Bye Bye Donny Boy. Your defenders are few and far between. You have really stepped in it up to your ankles this time. Akron wants a fresh start with new ideas and yours are as old as the hills. You will be recalled soon. Nothing can save you now.

Old Man Grump..."defenders are few and far between"....???? ABJ, Akron News Now, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Summit County Council, Local neighboring mayors, etc etc oppose the recall. How is that few and far between?

This has come down to a battle of the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. Recall or no recall, I just hope when the cr@p stops hitting the fan in Cuy. County, we don't get spattered too bad.

does this mean that Misstia, Bart (MIA these days), wayne, missfit and others will now hate ANN??? Maybe now they will quit posting about the recall, who am I kidding, it will only spur they motivation to march on into the abyss.

Vote against the recall... Akron News Now is correct!

Thats really big news! Akron News Now rarely takes positions on issues but felt the need to encourage a NO vote on the recall!

This is the best paragraph and pretty much sums up what everyone thinks.
Mandel said, "We believe the Mayor's performance does not warrant removal from office. That is a harsh measure reserved for those who conduct themselves and the people's business in the worst light, and the proponents of this recall have not made that case. We do not wish to see this mayor recalled and therefore favor a NO vote."

 misstia

why would i hate ann?

I don't agree with Mandel but at least he is thoughtful and respectful of the recall effort. I think the current leadership has shown that they only know how to ridicule and scorn anyone who does not agree with them. That is not the way to be a leader. I don't see the Mayor changing his ways if he is not recalled. As for Firestoneparker, obviously not everyone is thinking the same thing as you.

 misstia

well said do the right thing...ann has presented fair coverage and they refused to agree to the mayor's demands for an interview...i commend them for their coverage....

do the right thing - By everyone I meant the majority of Akron.

misstia,
Well I have seen you say many times that you do not like/read the ABJ and their "pandering" to the Mayor and council. So I also guessed that you would give up on ANN, for also "pandering" to the Mayor by giving him their support.

Nice save though on the commendation you gave.

 misstia

the abj is a different animal than ann...the abj is not objective and is extremely biased, whereas ann has been more than fair in their coverage of the recall...

whereas i do not agree with their editorial, i can respect it....

 Wayne In Akron

Although my personal view (and vote) is different than the the editorial recommendation by Rubber City Media, I still give them VERY HIGH MARKS for being the most balanced coverage of any Akron based media outlet in this matter.

I want to also give Rubber City additional praise for offering its view (which hopefully the Mayor and his staff will take) that his demeanor reflects poorly on himself and the city and that those with differing views are entitled to the consideration of them, without fear of retribution and retaliation.

You would rarely, if ever, find the Ivory Tower at Exchange and High offering such guidance or analysis of the current administration's actions.

I wonder if (since it turns out that in fact, NOT every Akron school building will be replaced or rebuilt, as promised by Issue 10) Rubber City is still happy with its last editorial recommendation?

Wayne: I know that every school was to be replaced or rebuilt, but why spend money or every school when they about need aboout half as many schools?

Wayne - I don't see where the Mayor's demeanor reflects poorly on Akron at all! The Mayor is very well respected at the White House, the Statehouse, on Capitol Hill and among his fellow mayors. He can be a bit of a jerk but saying his demeanor reflects poorly on the city is not correct.

 Wayne In Akron

Cruisemaster,

Direct, from the Issue 10 website comes the following description:

"Issue 10 is one-quarter percent increase in the Akron City income tax needed to rebuild or renovate every one of the Akron Public School District’s buildings..."

"The project is divided into four segments and will take approximately 15 years to complete..."

It "will increase the city income tax by one-quarter of one-percent for a period of 30 years..."

There were three promises, but only one is being kept.

BROKEN PROMISE #1
"All" Akron schools are NOT being rebuilt or renovated.

BROKEN PROMISE #2
It has been more than 6 years since this passed, and the construction projects are nowhere near on pace to be completed in the 15 year time frame.

And what about the one PROMISE KEPT?

You guessed it! Akron taxpayers will STILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THE FULL 30 YEARS, regardless of the fact that the other promises weren't kept.

Isn't it funny that none of this got mentioned when Plusquellic submitted this project as his nominee to the 2009 U.S. Conference of Mayors for its "City Liveablility" Award? (Why did Don wait 6 years to submit this 'accomplishment' for award consideration? It couldn't have been timed to coincide with the recall election, could it?)

The USCOM's awarded the top awards for the year to a pair of Carolina cities, but threw The Don a bone by giving him one of ten "Outstanding Achievement" awards.

http://usmayors.org/pressreleases/uploads/CITYLIVABILITY2009Providence.pdf

That U.S. Conference of Mayors' press release reads quite a bit differently than the one put out by Plusquellic's office.

http://ci.akron.oh.us/News_Releases/2009/0613.htm

Is it:

Mayors Joseph O. Riley, Jr. of Charleston (SC), and Kevin C. Foy of Chapel Hill(NC), have been awarded first place honors in the 2009 City Livability Awards Program during the Mayors’ Annual Meeting in Providence. (As reported by the U.S. Conference of Mayors)

OR

Mayor Don Plusquellic’s innovative idea for rebuilding Akron’s schools has garnered the community the City Livability Award. (As reported in Mark Williamson's City of Akronpress release)

 Wayne In Akron

@FParker...

I'll let the Rubber City Media's own words from the editorial stand on their own.

"...this Mayor’s personality can at times be overbearing and bad tempered..."

"Personalities do matter. Those of our elected officials reflect not only on themselves but also on the larger community that they represent.

We hope this mayor embraces a more statesman-like
leadership role as he represents the people of
Akron going forward."

Wayne,
Where in this quote (from you) does it say all the schools will be rebuilt? I see the word buildings, unless that is code for school in which case every structure is a school.

"Issue 10 is one-quarter percent increase in the Akron City income tax needed to rebuild or renovate every one of the Akron Public School District’s buildings..."

Also, the time frame is an estimate. Have you never done a building project in your life? It never takes the time you think it will. Remember I-77 south by canton? How long did that take, or which time... ha ha ha?

Wayne: Why is the Akron schools going to build buildings that they won't even use? The estimate on the number buildings at the time was done by the Sate commission and the the district.

 Wayne In Akron

@AkronCitizen...

What part of the Issue 10's promise is unclear to you?

===================
Rebuild or renovate EVERY ONE of the Akron Public School District's buildings
===================

I'm not saying facilities like Administration Buildings and Bus Sheds.

Issue 10 also pointed voters to the "Master Facilities Plan" which described itself as:

"The Akron Public Schools' Master Facilities Plan is a 15-year project to rebuild or remodel each of the district's 60 schools."

That is a specific time frame and a specific number of schools that were promised to be rebuilt or remodeled in exchange for .25% of all Akron earned income for 30 years.

I never understand why some people think that "Do Good-er's" don't have to keep their promises, but taxpayers are expected to keep theirs.

 Wayne In Akron

@Cruisemaster

If 60 school buildings aren't going to be rebuilt or remodeled (as promised by Issue 10), why isn't the 30 year, .25% income tax being shortened or lowered to equally compensate?

@ Wayne How can you be sure that some sort of remodeling effort has not been done at each of the 60 schools. After all if you move, redo, or alter anything it can be considered remodeled. Barberton has the same situation. The levey was passed to build and remodel so many elementary schools. The enrollment figures are down tremendously so it would be stupid to do all that was initially planned. therefore, they are looking at only building 1 new school and remodeling another to serve all of their elementary needs. That means 4 now will have nothing done and will also no longer be used. What's the big deal? that's 4 we won't have to pay operating costs on. The levy money will be re-distributed.

 Wayne In Akron

@BassN317...

Let's go one point at a time.

-How can you be sure that some sort of remodeling effort has not been done at each of the 60 schools? After all if you move, redo, or alter anything it can be considered remodeled.-

Because (as of August 2009) there will only be 50 total schools (39 existing and 11 of the new CLC's).

The original "promise" was to build 36 NEW CLC's and to "substantially renovate every other building" (24).

-The levy money will be re-distributed.-

Akron Issue 10 wasn't a "levy", it was City of Akron Resolution 81-2003, so the income tax can NOT be re-distributed.

The following (including capitalizations) comes from Issue 10's literature.

"The ordinance passed by Akron City Council placing Issue 10 on the ballot clearly states that the revenue generated may ONLY be used for the establishment of the CLCs in coordination with the Akron Public Schools. By law, the funds from Issue 10 may NOT be used for any other purpose."

====

On a separate note, aren't we always told by those who tout Plusquellic's "vision" that this is the only program of its type?

I just noticed the following in the Issue 10 literature.

"School districts across Ohio, including Canton, Cleveland, Youngstown, Toledo, and Columbus are already taking advantage of this once in a lifetime chance to have the state pay a major portion of the cost for their new schools."

Hmmm...

Were we misled again?

Responding to you Wayne is like responding to the wall.

Wayne would rather the Schools not be built.. He would rather the jobs leave Akron. He would rather get rid of the mayor with no idea what to do next. He sits behind a computer and complains about everything/anything Akron.

 Wayne In Akron

FParker...

I don't want to pay income tax to pay for schools that won't be built. There IS a difference.

I've never said I want jobs to leave Akron. I just don't think that taxpayers should be on the hook for, as an example, $900 million in loans and infrastructure costs with absolutely NO guarantee from Goodyear on how many jobs will STAY here.

If "I" get rid of the Mayor, I know exactly what I'll do next. CELEBRATE, then back the best candidate who comes forward to want the job.

Concerning your analysis of my computer usage, please tell us what POSITIVE thing you have brought to the table.

 Wayne In Akron

Cruisemaster...

During the Issue 10 campaign, those of us who brought up the possibility of falling enrollments requiring fewer buildings than the plan called for where dismissed.

Our questions and concerns were also dismissed when the subject of what will happen if more tax revenue is collected than the building project requires.

Our predictions have come true, but because these issues were dismissed at the time, a big problem has developed.

As today's Rubber City Media editorial pointed out:

"Debate on the issues of debt, public safety, and
the management of the city is not only healthy but
also required in a dynamic democracy."

"Those with opposing viewpoints are entitled to
their opinions and should not be subject to
intimidating or ridicule for speaking their
mind."

If the pro Issue 10 people had listened to us six years ago, a building and tax program that came in 10 year "steps" was offered as an alternative and would have eliminated what will grow into an even more contentious issue as the next 24 years go by and more taxpayers realize that the school construction has come to the end, but the .25% income tax hasn't.

Good night Wayne......

Wayne,
The parts of issue 10 that I do not understand are similar to the parts of common sense that you do not understand. Times change, plans change and therefor so must issue 10. If you do not want to pay the tax, there is a very simple solution which would take far less energy than you are currently spending on complaining. MOVE. Get a job someplace else, and stop paying for the waste you see.

For construction time, maybe you missed the memo about how the builder of some of the schools was caught cutting corners, and had to redo some of the work, extending construction time. But then again that fact does not fit into your master "conspiracy against Wayne" plan does it?

 whocares

Here's something to consider. Is that maybe at the very beginning of the whole idea is that every school was going to be fixed or replaced. Situation changed... Enrollment drops, money tight. Now some schools are being combined. So where, let's just pick a number, $10 million was going to be used to replace a school, $15-20 million is now being used to build a bigger school. To Wayne.... "DUH!" And maybe at the beginning, the cost of materials were cheaper. Now they cost, let say 20% more. Who knows what the amount is, but then the final figures are more than originally budgeted per school. Again... "DUH!" to Wayne.. You need to get out of the box, from behind the computer, and put a little more thought into your comments.
I think Mr. Wayne knows so much about being a mayor that he should move to some vacant town in Kansas, maybe he'll find Toto, and he can run his own town into the ground. Maybe when the original project was planned, they didn't know there was asbestos that had to be removed, maybe at the beginning of the project they thought they'd be able to reuse the existing foundation, but when demo started they found it was crumbling and now it has to all be replaced... Maybe during construction.... The prices are not fixed. They are estimates. If they find projects are running 5% over their original estimate, they now must remove a couple schools in order to stay within the original budget. Wayne, you need to think. Their are more factors involved than just whether you approve.

mr.donald plusquellic,i hope i didnt butcher your name too bad.you have done alot of great things for the city of akron!i really appreciate what you have done.you have been the mayor of akron since i was very young.i respect your authority,but it is time for a reality check.sometimes being in office that long makes you forget your respect with the common folk.maybe if you would have reinvented yourself , rather than portraying yourself as "the don", you would have gained more respect from "us"!i'm sure that you'll never be on my side of the "LA" tracks.good luck in the recall.and if you do win....it will be your last.so gloat while you can.we'll see you as a civilian.