PoliicyBridge - News & Events

The Plain Dealer
Sunday, June 26, 2005

John Caniglia
Plain Dealer Reporter

Leaders join to discuss effects of regionalism
Warrensville Heights -- Bedford Heights Councilman Harvey Brown says he believes in regionalism and its effects on Northeast Ohio. But he said he realizes political barriers must be cleared before any city can benefit.

"We're all a link in the chain," Brown said. "If the chain goes down, we all go down. If the chain goes up, we all go up. If the chain is strong, we stay together."

Brown joined more than 100 political and business leaders Saturday at a summit on regionalism and its effects on blacks. The event, at the Warrensville Heights Civic and Senior Center, drew speakers from across the country.

Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones sponsored the summit, which focused on raising awareness of regionalism and its implications. "We have an itinerary today, but we have no agenda," Jones said.

Lawrence Parks, a senior vice president for the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, said black leaders must see the possibility of regionalism without dropping their power base.
"You can't be so tied to the past that you limit growth, but you don't want to lose the political power that you have worked so long and hard for," Parks said. "You want to be at the table to define the terms of engagement."

Jones said he thinks most residents support counties in Northeast Ohio working together for the region's benefit. He also said he thinks residents support cities in Cuyahoga County working together. But many fear the possibility of a "unigovernment," where a large city such as Cleveland would be enveloped into the county, and the two would become one, eliminating a layer of government.

Barbara Shanklin, a member of the Louisville, Ky., Metro Council, and Rozelle Boyd, a member of the Indianapolis-Marion County Council, said they were reluctant about a merger of governments, but they quickly saw the benefits. "You get so much more for your buck," Boyd said.

There are drawbacks, particularly for blacks. In Cleveland, they make up 51 percent of the population, as well as the potential to create a powerful voting bloc. But their numbers are diffused in the overall county, where blacks make up 27 percent of the population.

Boyd, who has been in Indianapolis politics for 40 years, said the merger between city and county in the 1970s has been a positive one for blacks. "There's more trust in government and less apprehension," Boyd said.

Louisville made the merger in 2002. "It has been a struggle, but we're much better off," Shanklin said.