Wednesday, March 19, 2014

CLEVELAND EAST CLEVELAND MERGER

Momentum toward a merger of East Cleveland and Cleveland has increased.  The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that two prominent Cleveland City Councilmen have suggested that serious efforts to study the possibility of a merger be undertaken.  At this time the Mayors of both cities have spoken in favor of a merger but spokesmen for the East Cleveland City Council have spoken out against it.  Cleveland City Council President, Kevin Kelley and Cleveland Mayor, Frank Jackson have asked the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University to assist in their study of a possible merger of the two cities.

This blog first suggested the need for a merger back in September 2012.  The issue heated up in November 2013 when former Cleveland City Council President spoke in favor of merger.  Reaction to my initial suggestion and my recent posting about the issue has been mixed.  One of the readers of this blog states, "I don't see the advantages of being the bottom of Cleveland".  Most readers of this blog remember the East Cleveland, which existed during the 1940s, 50s and 60s.  We remember a well managed community with great economic resources.  Unfortunately that situation does not exist today.  East Cleveland needs help from its larger neighbor to maintain the remaining assets and develop more assets in the future.  If handled correctly, a merger would be a win win proposition for both community s.

Here is a link to the Plain Dealer article:  

http://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/index.ssf/2014/03/cleveland_takes_baby_steps_tow.html#cmpid=nwsltrhead

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5 comments:

  1. Janet VergithNovember 7, 2014 at 1:23 AM

    East Cleveland is a sad site to see for those of us who grew up there with wonderful memories of better times.

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    1. Robert DreifortNovember 8, 2014 at 10:47 AM

      Janet: Thanks for reading my blog. East Cleveland has sure seen better days. I don't think anyone would argue with that. We still have our memories. I hope some of my memories stimulate those of my readers. Keep reading and commenting.

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  2. Lil MaynardNovember 8, 2014 at 3:42 AM

    Robert...do you attend the Shaw Lunch Bunch get-togethers at St. Noel in Willoughby Hills? Next one is on 11/19. Might be of interest if the planners would ask you to talk about your E. Cleveland Blog at one of the luncheons in the future. There are folks from as far back as the early '40s classes, clear up into the mid/late 1960s, now. Always a nice afternoon!

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  3. Robert DreifortNovember 8, 2014 at 11:13 AM

    Lil: I have been attending those Shaw lunch Bunch meetings for some time. I know the organizers quite well. Some of them have been reading my blog and have commented on some of my postings. I'm not sure how a presentation would fit in with their format. Perhaps if some of my readers request a presentation, they would arrange it. I try to meet as many lunch attendees as possible. The response to my blog has been very gratifying. I have been writing for a little over three years and have had almost 13,000 hits. The month of October, 2014 was my second highest with 655 hits. I'm not sure how people discover the blog. Some of it may be word of mouth. I've also posted on the two East Cleveland facebook pages. Most of my readers probably come from google. My page appears high on the list, when you google East Cleveland or East Cleveland History. I hope to be writing more this winter. Keep reading and commenting.

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  4. AnonymousFebruary 21, 2015 at 9:25 AM

    I lived @ 862 NelaView from birth in 1945 to 1957 when we moved to Lyndhurst. I have fond memories of Noble Road, Christmas light at Nela Park, Caledonia Elementary School and playground, Hough Bakery, the cherry cokes at Stonebraker's soda fountain, and watching my older sister (cheerleader) and brother (football player) at the Shaw games. I remember when the ranch homes were built in Forest Hill - they were called California Ranch Homes and some didn't like them because they ruined the prestige of the more stately Tudor homes on Glynn and Brewster. Others just didn’t like anything too modern. I loved Rockefeller Park both to sled and skate at the pond where there was usually a fire in the shelter. Thanks for the memories

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