REMINDER: Consider attending the Broadview Heights Veterans Observance at 7 p.m. in the Gym at City Hall
Veterans obseverance @ City Hall @ 7 p.m.
November 11, 2011Thank you veterans!
November 11, 2011
THANK YOU VETERANS for your service in the defense of freedom. Special Thanks to all Vietnam War veterans … “Welcome Home” to you. Reach out and thank a veteran today! Four-minute view well worth the watch:
Congrats, and let’s get behind the officials that the voters have chosen
November 9, 2011JOHN KEREZY is the author of this post.
CONGRATULATIONS to the candidates in which our voters have invested their trust for the next two or four years.
Congratulations to Mayor Alai.
Congratulations to Former Mayor Glenn Goodwin, who returns to public service on City Council.
Congratulations to new BBHCSD School Board member Mike Ziegler, elected/returning school board member Kathleen Mack, and to Mark Dosen, going back on the Board. They face some monumental challenges.
THANK YOU to the many dedicated challengers – Russ James and Kevin Krcmar come to mind – whose interest in what happens in Broadview Heights is critical to a better local government.
SPECIAL THANK YOU to George Balasko and Joe Price – devoted public servants (school board and BVH City Council, respectively) whom will not be in elected office in 2012.
Finally, VERY HAPPY that Issue 2 was defeated by Ohio’s voters. In this writer’s humble opinion, nothing less than the continuance of a strong middle class in our state was at stake with this ballot issue.
“The challenge of politics and public service is to discover what is interfering with justice and dignity for the individual here and now, and then to decide swiftly upon the appropriate remedies.” -– Robert F. Kennedy, 1961
“…If our Constitution had followed the style of St. Paul, the First Amendment might have concluded-“But the greatest of these is speech.” In the darkness of tyranny, that is the key to the sunlight. If it is granted, all doors open. If it is withheld, none.” — Robert F. Kennedy, 1963
“It is not enough to allow dissent. We must demand it…. We dissent from the willful, heedless destruction of natural pleasure and beauty.” — Robert F. Kennedy, 1966
Dunlap takes $$$, then does their bidding
October 30, 2011
A couple of campaigns ago, Helen Dunlap used the word INDEPENDENT to describe how she would behave if elected to Broadview Heights City Council.
The word that better describes her activities in recent years in Council is this: CAUGHT. Like a kid who says “I didn’t do it,” when you see his hands in the cookie jar, there’s a direct trail of crumbs from the City’s “cookie jar” of contracts and actions to people giving money to Dunlap’s campaign.
Here are just a few examples:
Gas connections
On two occasions, Dunlap has apparently put personal interest above that of the public interest and even public health and safety when it comes to natural gas. She accepted a campaign contribution from Cutter Oil’s Elizabeth Cutter in April 2009. See the contribution below.
Cutter Oil's Elizabeth Cutter contributes to Helen Dunlap's campaign.
Why?
In April 2009, Cutter Oil Company wanted to get several leases to drill new natural gas wells through City Hall. Some of these leases required using city streets. For example, getting to the “Pine Unit #2D” at the edge of the soccer fields meant cutting through the parking lot and west end of Lazzaro Drive.
Apparently, the night of the second reading of the enabling 43-09 ordinance – on April 20, 2009 — Cutter Oil owner Elizabeth Cutter decided she needed “help” to secure the bill’s passage. So she gave that $200 contribution to Councilwoman Helen Dunlap’s campaign on April 21, 2009. (Councilwoman Dunlap had a fund raiser scheduled in May, but that was too late for Cutter Oil.)
When the legislation came up for its third and final reading on May 4, 2009, Councilwoman Dunlap moved to approve it. The motion was seconded by Councilman Tom Pavlica. The motion passed 6-1, and Cutter Oil had approval to begin drilling.
Three months later , on August 6, 2009, Elizabeth Cutter made another donation, this one $250 to – you guessed it – Councilman Tom Pavlica’s campaign.
You can see the timeline and copies of these two campaign contributions here.
Next, Dunlap received a $500 contribution from North Coast Energy rep. Michael Kennedy in May 2009.
See that contribution below.
North Coast lobbyist Michael Kennedy's check to Dunlap's campaign.
Then, at a July 13 Council meeting, Dunlap made a motion to suspend rules and then moved to approve on an “emergency” basis a gas contract for the City from Kennedy’s Exco-North Coast Energy Corp. that gave Broadview Heights a rate of $9.19 per mcf for its natural gas for TWO YEARS. The City overpaid for its own natural gas by at least $95,000 due to this contract, and by August 2011 we were paying the HIGHEST RATES OF ANY CITY IN THE STATE OF OHIO for our own natural gas. See the Council meeting minutes (and Dunlap’s actions to expedite this contract) below.
http://www.broadview-heights.org/PDFs/CouncilMeeting7-13-09.pdf
County Corruption connections too
Numerous people who’ve been indicted in the Cuyahoga County corruption scandal have also made contributions to Helen Dunlap’s campaign.
Jimmy Dimora and Tony Sinagra both made contributions in 2009. One of the largest to Dunlap’s campaign that year came from Charles Randazzo, who’s been convicted for attempting to bribe Dimora.
Here’s the contribution to Dunlap’s campaign:
…and here’s the link to a story on Randazzo’s criminal activity:
http://www.cleveland.com/countyincrisis/index.ssf/2011/04/money_manager_charles_randazzo_1.html
Dunlap’s biggest donor is ….
…who’s given the most money to Dunlap’s campaign?
Friends of Sam Alai, which made a $700 contribution in April 2009.
Here it is:
Some of Dunlap's 2009 campaign donors, with the largest check coming from Friends of Sam Alai
Why?
Mayor and Mrs. Terry Alai also wanted Helen Dunlap to attack Joe Price, and perhaps prevent him from getting elected to Council, back in 2009.
Money talks, so Mrs. Dunlap did just as the Alais wanted. She introduced a resolution to City Council in September 2009 to “prosecute” Joe Price, claiming illegal campaigning! See this link:
The Ohio Elections Commission dismissed Dunlap’s charge as groundless, but NOT BEFORE Law Director Vince Ruffa and Council Reps Dunlap, Pavlica and Stewart – the “Kennedy Connection” Three – and Boldt all went down to Columbus at taxpayers’ expense for a hearing. (REMEMBER — Kennedy had given Alai, Dunlap, Pavlica and Stewart at least $3,100 in campaign contributions at this point.)
Here’s the newspaper story:
http://www.cleveland.com/sunstarcourier/index.ssf/2009/10/complaint_against_broadview_he.html
WHO PAID FOR THIS? We taxpayers in Broadview Heights did – and we’ve NEVER been reimbursed for this expense.
SEE FOR YOURSELF – If you wish, you can view and download all of these campaign contributions. They are public record documents. Find them at:
http://boe.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/campaign-finance-reports.aspx
Time and Time again, Helen Dunlap’s been “caught” with her hands in the cookie jar. Maybe this time voters will say enough to her – and some of her “friends” as well — come November 8.
Gaswell Heights leak causes odors, evacuations and heartaches
October 27, 2011The Becker #1 well, a Cutter Oil well next to Helen Dunlap’s property had a little “burp” in the last 24 hours, and residents of Royalwood Road and neighboring the Oakwood development are paying the price for the accident.
This well, in which Cutter Oil began fracking (injecting chemicals, some of which are carcinogens) last Monday, October 17, 2001, has all of its storage tanks on the property belonging to Council President Dunlap and her husband Brian. These tanks store natural gas, crude oil, and brine from the well.
Earlier this morning, reports indicate that a cap was missing on one of the reservoirs in the tank storage area. Gas escaped from the reservoir and an overpowering smell was detected by dozens of adjoining homeowners. Then, later in the day, homeowners in Oakwood, who live the closest to the well and containment area, were overwhelmed by the odor of gas again.
The gas emitting from the containment on Helen Dunlap’s property could be seen in a haze hovering above the tank by one resident of Oakwood. The odor of gas was noticeable in the home of three residents in Oakwood. Some families have decided to remove their children from their homes tonight. The well has been shut down pending a check on its operation.
The Broadview Heights Fire Department was called twice to the scene of the leak on Thursday, once in the morning and once later in the day.
Here’s the cleveland.com story:
http://www.cleveland.com/broadview-heights/index.ssf/2011/10/gas_leak_in_broadview_heights.html
Some parents with young children have left their homes with the families as a precaution. Parents are wisely deciding not to expose their sons and daughters to the risks of contracting asthma and other respiratory disease. Research has shown that exposure to natural gas can cause permanent lung damage.
Councilwoman Dunlap – are you are putting your personal interests above those of your fellow residents in/around Royalwood Road, Osage Way, Falls Lane, and other homes near your property?
As reported back on August 19, Helen Dunlap’s campaign committee accepted a campaign contribution from Cutter Oil’s Elizabeth Cutter. After receiving the donation, Dunlap moved to expedite approval of other wells in Broadview Heights for Cutter Oil.
On September 15, 2010, Helen Dunlap and her husband Brian signed a lease with Cutter Oil for a one-eighth royalty of oil and gas on their property.
Here’s a link to that original story: http://wp.me/p1Exik-4d
We now have more than 86 natural gas/oil wells in Broadview Heights, and that number will go to 90+ before the end of 2011.
* * * * * * *
Helen Dunlap, as well as the rest of Broadview Heights City Council, all voted “yes” for on a “sense of Council” resolution calling for a ban fracking in the last two weeks. A bill to ban fracking is coming up in the Ohio Senate.
QUESTION – How could Council President Dunlap vote “YES” to ban fracking, then have fracking occur on the well adjoining her property just a few days after the vote??
“Emergency” moves take away your rights, deprive freedoms
October 17, 2011Declaring an emergency means different things in different situations. At an airport, it usually means an incoming flight is in trouble and requesting emergency assistance in landing or getting passengers and crew off the plane.
At Broadview Heights, “declaring an emergency” means business as usual. There were 33 bills and resolutions presented in the first two months at our City Council, and 29 of them were passed on an “emergency” basis, including the City’s 2011 budget!
Councilwoman Jennifer Mahnic saw a problem with this. In the minutes of the Feb. 22 meeting, she said the budget, “…which was just discussed less than an hour ago is going to be voted on now without it being three readings or one additional reading, in addition to … changing a budget that was available to residents, increasing one of the budgets to almost $100,000, and she would feel uncomfortable voting on that with only an hour leeway and not having it out there for residents with this change.”
(See this for yourself. Go to www.broadview-heights.org, click on City Government, then City Council, and see the February 22, 2011 Council minutes.)
Bills and resolutions passed on an “emergency” basis aren’t subject to voter review. Councilman Joe Price maneuvered to have the deer-hunting ordinance in 2010 changed from an emergency to “regular” process. That allowed the group Broadview Heights Deer to put petitions out to overturn the hunting ordinance. You lose some of your freedoms.
Emergency measures also make it possible to “pull a fast one” if just a few members of Council and the Mayor decide to present new legislation, or change old legislation.
It also harms your pocketbook. Council passed the storm water fee (tax) in 2007 … you didn’t get to vote on that measure. Four years after being assessed, we still have plenty of flooding problems.
Council has routinely approved a modest “franchise fee” ($1.00 to $1.15 a month, depending on your service) from Cox Cable. Other cities have dropped this fee, but we still pay it. That money goes directly to the City, and it’s done without your approval. (See link below…)
http://blog.cleveland.com/suncourier/2009/01/brooklyn_heights_residents_to.html
Broadview Heights’ Council practices run completely against the principles of transparency and openness. Compare us to our neighbor Brecksville, where ALL PURCHASES of equipment that are $25,000 or more in value are done publicly, on a web site for all the residents to see. Look at that process here:
http://www.brecksville.oh.us/Depts/purchase.html
Residents – here’s your chance to take a stand for transparency and more integrity in our government. Why don’t you ask your Ward Council rep., your at-large Council candidates, and your Mayor candidates what their opinions are on the City’s heavy use of “Emergency” measures to pass ordinances? Use your vote on November 8 as a way to improve our local government.
This blog site has LINKS to all the candidates’ web pages. Take a minute to email them, and ask if they will keep “business as usual” in City Council or try to move away from so many “emergency” measures.
City-gathered emails now being used for politics
October 5, 2011When you pluck down your money and sign your son or daughter up for a recreation program in your community, you give them your contact information: name, address, phone number and email.
The LAST THING you probably want to receive on that email address then is a political communication.
Well, that’s precisely what’s happening in Broadview Heights.
Parent email addresses, used for Recreation Department purposes, received a political communication from Broadview Heights’ Economic Development Director, David Schroedel, on Tuesday, October 4.
The email is addressed to the personal first names of the recipients.
You can see a copy of this email if you click below.
NOTE – If you have received a similar email, let us know please! Email us at Facts4BVH@gmail.com. We are just keeping count…
There are two “wrong” things with this action:
- It apparently violates both public law and public trust. People don’t want political communication in the same channel they use for their children’s activities.
- Mr. Schroedel did NOT use the legal and correct procedures. His email was a reaction to a literature piece, a four-page newsletter that was printed by the political action committee Standing Fast for Broadview Heights and distributed by volunteers, door-to-door, to thousands of homes on Saturday.
The right thing for Mr. Schroedel to do, if he believed the literature contained wrong information, would be to complain to the Committee’s Treasurer and/or to the Ohio Elections Commission. The Committee has a treasurer and mailing address, clearly stated (twice) on the literature piece. The committee’s chair, Karen Thier, stated that as of Tuesday night, she had not received a single complaint about the literature by email, phone, or by mail.
If you did not receive a copy of this Standing Fast for Broadview Heights literature and want to see it, click below.
SAD PATTERN HAS DEVELOPED
This marks the third time in recent months that residents and taxpayers of Broadview Heights have seen taxpayer funds and resources used for political purposes.
First – BELIEVE IN BROADVIEW HEIGHTS: Mayor Sam Alai’s 2007 campaign slogan, became “governmentized” when he put it on city signs and on other city-owned property. He used the slogan again at his first fund raiser and on his first campaign flier. When this blog pointed out that such usage violated the law, he stopped the practice.
Second – REC-gate: In August, City residents learned that “Volunteer” Recreation League scheduler Rick Howe was being paid tens of thousands of dollars under City Council legislation aimed at compensating umpires, referees, scorekeepers, and recreation class instructors. Howe’s invoices for the past 29 months ALWAYS total $4,975.00, because City Council MUST APPROVE contracts of $5,000 or more according to the City Charter. Howe’s real purpose has been to bad-mouth Sam Alai’s opponent Councilman Joe Price. Howe’s payments BEGAN in May 2009, the same time Price announced he was running for City Council, and – in his paid contract capacity as Rec League scheduler – Howe had criticized Price in dozens of emails and in-person meetings with Recreation League commissioners and coaches.
(Aside – Mr. Howe has access to these personal email addresses.)
Third – Mr. Schroedel’s email yesterday.
More on the email – and the many untruths it contains — will appear on this blog tomorrow.
EDITORS’ NOTE: The committee Standing Fast for Broadview Heights welcomes your comments and/or financial contributions. You can write us at PO Box 470048, Broadview Heights, Ohio 44147. Karen Thier is Treasurer of Standing Fast for Broadview Heights.
Last post from John Kerezy – the reason why …
September 20, 2011EDITORS’ NOTE — This is the final blog posting from John Kerezy. He thought it important to let the Broadview Heights community know how the blog came about.
A team of four people are now involved in FactsForBVH. If you have “non public” comments or questions you wish to make, you can do so by emailing us at Facts4bvh@gmail.com.
Again, the email address is: Facts4bvh@gmail.com
A panel of community “movers and shakers” asked John the questions that are below. The Questioners are identified at the bottom of this post.
Q: What led you to create FactsForBVH? Wasn’t your blog mainly a vehicle to promote Joe Price by attacking Sam Alai? The other mayoral candidates have spoken out on city issues but they did not receive much comment in the blog.
A: There are a couple of questions and a comment here. Let’s address all three, and let’s start with the “what” and “promoting Joe Price” portions. One answer is yes. Joe had asked me on a few occasions to assist him. I had helped Joe significantly (and he paid me as well) when he ran for Mayor last time, but my situation is different now. I was a part-time faculty member, then just a lecturer, at a local community college when Joe ran for Mayor in 2006-2007. Now I’m “committed” to higher education, teaching and learning. That’s my calling, not politics.
However, I teach journalism. The Internet – blogging and social media – is becoming an increasingly important aspect of journalism. I also had a little more time available in the summer. So, by doing this blog, I was able to combine helping Joe with learning the nuts-and-bolts of the blogging process … how to research, how to write in a way that attracts attention, how to respond to comments, etc.
As to the other candidates, originally I’d planned on asking each candidate for an interview. I offered that to Rachel Manias and Tish O’Dell. They each declined.
The other part of the question deserves a response. It was not my intent to “attack” Sam Alai on the blog. Sadly, as I did the research into how the Alai campaign has obtained its funds, I learned that many thousands of dollars of Mayor Alai’s 2007-2008 campaign money came from some key figures in the Cuyahoga County corruption scandal.
Then, beginning in 2008, correlations between campaign contributions to Mayor Sam Alai and City contracts not only existed, they were obvious. I felt – in the public’s interest – the obligation to publish that information.
Next, the instance of the 12 consecutive $4,975 payments to a Rec. Dept. contractor came to light. This was an INTENTIONAL effort to circumvent the City’s Charter, and that needed to be made public.
Combine that contract cover-up with the fact that this City contractor has blasted Joe Price repeatedly in public meetings and in emails – that’s using public money for political purposes. Such a practice is completely unethical, and it had to be exposed. So I used the blog for that, and I’d do it again.
Can you imagine Mayor Alai giving a contract to someone, and that person criticizing the Mayor time and time again? The contractor would get the boot in a heartbeat. But this guy gets a contract – without Council’s approval – nearly 30 months ago. There has been no review or oversight, and the contract is being used to pay the person (who keeps on bad-mouthing the Mayor’s opponent) more than $65,000 in our taxpayer dollars. That is bad government. Good journalists should expose bad government practices.
Q: How do you measure the impact of your blog? Is the number of visits an appropriate method? (I visited several times a week so would I be counted multiple times?) How about comments?
A: There are two “textbook” ways – number of “hits” or visits, and impact. The blog went over the 10,000 “hits” mark on Friday. It’s over 10,400 today (September 20). Journalists and others who blog tell me that’s a big number, especially since there’s not a media vehicle (newspaper, TV station) behind me promoting the blog, as some bloggers have.
As to impact, well, ask the Mayoral candidates if they think it has an impact. Ask the anonymous poster called “ParentNumberOne” who tried to extort Joe Price to get me to stop the blog back in July.
Ask that Rec. Department contractor if he thinks it’s had an impact. Ask the Mayor. Ask Councilwoman Dunlap, who took campaign contributions from a gas well driller and then helped push legislation through Council for new wells in the City. Ask Councilman Stewart and Councilman Pavlica, who took campaign contributions from a lobbyist whose gas contract with the City cost us taxpayers at least $95,000 more than market rates. Ask the other Mayoral candidates. There’s been an impact, no doubt about it.
Comments – well, there have been quite a few. About 30 “non spam” comments have arisen on the blog since it began in late June. I posted and answered them as well as I can. Some of them were duplicates, and I tried to not engage in “bickering” on the comments. The Broadview Heights forum of Cleveland.com posts the bickering very well, and they can have it as far as I’m concerned. Anonymous posters there are reminiscent of those who write crude comments on restroom stall walls. It’s easy to take pot shots when you are anonymous.
Q: You mentioned that you were threatened for writing your blog. What would you say to other bloggers who might face the same thing?
A: The Society of Professional Journalists has a four-point code of ethics. The first point is seek the truth, and then report it. If journalist bloggers follow that code, they are certainly on safe legal ground.
I didn’t break any laws with what I’ve sought out and what I’ve posted (unlike WikiLeaks), and I would discourage others from breaking the law when they blog.
This is the United States, and there are laws that protect our citizens (including bloggers) from harm. If you believe in what you’re writing, you should be willing to take some risks.
Q: You used Facebook to promote your blog. What other avenues should a prospective blogger consider to make people aware of the blog?
A: I don’t “Tweet” and if I’d been really committed, I’d have begun a Twitter account, attracted “followers” as they’re called, and Tweeted every time I posted. That’s another way bloggers today are gaining readers. There are other social media outlets for blogs as well, but Facebook and Twitter are the main ones.
Bloggers get reports on how people get “referred” to their site. Facebook definitely had a positive impact on the blog.
Q: If you could do one thing differently in connection with the blog, what would it be?
A: I would have sent an initial questionnaire out to all the candidates for Mayor, bugged them to fill it out, and made public their responses.
Also, I probably won’t have posted the fact that Mayor and Mrs. Alai bought a big retirement home in Georgia last year. I got criticized for that – people telling me that’s their own business. In retrospect, that might have gone too far. But there’s no need to revisit it, as I’m leaving the blog in other people’s hands now.
Q: Come on now – Haven’t you received compensation from Joe Price or someone else to carry on all this work? You’ve put a lot of time and effort into this blog.
A: No. I have not received a penny, a promise, or anything else. I didn’t ask for it. It was a beneficial learning experience for me. Anytime in the future if a student comes to me and asks what it like is to be a blogger, I can now share my first-hand experience. I think it helped Joe a little bit (not much though), but – much more importantly – it exposed some bad practices at City Hall.
There’s a “pay to play” mindset at Broadview and Oakes Roads right now. I fear it will only get worse under a second Alai administration. Voters choose their leaders. I hope they’ll examine the facts closely before they decide who’ll run this city for the next four years.
Q: You don’t hide the fact that you’re a Christian. How can you reconcile that with being critical of the government?
A: I’ve prayed a lot about these postings and – at times – agonized over subject selection, wording and actions stemming from what I’ve found. As this process unfolded, the connection between Biblical teaching and what I was writing became clear. Reading Deuteronomy 16, verses 18-22, it states how God treats those who accept bribes and distort justice. James 3, verses 13-17, on true wisdom have also guided me. Thanks for asking this question by the way! This is very important to me.
Q: Why are you quitting now then? And what about the Political Action Committee, Standing FAST for Broadview Heights?
A: Three simple reasons:
- Summer is over. I’m back to my calling, teaching college, and I don’t have the time now to properly invest in the blog. My wife and I are hosting a small group gathering again at our church, and speech season at the high school has begun. I’m assisting the coaching process there this year (stepping down from beginning and running the program for the past three years).
- A group of new people have cropped up. They are going to “pick up the torch” and continue postings on a regular (probably weekly) basis.
- The PAC is going to others. Some other concerned citizens are going to carry the ball on the political action committee. If it does anything at all in the weeks ahead, it’ll be up to them. (I only formed the committee so I could mail out post cards to some residents, informing them of the blog, and do it in a legal and proper manner).
The Questioners for John were:
Pat Krizansky is a 15-year resident, former executive director of Broadview Heights Chamber of Commerce, former editor and government reporter for the BroadView Journal.
Tom Thompson is 10-year city resident. He’s also a Neighborhood Association President and been City Rec League Commissioner for six years.
MR. X is a 25-year Broadview Heights resident, a former member and officer of the Broadview Heights Chamber of Commerce, and an officer of a major financial services company in Cleveland. In that last role, the Securities and Exchange Commission needs to review and approve all public comments, which is why MR. X chose to remain anonymous.
They are not involved with Standing Fast.
GASGate: Mayor, others get big $$$ while us taxpayers get shafted by at least $95K
September 5, 2011EDITORS’ NOTE — If you want to read the entire edition of THE FACTOR, which was distributed to homes the weekend of October 1-2, CLICK just below the next paragraph.
If you want to read more about what’s REALLY happening with government and politics in our community, a contribution to Standing Fast for Broadview Heights can help “get the word out” about the truth. Please send a contribution in any amount to: Standing Fast for Broadview Heights, PO Box 470048, Broadview Heights, OH 44147.
Karen Thier is the treasurer of this group (required disclaimer)
Broadview Heights residents who’ve read this post have been stunned to learn how much their city has overpaid in the past two years for its natural gas.
To have at least 86 drilled and/or producing natural gas wells in city, and to also have the highest natural gas rate of any community in Ohio …. well, (pun intended) that takes work.
For the two-year period ending August 31, 2011, Broadview Heights was paying $9.19 per 1000 cubic foot (mcf) for the city’s natural gas, a figure that’s higher than any other city in the State of Ohio. (We did look it up, and didn’t find a higher rate anywhere.)
According to our neighbors to the east, Brecksville, if you are offered a rate that’s above $6 per mcf, you’re paying too much. See the story, below, from the May 2011 Brecksville Magazine.
Based on city usage data, taxpayers in Broadview Heights have been ripped off. Why? Because, in exchange for at least $3,400 in campaign contributions given to Mayor Samuel Alai, Council President Dunlap, and Council Reps. Stewart and Pavlica, our City’s elected leaders in mid-2009 agreed to a NO BID, TWO-YEAR FIXED RATE CONTRACT to purchase natural gas from North Coast Energy at the $9.19 rate.
Here’s the contract. Read it yourself. Note the “two year option” clause that’s checked here.
This amounts to Broadview Heights paying almost $190,000 per year for natural gas purchases, based on the usage statistics listed on the last page of this contract. If Broadview Heights had been a part of NOPEC – the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council – as is Brecksville and more than 100 other area communities, its rates would have been about 25 percent less.
HERE’S THE MATH – Over this past two-year period of time, taxpayers in Broadview Heights have paid about $47,350 MORE PER YEAR for natural gas for their city buildings, due to this contract. Over two years, this adds up to $ 94,700 in higher-than-normal costs for natural gas that the City has been charged.
The Broadview Heights gas contract was MUCH HIGHER than it should have been. Here is the “historical” chart chronicling natural gas rates over the past years.
The “SCO” – Standard Choice Offer – was at about $5.35 per mcf in July 2009 when Broadview Heights “locked in” its two-year contract at $9.19 per mcf. It has been AT or LESS than $5.35 per mcf for most of the months since then. If the city had simply “floated” and stuck with the Standard Choice Offer, taxpayers would have saved about $160,000 over the past two years!
Why have Broadview Heights taxpayers been ripped off? Follow the money….
MAYOR SAMUEL ALAI – Took $2,100 in four different campaign contributions from North Coast Energy Representatives dating back to 2008. One check – for $1,000 – came in February 2009, as the City’s old contract was being renegotiated. REMEMBER – This was a “no bid” contract! (By the way…the most recent check to Mayor Alai’s campaign came earlier in 2011.)
COUNCILMAN ROY STEWART— Who took a $300 donation 20 days after voting YES to this contract in 2009.
COUNCILMAN TOM PAVLICA – Who took a $500 donation from North Coast’s representative Mike Kennedy on July 14, 2009 – one day after voting YES and THE VERY SAME DAY MAYOR ALAI signed the enabling ordinance into law!
COUNCILWOMAN HELEN DUNLAP –Who took a $500 donation from Mr. Kennedy on May 5, 2009. About six weeks later, as gas contact, Ordinance 68-09, made its way to city council on June 22, 2009 for a First Reading Only, ultimately being adopted on July 13, 2009, Councilwoman Dunlap introduced the motion to suspend Council rules and pass the legislation on only its second reading as an Emergency. Next, Councilwoman Dunlap made the motion to adopt Ordinance 68-09.
The honest, law-abiding, and ethical thing for Councilwoman Dunlap to do would have been to ABSTAIN from voting on this contract. She’d taken a campaign contribution from the proposed contractor! But instead, she led the charge to pass the ordinance.
The honest, law-abiding, and ethical thing for Mayor Alai to do would have been to solicit bids from other gas suppliers, and to also notify the Law Director that he’d taken multiple campaign contributions from this company’s lobbyist. Apparently he did neither.
Many of these campaign contributions have been posted on FactsforBVH before, but for the record here’s a complete timeline documenting the legislation and containing copies of all the campaign contributions.
DUNLAP IS NO STRANGER TO GAS CONTROVERSIES
Sadly, this behavior is nothing new for Councilwoman Dunlap.
In April 2009, Cutter Oil Company wanted to get several leases to drill new natural gas wells through City Hall. Some of these leases required using city streets. For example, getting to the “Pine Unit #2D” at the edge of the soccer fields meant cutting through the parking lot and west end of Lazzaro Drive.
Apparently, the night of the second reading of the enabling 43-09 ordinance – on April 20, 2009 — Cutter Oil owner Elizabeth Cutter decided she needed “help” to secure the bill’s passage. She gave a $200 contribution to Councilwoman Helen Dunlap’s campaign on April 21, 2009. (Councilwoman Dunlap had a fund raiser scheduled in May, but that was too late for Cutter Oil.)
When the legislation came up for its third and final reading on May 4, 2009, Councilwoman Dunlap moved to approve it. The motion was seconded by Councilman Tom Pavlica. The motion passed 6-1, and Cutter Oil had approval to begin drilling.
Three months later , on August 6, 2009, Elizabeth Cutter made another donation, this one $250 to – you guessed it – Councilman Tom Pavlica’s campaign.
You can see the timeline and copies of these two campaign contributions here.
Is this integrity? Is this transparency?
(Aside: compare this to how our neighbors in Brecksville publicly bid major contracts).
http://www.brecksville.oh.us/Depts/purchase.html
Again, the honest, law-abiding, and ethical thing for Councilwoman Dunlap to do would have been to ABSTAIN from the vote, due to the contribution she’d taken. Instead she led the charge to approve the legislation.
Ohio Revised Code 102.03, Section (D), reads: “No public official shall use or authorize the use of the authority or influence of his office or employment to secure anything of value or the promise or offer of anything of value that is of such a character as to manifest a substantial and improper influence upon him with respect to his duties.”
Here is proof– yet again — that some of our elected officials are putting their own best interests above the residents and taxpayers they are supposed to serve.
SUGGESTION – After reading this, perhaps you agree that taxpayers shouldn’t be ripped off by higher-than-market priced City natural gas contracts, coming after large campaign contributions to Mayor Alai. Perhaps you agree that the health and welfare of the city’s residents shouldn’t be compromised by legislation that’s “greased” by gas drilling company contributions that Councilwoman Dunlap and Councilman Pavlica have accepted.
BVH tax revenues have declined in 2009, 2010
August 22, 2011BLOGGER’S NOTE — I’m away at Cuyahoga Community College today, preparing for the beginning of the Fall 2011 semester. This is one of several “tidbits” that will appear throughout the week.
Declines in Broadview Heights income tax receipts, 2008 to 2010
The numbers are in on income tax collections, and they don’t look good. Mayor Alai took office in December 2007. In 2008, Broadview Heights collected about $9.4 million in income tax – taxes paid by people who work here or residents working elsewhere through their RITA tax returns.
By 2009, tax collections went down by 5% to a little less than $8.96 million.
By the end of 2010, income taxes declined another 6% to less than $8.4 million. That’s a loss of 11 percent in just two years, and worse than many of our surrounding suburban communities (such as Independence, Seven Hills and Brecksville).
In due fairness, let’s point out the income tax receipts are on the upswing in 2011. But a major part of that increase (nearly 40 percent) is due to a huge Ohio Lottery winner who paid taxes on the winnings. In other words, luck has helped turn the 2011 numbers around. But the revenue appears to still be below collections in 2007, before Samuel Alai became Mayor. Web links to the Ohio Dept. of Taxation and the City’s web site, all below, verify these numbers.
http://www.broadview-heights.org/PDFs/MonthlyIncomeTaxReceipts.pdf
factsforbvh 