Roundtable: Kevin O’Brien, editorial writer, The Plain Dealer; Erick Trickey, senior editor, Cleveland Magazine; Bill Livingston, sports columnist, The Plain Dealer.
Browns Hire a Coach
Rob Chudzinski, the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers, will be Cleveland’s new head coach. Chudzinski grew up a Browns fan in Toledo and has previously served as an assistant coach in Cleveland. In Carolina, he directed a high powered offense that produced gaudy numbers for talented young quarterback Cam Newton. He’s never been a head coach at any level.
Legal, but Right?
Cleveland City Councilman Ken Johnson is officially retired, but got his old job back this week. Now, he’ll get his full council pay while also collecting his state pension. It’s a phenomenon known as double-dipping. It’s legal but rubs many taxpayers the wrong way, even some of Johnson’s fellow council members. Johnson made history by becoming the first council member ever to be re-appointed after retiring.
Strickland Won’t Run
Ex-Governor Ted Strickland decided this week not to challenge Governor Kasich in 2014. Strickland had been visible during the run-up to the 2012 Presidential election, fueling speculation that he’d like another crack at Kasich who narrowly unseated him two years earlier. But Strickland withdrew his name from contention this week, igniting a scramble for the top of the ticket. One candidate expected to challenge is Cuyahoga County executive Ed FitzGerald.
Executive Succession
If FitzGerald is tapped to top the ticket, another Democratic race would begin for his current job. Speculation is just beginning and it centers on former state representative and Ohio House speaker Armond Budish, ex county treasurer Jim Rokakis and former Cleveland city hall figure Chris Ronayne who’s now head of University Circle, Inc.
Intentional Pass for Baseball Writers
For the first time since 1996, the nation’s baseball writers have chosen not to elect anyone to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The lack of inductees is widely viewed as a repudiation of players who excelled during the recently ended steroid era that produced shocking numbers of home runs. Sluggers Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa failed to muster the necessary votes in their first appearance on the HOF ballot. Mark McGwire and pitcher Roger Clemens also fell short.