CLEVELAND, Ohio – Mayor Frank Jacksons to plan The creation of a new city division with the aim of promoting Cleveland for major events and filmmaking met with skepticism from some city council members at a hearing on Monday.
Among other things, Councilors Charles Slife and Brian Kazy wondered whether the new department’s expected budget of $ 800,000 per year could be better used elsewhere, such as providing rides for senior citizens in Cleveland or training paramedics.
The City Services and Real Estate Committee ended up voting 4-1 in favor of the idea, with Kazy giving the only “no” vote. More resistance is likely if the idea reaches the entire council for final approval, as Slife, who is not on the committee, said he would vote against it.
If the plan is approved, the City Hall’s current special events office (consisting of two employees) would expand into a special events, filming and tourism division with a team of seven led by a commissioner. It would continue to fall under the purview of the Department of Public Works and Director Michael Cox.
The new division would focus on landing larger national events and convincing filmmakers to film in Cleveland. And expanded staffing would enable a more efficient approval process for smaller events like block parties or gatherings in city parks, event director Esha Hand told the committee.
However, some councilors questioned the need for a new department at all.
Slife said the special events office is doing “very, very important work,” but “given the hardship in Cleveland, I think it’s important that people come first.”
“There are seniors who are told they can’t go to MetroHealth or Cleveland Clinic (through a city program). We need to pave more streets, improve more parks … why don’t we support all of these other needs? ”Asked Slife.
Kazy wanted to know why a new division was needed, as local guides often pointed out how well the city had managed recent major events such as the 2021 NFL Draft, the 2016 World Series, and the 2016 Republican National Convention.
“If we can run these big events without errors, I don’t think the system is broken. And if it’s not broken, I don’t see any need to fix it, ”said Kazy.
Cox said the current office is a “one-man show” that is hand-overseen and needs more staff to do its job properly.
Slife wanted to know why the city couldn’t just hire a few more people to support Hand instead of starting a new department.
Cox said a department led by the commissioners would give continuity to the city’s recruiting efforts for filmmakers and event planners. This is because, unlike managers, commissioners have civil service protection and therefore retain their position when a new mayor takes office.
“It will be a constant flow. There will be consistent goals, ”said Cox. “And it’s important that we have enough people to do what we need to do and to keep the films.”
Ideally, the creation of a new department could also enable the city to offer some event-related services online, Hand said. This could include creating an online permit process and a digital listing of city parks and other land,
Without an online listing, city officials would continue what they do now: describing each park or property to potential event planners and listing individual amenities at each location, such as availability of accommodation or electricity.
The committee members who voted for the plan on Monday were Kevin Bishop, Tony Brancatelli, Joe Jones and Brian Mooney.
However, both Brancatelli and Jones said they have several questions about the plan that have yet to be answered. Jones criticized the Jackson administration, among other things, for failing to reveal important details on Monday, such as how much more the department would cost taxpayers per year compared to current costs.
