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Help me understand the hate for Mayor Coleman

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Started 2 years ago by Analogue Kid
Latest reply from pilsner

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Analogue Kid
5th by West-Northwest
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So I've noticed especially over the past few months that there have been a great many people on the interwebz and places expressing disdain for the Mayor and pretty much everything he does or has ever done. Personally, I have mixed feelings about him as I feel he has done a lot of good work towards focusing on urban areas but at the same time become somewhat of an arrogant and slimy politician (some might say that's a redundant description, but I digress).

I can understand people being upset about the proposal for a tax increase and the prospect of cutting services. However, I have a well-educated dear friend who is *convinced* that (and I quote) "Mayor Coleman is the most corrupt official ever". I've heard this echoed by others as well. My question is where the heck are they getting this stuff? I'm pretty up on things and the only thing I've heard is one city official suggesting that people who want to do business with the city should contribute to their campaigns (which was furiously backpedaled on). While that's certainly a troubling allegation, it isn't close to anything that goes on in say, Chicago or New York. Is there some sort of alternate Bob Conners/John Corby universe? Or what?

If you're one of the people who dislike the mayor, please explain why! I don't want to criticize anybody's views pro or con, I really just want to understand.

Posted 2 years ago #
HeySquare
German Village
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I honestly just think it is people's perception of the economy. There has to be a scapegoat.

Posted 2 years ago #
turnedNOTburned
Grandview/Columbus, Ohio
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I'll have to agree with ya, short of any official charges being drawn, I have a hard time believing he is any more corrupt than any other official. Seems like its convenient to hate the head of the snake, rather than the fact that the snake does (and should) exist.

For me, this is about the shrinking of government (or what SHOULD be the shrinking of government) in response to the shrinking tax base and economy. Its tough all around and its time for Mayor Coleman to earn his keep.

Here is wishing him the best of luck....

Posted 2 years ago #
HeySquare
German Village
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Until we find out that Coleman promoted his gay lover into a high level government position, was indited in a prostution ring, or sold a city council seat, I think we're doing OK.

Posted 2 years ago #
Hael

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Analogue Kid, ask your friend what he knows about Coleman being corrupt. Any corruption is unacceptable.

Posted 2 years ago #
Motorist
The Trots
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So I understand that he has to be pro-downtown and pro-development but he seems to really like everything that's going on downtown. Which leads me to believe that one of a couple things is going on with him. One, he doesn't know shit about urban planning. Or two, he knows about urban planning but doesn't give a shit because people are building and the repurcussions of the bad design all over won't be felt until after he's long gone. Or three, he's getting kick backs from the developers to allow them to whatever in the hell they want and look happy about it.

But really, I've just had a hard time trusting him after he sold Han Solo out to Darth Vader.

Posted 2 years ago #
mitchellosu
Merion Village
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I'm not someone who is constantly blaming racism for every problem, but I honestly think with Coleman alot of it (Dispatch comments, etc) is racism. A certain angry white male element will always be hostile towards people of a different race.

Alot of what makes Coleman a great mayor is vision and strategies for continuing to push Columbus far beyond our rust belt peers. Things like putting emphasis on downtown, continued support for gentrified/gentrifying neighborhoods, the street car, and reaching out to the gay community (Coleman practically shared a stage with Nina West at High Ball). A certain element of the genpop is too small minded to understand the importance of long-term planning, courting YPs and the creative class, etc. They just see it as frivolous.

Posted 2 years ago #
thepiece
merion village
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I think its a combination of the factors above (the economy, general intolerance for pro urban policies) and just a general cultural resistance/push back for political leaders who stay in power for a long time (maybe this push back gets amplified since we have such a strong mayor system here in Columbus)?
In respect to the corruption question, I don't think Columbus is really that different than any other place around the country.

Posted 2 years ago #
michaelcoyote
!seabus
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Players get haters..

Posted 2 years ago #
Andrew Hall
Dennison Place (The Circles)
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If I remember correctly, the hate directed to Mayor Coleman is nothing compared to Bucky Reinhart. (Lashutka was so low key, you hardly knew we had a Mayor - for good or ill.) My memories is that the major media has no problem trumpeting whatever came down the pike about Bucky.

When the lead story is the claim of a baby sitter waking up with Mayor Mike sucking on her toes, then we will have problems.

(Hopefully my memory is right on that one ...)

A.

Posted 2 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Analogue Kid wrote >>
So I've noticed especially over the past few months that there have been a great many people on the interwebz and places expressing disdain for the Mayor and pretty much everything he does or has ever done.

I've heard these types of complaints as long as I can remember.

People who complain about the Mayor being the source of all that is wrong in the City of Columbus are the same type of people who complain about the President being the source of all that is wrong in the country. No matter who the leader is, they just want a single person to lay the blame on because they don't want to think about issues being any more complex than "It's THAT guy's fault".

Posted 2 years ago #
hivner1
clintonville
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I've long sung the Mayor's praises, but the recent tax-threats against rec centers, police and firefighters are a great cause for concern.

Posted 2 years ago #
Hael

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Walker wrote >>

Analogue Kid wrote >>
So I've noticed especially over the past few months that there have been a great many people on the interwebz and places expressing disdain for the Mayor and pretty much everything he does or has ever done.

I've heard these types of complaints as long as I can remember.
People who complain about the Mayor being the source of all that is wrong in the City of Columbus are the same type of people who complain about the President being the source of all that is wrong in the country. No matter who the leader is, they just want a single person to lay the blame on because they don't want to think about issues being any more complex than "It's THAT guy's fault".

+1

Posted 2 years ago #
pez

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I don't hate the mayor at all. I am disappointed in some of the cronyism and other tactics he uses. In cases like the paving of Lane Avenue, he intervened to ensure the specs would only allow one company in town to do the work, oddly they were a campaign donor. He gave Huntington financial help to abandon the Crosswoods community and relocate to Northland. Now he is killing or threatening to kill visible services to get a 25% tax hike passed, closing community centers, yard waste pickup, police and fire layoffs, possible trash collection fees.

On the other hand, I do have to pat him on the back. He's very visible and appears to be accessible, I've not made the attempt but people I know say he's out and about and mixing with the locals, which is unusual in a city this size. He's pressed the unions to make and take concessions. He's put a hiring freeze on all non-essential employees and from all appearances runs a pretty tight ship.

I don't know that I would vote for him again, but with an all Democrat City Council, there will be no credible opposition from either party. I don't envy him, he's got a tough job.

Posted 2 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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I should clarify... my last post was more directed at the "TEH MAYOR SUX" type of commentary, and not people such as pez expressing valid concerns in a rational manner.

That said... I don't agree with 100% of Coleman's choices, and I do think he has his faults. But I do think he has done a lot more good than harm, and Columbus is in a better place than it was in 2000. Of course, some of that has to do with his policies and efforts, and some of it has to do with the hundreds of other civil and political leaders who help to steer the city.

Posted 2 years ago #
ratzo
someplace with WiFi
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I lived under two terms of Rudy Giuliani.

You don't know how good you have it.

Posted 2 years ago #
adrock
Grandview Heights
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he's always just seemed to have his head in the clouds to me. he focuses way too much on downtown when that is a very, very small part of the city of columbus. it's very important obviously, but other areas of columbus are in need of way more help and he ignores them. his scare tactics right now with police/fire are downright unethical and cowardly. the whole city center deal. his dumbass wife. he's basically a great politician, which doesn't say much for him as a person.

ETA: oh and the fact that coleman had absolutely no idea about the grandview yard project until after the property had been on the market, after multiple companies showed interest for development (which took place for years), after it was purchased, after development plans were released, and after demolition started...then mikey pokes his head out of his downtown turtle shell and wants to know what's up. on top of that, he acts like obama is his bff and threatens to blacklist grandview if they don't pay him off. no wonder columbus can't be competitive with the suburbs in getting corporations. they don't pay attention to anything.

"The Yard did not fall out of the sky"

Posted 2 years ago #
lightening
Columbus Oh
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Let's see He has been in the pocket of the developers since he started, he manages a slush fund to determine who gets elected to City council, in using the resources of the City of Columbus to increase the value of property outside of Columbus he has used money that should have been used to develop Columbus, He battled against the Sierra Club's suit regarding the mixing of storm runoff and sanitary sewer, until the City lost, and then he appointed the attorney who represented the city in that lawsuit to be the new environmental steward, and then he started posing as being a "green" politician.

He has leveraged positive affirmative action for minorities which is the law into political clout for himself. He killed a regulation that would have controlled use of areas bordering the local waterways to prevent erosion. He and his city council gave away the former Ohio Penitentiary site, now the Nationwide arena, to Nationwide with a 99 yeear tax abatement, which severely cut into the support that site would have provided to the Columbus City School District on the promise of jobs which turned out to be seasonal and low paying.Now that the Blue Jacket and within that sock puppet Nationwide is asking for the City to buy out the Arena because it has been a failure economically despite all of the giveaways, and we are all plunged into economic cold water in whose interests will he and his city council act.

His wife was hired to hold a high paying job within the city for doing exactly nothing until that was exposed. BTW Nationwide was one the primary interests preventing the transition mandated by the Ohio Supreme Court to not have public schools funded by local property taxes. In the case of the Arena that had absolutely playing the process both ways. He also used skillfully the PC liberal vote and stitch together the pretense of a progressive government without the substance, but it doesn't bother them because their needs still get top priority.

Coleman and his City Council have been diverting the funding levies required of cable companies by the municipal cable licensing to support community non-profit TV. This money was used to support services elsewhere under his administration. Also remember here that the City Council has been giving away tax credits and tax abtements for years to any corporate interest connected to a strategic campaign contribution and shows up their hand extended spouting BS about brining jobs to Columbus.

Now that this strategy has reversed upon itself, and the shortage of taxes being paid is becoming a big problem, how abount rescinding all of those tax credits and abatements for what they are, parasites bleeding our city to death. It may be worse in other cities and under other mayors, and here in the heart of corporate Ohio, the label may read "Democrat" the man may look like a minority, but his interests are strictly his own and the contents are just the same. 90 % of the above is without real merit of knowledge of what Coleman inc has done beyond the photo-opportunities..

Posted 2 years ago #
Tenzo
Chicago Lakeshore
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As a person from Chicago:

Rod says; this guy ain't F-ing nuttin'

Posted 2 years ago #
Gig3000

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http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/01/08/coleman-keys-on-youths-housing.html

Article shows how hands on Mayor Coleman is.... i think i am getting the hang of this website

Posted 4 months ago #