Larry Householder trial starts with talk of fancy DC restaurants and censured lawyers: Today in Ohio

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The prosecutor set the scene of personal jets and fancy dinners. The choose advised protection attorneys to knock off their eye rolling and pen clicking. And protection attorneys portrayed former Home Speaker Larry Householder as a hardworking public servant.

We’re speaking about openings in Householder’s trial, over the most important corruption scandal in Ohio historical past, on At present in Ohio.

Pay attention on-line right here.

Editor Chris Quinn hosts our day by day half-hour information podcast, with impression editor Leila Atassi, editorial board member Lisa Garvin and content material director Laura Johnston.

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Listed here are the questions we’re answering right now:

The trial of Larry Householder in Ohio’s largest each corruption case had opening statements Monday, giving us loads to debate. For one, Householder plans to testify, his legal professionals say. Let’s begin with all of the discuss Householder and FirstEnergy bigwigs at a flowery Washington restaurant. The prosecution talked about it a superb bit.

We had a Brendan Byrne second within the trial involving Dave Yost. Brendan Byrne was the New Jersey governor within the Nineteen Seventies, and on line casino playing got here to Atlantic Metropolis, and federal investigators sporting a wiretap heard mobsters name Byrne the person who couldn’t be purchased. What was the Dave Yost second within the Ohio corruption case that we realized about Monday?

Earlier than Householder’s protection attorneys even made their assertion, the choose within the case allow them to have it. What was the choose upset about?

The 2022 numbers are in for Cleveland Hopkins Worldwide Airport. Has it reached its pre-pandemic passenger degree?

Why is Cleveland Metropolis Council combating with the mayor’s workplace over who controls spending of the on line casino income the town will get? Town is ready up in order that the council approves the general price range and insurance policies, and the mayor carries them out. Is the council in search of to create slush funds or one thing?

With Matt Dolan an introduced opponent and taking no finish of pot pictures already at incumbent Sherrod Brown, has Brown now taken an official step to indicate he plans to hunt re-election?

We’ve talked concerning the attainable advantage of participatory budgeting being that extra individuals become involved in politics, attainable growing voter turnout. So why is Cleveland Metropolis Council President Blaine Griffin so useless set in opposition to a plan to make use of $5 million for such a undertaking?

We all know what the large numbers are for the approaching minimize in SNAP advantages — what we used to name meals stamps. However what is going to this imply to particular person households?

We talked about airways, however we even have numbers for 2022 for lodge occupancy in Higher Cleveland. If the airport site visitors isn’t again, it’s a superb guess that lodge stays aren’t both. What are the numbers?

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Learn the automated transcript beneath. As a result of it’s a computer-generated transcript, it incorporates many errors and misspellings.

[00:00:00] Chris: As we talked about yesterday, the Larry Householder trial started in earnest with opening statements, and we’ll be speaking about {that a} good bit on right now in Ohio. The information podcast dialogue from cleveland.com and the aircraft seller. I’m Chris Gwyn right here with Laura Johnston. Lisa Garvin, Leila Tasi, and. Every of you’ll have a chunk of this one cuz it’s so massive.

Let’s start. The trial did start, as we mentioned, with opening statements for one householder plan to testify, which they at all times say in the beginning, however you recognize, in a while. The legal professionals often prevail and inform ‘em, don’t do it as a result of the prosecutors will let you know alive. Let’s begin with all of the discuss householder and first vitality, massive wigs at a flowery restaurant in Washington, dc.

The prosecution referred to it repeatedly. Layla, what occurred there? . Yeah, it appears like

[00:00:52] Leila: lead federal prosecutor, Emily Gladfelter, did a extremely good job of taking jurors again to the very starting and setting the [00:01:00] scene describing for them this decadent journey to Washington DC in January, 2017, throughout which householder flew on first Power’s personal jet with Ben c e o, Chuck Jones and, and Cleveland businessman Tony George was there to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration, and whereas in DC they had been joined at what they stored referring to.

Fancy steakhouse by different key gamers within the case Prime First Power Government Mike Dowling and, and Jeff Longstreth, who on the time was House owners political supervisor and his proper hand man. So at this fancy steakhouse, prosecutors say they acquired to cooking up the scheme to make use of tens of tens of millions of first vitality {dollars} to gas homeowners political machine.

They mentioned House owners plan to turn out to be speaker and what his monetary wants had been and what first vitality wanted out of the deal. And the primary vitality govt mentioned they knew. Or on the time had no real interest in serving to them legislative legislatively. In order that they wanted householder to turn out to be speaker and so they had been keen to pay for it, however they made it clear that [00:02:00] the cash wanted to be non disclosable.

And so they met at a number of different fancy eating places in DC in response to the prosecutors, to hash out the plan earlier than householder flew again to Ohio once more on the company jet with first vitality executives and. Weeks later, lengthy Streif filed paperwork to Kind Technology now, which is that darkish cash political nonprofit that the prosecutor say was used to secretly funnel tens of millions of {dollars} from First Power to pay for the political operation.

And that nonprofit helped Householder get elected as home speaker helped push for HB six, defended it in opposition to a reap repeal effort, after which even helped householder push for a poll subject that may’ve modified time period limits so he might stay in his place for 16 years. So, It was a reasonably compelling, appears like a reasonably compelling opening from from the prosecutors.

[00:02:50] Chris: And it was gross. I imply, that is all the things. Voters don’t wish to hear about elected officers occurring the company jet, which that, that’s a [00:03:00] horrible look to start with. Yeah. You understand, first vitality basic controlling the State Home. Let’s go on our company jet. Woohoo. Drinks on us. Get to the costly restaurant, hatch the sleazy plot to to undo.

The residents wouldn’t need, and it’s simply, it’s a horrible factor. We should always point out too, Tony George once more comes up on this, he was there. The native man who was attempting to cut back council was attempting to do First Power’s bidding, um, in opposition to Cleveland Public Energy in Cleveland. He simply retains arising on this factor.

He was central to those conferences.

[00:03:35] Leila: Yeah, however to date he appears like he’s getting via it with out something sticking to him. So, Was he

[00:03:41] Chris: on the witness listing? May he testify? I don’t, that’s a

[00:03:44] Leila: actually good query. You’ll suppose that may be fascinating if he was current for all of this fancy. Fancy, you recognize, lavish dinners, ,

[00:03:53] Chris: shouldn’t we simply move a regulation saying in the event you’re an elected official, you may’t file on anyone’s company personal jet?

I imply, wouldn’t that simply be [00:04:00] a sensible factor? Don’t do. It ought to simply be

[00:04:01] Leila: widespread sense. I imply, there you may’t actually, I can’t consider a, you recognize, a corruption case that doesn’t contain company jets and fancy meals. I imply, that, that setting the scene that manner, I feel colours, it’s, um, colours it fairly dangerous.

[00:04:17] Chris: Nothing good ever outcomes from an elected official. Getting on to a personal company jet precisely is sort of precisely routinely dangerous issues are occurring right here. Discuss being within the room the place it occurred. That is within the jet the place it occurred. It’s right now in Ohio. I’m gonna surrender my Jersey roots right here.

We had a Brendan Burn second within the trial involving Dave Yost. Brendan Byrne was the New Jersey governor within the Nineteen Seventies when on line casino playing arrived in Atlantic Metropolis and federal investigators had been working a wire faucet again then, and so they heard mobsters name burn the person who couldn’t be purchased. This wasn’t fairly that degree, however Dave Yost had a second the place he comes out trying, okay, Laura, what was.

Yeah, he

[00:04:59] Laura: [00:05:00] does. So he didn’t give into this. Prosecutors say that Matt Borg simply acquired concerned within the scheme due to his relationship with DAOs. He hoped that Yost would reject any language for a referendum on the primary vitality nuclear bailout that didn’t work. That is sort of my understanding is act two of the corruption plot.

First, they need to get HB six handed. They’ve gotta get the billion greenback nuclear bailout for. For Firsty via the legislature, however then they needed to cope with the general public opinion, proper? They needed to battle again and defend it in opposition to residents who noticed this bailout as a nasty concept. So Emily Gla Felter, she’s the lead prosecutor for the US Lawyer’s Workplace.

She described this in her opening statements, so, That Matt Borges was meant to play within the scheme in clearly largest political corruption scandal in Ohio historical past. They each referred to as him each Householder and Bar Borges referred to as Yost whereas the language was pending in his workplace saying, you must deny this, and he’s attempting to argue that HB six wasn’t topic to a referendum, however [00:06:00] Yost rejected that recommendation.

[00:06:02] Chris: Properly, once more, sleazy, proper? As a result of sure, Borgess is an in depth buddy of Yost, so let’s get him on our payroll and use his friendship to undo the general public good. Sleazy, sleazy, sleazy. And look, I credit score Dave Yost. He, he did the precise factor though his buddy was begging him to do one thing totally different. And now we now have a good suggestion why Dave Yost is on the witness listing.

The, that is smart now,

[00:06:27] Laura: proper? I’m sorry. I used to be simply gonna say that, that is smart. So, however I, I didn’t anticipate this from, from him.

[00:06:35] Chris: Properly, I, I, look, I haven’t ever seen an indication that Dave Yost would do something sleazy. He, no, he had, he needed to rule on this query. He dominated on the rule of lie. He did the precise factor regardless of the strain.

It’s most likely not gonna be simple for him to testify in opposition to any person that’s described as his good buddy, however I, you recognize, we’ll depend on him to inform the reality. Subsequent earlier than House owners protection attorneys [00:07:00] even made their opening assertion, the choose within the case allow them to have it. Lisa, it virtually appears like they’re misbehaving frat boys.

What was the choose upset about? Yeah,

[00:07:09] Lisa: federal choose Timothy Black wasn’t having it from homeowners of. Attorneys, he was appalled by their habits in the course of the prosecutor’s opening arguments yesterday. They had been making faces, they had been clicking their pens loudly. He mentioned, come on, that is Bush League ways.

And he mentioned, quote, in the event you guys can’t behave your self, I’m gonna depart Mr. Householder on the desk with one in all his legal professionals and depart the stability of you within the gallery. In order that’s good. He’s setting the tone proper out of the gate, so he’s not gonna brick any nonsense.

[00:07:41] Chris: I do know, however what are, what sort of legal professionals are one?

How does clicking pens , what’s that which means of clicking pens? Is it simply to distract the jurors after which making eyes? I might suppose the jurors can be turned off by that.

[00:07:57] Lisa: I do know if I used to be a juror, I’d be turned [00:08:00] off By that, I imply, that’s it. It’s, and it’s sort of Bush It’s. It’s Bush League tactic. It

[00:08:05] Laura: seems like center faculty.

Proper? Like if I roll my eyes exhausting sufficient, they’re gonna know that what they’re saying is ridiculous. . Layla,

[00:08:12] Chris: you lined courts for some time. Did you ever see this clicking pens tactic?

[00:08:16] Leila: No. And it’s humorous, I used to be simply pondering that. Steven Bradley and Mark Marin. I’ve spent a whole lot of time watching them at, at trial as a result of they had been the, uh, counsel for Yazi Issa.

Do you bear in mind him? ? Oh yeah. And, um, they, they had been very skilled throughout that. I don’t recall ever there being a scenario the place they needed to be admonished by the choose for dangerous habits or for attempting to distract the jury or something like that. So this would possibly, this is likely to be their new. Their new

[00:08:44] Chris: method, , or perhaps that they had pens with caps again then and so they’ve moved on.

it’s right now in Ohio. The 2022 numbers are in for Cleveland Hopkins Worldwide Airport. Laura, has it reached its pre [00:09:00] pandemic passenger degree but?

[00:09:03] Laura: Not fairly. We’re nonetheless trying about 8.7 million passengers for the yr, which is nice. And that’s up from final yr, but it surely’s down considerably from the greater than 10 million who traveled via the power the yr earlier than the pandemic.

In order that they initially thought they had been gonna get to 9 million passengers this yr. However bear in mind all of the airline issues, the capability reductions, vacation journey woes, that caught below the ultimate quantity. However the Hopkins is fairly happy with it.

[00:09:31] Chris: I used to be shocked by the ratio that the totally different airways had.

The United remains to be the chief. Mm-hmm. , though it has minimize to date again. Proper. However then airways like Southwest and Frontier are manner down on the listing.

[00:09:44] Laura: Yeah. United had 26% of all Cleveland. Passengers, and also you gotta suppose that, I do know we’re not doing a whole lot of enterprise journey, however United isn’t the most affordable airline for many flights, though they do have direct flights to some locations.

American Airways was [00:10:00] second busiest with 18%. Delta was third. Frontier was fourth. Southwest, which is just about all I fly, was Fifth Spirit, sixth, JetBlue 2%, and Alaska has 1%. Yeah, I. However I

[00:10:12] Chris: had thought when the airport got here again after United reduce that the majority of the site visitors now was, was households, leisure and vacationers.

Yeah. Who’re doing what you do. They’re searching for low-cost airways, however evidently enterprise travels nonetheless trump’s tourism,

[00:10:27] Laura: journey. I imply, lots of people give it some thought, United was continental. Folks would possibly nonetheless really feel. Some sort of loyalty to that. And so they do fly, like I, they really fly direct to San Francisco, so there are some locations they go that it’s exhausting to get on another airline, however you’re proper, I used to be shocked by that.

I imply, large quantity in comparison with a whole lot of them. Uh, so nationwide, they’re nonetheless, I imply, we’re, we’re nonetheless fairly regular. That’s down 12% from the file degree in 2019. So it’s not like Cleveland is doing worse than most locations and Akron can. [00:11:00] They had been down 34% from 2019 ranges, however 29% over final yr. So, or sorry, over 2021.

They’re making a comeback

[00:11:08] Chris: too. And so they’re predicting they’ll hit the ten million quantity this yr. Sure.

[00:11:13] Laura: Sure. They suppose that’ll be regular ranges in 2023. All

[00:11:17] Chris: proper. You’re listening to right now in Ohio. Why is Cleveland Metropolis Council combating with the mayor’s workplace over who controls spending of on line casino income?

Town will get, the town is ready up in order that council approves the general price range and coverage, so that they’re already answerable for the cash The. The mayor then carries out their will. Leila, it looks like council is attempting to arrange slush funds once more. .

[00:11:40] Leila: Yeah. In in, in my humble opinion, that’s what this appears like.

And right here ooh, I do know. Proper. Right here’s, right here’s the total scope of what’s, what’s occurring. Metropolis council and the administration divide tens of millions of {dollars} in on line casino tax income with council getting 15% of the cash within the metropolis, getting the opposite 85, and for council. That [00:12:00] amounted to simply below 2 million final yr, and so they divide that cash evenly amongst council’s 17 wards.

However Councilman Richard Starr has proposed an ordinance that seeks to divide the on line casino tax income evenly between council and the administration to any extent further that may give council a further 5 million to. As council members see match, the argument is that their constituents usually are not being adequately served by the administration, and this cash can be used to offer providers that the administration is failing to offer.

So throughout a council caucus on Monday, council members began to gripe with the town’s finance chief ahma that the. Too sluggish to get cash out the door as soon as council accepted spending on a sure undertaking, and, and that is council’s manner of taking management of that in response to, uh, in accordance Al Metropolis Corridor reporter, she mentioned tensions had been actually working excessive within the room.

Ama mentioned this proposal can be fiscally irresponsible. And he, he [00:13:00] argued that giving council this extra share of on line casino cash would. Siphoning cash from different necessary providers. He mentioned the price of offering providers is rising and solely twice in 20 years has the town’s annual revenues exceeded bills.

Within the different 18 years, the town needed to dump buildings and stuff like that to stability the price range. So principally he’s saying each penny of these tens of millions in on line casino tax income is necessary. And he additionally pointed to metropolis accounting that reveals that truly. Council tends to pull its ft on the subject of spending their on line casino funds.

He mentioned that council had been sitting on about 6.6 million of the 16.8 million it had acquired since 2012. That’s like 40%. And you recognize, why would that be? Possibly to avoid wasting up for a selected pet undertaking. In the meantime, holding that cash sort of hostage. And Courtney mentioned there was all types of ranker on the caucus desk.

Members had been simply refuting the numbers, accusing. A bon of dealing a low [00:14:00] blow and placing this earlier than the reporters. I imply, it simply acquired actually ugly. Properly,

[00:14:04] Chris: however the council is manner outta line on this. The slush fund motion began again when Mike White was mayor and so they acquired a windfall from employees’ comp, and so they handed a rule to provide the cash to every council individual, which turned them into little fiefdoms and it’s not the way in which to do it.

After which all of the street paving cash was once divided evenly among the many phrases. And Frank Jackson. And Kevin Kelly’s council president ended that it, it was like, we gotta do the place the wants are. We gotta consider the town on the entire and cease treating this like 17 particular person little villages council to behave just like the, the.

Town cash is totally different than the council. Cash is preposterous. If they’ve points with packages, why aren’t they giving examples? What isn’t getting achieved that they suppose is just too sluggish? Have hearings about that they’ve that energy and get it achieved, however giving every of them cash that [00:15:00] no good comes of that.

We’ve seen it what the county council, they’ve s squatted cash left and proper and we’ve held the town council up for instance of methods to conduct enterprise. We. And now Blaine Griffin and Firm wanna go the slush fund route.

[00:15:12] Leila: It’s the the factor, yeah. I’ll be trustworthy with you and I, I don’t actually see a lot of a distinction between what Metropolis Council is attempting to do with this cash and what County Council has been doing with its ARPA discretionary funds.

I imply, in each situations we’ve acquired elected officers desirous to spend the cash on pet initiatives and their award or district, and that’s a extremely slippery slope towards political patronage. And in metropolis council’s case, I imply there’s an, there’s that added dimension in Metropolis Council’s case of, you recognize, as a result of, as a result of council members are permitted to sit down on their share of cash for years and hoard it to avoid wasting up for one large pet undertaking, you recognize, that starves the ward for years.

It’s, you recognize, it takes cash away from the, the final fund. I imply, it’s, it’s a horrible, horrible plan. And I’m shocked they don’t, they don’t see what county council has been via when it comes to public [00:16:00] opinion on. Properly,

[00:16:01] Chris: the opposite factor is there’s no overview. Mainly, in the event that they wanna do one thing, you recognize, they’ll say, nicely, the entire council votes on it.

No, they don’t as a result of no council individual will vote in opposition to the man council individual’s undertaking for worry of getting votes in opposition to theirs. So it places individuals. Answerable for spending tens of millions of {dollars}. That’s not the way in which authorities is ready up. This can be a full and wholesale violation of what’s purported to occur on this metropolis.

They set the spending priorities, they set the coverage. The mayor carries ‘em out. If the mayor’s not doing it, Name ‘em in, make him reply questions. They’ve that energy. However given these guys particular person tens of millions of {dollars}, that’s loopy city, I couldn’t consider. And Mike Pesic saying the honeymoon is over.

Yeah, like Proper. He gave Justin Biba move for the primary yr. We didn’t, we didn’t watch him in any respect. Now we’re gonna watch him. It’s simply hokum. They’re attempting to get cash of their pockets to allow them to go round and care for individuals. Yeah. Posik

[00:16:56] Leila: was criticizing the administration for [00:17:00] Poo-pooing this proposal whereas concurrently pushing.

Desirous to put aside cash to what’s, you recognize, often called participatory price range. Yeah, we’re gonna get to that

[00:17:08] Chris: one. So, however you

[00:17:09] Leila: know, he posik was like, you may’t have it each methods. You understand, that cash might additionally, may very well be used for normal fund wants and that Yeah. And it led to him being just like the honeymoon’s over.

I imply, it simply looks like. The connection is fraying between council and and bid.

[00:17:24] Chris: We’ll get to that one in a second. It’s right now in Ohio with Matt Dolan, an introduced opponent in taking no finish of pot pictures already and incumbent. She Brown has Brown now taken an official step to indicate he plans to hunt reelection as a US Senator from Ohio.

Lisa, what’s he as much as?

[00:17:42] Lisa: Brown is employed a marketing campaign supervisor for 2024. Her identify is Rachel Petri. She was, uh, a former communications help again in his senate workplace and was his media spokesperson for his 2018 marketing campaign. Um, she was additionally the deputy marketing campaign supervisor for US Senator [00:18:00] Rafael Warnock, Georgia Reelection.

Which, as everyone knows, is a really exhausting fought and really intently watched Senate race the place Herschel Walker misplaced, thank goodness. Um, she’s from jap Ohio. She’s a Miami College alumni. She, uh, as Brown mentioned, she’s a daughter of Jap Ohio who understands the dignity of labor and what it takes to win powerful races.

And this will probably be a tricky race. I didn’t know this, however Brown is one in all solely three democratic senators in Congress and states. Trump gained in 2020. The opposite two are Joe Manchin in West Virginia and, uh, Joe Tester in Montana. And as everyone knows, there’s already a challenger two years out Ohio. Senator Matt Dolan of Chagrin Falls has challenged him and the nationwide g o p has wasted no time in getting their assault advertisements.

They have already got one working that claims Retire or get fired.

[00:18:54] Chris: It’s shocking how virtually in a single day with the Portman Departure, [00:19:00] Ohio Senate racists have was two yr battles. I don’t suppose she, brown was most likely anticipating this, that he’d need to ramp up virtually two full years earlier than election day.

However, however he’s as a result of Matt Dolan, hey, he’s, man, he’s been firing off e-mail after e-mail, taking pictures.

[00:19:18] Lisa: Properly, and I feel we noticed what occurred within the Portman race that attracted tens of millions and tens of millions of {dollars} of cash from out of state. And we are able to assume, you recognize, that the identical factor’s gonna occur on this race.

They, they see a Republican, see a vulnerability right here, and so they wish to, you recognize, swoop in and get him outta Congress.

[00:19:37] Chris: All proper. Properly, we gotta be speaking about that race for the subsequent two years. It’s right now in Ohio. Okay. Now, Layla, participatory budgeting. We’ve talked about the way it’s a good suggestion for getting individuals extra concerned in politics.

Mm-hmm. in a metropolis with atrocious voter turnout. So that is Blockhead Metropolis Council, half two. Why is metropolis council so useless set in opposition to a [00:20:00] undertaking, a reasonable undertaking? To convey individuals into the method. Mm-hmm. .

[00:20:05] Leila: Yeah. So for, as a recap for listeners, participatory budgeting is, is the concept you’ll carve out a set amount of cash, and in Cleveland’s case we’re speaking about $510,000 of American Rescue Plan Act cash and provides it to residents to vote on the way it ought to be spent.

The group would type, they’d type a 21 member resident steering committee, and so they maintain an election the place residents can forged votes on-line. Favourite undertaking concepts and the successful concepts can be executed. And the purpose is that not solely would residents play a much bigger function in bettering their neighborhood, but it surely might additionally encourage participation within the democratic course of.

Folks would, you recognize, maybe extra doubtless, you recognize, they’d be extra more likely to present up. To vote on election day in the event that they’ve been included in one thing like this, or perhaps they’d even really feel impressed to run for workplace themselves. Properly, Justin Bibb loves this concept. He initially needed to put aside 5 million for this idea and, and advocates needed 31 million[00:21:00]

However I feel Bibb realized assist for it was restricted amongst council members. So he began. Small together with his ask, and he proposed to metropolis council and it was scheduled for a ground vote final evening. However when the proposal acquired to Metropolis Council’s Finance Committee yesterday, which is the final cease earlier than full council approval, it hit an actual snag.

There was loads of assist from numerous council members, primarily from the most recent members of the physique, a few of whom campaigned on the virtues of bringing this concept to Cleveland, however there was a whole lot of opposition too, and it turned clear. That this proposal wouldn’t have the votes that wanted to move final evening, so they only determined to desk it for now.

Amongst these opposed was Council President Blaine Griffin. Reporter Lucas Dri famous in his story that it’s customary for the chair of the finance committee so as to add his or her identify to the piece as a co-sponsor. However Blaine Griffin had not achieved that with this piece. And his argument is that voters are already collaborating within the civic course of once they elect.

Their council [00:22:00] representatives and he mentioned, you recognize, if you’re doing all of your job as a councilperson, you’re speaking to individuals each day and representing their pursuits. However he mentioned he introduced it out, introduced this co this proposal out for a committee listening to as a result of he thinks public debate on such an initiative is wholesome.

And he didn’t wanna deprive counsel of that, but it surely, it simply didn’t make it to the ground.

[00:22:21] Chris: The, the professional look, he’s proper. We elect metropolis council. They’re the physique that’s purported to set the price range, however Cleveland is damaged. We don’t have individuals turning out to vote. There’s a, only a disaffection of Clevelanders to the entire political course of.

They really feel like they’ve been forgotten. They’re making it clear each voting day. So why? Do take a step, a reasonable step that may simply hearth the imaginations and convey individuals out. I, I don’t get it. I, this metropolis council, we held them up for Blaine Griffin’s first yr as president, as a mannequin for methods to behave.

And it’s like, oh, we don’t wanna be held up that manner. We wanna act like [00:23:00] kids and be, and be criticized. Once more, I, I, that is dumb. They need to routinely do that if it has any likelihood of working. If it doesn’t work, they haven’t spent that a lot cash and so they. They’ll abandon it, however what if it really works,

[00:23:14] Leila: proper?

I imply, and $510,000 is a pittance within the metropolis price range to simply experiment with that. And it’s been confirmed in different communities. However you recognize, I, I’m not at Metropolis Corridor nowadays the way in which our reporters are, however I understand how Metropolis Corridor works and I, I do know just a few of the personalities concerned on this debate and, and what I see occurring is that this, About participatory budgeting got here on the heels of the opposite debate earlier within the day on the council caucus about splitting the on line casino tax income between council and the administration.

And the finance director advised council at that listening to that he thought giving a council a much bigger share of that cash can be an irresponsible transfer, and council members had been so mad about. That, and I feel that that spilled over into this participatory budgeting listening to. I imply, even, you recognize, like I mentioned, [00:24:00] Polin on the caucus linked the dots and principally mentioned, you’ve acquired a whole lot of nerve asking us to put aside cash for residents to spend whereas denying counsel, the prospect to resolve how on line casino income ought to be spent.

And you may’t have it each methods. So, however so, Yeah, the

[00:24:13] Chris: fallacy there’s council does decide how the on line casino cash is spent. They move the price range. The mayor proposes the price range. The council has full energy to set it. So if council needs a bunch of initiatives achieved within the ward, they will try this within the budgeting course of.

It begins once more February 1st. The mayor’s gotta ship his price range in one other, what? Week and a half? Mm-hmm. . And so they have full authority to try this proper there. This concept. . Every particular person needs cash to manage themselves is the place the illness begins, and that’s the place corruption can come up, proper? They’ll get their initiatives achieved.

They may, as a part of the budgeting course of, arrange a subcommittee to say, okay, let’s get all of the initiatives council individuals need. Let’s [00:25:00] overview them and let’s work out a method to pay for them inside this price range. That’s the work they need to be doing,

[00:25:05] Leila: proper? However as a substitute they, they need, they need. Constituents to see them immediately spending the {dollars} on issues that can win them reelection.

They like to take credit score for stuff that’s, you recognize, proper there. And, and doing it via the conventional budgetary course of or the legislative course of is simply too, too far faraway from, you recognize, their election reelection targets. . Yeah.

[00:25:29] Chris: Cuz they will’t do backslapping and

[00:25:31] Leila: Proper. They’ll’t take direct credit score

[00:25:33] Chris: for.

It’s dangerous information. It’s actually dangerous information. What’s occurring right here? It’s right now in Ohio. We all know what the large numbers are for the approaching minimize in SNAP advantages, what we used to name meals stamps. However Lisa, what is going to this imply to particular person households? Yeah. Simply

[00:25:49] Lisa: to recap, we talked, uh, final week on this podcast about how Cuyahoga County is dropping 23 million a.

In expanded Covid Snap advantages, uh, uh, on the finish of [00:26:00] February, and that impacts one in six Cuyahoga County residents, about 212,000 individuals. And meals financial institution, uh, advocates are saying this implies a lack of about 54 million meals. So, uh, Uh, Caitlin Durbin talked to a number of individuals who have been affected by this, who had been taking expanded COVID advantages that they’ll now lose.

One in all them was a 64 yr outdated colon most cancers affected person, Carrie trailer. She mentioned that her month-to-month SNAP advantages will go from $250. To $58 a month. She says she’ll most likely need to go from three meals a day to 2 and make different cuts as nicely. She additionally talked to a 26 yr outdated, let Tasia, she misplaced her SNAP advantages when her pay acquired raised simply a few {dollars} to $14 an hour.

In order that put her over the brink for SNAP advantages and he or she, I, it was sort of cute. She was sort of you. Accepting of it. She says, nicely, you recognize, I’m gonna need to eat much less and I’m gonna have to just accept extra [00:27:00] dinner dates now. So she’s attempting to be , she’s attempting to be pragmatic about it. However meals Financial institution and Starvation advocates are getting ready, however they are saying they aren’t gonna have the ability to totally meet the necessity.

Um, uh, chief Applications officer for the HU for the Meals Financial institution. Jessica Morgan says SNAP gives 9 instances as many meals that every one 199 US Meals banks. Mixed, so they only can’t make that up. And so they’re saying, sadly, meals pantries, that are purported to be an emergency factor, they’re really turning into the only supply of groceries for a lot of households.

[00:27:36] Chris: I don’t know what the reply is as a result of this was by no means seen as everlasting. This further profit was added to assist individuals address the pandemic. And so three years in, two and a half years in, it’s probably not within the price range to proceed it without end. I j I simply surprise how. The county and the town and others with some, some ARPA {dollars} would possibly reply if the meals financial institution predictions [00:28:00] are true once they do get overrun.

[00:28:01] Lisa: Properly, and, and you recognize, uh, Jessica Morgan was saying even with cash that they’re anticipating to return this summer time for the Cleveland Meals Financial institution, it’s nonetheless not gonna be sufficient. And, you recognize, it is a good storm as a result of covid, you recognize, the worst of it could be over, however then inflation has simply stored rising since then.

So it’s, it persons are in a sticky scenario.

[00:28:22] Chris: Okay. And you actually see it within the worth of eggs you’re listening to right now. In Ohio, we talked concerning the airways, however we even have numbers for final yr for lodge occupancy in Higher Cleveland. And if the airport site visitors isn’t again, it’s a superb guess that lodge stays or not both.

Laura, what are these numbers?

[00:28:40] Laura: Properly, we’re doing okay. So motels in Cleveland all through Ohio are recovering at a charge barely higher than the nationwide common, no less than by one metric of occupancy. And that measures, you recognize, the proportion of lodge rooms which might be full. It was 58% within the six county higher Cleveland area final yr.

That’s up from [00:29:00] 52% in 2021, nonetheless down from the 2019 pre pandemic quantity that was 61%. Uh, we’re doing very barely higher than arrest throughout Ohio. 58.2. We had been 58 level. However downtown Cleveland, that’s a sadder story. It’s taking the longest time to recuperate cuz enterprise journey has been sluggish and downtown Cleveland occupancy was 57% final yr.

Up 48% in 2021, down from 68% in 2019.

[00:29:32] Chris: Yeah, all of it feels prefer it goes hand in hand. So perhaps if air site visitors comes again stronger this yr as predicted, the lodge stays, we’ll get there. Uh, I don’t suppose anyone anticipated there’d be an. Turnaround in any of this,

[00:29:45] Laura: however no. Cincinnati and Columbus and Detroit are all really doing slightly bit higher than us.

Not by a ton. The one three we’re beating are St. Louis Houston in Minneapolis.

[00:29:57] Chris: All proper. You’re listening to right now in Ohio. That’s [00:30:00] it for a Tuesday. Thanks, Laura, Lisa and Leila. Thanks for listening to this podcast.