New Convention Center Is Just like Our Regional Leadership -- Nonexistant

You know, it's been a tough Browns season but the consternation they've caused me is nothing compared to the super-sad plight of the mythical new convention center. Only a week after a new plan was proposed and seemed to be gaining some momentum, it was promptly scratched because its prospects didn't look good. This sucks. I have serious reservations about being able to live and work prosperously in Cleveland the rest of my life.

I don't blame those involved with this plan for scrapping it -- the timeline was indeed tight, and the initial reactions from the community appeared to be very much opposed. It was clear that it was going to take a significant and well-executed effort to educate the public about the plan. But the general ignorance of people really astounds me. There are several truisms that so many people just don't seemt o get...

1) The urban core of an area is vital; if it is not healthy the region will suffer. You don't have to spend your day in the City to be dependent on it.

2) There's a budget crisis in Cleveland. The only real way to address it is job growth. Everything else is a band-aid.

3) Cleveland's a good place with plenty of marketable attractions, but currently also with a useless, out-of-date convention center. It's amazing how much of what people are saying challenges these two points.

Don't believe me? Check out this community feedback in the Plain Dealer last week. They are the comments of citizens who are just hanging on, waiting for the next handout, waiting for something good to appear out of thin air.

Yes, I know there's a fiscal crisis in Cleveland. Yes I know cops and firemen are being laid off. But it is suicidal for Cleveland to think these problems will be solved by not investing in itself. Without a turn-around in the region's economy we are caught of in an end game, and that end is not a pleasant one for Northeast Ohio.