Cleveland-area Catholics Pushing for Church Reopenings Hope Bishop Richard Lennon Sees the Signs: Michael K. Mcintyre's Tipoff

By Michael K. McIntyre
Plain Dealer
April 7, 2012

http://www.cleveland.com/tipoff/index.ssf/2012/04/catholics_pushing_for_church_r.html

One of the messages from supporters of shuttered parishes.

Catholics pushing for Bishop Richard Lennon of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese to re-open 13 shuttered parishes have taken their message digital. An electronic billboard on Carnegie Avenue and East 14th Street alternately reads:

"Bishop Lennon, Rome has spoken. Restore our parishes." ... "How much longer must we wait?! Re-open and restore our parishes! Parishes decreed to be re-opened by the Vatican!" ... "Bishop Lennon, We desire peace! We want to pray! Restore the parishes decreed to be re-opened by the Vatican!" ... "Bishop Lennon, When will you re-open our church doors? Vatican decrees were issued on March 1st! ... "The parishes decreed to be re-opened by the Vatican say, Grazie al Vaticano! Thanks to the Vatican!"

The Vatican ruled last month that the bishop violated procedures and church law when he merged or dissolved parishes and padlocked churches. Parish proponents say that means he must restore and re-open the churches and parishes. They hoped the diocese might do it quickly so that Easter Sunday services could be held.

No chance of that. Lennon said in a prepared statement that he is examining the meaning of the rulings. Some canon law experts say he could start the closure process again, using proper procedure.

"I can assure you that this is not nearly as clear-cut as it may appear," Lennon wrote. "While the decrees are brief in length, they are deep in underlying meaning."

The billboard messages are brief in length, too, but the meaning is readily apparent.

Long lunch: Cleveland City Councilman Tony Brancatelli had his annual Opening Day hot dog and root beer lunch for council colleagues at City Hall on Thursday. He was proud to say he paid for the spread with winnings from the Council March Madness pool. (The IRS has now been alerted.)

Brancatelli invited fellow council members and staff to the shindig with this rally cry: "We are currently tied for first place, LETS GO TRIBE."

That lasted exactly 16 innings.

On the job training: The Huffington Post revealed this week that one of Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel's top lieutenants apparently was in need of a crash course on the area he was hired to oversee.

The Huffington Post piece came days after a Dayton Daily News story that showed a number of Mandel's appointees were young, lacked a depth of experience and were part of his political campaign – something he criticized his predecessor for.

Joe Aquilino, appointed by Mandel at age 26 to be debt management director after serving as political director of his campaign, attended a seminar on the fundamentals of municipal bond law in April 2011. The Huffington Post said the seminar "is tailored for those new to the subject." Aquilino has since left to become political director of Mandel's run for U.S. Senate against Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.

Mandel's campaign says it's a non-issue because Aquilino's job was mainly managerial and he was subordinate to General Counsel Seth Metcalf, who had extensive bond knowledge and experience.

Bishop Richard Lennon

Mandel defended his hiring practices in the Dayton Daily News piece, saying: "I think in every position in our office that deals with financial transactions and important investment decisions about the taxpayers, we have qualified financial professionals who we are proud to stack up against past administration in Ohio and any treasurer administration throughout the entire country."

Israel trip fruitful: Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald has declared his economic development trip to Israel (third item) a success. The proof, he hopes, will come soon with the announcement of new jobs in the county.

FitzGerald, part of a broad delegation from Northeast Ohio put together by Team NEO and funded by the Jewish Community Federation, said he met with 14 technology companies and eight public officials, including the prime minister, during the week-long trip.

Now the county is in serious discussions with four companies to move some part of their operations to the Cleveland area. "We're talking about a cluster of these companies in Cleveland Heights," FitzGerald said. "Cleveland will be a natural destination for Israeli companies."

The trip included County Councilman Jack Schron, Baiju Shah of BioEnterprise, Dave Fleshler of Case Western Reserve University, Dan Walsh of Huntington Bank, Michael Siegal of Olympic Steel and Chris Coburn of the Cleveland Clinic.

Cleveland's cultural and religious ties with Israel helped make the trip - and the resulting partnerships - possible, FitzGerald said.

Without that, "I don't think we would have the access we did."

Elvis has left the bus stop?

Big wheels keep on turnin': Bus drivers are getting in on the fun during Rock Hall induction week. All week, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority drivers on RTA's two free trolley lines (the green trolleys) will impersonate famous musicians. Even their operator name plate will bear the name of the rock icon.

Don't be surprised to see Elvis Presley (Cloyd Thomas), Aretha Franklin (Maranda Sylvertooth), Tina Turner (Crystal Hill), Gene Simmons (Ken Carter), Rick James (David Montgomery), Bob Marley (Gary White) and George Clinton (Phil Zebbs) piloting buses through Cleveland.

You might, though, think twice about getting on the bus driven by Ray Charles. But don't worry. Behind those shades, bus driver Glenn Parker can see just fine.