• Tremont residents should examine how to maintain a diverse neighborhood

    Tremont residents should examine how to maintain a diverse neighborhood by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, October 2022)  Tremont residents should be encouraged to participate in Ideastream’s Justin Glanville My Changing Neighborhood discussions where there is an examination of how to maintain a diverse neighborhood when gentrification is occurring.    The Tremont neighborhood could use some…


  • Local and state politicians show more empathy to developers than to Cleveland’s children

    Local and state politicians show more empathy to developers than to Cleveland’s children by Chuck Hoven Plain Press, July 20220                             Cleveland’s new tax abatement policy set to start on January 1, 2024, while better than the current policy, does little to address the glaring need to substantially increase the flow of property taxes to the Cleveland…


  • Cleveland’s approach to community development should put people before developers’ profits

    Cleveland’s approach to community development should put people before developers’ profits by Chuck Hoven Plain Press, May 2022             The City of Cleveland’s tax abatement program is coming up for renewal at the end of May. For many years, the City has used tax abatement as a means of attracting new residents and improving its housing stock…



  • Cleveland needs leaders with a moral compass

    Cleveland needs leaders with a moral compass by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, August 2021)       As Clevelanders prepare to select a new mayor and consider their choices for city council representatives for the next four years, we may be asking ourselves how do we best judge who will make a good mayor or city council representative? What qualities…


  • Rights and Responsibilities

    by Pat Takacs MSN, RN (Plain Press, February 2021) In our current cultural climate, we hear a great deal about “Rights”. My rights, our rights, all personal statements. But what about the rights of the “Other”?    What actually are the rights we hear touted as granted by the second amendment of the Constitution of the United…


  • Why we shouldn’t give up on bipartisanship, even now

    Why we shouldn’t give up on bipartisanship, even nowby Betsy de Parry (Plain Press, December 2020) In the wake of the 2020 election, many Americans are wondering whether bipartisanship is even possible anymore.    For the millions suffering from cancer and other debilitating diseases, I hope so. Because 18 years ago, when I faced a deadly diagnosis…


  • Cleveland City Council has a chance to do the right thing as it reviews tax abatement policy

    Cleveland City Council has a chance to do the right thing as it reviews tax abatement policy by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, August 2020)            Cleveland City Council announced in a July 23rd press release that it plans to hear a presentation from the Department of Community Development on a tax abatement study at its…


  • Cleveland City Council declares racism a public health crisis

    CITY COUNCIL POLICIES CONTRIBUTE TO CLEVELAND’S HIGH CHILDHOOD POVERTY RATE Cleveland City Council declares racism a public health crisis CITY COUNCIL POLICIES CONTRIBUTE TO CLEVELAND’S HIGH CHILDHOOD POVERTY RATE by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, July 2020)    At its June 3rd meeting, Cleveland City Council declared racism is a public health crisis. The legislation was unanimously passed by…


  • Ohio Immigrant Alliance responds to Report on FY18 Deportation “Statistics” by saying “We Are Deeply Disgusted and Utterly Ashamed”

    by Lynn Tramonte (January 2019, Plain Press)           The Federal government just put out its deportation “statistics” report for Fiscal Year 2018 ( Link: http://bit.ly/Deport18) , but let’s be clear: this report is not about statistics, it’s about people. Each “statistic” corresponds to a living, breathing human being, with a job, a home, and loved ones who grieve…