June
Taylor swearing-in highlights Greater Cleveland’s cultural challenge
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| June E. Taylor is sworn in as member of Beachwood City Council, Feb. 5, 2018 |
After June Elizabeth Taylor was sworn in as the
newest member of Beachwood City Council last night, she took the citizen’s
podium to thank her supporters and to share some thoughts about her life, her
appointment, and her philosophy.
Her new council colleagues selected Taylor last
week after an open and transparent process to fill the vacancy created when
then-council president Martin Horwitz defeated longtime mayor Merle Gorden.
Following the November election, Taylor was among 17
people who responded to an open call for applicants. Every applicant was
granted an 18 and 1/2 minute interview.
When Taylor finished
speaking, there was little if any doubt among the 100 or so people gathered in
council chambers that the best candidate had been selected. She thanked a small
battalion of friends and mentors for their friendship and support. A few of the
more recognizable names she mentioned and that we were able to capture illustrate
the depth and breadth of the support she carries, both within the city and
across the state — Mal and Barbara Mixon,
Jim and Debbie Wert, Ed and Mary Crawford, Amy and Rob Frost [County GOP chair],
Shontel Brown [County Dem chair], Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, former Ohio House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson, Gov. Kasich].
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| New councilwoman June E. Taylor, center, is surrounded by well-wishers, L-R, Leon Anderson, Patricia Anderson, Tayloria Anderson, and Flossie Brisker. |
None of these were idle or puffed references. In
addition to her day job as president of the tech company, MAC Installations,
Taylor chairs the Ohio Casino Control Commission and sits on the board of
trustees for Cleveland State University. The public agency positions are both
courtesy of Kasich appointments.
Taylor
was also profuse in her appreciation of her neighbors, her daughter’s friends
parents, and a host of others, including of course her family. Her prepared
remarks were gracious throughout, and by turns politic and direct. She spoke of
her own family values — her remark about her father wanting her to be smart in
terms of book sense, common sense, and dollars and cents found an audible responsive
chord — including education, preparation and excellence. She showed a respect
for the city’s public employees and her own understanding that she was now an
official public servant.
Conspicuous by its absence was any direct
mention of Taylor’s race. There were likely more African Americans in council
chambers last night than perhaps ever in that city’s history, but I heard not
one reference by anyone that Taylor is the first African American ever to sit
on Beachwood City Council.
That is more than likely something traceable
directly to the candidate. As some good church folk say, the new councilwoman is unmistakably
and unapologetically black. But Taylor chose in her remarks to focus on personal
relationships, values, and standards, and the room took heed from her stance.
James Pasch, council vice president, seemed to
confirm as much in a telephone call following the meeting. He added that he
felt Taylor came to the applicant interview extremely well prepared and full of
creative ideas on ways to improve municipal performance.
It seemed a rare moment in the county's Byzantine politics, when matters of race and ethnicity were subsumed by discussion of standards and values and community benefit.
Progressive Caucus holding forum today for eastside State House candidates
Group also preparing to file for 100s of Dem precinct slots; Bill Patmon files for District 21 Senate seat
The Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus continues
what has become its leadership role in presenting candidates to the public at
numerous public forums all over the county.
Today at 6p, the Caucus is sponsoring what it
had announced as a forum for State Senate District 21 and House Districts 10
and 12. The event is being held at the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Community Center, 3450 Lee Road, in Shaker Heights.
The event may have broadened significantly because last-minute requests
for CCPC endorsements have come in from State Sen. Kenny Yuko [D-25] and State
Rep. Kent Smith [D-8].
A caucus spokesman said the deadline for seeking
CCPC endorsement is tomorrow, which is also the filing deadline for candidates
wishing to be on the May 8 primary ballot.
Yuko is Senate Minority Leader but was recently
denied the Cuyahoga County Democrats’ endorsement in the primary, at least
partially because of issues being churned by the unsettling alliance between US
Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-11 and regressive political forces best represented by
former county prosecutor Bill Mason and his allies, most notably Cleveland City
Council president Kevin Kelley.
The Fudge-Mason alliance seems to be clashing for primacy with new
forces within the Democratic Party, represented in part by the Caucus and also
with the emergence of new candidates who don’t always feel the need to kiss the
rings of party elders. The results can be be seen in how the endorsements came down late last month and in the shifting of lanes in county judicial races that may continue until tomorrow's 4PM deadline.
And of course the ever-present elements of race,
class, gender and geography are always a part of these party dynamics. It certainly makes for more
exciting and complicated politics than the Republicans experience. For them, underneath
all the high-falutin’ discussions of states’ rights, limited government,
individual freedoms, and strict interpretations, it’s almost always just
about the Benjamin$.
At least until the summer of 2015, when, thanks to a certain candidate, it began
to be more about race, ethnicity AND money.
But tonight, there will likely be a steady
effort by almost all of the candidates to introduce themselves or in the case
of Yuko and Smith, remind their constituents of what great service they are
providing. Rep. John Barnes, D-12, who is challenging Yuko for his Senate seat,
told RDP he is in Columbus preparing for a committee hearing tomorrow and will
not attend tonight.
The following candidates are expected to participate this evening:
Senate District 21: Jeff Johnson [his opponent,
Sen. Sandra Williams, did not RSVP.]
House District 8: Kent Smith
House District 10: Kyle Early, Aanand Mehta, Andrew Schriver, Billy L. Sharp
House District 12: Yvonka Hall, Dmitri McDaniel
Democratic Central Committee contests
Every four years, all precinct committee seats
appear on the ballot. GOP central committee seats are on the ballot in even
years, alternating with the Dems.
With the filing deadline for all races at 4pm
tomorrow, insiders are looking closely at files for the roughly 920 seats
available countywide. It is these central committee slots that can influence a
party’s direction.
The Progressive Caucus may run as many as 200 candidates
for these seats. And we are hearing that the Mason forces are up to their old
tricks. When Mason served as county prosecutor, his office served as a
political factory. Despite electoral promises made in 2016 by then candidate
Michael O’Malley, we are receiving reports that Prosecutor O’Malley’s office is
doing a brisk business circulating candidate petitions during business hours.
LATE BREAKING NEWS:
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State Rep. Bill Patmon, D-10, who is
term-limited from running for the House again this year, filed today for the 21st
District State Senate seat currently held by Sen. Sandra Williams.
In other news, we hear Mueller Tire is doing a brisk business in retreads.
