CLEVELAND, OH – Mayor Justin Bibb had from January 3, 2022 until January 16, 2022 to either directly or indirectly visit the city’s 7 service yards to meet with snow removal crews, inventory equipment and salt; and to respond to the snow removal department’s requests to repair the trucks that were out of service. Looking at his time in office through a longer lens, Bibb had from November 3, 2021 to work closely with retired Mayor Frank Jackson to learn how he’d kept our streets cleared of snow so efficiently over the past 16 years.
There’s no excuse for Bibb’s failure in not knowing how to respond to a snow event had he used his post-election learning time wisely. What we saw from his Twitter page was the Plain Dealer’s endorsed candidate wasteing time traveling all around the city “re-listening” to the folk he’d heard from during the campaign.
He hung out in the White House with other newly-elected mayors and took selfies with them like a beauty pageant queen. He wasted time rewriting job descriptions council controlled through a salary ordinance; and appointed individuals with no direct knowledge of municipal government to a transition team that from day one looked like a “diverse and inclusive” joke. This is the genius who hired an Australian national, Eden Giagnorio, to work for $4500 to $7500 monthly as his deputy campaign manager; and who violated IRS reporting laws to do so.
He violated campaign finance reporting deadlines during the primary and general elections. The oath “affidavit” he submitted to council – that is signed by a notary instead of Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Michael Nelson – is invalid under Ohio law. What should be of concern to Cleveland Council President Blaine Griffin and council are the lies Bibb’s now telling about the deployability of the city’s rolling inventory of trucks that plow and salt the streets. He’s lying on Jackson and he’s claiming the council was also incompetent. They left him a “broken system.”
The truth is he wasn’t in town for the snow. It was Bibb’s third trip out of the city since his election. Interim director of public works Michael Cox was in Florida. Bibb made his snow emergency “selfie” video from Washington, D.C.
Lying is the same shit Bibb’s “advisor” did, ex-one term Mayor Jane Campbell, after her so-called “qualified” director of finance misappropriated $11.7 million and claimed the man she’d replaced, Mayor Michael Reed White, had taken it. Campbell’s more than $4 million “pay increase deal” with the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association in exchange for an endorsement had created a deficit. Like Bibb the former one-term mayor had never worked in city hall, served on council or attended council meetings. Neither mastered Title 7 of the Ohio Revised Code prior to entering the office of mayor.
From an East Cleveland perspective Bibb is Cleveland’s LGTBQ version of “Gary Norton.” His administration is “inclusive and diverse” but incompetent. In a January 17, 2022 news release Bibb delivered the following lie to the city’s pissed off residents, business and property owners.
“All of the City’s snow removal equipment is in use: 48 trucks, 12 road raiders and 13 small plows. There are 94 seasonal and 29 full-time drivers across 3 shifts to make traveling as safe as possible. Our crews are working diligently to clear the main roads first with the plan to start clearing residential streets around noon.”
All of the city’s snow removal equipment is not in use and that’s information Griffin must lead council to investigate as the new mayors lies obstruct the city’s official business. Bibb’s statement should have read that only the “operable” equipment was in use.
“I heard you. We need a new snow removal plan to ensure we are better prepared for the next storm.” – Mayor Justin M. Bibb
We are reviewing our response and will provide an update with a plan for improvement next week. pic.twitter.com/hPwdxh2gbN
— City of Cleveland (@CityofCleveland) January 20, 2022
This deceptively malicious liar did not “inherit a broken system” as he falsely claimed during another one of his selfie news video statements where no credible journalist with real knowledge, like me, gets to question him. As of January 20, 2022, there were “at least” 11 inoperable trucks off the streets needing repairs between two of the seven service stations. Council should check the dispatch records and listen to the conversations between employees.
At each of the city’s salt storage facilities, trucks Bibb has had the authority to repair since January 3, 2022 were inoperable. The number has to be determined by council; but as of January 20 there 11 out of service between two of the 7 service stations. Every station had inoperable snow plows. The liar’s administration did not respond to repair orders. More trucks are out-of-service now that they’ve been overstressed because of the extra work they’ve had to perform to remove snow that pummeled the city between January 16th and 17th.
Bibb told WEWS his administration received “conflicting” information about the amount of snow to expect. It is a rather curious statement since the National Weather Service operating out of “city-owned” Burke Lakefront Airport showed the first snow started at 17:53 (5:53 p.m.) hours on January 16, 2022. It’s then that Bibb should have sent crews to the street with salt during the “second” shift if they were reading the National Weather Services reports; and looking outside his and his male room mate’s downtown apartment window.
Council should require Bibb’s administration to answer exactly what time crews hit the streets before and after 17:53 hours; and the beginning of the third shift at 23:00 (11:00 p.m.) hours. They should further identity the instructions street crews were given by “chief administrative office” Elise Hara Auvil.
The National Weather Service report shows that from 17:53 hours on January 16th until 00:53 hours on January 17th, the precipitation increased from 43 percent to 83 percent. Weather conditions went from light snow between 17:53 and 19:53 (7:53 p.m.) to light snow with fog and mist beginning at 20:53 (8:53 p.m.). By 01:53 a.m. on January 17th weather conditions changed to “Heavy Snow Freezing Fog and Breezy.” Drivers were available but the equipment inoperability issue prevented some from working.
On January 17th at around 1:45 a.m., I traveled from my residence off Kinsman Avenue near the Shaker Heights border to the Wade Park – Chester Avenue area. When I left home I actually spun out on Kinsman Avenue as I entered the street. I’m thankful there was no oncoming traffic.
It was apparent that under the snow was now ice as I and other drivers turned on our emergency lights and traveled slowly down the 35mph street at about 15 to 20 mph. I saw one quad (4-axel) truck between my residence and destination as I traveled down unplowed hilly streets like Woodland to East 105th Street. At that point I was hoping Bibb’s administration was not foolish enough to be spreading salt which would melt snow that refroze on the asphalt underneath it.
At around 04:00 a.m. I returned home. By then there was nearly a foot of snow on East 105th street all the way to the Opportunity Corridor. I had to travel “up” hills to reach my destination. I was now concerned that the 18 inch tires on my all-wheel drive General Motors SUV night not make it up Woodland Avenue to Martin Luther King Boulevard; and up Buckeye Road and then to Kinsman Avenue. Road conditions were the same when I considered not turning onto my residential street and saw two cars stuck about 300 feet away as I entered it. Again, my all-wheel drive vehicle made it into my driveway.
The next morning my residential street in Ward 1 was completely covered. Vehicles were stuck and I could see from my window that snow in my driveway was up to my car’s bumper. I knew as a former mayor, a former chief of staff to East Cleveland’s mayor, and as a special assistant to White, that the city was in trouble. Our streets in East Cleveland were rated the best plowed in Northeast Ohio during my time as mayor from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2009. The mayor, like I did, has to get directly involved.
As I checked my sources I learned that EMS vehicles and fire trucks were unable to leave their stations because Bibb’s incompetent team of “diverse and inclusive” individuals did not know to plow the streets around them first. Council should investigate how many 911 calls for medical emergencies went unanswered; and how many people may have died because of it. Angry families who might have lost loved ones will be filing civil claims against the city for negligence.
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority cancelled 50 bus lines because buses were getting stuck and become immovable. What should concern everyone in Cleveland is how many hospitals were shortstaffed because medical personnel were unable to reach their jobs. A council investigation, one that demands the presence of each hospital’s chief executive officer, should reveal the number of workers who could not show up because of Bibb’s negligence and incompetence.
Before leaving office, retired Mayor Jackson left Clevelanders with a November 22, 2022 news release that inventoried the less than 5-year old snow removal equipment still available from a 2015 capital improvement budget he’d prepared, and council approved. He must have known from the meetings he did not have with Bibb that this liar was going to lie and blame some shit on him. He should have told Bibb what I told Norton. “Keep my name off your lips.” He didn’t listen so I dealt with him. Jackson should do the same.
In his November 22, 2022 news release the retired mayor identified 43 snow plows that contradicts Bibb’s 48 snow plow claim. It affirms that Jackson did a better job with less equipment than the liar in place now. And he also did it with the same man that Bibb retained as “interim” director of public works, Cox. If Cox had working equipment and had been in town instead of Florida I know he’d have plowed the streets as he’s done for the past 16 years. I worked with Cox during my time as one of White’s special assistants.
Council has no other duty but to investigate exactly what took place between January 16th and 17th to learn the truth from involved city workers from top to bottom. Bibb can’t prevent any director or mechanic from testifying if they use their Congressional-like authority and sends them a subpoena. If he tries the new mayor should be charged with obstruction and prosecuted. Don’t play with him. Lives are at stake.
Don’t, also, expect the Plain Dealer or Cleveland.com to expose his flaws. He’s the publication’s endorsed candidate. He also has a “close” relationship with the grandson of the Russian alien who bought the newspaper in 1967. Benjamin Neuhaus aka Newhouse. Solomon Isadore Neuhaus of Russia changed his name to Simon Irving Newhouse to “appear” more “Anglo Saxon” than “Eastern European.”
The Advance Communications owners, executives and editors have a proven track record of concealing the flaws of the candidates they’ve endorsed. They’ve done it with Jane Campbell, Gary Norton, Armond Budish in recent years. They’re doing it now with Bibb. I’ve shared a keyword search of “Bibb” and “snow” and the results return stories that act like nothing happened on January 16th and 17th. In only one way are the Russian-owned editors correct. Nothing did happen on January 16th and 17th. Bibb did not demonstrate any snow removal competence.
Cleveland elected a law school educated mayor with a junk resume who couldn’t pass the Ohio Bar Association’s examination to get a law license … twice. Jackson’s put his license on hold. A few CLE’s and he’s back in the law business.
[Any photo I didn’t capture is “fairly used for educational purposes.]
