the bar lower and lower with shabby maintenance.

Weeds along Cedar from Westminster Road to Lee Road are several feet tall. University Heights sidewalks are choked with weeds, as is the south side of Cedar Center—especially the section [occupied by] Chicken Ranch and Primo's Pizza.

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Volume 17, Issue 8, Posted 4:22 PM, 07.30.2024

Opinion suggesting that city control grocery stores is flawed

Jack Slater’s opinion in the July Heights Observer, "CH needs new approach to resolve grocery woes," reflects a wish for government control of food access with the proposed opening of city-controlled/city-owned grocery stores. When has government operated a business efficiently? Governments that nationalize industry or business overspend and the businesses become less productive.

Why? Because those running a government entity will be paid regardless of how much or how little money comes into the entity, while a private enterprise has to bring in money in order for the owners to eat.

Capitalism is flawed, but it is the only system that works overall.

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Volume 17, Issue 8, Posted 4:20 PM, 07.30.2024

Join CH Dems for 'Save Democracy' book discussion

What can you do when it seems politics is stacked against you, vital institutions are collapsing before your very eyes, the powerful have wrestled every ounce of venom they can muster to promote their own self-interests, and you are so depressed by it all that you can’t remember when you last laughed?

One answer to this question is the book Democracy or Else: How to Save Democracy in 10 Easy Steps, by Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor, with Josh Holloway.

This is not a book review, though it might seem like one. Okay, here’s the part that will seem like a book review: The book is super practical, with chapters like Vote Early and Vote Often, Volunteer, The Buck Stops Here.

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Volume 17, Issue 8, Posted 4:16 PM, 07.30.2024

Severance deal is good but not yet great

After years of inaction, there now is a deal to re-develop Severance Town Center.

Mayor Seren is entitled to take a victory lap. He and his staff managed, against long odds, to get owner Namdar Realty Group to come to the table. And MPACT Collective, the New York development group that signed a “master development agreement” with Namdar, does have a respectable track record. It all looks good.

Good, but not yet great. The proverbial devil always is in the details.

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Volume 17, Issue 8, Posted 4:10 PM, 07.30.2024

Severance developer agreement shows mayor's skill

The announcement that there is a developer for Severance tells us that the mayor form of government has given the city the power to create development possibilities. The mayor has proved he can lead this city in economic development projects, which is the direction we need to go.

For decades Cleveland Heights has been losing population. The median income of our residents has been dropping. Tax revenue was dropping. To maintain services and the city budget there were two paths open to the city. Path one is to raise tax rates. Path two is to engage in economic development.

Mayor Seren has long argued that economic development is needed not just to grow the city, but to reverse lost population and income. His administration has multiple projects in various stages of planning or development: Lee/Meadowbrook, Cain Park Village on North Taylor, Nobility Court on Noble Road, Park Synagogue, and Turkey Ridge.

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Volume 17, Issue 8, Posted 4:08 PM, 07.30.2024

CH needs new approach to resolve grocery woes

There has been much discussion about grocery store issues in Cleveland Heights over the last few years, culminating around Sal Russo’s request for a $1 million city grant to update his vacant grocery store space at Cedar Fairmount.

The space was vacated when Dave’s bought out Zagara’s on Lee Road, shuttering the Dave’s on Cedar. Dave’s already operates another supermarket in the moribund Severance Circle, a mile away from its Lee Road location.

Meanwhile, northern Cleveland Heights, neglected as usual, has only a Save-A-Lot budget grocer.

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Volume 17, Issue 7, Posted 7:48 AM, 06.26.2024

Library offers six-month leases to PEACE building tenants

At its Monday, May 20, meeting, the Heights Libraries Board of Trustees voted to provide short-term lease options for nine PEACE Building tenants: Artful, Building Bridges, Cleveland Heights Teacher’s Union, Coventry PEACE Inc., FutureHeights, Grace Communion Church, Lake Erie Ink, Reaching Heights, and Singer’s Club.

Each of the nine tenants had an option to extend their lease for an additional 18 months after their current lease expired on June 30, 2024.  The deadline for exercising the lease option was April 1, 2024, but none of the nine exercised that option by the deadline.

The board voted to offer a six-month lease to each of the nine tenants, renewable on a monthly basis after that, while the board gathers information and studies options for viable use of the building.

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Volume 17, Issue 7, Posted 8:22 AM, 06.26.2024

Library board mistreats community speakers

My name is Fern Haught, and I write as a member of the Cleveland Heights art community and a resident artist at ARTFUL.

On Monday May 20, the Heights Library Board of Trustees met and voted to decline the 18 month lease extensions for the current nonprofit tenants in the Coventry PEACE campus. They instead voted to offer a six month short-term lease. Their reasoning stated is mainly financial, speaking about the burden of the building. They have offered 18 month leases beginning June 1 to new tenants like Dance Cleveland. It is unclear how removing all of the existing nonprofits and losing the consistency of their rent payments in six months lessens the financial burden on the library and the taxpayers.

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Volume 17, Issue 7, Posted 8:18 AM, 06.26.2024

Why I voted no on Nobility Court

On May 20, I voted against Nobility Court, developer TWG’s proposed 52-unit affordable apartment building development on Noble Road. I hope I’m proven wrong.

While development is critical for economic growth, affordable housing should be strategically placed around our city, not concentrated in one geographical area. It must be approached with a holistic perspective, focusing on long-term sustainability and the well-being of our residents.

Noble Road stretches from Mayfield Road to the border of East Cleveland, and is already home to 67 affordable apartment buildings. Sadly, these properties are in poor condition and have many vacancies.

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Volume 17, Issue 7, Posted 8:13 AM, 06.26.2024

An option for replacing school district offices

The Cleveland Heights-University Heights Board of Education building (BOE) was built in 1960. Due to increases in staff over the last half century—necessary to address the increasing complexity of complying with state mandates, as well as supporting a best-in-class educational system—the building’s office space (currently 31,903 square feet) is insufficient for the administrative staff currently employed by the district.

The district has made it work by housing some district staff in school buildings and the Delisle Options Center. As a result, district staff no longer works together at a centralized location.

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Volume 17, Issue 7, Posted 8:15 AM, 06.26.2024

CH must address vacant commercial spaces

In the April issue of the Heights Observer, Don King lamented the vacant commercial space at the new Top of the Hill construction, citing the lack of convenient parking as one explanation. The top of Cedar Hill has always been a drive through for traffic to and from downtown, to Cedar Avenue or Euclid Heights Boulevard and outer areas. There is no street parking at the corner of Cedar and Euclid Heights Boulevard. Also, the vacant shops are elevated above the peripheral vision of pedestrians and are at the fringe of the more lively Cedar-Fairmount intersection.

Perhaps the lack of commercial residency has to do more with the high rental rates, as noted by merchants who have been approached to relocate from their present shops in the area. If this practice is successful, it will only cannibalize the neighborhood, creating vacant spaces in one of the city’s most viable neighborhoods.

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Volume 17, Issue 7, Posted 8:00 AM, 06.26.2024

Building design should be compatible with neighborhoods

A recent Facebook commentary by Ken Goldberg shows how important the Cleveland Heights Architectural Board of Review (ABR) can be.  Ken has a master’s degree in art history, and his observations were thoughtful.

Ken criticized the design of the new addition to the Noble Road public library building.  He questioned whether a priority for exterior compatibility had been “thrown to the winds.”  He saw no connection with the original building in [the addition’s] brick color, window design or proportions, height, or roofline. He complained that the addition “has no real style and is without trim, while the original Walker & Weeks building is delightfully Georgian Revival.”

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Volume 17, Issue 7, Posted 7:49 AM, 06.26.2024

Judge's report reveals state of CH housing

Heights Observer readers should take special notice of the report on housing code enforcement by Judge J. J. Costello published in the May issue. In it, the judge reports facts and figures that reveal not only what happens in his courtroom, but what is happening in Cleveland Heights neighborhoods.

Here are some highlights:

  • 97 criminal cases were filed by the city in 2023 to punish housing code violators.
  • The policy of the court is to prioritize compliance over punishment because fixing housing serves the community more than punishment of property owners.
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Volume 17, Issue 7, Posted 7:57 AM, 06.26.2024

CH council approves Noble development

On May 20, Cleveland Heights City Council approved TWG’s affordable apartment development, Nobility Court (once known as Noble Station).

Since the community first learned about the development, it has been shrouded with controversy and opposition. This May 20 council meeting was no different. A packed room (the usual early opposers and first-time resident attendees) brought opposition statements, emotions, and disappointment on many levels and [for many] reasons. The intentional and orchestrated effort implemented to shut down this project came too late. Each council member's voting decision was made, after countless meetings, presentations, and discussions since 2023.

Intentionally, from the start, the project and process excluded engaging the community.

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Volume 17, Issue 6, Posted 8:46 AM, 05.29.2024

Consider smaller, upscale grocer for Cedar Fairmount

Growing up in Cleveland Heights, I have fond memories of shopping at Russo's Fairmount store. Like many longtime residents, I feel a sense of sadness seeing it vacant. Seeing it occupied by Dave's Supermarket, which doesn't quite cater to the local market around Cedar Fairmount, was disappointing to me. I don't mean to come off as a snob, but shouldn't we aim for an upscale grocer that fits into a smaller footprint, catering to the residents nearest to Cedar Fairmount?

As someone with experience as a former commercial real estate broker, I believe finding the right fit is crucial for ensuring a store's profitability and sustainability as a tenant in this space. An outlet grocery doesn't seem like the right fit here.

I disagree with the notion that the Heights doesn't need another grocery store.

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Volume 17, Issue 6, Posted 8:43 AM, 05.29.2024

School district has a building glut

The CH-UH Board of Education (BOE) needs to develop a comprehensive facilities plan to efficiently manage its aging infrastructure. The CH-UH school district owns 14 buildings:

  • Heights High: renovated 2017, 372,334 square feet, 1,519 enrolled students (as of Jan. 13, 2023), 245 square feet per student.
  • Wiley: built 1954, 147,819 square feet, 0 students.
  • Monticello Middle: built 1930, 126,780 square feet, 526 students, 241 square feet/student.
  • Roxboro Middle: built 1931, 111,152 square feet, 576 students, 193 square feet/student.
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Volume 17, Issue 6, Posted 8:53 AM, 05.29.2024

CH's community grants should be fully transparent

Cleveland Heights is not the only city where community development grants can be abused by developers and landlords for personal gain. This is a national issue. Other cities, however, have attempted to minimize this abuse by providing transparency to residents by instituting the following measures: 

  • Publish detailed information on the grant application process, eligibility criteria, and selection process. This allows residents to understand how grant decisions are made.
  • Create an online portal or database listing all community grant recipients, project descriptions, and award amounts. This provides public access to see how funds are allocated.
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Volume 17, Issue 6, Posted 10:54 AM, 05.29.2024

Gas lawn equipment is a danger to health and climate

Quiet Clean Heights—a grassroots advocacy campaign that seeks to raise awareness of the health, hearing and environmental impacts of gas leaf blowers in residential communities—applauds Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren’s support for Air Quality Awareness Week (May 6–9), as well as the city’s Lawnmower Exchange Program, in which 90 Dewalt electric mowers will replace residents’ gas mowers.

Gas-powered lawn equipment is a significant source of greenhouse gas. Our biggest source of direct, local emissions are natural gas furnaces, water heaters, and stoves. With warm weather, lawn maintenance equipment emissions take over. Gas leaf blowers, or blowers of any kind, used to be rare. Commercial lawn care services with large, powerful and loud gas-powered equipment have become increasingly common in our neighborhoods over just a few years.

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Volume 17, Issue 6, Posted 8:49 AM, 05.29.2024

Why Cedar Fairmount grocery space merits $1 million city subsidy

The Cedar-Fairmount community and neighborhood blogs have been abuzz with discussions surrounding the proposed $1 million [city] subsidy to secure a Grocery Outlet in our neighborhood. The information outlined here is intended to address some misconceptions and shed light on the critical need for this subsidy.

Modernization is imperative: The Cedar-Grandview Building is 100 years old. Times have changed, and so have the requirements of businesses, especially grocery stores. The time-honored business model for grocery stores across the U.S. is to make major capital re-investments every 15–20 years in order to be competitive. When the grocery store was Russo’s, we did major renovations in 1951, 1961, 1969, 1985 and 1992. After Giant Eagle acquired the store, they did a modest remodel in 2001, followed by the mostly cosmetic changes made by Dave’s. Thirty years of incremental updates by our tenants to the grocery space—and the current three-level infrastructure, designed a century ago—plain and simply isn’t conducive to modern grocery operations.

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Volume 17, Issue 5, Posted 10:26 AM, 04.29.2024

CH should not fund Russos' remodel

In January an opinion in the Heights Observer praised Sal Russo as a landlord and member of the community, and stated he would be bringing a new grocer to Cedar Fairmount. In February, Mr. Russo announced Grocery Outlet Bargain Market as Dave’s replacement at a city council meeting. In March he hosted a meeting for the neighborhood, to introduce Grocery Outlet. He stated then that a city subsidy of $1 million would be required to make necessary repairs to the building, to lease the space to Grocery Outlet. When asked if he could apply for a loan, he did not respond. He asked the meeting attendees to engage in a letter-writing campaign to members of city council to [support funding] the remodeling.

I believe that, as owner and landlord of the Cedar Grandview building, he is responsible for its maintenance and repairs. I do not think it is fair that taxpayers be asked to fund its remodeling to meet the needs of a prospective tenant.

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Volume 17, Issue 5, Posted 10:30 AM, 04.29.2024

Disabled are unwelcome in CH

It is illegal for the city to create barriers to the disabled, according to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The city of Cleveland Heights did, however, bar this disabled person from ready, easy and respectful entry to a city meeting of its Noble Road study module on March 19.

I had notified city staff I required assistance accessing the handicapped entryway for the preceding module held at Oxford Elementary School a month before. They complied.

The March 19 module notice claimed the front door of Monticello Middle School was handicapped accessible. Unfamiliar with the renovated school, I believed that claim.

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Volume 17, Issue 5, Posted 10:23 AM, 04.29.2024

CH City Council is being silly again

Cleveland Heights City Council is at it again.

I do not recall any of its members campaigning for election by advertising their foreign policy expertise. But now that they have been elected, they are all committed to expressing official opinions about foreign policy. The most recent example is a watered-down resolution passed unanimously calling for, among other things, a cease-fire in Gaza.

It seems fitting that this resolution was adopted on April Fools’ Day.

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Volume 17, Issue 5, Posted 10:21 AM, 04.29.2024

Consider lifecycle of CH-UH schools

The CH-UH school district has an aging building inventory. Excluding the fully renovated high school, the average building age in the district is 77 years. Even well-maintained buildings eventually need to be gutted, rebuilt, or replaced to continue to effectively serve their intended function.

Most buildings, depending on the quality and care of construction, have a lifecycle of 25 to 50 years. Good maintenance can extend the life of a building, some building systems last longer than others, and some systems are easier to maintain and replace. Old heating systems are inefficient and sometimes dangerous. (Anyone still have a coal furnace?) Electrical systems installed 50 years ago are insufficient to support current demands. Changes in code requirements can also lead to costly improvements.

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Volume 17, Issue 5, Posted 10:19 AM, 04.29.2024

Where is the retail at Top of the Hill?

Fully one year into the opening of The Ascent at the Top of the Hill, there remains no retail establishment that has moved into the first floors of the complex.

From 2016 through its completion in 2023, community meetings were held, questions answered, and promises made that led the community to believe that this project would be a benefit for all of Cleveland Heights. "Density is Good" became an unspoken mantra, while neighbors were assured that no parking problems would ensue, and we could all take delight in the new shops and restaurants that would arrive. Plus, the extra taxes from those services and employees would provide a civic boost.

One year in: crickets.

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Volume 17, Issue 4, Posted 10:53 AM, 03.28.2024

What's up with Wiley?

What is the CH-UH City School District’s plan for Wiley?

Wiley opened in 1954 and was used as a middle school for 60 years. In 2015, the district closed Wiley as a middle school and spent approximately $13 million for it to function as a “swing space” during the renovation of the high school.

The cost of the renovations at Wiley included the lease of temporary modular classrooms. All deferred maintenance and code issues were also addressed at that time. When the students moved out of Wiley, the building was in good condition. Yet Wiley has remained empty since the opening of the renovated middle schools in 2018.

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Volume 17, Issue 4, Posted 11:19 AM, 03.28.2024

Noble Action Group forms to mobilize residents and businesses

Cleveland Heights’ city leaders introduced the Noble Road Comprehensive Planning Study to Noble Road residents during a meeting at Caledonia Elementary School on Jan. 24. This plan includes the entire Noble Corridor, from the Noble-Nela Business District (East Cleveland) to the Warrensville Center and Mayfield roads intersection. (The study can be viewed at www.clevelandheights.gov/1680/Noble-Road-Corridor-Comprehensive-Planni.)

The study is described in greater detail in the Jan. 26 City News Update, on the city's website. Listed were a range of services, amenities, and essential needs we lack here, along with potential economic development related to commercial and residential structures.

The meeting was well attended by Noble residents. However, several residents expressed anger and frustration at having been in this situation before.

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Volume 17, Issue 3, Posted 3:07 PM, 02.28.2024

Voters should choose candidates not parties

In his opinion in the February issue of the Heights Observer, Edward Olszewski offered observations about partisan politics in Cleveland Heights.

He correctly stated that Republicans in the 1970s were first to make local elections more partisan. They used partisanship to obtain political control of CH City Hall.  Democrats then became dominant with their campaigns in the 1980s. They took over political control and raised partisanship to an even higher level. (I admit I was as guilty of causing that to happen as Mr. Olszewski.) Ballot language might have made elections non-partisan. But members of the Cleveland Heights Democratic Club during and after the 1980s did not even pretend that they were. And their campaigning shows how effective partisan tactics can be.

The November 2021 election for the CH-UH school board is a good example.

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Volume 17, Issue 3, Posted 3:04 PM, 02.28.2024

What’s happening with CH's Climate Action Plan?

Last year, Cleveland Heights hired a Sustainability Coordinator and contracted with consultant Nutter Inc. to develop a Climate Action and Resilience Plan. Other than a few meet-and-greet events last October, the public hasn’t heard much regarding the plan, and there hasn’t been any public messaging on climate actions for individuals and households.

Climate change is a massive, global train wreck, happening in slow motion, that we can’t stop. But we can stop fueling it and lessen its power, allowing time to prepare and adapt; to minimize damage and suffering. Amid urgent reports, we hear nothing regarding our city’s climate action plan, and no calls to action.

In Cleveland Heights, many of us have resources to stay comfortable in the event of power blackouts or water and gas supply disruptions—for a few days.

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Volume 17, Issue 3, Posted 3:01 PM, 02.28.2024

CH council leadership sets forth new agenda

Davida Russell and I are delighted to have been elected (on Jan. 2) as the new leadership team for Cleveland Heights City Council.

As council president, I wanted to make sure we hit the ground running. At the time I wrote this, on Jan. 14, Council Vice President Russell and I had already met with the mayor, most council members, our council clerk, the law director and several residents.

The first thing we wanted to do was get a plan together and begin executing it. Here is what we were able to accomplish in the first two weeks:

  • For the first time since the city’s new form of government was established, we were able to get the packets (legislative agenda) out on the Wednesday, instead of Friday, before our Monday council meetings thanks to the cooperation of our council clerk, the law director and the administration. This will allow council members more time to get questions answered ahead of the Monday meetings.
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Volume 17, Issue 2, Posted 4:57 PM, 01.30.2024

CH council members and mayor must 'play nicer'

I appreciate what it can be like for a city council president in Cleveland Heights to manage activities of seven council members. After all, I had four years’ experience performing a very similar job. Once I described it as being like herding cats. Given recent history, new CH City Council President Tony Cuda may find out what I meant.

City council members are equals. As their elected leader, the council president can set the tone and the agenda. But his effectiveness will depend on how much cooperation he gets. Hopefully, each member will put their ego aside and act constructively as part of a team.

The most important job of any city council member is to understand what the city is doing, to appreciate what else needs to be done, and to help articulate action plans in the form of resolutions and ordinances.

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Volume 17, Issue 2, Posted 4:56 PM, 01.30.2024

Housing inspection and code compliance should be top priorities

I hope whoever runs for mayor of Cleveland Heights recognizes that the city's future depends squarely on the condition of its homes and apartments. With most properties over or nearly 100 years old, combating deterioration is the top priority by far. 

The more that properties deteriorate, the less likely owners (particularly absentee) will be willing and able to make proper repairs, let alone upgrades—and the less likely responsible residents who seek high-quality housing will be willing to live in Cleveland Heights. This, in-turn, pushes remaining constructive residents elsewhere, which weakens property values and tax bases and forces ultra-high tax rates, which is more reason to go elsewhere.

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Volume 17, Issue 2, Posted 4:45 PM, 01.30.2024

Non-partisan politics in CH

In the December Heights Observer, Deborah Van Kleef and Carla Rautenberg lamented the loss of non-partisan races in Cleveland Heights politics.

Some of our founding fathers argued against political parties as destructive of true democracy, often devolving into pettiness and narrow partisanship.

When my wife and I moved to Cleveland Heights in the 1970s, we were pleased to learn that voting for city offices at the time was non-partisan. As we moved into our new home on Euclid Heights Boulevard and prepared to vote in our first election for city council, we found ourselves receiving mail intended for the previous owner of the house. Among the letters to be forwarded were flyers from the Republican Party recommending lists of candidates who included Marjorie Wright and her Republican cadre.

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Volume 17, Issue 2, Posted 4:44 PM, 01.30.2024

Russo family plans to bring grocery store to Cedar Fairmount

Here’s an e-mail I sent to the Cleveland Heights mayor and city council members:

I met the Russo family in September 1980, when I moved my consulting practice from my home to the Cedar Grandview Building, above Merit Drug (now gone) and Russo’s Stop n Shop. A handshake with Sal was my lease. 

In 1993, Sal was on the honorary board of the Coventry PEACE Playground, along with Tommy Fello. We held a fundraiser at the store, with Russo’s local specialty vendors donating the catering. The following spring, Sal and Tommy contributed to Coventry’s Cookin’. The remaining copies are now available at the Big Fun pop-up. Steve Presser will donate the proceeds to the Coventry PEACE Park renovation.

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Volume 17, Issue 1, Posted 11:50 AM, 12.28.2023

Bring back civics education

Now that the election for the CH-UH school board is over, I offer a modest proposal: The board should restore civics to the high school curriculum as a required course.

When I attended the Heights schools, there was such a required course. It was taught poorly. Most students tried hard to stay awake; few paid much attention. But perhaps that is because the board did not take its requirement seriously enough.

Children now are growing up with no understanding of how local governments operate. They could not tell a Board of Zoning Appeals from a Planning Commission. Later, as adults, they fail to appreciate how to gain access to elected or appointed officials. They become frustrated because they believe nobody at city halls listens. They lack a real ability to understand and influence important public decisions that affect them.

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Volume 17, Issue 1, Posted 11:48 AM, 12.28.2023

Support local this holiday season—and all year long

While striving to shop local/eat local is a mindset worth maintaining year 'round, supporting small businesses throughout the month of December is a must.

Small businesses not only provide residents with needed goods and services, they provide community space and help define a neighborhood's character.

While the convenience of online retailers might beckon, Heights residents can help build camaraderie and strengthen their neighborhoods by investing their dollars into the lifeblood of the Heights—and any—community: mom-and-pop shops, other local retailers, and restaurants.

While the surest way to support local is through spending money in Heights business districts, there are other ways to get the entire neighborhood involved.

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Volume 16, Issue 12, Posted 4:38 PM, 11.29.2023

Cumberland pool should be open all summer, every summer

Susie Kaeser described Cumberland pool in her October 2022 Heights Observer column:

“It is where we get to hang out together and encounter friends and strangers who share our interests. This is a public space, and the public uses it! I love the sounds of splashing water, youthful horsing around, and quiet conversations. It’s the best place to cool off, exercise, watch the clouds and feel like I’m part of our community.”

Cumberland embodies much of what we love about our community, and learning that it might be taken from us, even temporarily, caused a great deal of angst. 

At the Sept. 18 Cleveland Heights Council Committee of the Whole meeting, Mayor Seren surprised many by introducing an organization tasked with investigating the feasibility of creating both new outdoor and indoor swimming pools in Cleveland Heights.

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Volume 16, Issue 12, Posted 4:36 PM, 11.29.2023

CH needs more pedestrian-friendly initiatives

As a father of two young children, I was excited to attend the Heights Halloween Festival on Oct. 21. The day before, event organizers advertised in an official e-mail newsletter that "a portion of Lee Road will be closed." Upon arriving, however, I was disappointed to find only a few hundred square feet of Meadowbrook Boulevard converted for pedestrian use. Lee Road remained open, leaving hundreds of kids and caretakers to jostle along sidewalks while cars zoomed by a few feet away. This is not only disappointing but also dangerous.

Cleveland Heights should prioritize the safety of its residents and visitors, particularly during community events like the Halloween festival and the recent Music Hop (which was plagued by similar safety concerns). If ever there was a time to experiment and try new things that benefit the community, this was it.

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Volume 16, Issue 12, Posted 4:39 PM, 11.29.2023

Larson expresses gratitude to CH voters

It is Friday, Nov. 10. The election results on Tuesday humbled me and filled me with gratitude. I am grateful for everyone who supported my campaign, including those who: circulated BOE candidate petitions, held Meet and Greets in their homes, put out yard signs, dropped literature throughout the city, called and texted and e-mailed their support during the campaign and after the results were in.

I could not have completed this journey without the support of the Cleveland Heights voters. Special thanks to Josie Moore; Karen Grochau; my daughter, Becca; Davida Russell, Tony Cuda; Sandy Moran; my wonderful friends Marty Artzberger, Kay Dunlap and Jean Sylak and Linda Striefsky. Jim Petras and Justin Karr were my heroes—they finished up the literature drops and stood with me at the Candy Crawls at Lee and Coventry.

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Volume 16, Issue 12, Posted 5:03 PM, 11.12.2023

Hart thanks Cleveland Heights residents

Thank you to our residents for your belief in me over the past four years. I am proud that I ran a good, positive campaign, and thankful for the substantial support from our residents. Now it is time for a new chapter in my life. 

I am pleased to have had the opportunity to help my beloved city. I have worked hard and am proud of my accomplishments on council, which include putting in place a successful diversion program for homeowners with housing violations to get help to repair their homes and stay out of court. I want to see that program continue. I proposed and passed legislation to help hold banks and landlords accountable, provided training for new council members with staff and with the Ohio Municipal League, allocated ARPA funds to help our businesses and residents, and put in place a robust budget process for council.

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Volume 16, Issue 12, Posted 5:03 PM, 11.12.2023

The train wreck at Noble Station

The recent Noble Station train wreck is the result of failure on several levels. The proposed affordable housing development didn’t travel far, and its slow derailment was painful to watch.

The sequence of events started when an out-of-state developer, TWG Development, approached the Cleveland Heights administration with an offer to purchase city-owned land at the corner of Noble and Woodview roads to build a new 52-unit affordable-apartment building.

Cleveland Heights City Council, in December 2022, unanimously passed an ordinance authorizing the mayor to execute a purchase agreement with TWG.

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Volume 16, Issue 11, Posted 11:28 AM, 10.30.2023

CH should fund repairs on public property

I live in Cleveland Heights and received an advertisement for a water-line protection program for covered repairs, i.e., insurance. A diagram in the ad illustrates coverage from the edge of the homeowner’s property to the home, not from the water main to the home, which leaves me in a quandary.

In Cleveland Heights, the mayor maintains a “policy” that repairs are the homeowner’s responsibility to the curb, or, practically, from the mains to a home, for both water and sewer. This means that the lines on public property, between the edge of the homeowner’s property and main, are the homeowner’s responsibility. Thus, according to the diagram in the ad, they are not covered by its water-line protection program.

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Volume 16, Issue 11, Posted 11:08 AM, 10.30.2023

Mayor Seren should leave the Catholic Diocese alone

Mayor Seren proposes a Cleveland Heights government attack upon a religious institution. He wants government to do battle with the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. This battle would be intended to advance gay rights.

The Diocese has adopted new policies in its Cleveland Heights schools. They will bar LGBTQ expression, use of preferred pronouns, pride flags, and same-sex couples at school dances. Parents voluntarily place their children in these schools. They obviously prefer such policies; otherwise, they would place their children elsewhere. But Seren believes children need “protection” from these Diocese policies and from their own parents. So, he proposes to make the policies illegal.

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Volume 16, Issue 11, Posted 11:04 AM, 10.30.2023

All kids deserve safe schools

As a lifelong Catholic and an alumna of Catholic schools, I am heartbroken by the policy announced this month by the Cleveland Diocese [regarding sexuality and gender identity].

Kids deserve safe schools. Whether [kids] are just figuring out their own identity or have a family member who is trans or queer, these policies do nothing more than exclude and hurt them. Just hearing the news has re-injured so many former Catholics who already felt excluded, and it will be the last straw for others.

We have some wonderful Catholic schools in the Heights where loving, pastoral teachers educate students of all faiths and backgrounds. They’ve been put in a terrible position and it's important that all of us who grew up Catholic and care about the LGBTQ community speak up.

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Volume 16, Issue 11, Posted 11:01 AM, 10.30.2023

CH needs Larson and Petras on council

If you read my opinion in the September edition of the Heights Observer, you know three things:

  • Things are not going well on city council.
  • Re-electing Gail Larson and electing Jim Petras will help make our city council more productive
  • All six candidates for city council are members of the Cleveland Heights Democratic Club; all six participated in the club’s endorsement process; only Larson and Petras were endorsed by the CH Democrats—by the voters who know them best.

What I did not talk about were the critical issues Cleveland Heights will face in the next two years:

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Volume 16, Issue 11, Posted 2:09 PM, 10.19.2023