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He's already acting like a snake politician...blaming the previous administration for your own failures. This is something you do when you can't get the damn job done...you know Cleveland gets big snow storms...you know we have issues clearing the roads in the past...you're the mayor, the buck stops w/ you...don't blame your predecessor for your failings.
He's already acting like a snake politician...blaming the previous administration for your own failures. This is something you do when you can't get the damn job done...you know Cleveland gets big snow storms...you know we have issues clearing the roads in the past...you're the mayor, the buck stops w/ you...don't blame your predecessor for your failings.
Maybe that's true, I don't really know. But I do know he had zero knowledge of anything related to city governance prior to becoming the leader of the city. I hope he has good people around him...
He's already acting like a snake politician...blaming the previous administration for your own failures. This is something you do when you can't get the damn job done...you know Cleveland gets big snow storms...you know we have issues clearing the roads in the past...you're the mayor, the buck stops w/ you...don't blame your predecessor for your failings.
Extremely ridiculous comment. Bibb hasn't even been in office two weeks and you expect him to improve the snow removal response sufficiently to deal with one of the worst storms in several years AMID a COVID epidemic???
What do YOU suggest the Bibb administration should have done in two weeks that it hasn't done? Do you want Cleveland to spend tens of millions of dollars to improve its snow removal response even though the increased capacity may never be used, or used just infrequently (once in three or five years?). Cities such as Columbus long ago decided they would just live with infrequent, bad storms. This increasingly will be a difficult budget decision for northeast Ohio governments as our winters become ever more mild.
An immediate problem in Cleveland is the large amount of residential street parking in older neighborhoods, greatly complicating snow removal. How should Cleveland deal with this issue???
Painesville in Lake County has six snow plows for seven square miles.
Cleveland has 48 plows, 12 road raiders, and 13 small plows for 77 square miles of land. A big difference is that Painesville doesn't have to deal with parked cars on its streets, so it can handle larger amounts of snow more expeditiously (but not as well as Euclid or Mentor) than Cleveland.
I heard on some broadcast that 12 of Cleveland's plows broke down on the first day after the storm. Clearly, Cleveland's snow plow fleet was not in top condition if this is true.
Media reporting about snow removal capacity and costs in Greater Cleveland is terrible. How much does Cleveland and other cities budget per year for snow removal costs? I imagine a large truck plow costs at least $200,000, but just guessing. How many snow plows per square mile do various communities in Greater Cleveland have available, and how many were fully staffed during the recent storm?
Mentor, one of the more wealthy communities in Greater Cleveland, apparently has 20 plows and 20 (or 40?) additional trucks with plows available for snow removal for its 28 miles of land, but I suspect ODOT plows Route 2 and Route 90 in the city, and these are the city's main thoroughfares.
<<The Public Works Department is responsible for maintaining approximately 500 lane miles of roadway, utilizing 15 – 20 plows for a routine snowfall, and as many as 40 trucks during a major snow event.>>
Cleveland clearly needs more plows and drivers and a plan to deal with cars parked on the streets (designated parking lots for street parkers pending completion of snow removal?). Cleveland perhaps could assume liability for snow removal in these parking lots in exchange for using the lots for temporary parking.
Here are some suggestions for dealing w/ big storms in the future.
1) Institute Parking bans on all city streets before the storm hits...Ticket and Tow violators before hand.
2) Contract w/ the plethora of Independent contractors and landscapers throughout the metro that provide snow removal...and let them handle some of the streets that maybe their parking lot/driveway clients are on.
3) Inspect snow removal equipment monthly during the season (Nov-Mar) and make sure all equipment is working properly.
You mentioned C-bus doesn't clear residential roads anymore and that they just made to decision to deal w/ it...the difference is Cleveland averages 65" inches of snow per year...and is good for 2-4 decent to good storms per season...C-bus averages 24" of snow per season...and rarely ever gets a storm that dumps a foot or more. I lived there from 1997-2005 (half of it as an OSU student) and again from 2014-2017 before movng back up here. In those 12 winters, C-bus got hit by a storm of 12" or more just 3 times...and maybe 6-10 inches maybe 3 more times. Several of those winters, they had less than 12" of snow for the entire winter. Cleveland on the other hand should be far more prepared to deal w/ these events.
What really ticked me off is that Industrial Pkwy, where I work, is not a residential street but a street full of manufacturers and warehouses was not cleared until this morning. While I have an SUV, several coworkers w/ small cars got stuck on that street and we had to go help push and dig them out to get in...my company contracts w/ a snow removal company who plowed our parking lot and dock areas twice during the storm and afterwards as well...he said he is not allowed to plow the streets though...that a coworker was given a $200 ticket for trying to clear a side street.
My memory is that for most of the week preceding the MLK Day storm, it was forecast that the storm would be south and east of the city of Cleveland. I remember thinking until perhaps Saturday evening that there would be NO snow in most of Lake County, and if there was any, it would be minimal as with all previous snow events this winter. I didn't spend a couple hours getting my snow blower in working condition until Sunday afternoon, and still was somewhat surprised by the amount of snow received.
We've often had forecasts of major storms that weren't so bad, even the so-called "big" storm around Christmas of 2020, when accumulations weren't as great as the reported snowfalls due to high ground temperatures. The MLK storm definitely was a throwback storm, more like what we saw frequently in the 20th century.
It would be surprising if the Bibb administration in its first two weeks wasn't preoccupied with organizing and prioritizing long-term issues, and didn't see this major storm coming until it was too late to do much of anything to better prepare for the storm, even if it could have done much in just two weeks of its existence.
Here are some suggestions for dealing w/ big storms in the future.
1) Institute Parking bans on all city streets before the storm hits...Ticket and Tow violators before hand.
Cleveland had a parking ban. Yet I saw video clips of snow removal where cars were still parked on city streets 48 hours after the end of the storm hampering efforts to push snow back to the curbs. You're right, such street parking isn't tolerated in most if not all suburbs, most of which have ample private parking, including for individual residences.
It would be interesting to know in Cleveland how many tickets were issued and how many cars were towed, IF ANY. Have any media outlets pursued such a story?
It's one thing to issue a parking ban, and it's another thing to enforce it when many areas of Cleveland have a paucity of parking; that's why residents park on the streets in the first place. Many Cleveland residents likely have limited or no options to park elsewhere beside on the street, and they can't afford tickets let alone towing charges.
It may be political suicide to enforce a parking ban in several Cleveland wards. Consider that owners of private parking lots don't want cars in their lots before a storm, as that would impair their ability to clear their lots of snow. That's why if Cleveland wants to enforce a parking ban, it needs to designate nearby parking locations for residents, which requires advance planning and negotiations with private lot owners.
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Originally Posted by ohioaninsc
2) Contract w/ the plethora of Independent contractors and landscapers throughout the metro that provide snow removal...and let them handle some of the streets that maybe their parking lot/driveway clients are on.
Most private snow removal contractors are swamped in the aftermath of a major storm. There are some contractors (such as excavating companies) that don't normally engage in snow removal, but perhaps have equipment and operators that could be employed on a temporary basis after a major storm (I know of one such contractor who clears driveways for friends and neighbors).
Private contractors, especially those with only pick-up plows, should be plentiful beginning perhaps 24 hours after the end of a storm, but advance budget appropriations and contracting would be needed to employ such individuals. Certainly, the Bibb administration should consider such an option, but remember that as with private residents, you may be paying in advance for contracted capacity that is never used. Considering the budget constraints in Cleveland (think needed funds for demolition, road improvements, and lead paint removal), is this a good use of city resources? Would city residents support a snow removal tax levy, or dedicated increase in the city's income tax rate to support top-notch snow removal services?
Contracting with private snow removal firms for services 24 hours AFTER a storm may be cheaper than paying overtime to city employees, but consider that many city workers count on that overtime pay. City unions may be upset if their overtime pay was minimized by use of private contractors, and it may become more difficult to hire and retain city workers, especially given the current demand for plow operators let alone truck drivers.
More obviously, Cleveland should make certain that it has sufficient in-house equipment and crews. Pick-up trucks should be equipped with plows and assigned to side streets. Existing equipment must be maintained in optimal condition. Again, this is not cheap, especially if additional equipment and crew training is needed (does Cleveland pay a retainer to recently retired, experienced snow plowers?). There is no excuse for no keeping existing condition in working condition, unless the equipment is worn out and replacement needed.
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Originally Posted by ohioaninsc
3) Inspect snow removal equipment monthly during the season (Nov-Mar) and make sure all equipment is working properly.
Agreed. I know I heard one report about a breakdown of Cleveland plows in the immediate aftermath of the MLK storm, but I wasn't able to find a detailed report about equipment availability and upkeep. City Council and the Bibb administration should do a detailed analysis of the MLK storm snow removal effort. Given an entirely new administration and council leadership, where much less blame can be assigned for lack of preparation, this would be a perfect time to address the issue and potential solutions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ohioaninsc
You mentioned C-bus doesn't clear residential roads anymore and that they just made to decision to deal w/ it...the difference is Cleveland averages 65" inches of snow per year...and is good for 2-4 decent to good storms per season...C-bus averages 24" of snow per season...and rarely ever gets a storm that dumps a foot or more. I lived there from 1997-2005 (half of it as an OSU student) and again from 2014-2017 before movng back up here. In those 12 winters, C-bus got hit by a storm of 12" or more just 3 times...and maybe 6-10 inches maybe 3 more times. Several of those winters, they had less than 12" of snow for the entire winter. Cleveland on the other hand should be far more prepared to deal w/ these events.
As noted in many posts in this forum, Greater Cleveland snowfalls and especially accumulations are much less now than in the past. I don't know what you mean by "decent to good" storms, but living in Lake County, I don't expect to use my snow blower more than twice, if that, in any winter. I no longer fill my snow blower at the start of winter, nor do I keep it full of gasoline at least through December as in the past. Now, I attempt to minimize the amount of gasoline remaining in the tank, preferably emptying the tank after every use.
E.g., the 3-4 inches of snow received this past night, are much more easily removed by shoveling, in 15 minutes for my double driveway; most persons can and will easily drive through the resulting snow accumulations, even on their driveway aprons.
I did NOT say that Columbus doesn't clear residential roads. They do, but they take their time doing so. Columbus also has a much higher percentage of neighborhoods with adequate off-street parking, and the city proper is more wealthy on a per capita basis than Cleveland proper.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ohioaninsc
What really ticked me off is that Industrial Pkwy, where I work, is not a residential street but a street full of manufacturers and warehouses was not cleared until this morning. While I have an SUV, several coworkers w/ small cars got stuck on that street and we had to go help push and dig them out to get in...my company contracts w/ a snow removal company who plowed our parking lot and dock areas twice during the storm and afterwards as well...he said he is not allowed to plow the streets though...that a coworker was given a $200 ticket for trying to clear a side street.
This is an extremely fair, and surprising complaint. Have you sent an e-mail to the Bibb administration asking why the Industrial Parkway wasn't cleared until Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning?
It would be interesting to know if the city truly prohibits private individuals from clearing streets. It may be that the city has certain procedures to minimize damage to cars still parked on streets and to prevent them from by "snowed in." Again, worth an inquiry.
I remember driving through Chardon over 20 years ago on a work trip in the immediate aftermath of a storm, and noting several apparently private citizens (unmarked pick-ups with plows) plowing main streets as they drove along. It left an impression, especially as it greatly aided my progress.
To place blame on a mayor barely 2 weeks into his new gig is sort of ridiculous IMO. At that phase he is still tying to figure out the lay of the land. He is relying on some degree of operational inertia for much of the “keep the city running” type activities, certainly at the 2 week mark.
That said, it is extremely lame, IMO, to begin his interview with “I inherited a broken system.” It reeks of defensiveness and insecurity, and it is overtly political. I don’t like that sort of posturing.
Just commit to leading a clear-eyed assessment of what went wrong, what improvements are required, etc. Take accountability and lead.
Leave the blame game to the peanut gallery.
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