Newsmaker: Michael Polensek, Cleveland City Council, Ward 11
The council veteran has claimed the singular distinction of being the city’s longest-serving elected official. First elected from his Collinwood neighborhood 35 years ago, Polensek is known for his acid tongue and fierce loyalty to his constituents. His clashes with other city hall figures are legendary and from time to time he’s been known to call out misbehaving constituents.
Roundtable: Brian Tucker, publisher & editorial director, Crain’s Cleveland Business; Jill Miller Zimon, blogger, Writes Like She Talks; Ed Esposito, news director, WAKR/AkronNewsNow.com.
Debate Series Concludes
President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney focused on foreign policy in the last of their three debates this week. The two men found some areas of agreement; both, for instance, claimed to stand behind Israel. But they disagreed on how to handle Iran and other trouble spots in the region. And their differing approaches to fixing the sluggish US economy was on display as it had been in previous debates.
Newspaper Endorsements
The Plain Dealer and the Akron Beacon Journal both endorsed President Obama for re-election. The Plain Dealer praised Obama for leadership that brought the nation back from the brink of depression and kept the auto industry working. The Beacon Journal listed further accomplishments including passage of health care reform and creation of new rules governing credit cards. The Columbus Dispatch, on the other hand, endorsed Romney, calling him the man to lead the nation out of economic malaise.
An End to Controversial Billboards
Clear Channel Communications will remove billboards that ruffled feathers in some Cleveland neighborhoods. Signs reading ‘voter fraud is a felony’ were posted in black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Milwaukee, sparking allegations of voter intimidation and racism. Clear Channel won’t say who paid for the billboards, but said the client thought it best to remove them.