Homelessness in Cleveland

Panel Examines Issue at The City Club of Cleveland

CLEVELAND: A panel of local officials and homeless activists will discuss multiple issues surrounding homelessness in Cleveland at noon on Thursday, November 1, 2007, at The City Club of Cleveland. Joe Frolik of the Plain Dealer will serve as moderator.

Cleveland, like all major cities, has a significant homeless population. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines homeless individuals as those who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, or whose residence is a publicly or privately operated temporary shelter. The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless estimates that there are more than 26,000 homeless individuals in Cuyahoga County.

Panelists are as follows:

·         Joe Cimperman, Cleveland City Councilman

·         Mike Sering, director of housing and shelter, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries

·         Natoya Walker, special assistant to the Mayor, City of Cleveland

They will discuss topics ranging from what is being done to provide housing and services for homeless individuals, day to day life in homeless shelters, the distinction between homelessness and panhandling, and the balancing of the civil rights of homeless individuals with the community’s desire to reduce aggressive panhandling and to preserve safety in Cleveland’s public spaces.

This program, organized by City Club New Leaders, is second in the three-part series Engulfed: The Rising Tide of Economic Disparity sponsored by the Saint Luke’s Foundation. The final series installment is the program Is the Middle Class Shrinking? on Tuesday, November 27.

Tickets are $15 for members and $25 for non-members. Lunch is included. Reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance of the event. They can be purchased by calling The City Club at 216.621.0082 or visiting the website at www.cityclub.org.

Realistic Regionalism for a More Vibrant Economy

Deborah Sutherland, mayor of the City of Bay Village and president of the Cuyahoga County Mayors and Managers Association, will speak about regionalism in Northeast Ohio—its history, its current impact, and its potential for the future—and success stories from other cities at noon on Friday, November 2, 2007, at The City Club of Cleveland.

During her tenure as mayor of Bay Village, Sutherland has accomplished much, including a new Family Aquatic Center, new police station, a joint Bay School/City Community gym, a jointly owned Avon Lake/Bay Park and the first new commercial development in 30 years. Prior to her mayoral appointment in October 2000, she served 4 ½ years as the City Council representative for Ward 2.

Sutherland is currently serving as the west shore representative to NOACA, a member of the Board of Trustees for Fairview/Lutheran Hospital, a member of the Board of the Cleveland Restoration Society, a past member of the Board of Kids in Flight, and the past chairwoman of the Westshore Council of Governments. She has helped with several other civic efforts, including campaign member on behalf of the Cuyahoga County Public Library system and the Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

In 2002, Sutherland was selected as “Outstanding Fellow” for CSU’s Leadership Academy XI. In 2003, she received the Westshore League of Women Voters “Woman of the Year” award and was selected for the prestigious Leadership Cleveland Class of 2004. In 2006, Sutherland received the Community Service Award from the Western Region of the Cleveland Clinic. In 2007, Crain’s Cleveland Business has featured her as both a “Woman of Note” and as one of the “Power Pack 50”.

Tickets are $18 for members and $30 for non-members. Lunch is included. They can be purchased by calling The City Club at 216.621.0082 or visiting the website at www.cityclub.org.

Doo Wop: The Music, the Times, the Era

Bruce Morrow, who adopted the moniker “Cousin Brucie” in 1959 while working at WINS/New York, will speak about his book Doo Wop: The Music, the Times, the Era at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, November 2, 2007, at The City Club of Cleveland. A book signing will immediately follow the program.

Using archival photography, posters, album covers, newspaper articles, magazine covers, and lyrics, Doo Wop reveals the roots of the music explosion of the ‘60s by telling the story of 1950’s doo wop groups and the development of the music, politics, art, architecture, and popular culture throughout this period.

A mainstay of New York hit radio for more than 40 years, Morrow worked at WABC/New York and introduced the Beatles during their historic Shea Stadium concert in August 1965. He moved to WNBC/New York, where he spent two years on radio and television before leaving the airwaves to concentrate on business ventures.

In the ‘80s, “Cousin Brucie” returned to radio, joining the staff of WCBS-FM/New York. From 1987 to 1993, Morrow was heard nationally on the weekly series, Cruisin’ America, and hosted two shows until the station’s format change in June 2005. Shortly thereafter, he signed a multi-year deal to host oldies programming and a weekly talk show on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Morrow’s autobiography Cousin Brucie! was published in 1987. In 1994, he became the only on-air personality in New York with his own street, when Mayor Rudolph Giuliani proclaimed West 52nd Street “Cousin Brucie Way.” Morrow was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1988.

Tickets for this City Club Special Program are $15 for members and $25 for non-members.  Appetizers are included. Reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance of the event. They can be purchased by calling The City Club at 216.621.0082 or visiting the website at www.cityclub.org.