Dunlap takes $$$, then does their bidding

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.

HelenDunlapCutterOilTimeLine

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

The 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

Declaring 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

When 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.

schroedel political email

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

factor oct 2011

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.