Welcome! This free speech community journal was created so the Maple Heights African American community could share videos, photos, events, articles, posts, ideas, thoughts, and information. We're now exclusively on Facebook, so don't forget to also check out our Facebook page. Have a fantastic day!
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Friday, July 25, 2014
Thursday, July 24, 2014
DOES MAPLE HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL NEED ITS OWN ATTORNEY?
What happens when members of a city council feel harassed or threatened by another public official? Who can they go to?
What if there's a pattern of abuse or intimidation, who do they turn to?
These are questions a city council may want to ask, because it seems it's not quite clear who represents who down at Maple Heights City Hall.
There are federal authorities that do handle what's called "deprivation of rights under color of law" abuses.
As stated regarding "Color of Law Abuses":
"U.S. law enforcement officers and other officials like judges, prosecutors, and security guards have been given tremendous power by local, state, and federal government agencies—authority they must have to enforce the law and ensure justice in our country. These powers include the authority to detain and arrest suspects, to search and seize property, to bring criminal charges, to make rulings in court, and to use deadly force in certain situations.
Preventing abuse of this authority, however, is equally necessary to the health of our nation’s democracy. That’s why it’s a federal crime for anyone acting under “color of law” willfully to deprive or conspire to deprive a person of a right protected by the Constitution or U.S. law. “Color of law” simply means that the person is using authority given to him or her by a local, state, or federal government agency.
The FBI is the lead federal agency for investigating color of law abuses, which include acts carried out by government officials operating both within and beyond the limits of their lawful authority. Off-duty conduct may be covered if the perpetrator asserted his or her official status in some way.
During 2012, 42 percent of the FBI’s total civil rights caseload involved color of law issues—there were 380 color of law cases opened during the year. Most of the cases involved crimes that fell into into five broad areas:
continued HERE
There are also court rulings regarding suits against public employers for retaliation, COERCION OF A PUBLIC SERVANT OR VOTER, etc etc etc
And there are freedom of speech issues.
So again we ask, does a city council need its own special attorney chosen by them; and do individuals on a city council need their own attorney?
Related:
Intimidation (wiki)
Intimidation
City Council moves to hire its own lawyer November 4, 2013
Council Calls For Independent Attorney November 15, 2006
What if there's a pattern of abuse or intimidation, who do they turn to?
These are questions a city council may want to ask, because it seems it's not quite clear who represents who down at Maple Heights City Hall.
There are federal authorities that do handle what's called "deprivation of rights under color of law" abuses.
As stated regarding "Color of Law Abuses":
"U.S. law enforcement officers and other officials like judges, prosecutors, and security guards have been given tremendous power by local, state, and federal government agencies—authority they must have to enforce the law and ensure justice in our country. These powers include the authority to detain and arrest suspects, to search and seize property, to bring criminal charges, to make rulings in court, and to use deadly force in certain situations.
Preventing abuse of this authority, however, is equally necessary to the health of our nation’s democracy. That’s why it’s a federal crime for anyone acting under “color of law” willfully to deprive or conspire to deprive a person of a right protected by the Constitution or U.S. law. “Color of law” simply means that the person is using authority given to him or her by a local, state, or federal government agency.
The FBI is the lead federal agency for investigating color of law abuses, which include acts carried out by government officials operating both within and beyond the limits of their lawful authority. Off-duty conduct may be covered if the perpetrator asserted his or her official status in some way.
During 2012, 42 percent of the FBI’s total civil rights caseload involved color of law issues—there were 380 color of law cases opened during the year. Most of the cases involved crimes that fell into into five broad areas:
continued HERE
There are also court rulings regarding suits against public employers for retaliation, COERCION OF A PUBLIC SERVANT OR VOTER, etc etc etc
And there are freedom of speech issues.
So again we ask, does a city council need its own special attorney chosen by them; and do individuals on a city council need their own attorney?
Related:
Intimidation (wiki)
Intimidation
City Council moves to hire its own lawyer November 4, 2013
Council Calls For Independent Attorney November 15, 2006
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Monday, July 21, 2014
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Saturday, July 19, 2014
FIRE PROTECTION:: ARE MERGERS THE WAY TO GO? A CONTINUING DISCUSSION
A friend just passed this to us. With the Maple Heights police chief retiring/resigning, and Maple Hts in fiscal watch, politicians may want to keep looking at this. (Article published in 2004)
According to this article, you don't have to reduce the number of firefighters if you consolidate into one agency; however, that takes cooperation by politicians and fire chiefs from other cities.
"One big fire department?
Sunday, February 29, 2004
By Martin Stolz
Today: As part of a yearlong series examining regional government, The Plain Dealer looks at fire protection.
Inside: Boots and ladders. What fire departments in Cuyahoga County spend in a year, and what it takes to put a ladder truck on the road.
Next month: How will race influence the discussions about regional government in Northeast Ohio?
Fire chiefs in the suburbs surrounding Portland, Ore., took some time in the late 1980s to consider why they had seven fire departments to protect an area the size of Columbus, Ohio.
The conclusion?
Fire chiefs in the suburbs surrounding Portland, Ore., took some time in the late 1980s to consider why they had seven fire departments to protect an area the size of Columbus, Ohio.
The conclusion?
�Gosh, this is stupid.
In 1989, they began merging into one department and since then, taxes for fire service have dropped 50 percent while safety has dramatically improved."
In 1989, they began merging into one department and since then, taxes for fire service have dropped 50 percent while safety has dramatically improved."
Continued HERE
The one problem we see though is the (what looks like in Maple Heights (?) and various other cities) continued institutional racism in that branch of the safety forces. Many cities are trying to rectify the problem; however, lawsuits may continue unless the fire unions and politicians address this head on.
Mergers among Northeast Ohio communities unlikely, despite all the talk and collaboration http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2014/04/officials_arent_optimistic_tha.html
Mergers among Northeast Ohio communities unlikely, despite all the talk and collaboration http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2014/04/officials_arent_optimistic_tha.html
263
F3d 513 Cleveland Branch v. City of Parma, Ohio | OpenJurist http://openjurist.org/263/f3d/513/cleveland-branch-v-city-of-parma-ohio
Luke v. Cleveland - Third Amended Complaint
http://www.clearinghouse.net/chDocs/public/EE-OH-0093-0001.pdf
Where's the Fire Station
http://www.cleveland.com/region/images/fire3.pdf
Maple Heights Fire Chief Explains Closure of Fire Station #2
http://youtu.be/tVw8jSyjy4I
Luke v. Cleveland - Third Amended Complaint
http://www.clearinghouse.net/chDocs/public/EE-OH-0093-0001.pdf
Where's the Fire Station
http://www.cleveland.com/region/images/fire3.pdf
Maple Heights Fire Chief Explains Closure of Fire Station #2
http://youtu.be/tVw8jSyjy4I
Regionalism - cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/region/plaindealer/index.ssf?/ region/more/1.html
Regionalism - cleveland.com
Regionalism - cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/region/plaindealer/index.ssf?/ region/more/042907_reacting_ with.html
Regionalism - cleveland.com
Friday, July 18, 2014
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Friday, July 11, 2014
LEGAL DEFINITIONS FOR TODAY: MISAPPROPRIATION AND/OR MISUSE OF PUBLIC FUNDS
Question?
Can a governing body or government official take money or property given to it by another governing body that is meant for a specific purpose and use it for something else?
Ex: Money given to local government by state/county/fed for capital improvements - Can that money be used for something other than capital improvements?
Related:
Ex: Money given by taxpayers of a local government for the express purpose of paying for recycling bottles/cans/etc - Can that money be used for something other than recycling?
These are questions a city council might be concerned with.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Definitions, etc for guidance on questions related to misuse or misappropriation of funds/property/public funds/public property.
Misappropriation n. the intentional, illegal use of the property or funds of another person for one's own use or other unauthorized purpose, particularly by a public official, a trustee of a trust, an executor or administrator of a dead person's estate, or by any person with a responsibility to care for and protect another's assets (a fiduciary duty). It is a felony.
Misappropriation of public funds:
Public Funds may not be used for personal purposes.
Misuse of public funds:
(a) Each officer of this state, or of any county, city, town, or
district of this state, and every other person charged with the receipt,
safekeeping, transfer, or disbursement of public moneys, who either:
1. Without authority of law, appropriates the same, or any
portion thereof, to his or her own use, or to the use of another; or, 2. Loans the same or any portion thereof; makes any profit out of, or uses the same for any purpose not authorized by law; or,
3. Knowingly keeps any false account, or makes any false entry or erasure in any account of or relating to the same; or,
4. Fraudulently alters, falsifies, conceals, destroys, or obliterates any account; or,
5. Willfully refuses or omits to pay over, on demand, any public moneys in his or her hands, upon the presentation of a draft, order, or warrant drawn upon these moneys by competent authority; or,
6. Willfully omits to transfer the same, when transfer is required by law; or,
7. Willfully omits or refuses to pay over to any officer or person authorized by law to receive the same, any money received by him or her under any duty imposed by law so to pay over the same
(b) As used in this section, "public moneys" includes the proceeds derived from the sale of bonds or other evidence or indebtedness authorized by the legislative body of any city, county, district, or public agency.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Key areas that might uncover misappropriation/misuse/fraud revolve around:
- contracts and the rewarding of contracts
- monies used by public officials/employees to purchase items
- the movement of money from one fund to another
- gifts
- travel, tips, meals
- interest earned
- bonuses
- pay raises, particularly unauthorized pay raises
- fringe benefits
- items marked as "other"
- hiring
- ticket-fixing
- areas where there are a conflict of interest
- expenditures of public funds in election campaigns
- failure to record monies
- use of public employees for private benefit
- unauthorized/non-paid use of public property for private/campaign use [ex. billboard leases]*
- failures to reimburse**
Always be suspicious when public employees/public officials don't answer pertinent questions that they should know the answers to (and it's within their area of expertise and/or job description). If you help pay that public employee's salary, it is unacceptable to not receive an answer, and there should be legal/acceptable consequences to follow.
Related
126.08 Director of budget and management - powers and duties.
Side note:
Leadership: A leader must shift from “having the answers” to “asking the right
questions” as a means to broaden and deepen the problem solving
capabilities of their teams.
Monday, July 7, 2014
PETITION DRIVE TO STOP RED LIGHT CAMERAS IN MAPLE HEIGHTS, OHIO
PRESS RELEASE
-- PRESS RELEASE --
PRESS RELEASE
COAST
brings campaign to ban
Red Light
Cameras to Maple Heights Ohio.
A group of local Maple
Heights residents have teamed up with
COAST (Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes) to limit the use of
unmanned photo-monitoring (photo radar/speeding/red light) cameras in Maple Heights.
The
group will be circulating petitions to place a Charter Amendment on the
November ballot. The petition drive
once completed will allow the residents of Maple Heights to vote on a Charter Amendment
limiting the use of unmanned photo-monitoring (photo radar/speeding/red light) cameras in the City of Maple Heights.
The
Maple Heights Charter Amendment proposal is modeled after Garfield Heights and will
effectively ban unmanned red light and speeding cameras from being enforced within
the City of Maple Heights.
The
organizers need your help. if you are a registered voter and reside in
Maple Hts and would like to sign the petition or volunteer to help circulate a petition
to be signed on targeted streets throughout the City of Maple Heights please
contact Celeste Wilburn
XXX.XXX.XXXX
We
are in the midst of a Petition Signing Drive to stop Maple Heights City
Government from putting undue burdens upon its' residents and violating our
Constitutional Rights by implementing RED LIGHT and Speed CAMERAS.
WE NEED YOUR HELP --- THE COMMUNITY
MUST GET INVOLVED
For more information: Christopher P. Finney, 513-720-2996 (COAST)
Celeste Wilburn, XXX.XXX.XXXX(Maple Heights)
MUST BE A REGISTERED VOTER AND MAPLE HTS RESIDENT
SPECIAL MEETING AND PUBLIC HEARING IN MAPLE HTS, MONDAY JULY 7, 2014
Meeting Agenda:
- 2014-46: Transfer Solid Waste Fund to General Fund – 3rd Reading
- 2014-47: Retain Solid Waste Fund as is – 3rd Reading
- 2014-50: 1.3 Mill Additional Levy- Senior Center- to Electors -2nd Reading
- 2014-52: 1.3 Mill Additional Levy- Senior Center- to Electors -2nd Reading
- 2014-54: 2014 Amended Appropriations – 1st Reading
- 2014-55: Tax Budget for 2015 – 1st Reading and Public Hearing
- 2014-56: Transferring Contingency Fund (102)* to General Fund – 1st Reading
Friday, July 4, 2014
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
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