"YOU GOT A FRIEND" james taylor

You just callout my name
And you know wherever I am

Well back to Painesville!

At last Monday night council meeting two item grabbed my attention what I will tell you neither of the two will change over these posts.

First Councilman Fodor at a May meeting suggested a resolution to increase the city funding for the Downtown Painesville Organization from $22,000 a year to $28,000 a year . Big deal, $6,000 but don't they always tell us these requests take place at budget meeting at the end of the year? Now in the scheme of things $6,000 ain't that much money but when you add all these little amounts up it comes to a healthy amount of money. An extra $1,200 per month to the Senior Center to help cover rent is another example. Now if you been following this blog. for any amount of time I believe this whole DPO is a sham.  So as to you knowing my bias.

Councilman Fodor is a director on the DPO I found it offensive that he would ask for an increase in funding considering his position. Now a council person might listen to his request and think, well Jim's a friend, co-member of this council would I really want to oppose him and make an enemy over $6,000? I considered even asking councilman Fodor to abstain in the vote of this request, but so what 6/0  7/0 makes little difference. This is how the game is played.

See I do believe that the DPO needs the money but that kind of money is spent after the IMPORTANT issues of our city get resolved. A decent Community Center for example to serve all Painesville residents. All this spending while the parking garage falls into disrepair. Recreational items like a pool or waterpark. Don't laugh many communities have all these items. I laugh council doesn't even have it's own chamber to hold meetings using a courtroom. Were are in the process of losing council meetings on channel 12 over old equipment? A Fire Chief that is sent out to procure 20 year-old fire equipment. All this and more and in less then 10 years DPO receives over $200,000, plus Grant and General fund money to the tune of 1.3 MILLION dollars. For Main St. Streetscape. There was never a ribbon cutting no one wanted to be associated with this folly! And what have you got to show for all this spending?

Now go to a homeowner on State St. and ask them how all this DPO money has benefitted them? Go to Chestnut St. ask a resident there? A Jefferson St. resident? Ask a Heisley Park resident? If they even know there is a downtown district? No, to much has been spent already and truthfully if they didn't spend all this money people would still go to Joughin Hardware, Model Bakery Nemeth's Lounge T&T Bakery and the rest nothing would change people shop there for good reason's since 2007 how much more revenue has DPO generated in new businesses? Councilman Fodor tells us the city income tax revenues have increased? Like to see those numbers.

No Painesville has so many other ways to make a better Painesville for EVERYONE!  We have spent enough on those two blocks of downtown where so much has been spent to accomplish so little for so few.


I would like the merchant's from Downtown Painesville to make the request for additional funding themselves to council and explain the end results they expect. Car Shows and Bathtub Races are great I just don't believe it is up to resident's to fund them.

Tomorrow the other issue.


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NRA supports & endorses Donald Trump. Well their not big into background checks! That explains that.