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Stacey Abrams’ visit highlights disconnect between Cleveland's working class voters and their elected officials

Intemperate speech follows ejection of city council president from union HQ

By R. T. Andrews, EDITOR

When rising political star Stacey Abrams agreed to be guest speaker for this year’s Women’s Day observance at Olivet institutional Baptist Church, she likely had no appreciation how much her visit to Cleveland would illuminate our troubled local political clime.

Last Monday, the day after Abrams left town, Cleveland councilman Blaine Griffin, in a stark departure from his more typical reflective self, made a five-minute speech that struck many who’ve heard it as unhinged from rationality.  He spoke in martial tones about dealing with people who disrespected council.

The fallout was immediate. Texts and phone calls were sent while his words were still echoing in Council’s cavernous chamber. Scene reporter Sam Allard posted an excoriating piece on the magazine’s website the next day. But the real story wasn’t Griffin’s garbled words or loose logic; it’s the enormous gulf they symbolized between Cleveland citizens and their elected representatives.

Griffin’s remarks were in response to a confrontation that occurred the prior Saturday afternoon at Service Employees International Union local headquarters on East 30th street near downtown, where Abrams had agreed to headline a forum on voting rights, co-sponsored by SEIU and the Ohio Democratic Party.

SEIU is the labor union most closely aligned with the economic status and interests of Cleveland’s majority black and working-class population, and thus a key driver of voter turnout for Democrats. It was a smart move for ODP chair David Pepper to arrange for Abrams’ appearance; they’ve been friends since they were classmates at Yale Law School and Abrams’ electrifying run in 2018 for Georgia governor — much evidence suggests she won, even though her opponent, serving as scorekeeper and referee, was certified as victor — has made her a national champion for fair voting.

Moreover, as Griffin noted in an interview with this writer the morning after his explosive remarks, there has been serious friction between the state and local parties going back more than a decade. So it seemed a natural move to extend a special invitation to local Democratic officials. Council President Kevin Kelley, who also serves as executive vice president of the county party, his majority leader, Phyllis Cleveland, and Griffin, a former county party vice chair, showed up before the event started.

It was the equivalent of dropping a plugged-in radio into the tub.

Kelley was soon approached and asked to leave. He demurred at first, but the request soon morphed into a command. Kelley departed, and was overheard to say something on the order of, “this isn’t the last of this.”

In a show of solidarity, Griffin and Cleveland followed Kelley out the door, although neither had been asked to leave.

Why Kelley was persona non grata

SEIU has become more active politically in recent years, as its members have suffered from the county and country’s growing economic disparities. The union has flexed its organizing muscles to weigh in on the three most significant political battles of the past several years: the 2016 fight to enact a $15 hourly minimum wage, a citizens initiative in 2017 to challenge spending upwards of $140 million to renovate the publicly owned but privately operated sports arena, and this year’s struggle to enact a citizen-sponsored lead safe ordinance.

While the city finally enacted lead legislation this summer — Griffin played an important role as head of council’s health and human services committee — SEIU and its allies lost the other two campaigns.

Significantly, all three campaigns had one element in common: Cleveland City Council under Kevin Kelley took extraordinary steps to stifle public voices.

SEIU used its organizing abilities to mobilize tens of thousands of voters in petition drives on each issue, only to be thwarted in each instance by the Kelley-led city council. In the struggles over the Q deal and lead abatement, the council clerk, a Kelley subordinate, refused initially even to accept the petitions. While this was insulting enough, petitioners were at least able to challenge the refusals in court, and the end result in each case did not hinge upon rejection or acceptance of the petitions.

But it was the first campaign — the Fight-for-Fifteen — that SEIU will forever regard as a betrayal by Kelley and his colleagues. Unwilling to put the issue on the ballot and let Cleveland voters support the increased minimum wage by historic proportions, council dragged its feet on moving the bill through the legislative process as required by the city charter. Then, with the support of Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson and the business community, Kelley did the unthinkable. He went to the state capitol in Columbus and asked the legislature to take away the city’s power to legislate a minimum wage law. 

This was a complete betrayal of the principle of home rule that protects the ability of cities to manage their affairs in matters of governance, contracting, public education, and more.

The General Assembly, which had been eroding the home rule provisions of Ohio’s Constitution for a generation with the help of a compliant state Supreme Court, agreed with glee to accommodate Kelley’s request, and Senate Bill 331 was quickly passed and signed into law by then-lame duck Gov. Kasich.

Kelley strolled into SEIU’s home as if this history meant nothing.  Or perhaps he thought being accompanied by Griffin and Cleveland would guarantee safe passage. (Griffin told me after his speech that he probably had more in common with SEIU than most of his colleagues; sadly, he may be right.) 

When Griffin took to the Council floor his words reflected a belief that Council had somehow been disrespected. He chose to direct his ire at the state party, although the imprecision of his remarks made them seem intended for anyone who did not display adequate respect for the office of Councilperson.

In reality, ODP had no control over who was welcome at SEIU. More significantly, his comments ignored the reality of how consistently he and his colleagues have ignored the voices of their constituents.

When ten or twenty or thirty thousand citizens sign petitions for or against a city ordinance, it’s a strong sign of engagement. When a legislative body disdains even to accept the positions, it’s an even stronger sign of arrogance and disrespect that likely increases the distance between constituents and their representatives.

Next week’s election may reflect a voter turnout around 10%, a remarkable statement of disengagement.

In November 2020, when many more offices and issues are on the ballot, turnout will be far greater. Griffin, Kelley, et al. should not be surprised to find strong voter respect and affinity for the proposition that Cleveland City Council should be drastically reduced in size, and/or that its members’ pay be reduced.

That’s a demand for respect that Council will ignore at its peril.

Blaine Griffin Kevin Kelley SEIU 1199 Cleveland City Council Ohio Democratic Party