My latest issue of the magazine Next American City arrived in the mail on Monday.
I haven’t read the whole thing yet, but so far I enjoyed two interesting articles:
one on the problems with publicly funded convention centers for cities;
and the cover story on Newark mayor Cory Booker.
I don’t think these articles are online – if they are I haven’t found them – so you may have to step away from your computers for a minute and buy the magazine.
-KG
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The general consensus is that this will be horrible for Cleveland.

Maybe it will be good because maybe they will hire better employees.
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National Public Radio had a piece over the weekend about community opposition in Detroit to tearing down this beautiful but crumbling landmark.
Detroit City Council has postponed the planned demolition in response.
“It is not an eyesore to us who live here,” one advocate for the building said. “We see what it was, what it is and what it could be.”
-KG
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The Buffalo News’ “The ‘Burbs” blog posed a question yesterday that has been asked by many a municipality: should public employees be required to live where they work?

(Sorry for this lame picture. I couldn’t think of any other way to illustrate this story.)
Their post dealt with the Buffalo suburb of Amherst, but it’s a question that has been asked throughout our region.
Typically, municipal leaders – and oftentimes voters as well – favor such rules, which are often opposed by police and firefighters unions.
This has been a hot topic in Ohio …

    Akron’s long-time mayor Don Plusquellic, a pioneer in regional economic development who has been credited with helping double the size of the downtown workforce, is facing a recall.
    Former Akron City Councilman Warner Mendenhall, a political rival of the mayor, has gathered the 3,179 signatures needed to hold a special election this summer to recall Plusquellic, The Plain Dealer reports.
    The special election will cost Akron taxpayers $175,000. Worse, The Plain Dealer reports that the special election favors Plusquellic opponents and few people in Akron are even aware of …