• Guardians for Fair Work support wage theft protection

    SCREEN SHOT BY BRUCE CHECEFSKYMonday, September 12, 2022; Public Comment, Cleveland City Council Meeting, Cleveland City Hall, 601 Lakeside Avenue: Matthew Ahn, a spokesperson for the Guardians for Fair Work, says legislation introduced at Cleveland City Council to address wage theft falls short of expectations. Guardians for Fair Work support wage theft protection by Bruce…


  • Creation of care response model urged for responding to calls for mental health or behavioral health crises

    Creation of care response model urged for responding to calls for mental health or behavioral health crises (Plain Press, September 2022)                         Progressive think tanks and mental health advocates have joined in a collaborative effort to spur the City of Cleveland to speed its implementation of a care response model for responding to calls it…


  • Who pays property taxes to support services when the economy is dominated by nonprofits?

    by Stephanie Czekalinski  This is part three of a series examining the tax-exempt status of nonprofit hospitals in Northeast Ohio and how the loss of tax dollars impacts communities. (Plain Press, September 2022)           Fifty years ago, when Clevelanders needed to fund schools, pay for parks, or expand libraries, they relied on booming tax revenue from large…


  • Debate over tax breaks for nonprofit Cleveland area hospitals is also about racism and redlining

    Debate over tax breaks for nonprofit Cleveland area hospitals is also about racism and redlining by Stephanie Czekalinski & Michael Indriolo  This is part two of a series examining the tax-exempt status of nonprofit hospitals in Northeast Ohio and how the loss of tax dollars impacts communities. Plain Press, August 2022        Nonprofit hospitals like the Cleveland Clinic receive…


  • Cleveland City Council weighs proposals to change Cleveland’s tax abatement policy

    PHOTO BY CHUCK HOVEN Monday, May 16, 2022; Cleveland City Council Meeting, Cleveland City Hall, 601 Lakeside Avenue: During the Public Comment period at the Cleveland City Council Meeting, Ward 4 resident David Beach addresses Cleveland City Council on the issue of the reauthorization of the City’s residential tax abatement program.  Speaking of the Justin Bibb…


  • More cash means more stability for children and families

    More cash means more stability for children and families by Will Petrik (Plain Press, August 2021)     All children and families, no matter where they live or what they look like, deserve stability, security, and basic human dignity. But for decades, certain state and federal lawmakers have prioritized tax giveaways for the wealthy while 46% of Cleveland children…