News from the Greater Cleveland Partnership
Every Monday: September.19.2011
Get the facts: A "yes" vote on Issue 2 is a vote for lower taxes
We want you, the voter to understand why the Greater Cleveland Partnership is supporting efforts by the Building a Better Ohio campaign to retain SB5. One reason: A “yes” vote on Issue 2 will help ease the tax burden on the middle class.
“Voters need the full story about what SB5 is and isn’t” says GCP President and CEO Joe Roman. “Polls have found that a vast majority of voters support the individual reforms that SB5 contains.
“An important SB5 component is that it includes reasonable approaches that provide local governments with the tools they need to deal with fiscal challenges without raising taxes,” says Roman. “Helping control the cost of state and local government benefits each and every taxpayer. We’re talking about moving beyond a quick fix every two years. It’s time to create a balanced-budget scenario that’s sustainable over the long term.
SB5 also eliminates the outdated practice of seniority-based layoffs. It gives districts the option of considering teacher performance when districts have no other choice but to reduce staff levels. This provides the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and other districts with the guidelines they need to keep the best teachers in their classrooms, regardless of their budgetary situation.
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Myth vs. Fact: Learn more
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Click here
to watch the campaign's latest video.
Opportunity Corridor planners identify preferred alternative route
Much progress has been made on the Opportunity Corridor transportation and economic development project. The project’s Steering Committee has identified a single Recommended Preferred Alternative, based on input from the City of Cleveland, Community Development Corporations, neighborhood stakeholders, steering committees, businesses, and the public. Plans call for a boulevard-type road with:
- Traffic signals and a wide median
- Pedestrian and bicycle paths
- Tree lawns and landscaping
- Access to RTA bus and rapid transit
The alternative, presented at three public meetings at the end of July, included updated renderings of the boulevard cross-section, featuring a depressed center median, additional design elements, and a proposed reduction in travel lanes from a total of six to four. Although the number of lanes is less than previously anticipated, the final amount will not be determined until the calculated future traffic volumes are confirmed.
City of Cleveland and Greater Cleveland Partnership consultants are continuing to identify the best community and economic development opportunities along the Corridor. They also will provide the estimated economic impact that these improvements will generate for the city, county, and region.
More funders helping to “pass the plus”
The Cleveland Plus marketing campaign has added seven more funders to its list of supporters, all of whom are GCP Investor members:
- Cleveland Browns
- Cleveland Indians
- Dealer Tire
- PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Time Warner Cable
- U.S. Bank
Click here for the complete list of funders. If your company or organization is interested in helping to promote our region, please contact:
Richard J. Batyko, APR, Fellow PRSA
Vice President, Regional Marketing
Greater Cleveland Partnership
1240 Huron Road E, Suite 300
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
W: 216.592.2225
C: 216.466.1639
rbatyko@clevelandplus.com
Cleveland Plus region's economy making steady progress toward recovery
With growing employment and an unemployment rate that is outperforming the national average, the Northeast Ohio economy continues to improve, Team NEO reports in the second-quarter Cleveland Plus Economic Review. The region has now posted year-over-year employment increases for the past five consecutive quarters. A few report highlights:
- Our region outperformed both Ohio (8.7 percent) and the U.S. (8.9 percent) with its Q2 2011 unemployment rate of 8.5 percent.
- From Q1 to Q2 2011, construction employment climbed 17.3 percent, while service jobs grew 2.3 percent and manufacturing 2.1 percent.
- The Northeast Ohio employment index continues to mirror the U.S. index, with both almost 4.5 percent lower than the employment level of Q4 2007. Through 15 quarters of the 2007 recession, the Northeast Ohio employment index is almost identical to that of the U.S.
Click here to read or download the report.