REWIND:1992
Marky Mark gave
UPFRONT
OHIO REPUBLICAN POLITICIANS DESPERATELY TRYING TO DUPE VOTERS OVER ANTI-GERRYMANDERING AMENDMENT
WHEN HE LOSES IN COURT AS a criminal defendant or in a presidential election as a defeated incumbent, Donald Trump and his trained lackeys have a ready response: the system was rigged. The jury that found him liable for sexual assault and defaming his victim was rigged. The jury that found him guilty on 34 felony counts was rigged. Presiding judges, prosecuting attorneys, corroborating witnesses, damning evidence, unanimous verdicts. All rigged.
It’s ridiculous, but it’s Trump’s go-to propaganda whenever he strikes out legally, bombs a debate, or comes up short in in a presidential election. He’s already laid the groundwork of a rigged election (that isn’t) in case he loses in 2024 and must recycle old conspiracies about objectively free, fair, historically secure, and remarkably accurate elections administered nationwide with infinitesimal fraud or irregularities.
But if you want to find real rigging of election administration, where craven partisans in high places play dirty to skew voting results on statewide ballot initiatives, by all means, come to Ohio. To borrow from the state’s integrity-is-overrated elections chief Frank LaRose, Ohio is the gold standard in orchestrated party subterfuge to dupe voters and throw elections.
The latest collaborative scheme by the Republican secretary of state, the Republican majority on the Ohio Ballot Board and the Republican majority on the Ohio Supreme Court to turn a November ballot referendum on its head tops the GOP’s trickery last year to (unsuccessfully) tank an abortion rights initiative. This year Republican leaders dropped all pretense of good faith in fashioning and approving the ballot language for the proposed anti-gerrymandering amendment they adamantly oppose.
Issue 1 would kick politicians out of the redistricting process altogether and put a citizen-led panel in charge of the decennial obligation. The Citizens Not Politicians referendum gained traction after the Republican-controlled redistricting commission defied voter-approved amendments to end gerrymandering and ignored court orders to follow the state constitution and make legislative and congressional district
maps fairer, more competitive, and more aligned overall with statewide voting.
The redistricting majority drew maps that unconstitutionally favored Republicans over Democrats and produced even bigger gerrymandered supermajorities in the Statehouse with locked in congressional dominance. LaRose, a reliable party line commission vote on the gerrymandered maps, drafted the wording on the anti-gerrymandering proposal, approved by the Republican ballot board majority, and largely upheld by the GOP majority on the state supreme court. Its rank dishonesty and prejudicial slant surpassed even the distorted ballot language LaRose drafted in 2023 (with anti-abortion lobbyists) to rig the election on the abortion rights amendment. He turned the redistricting proposal, once entitled, “An amendment to replace the current politician-run redistricting process with a citizen-led commission required to create fair state legislative and
congressional districts through a more open and independent system” into a cautionary heading that reads “To create an appointed redistricting commission not elected by or subject to removal by the voters of the state.”
The ballot summary is worse. Dissenting Democratic Justice Jennifer Brunner called it “perhaps the most stunningly stilted ballot language that Ohio voters will have ever seen.” It manufactures alternative facts about citizen-powered redistricting to falsely suggest the anti-gerrymandering proposal is what it is not — “a new taxpayer-funded commission of appointees required to gerrymander the boundaries of state legislative and congressional districts.”
That perversion of reality was a bridge too far for Justice Michael Donnelly. The Democrat, who is seeking reelection, blasted the court for giving it a pass and referenced another outrageous majority opinion (authored by Republi-
can Justice Joe Deters, running against Democratic colleague Justice Melody Stewart for a six-year term) that bestowed new meaning to boneless chicken wings. “Given that four members of this court in the majority today apparently think that the word ‘boneless’ means ‘you should expect bones,’ I’m sure it comes as no great surprise that they think that a constitutional amendment to ‘ban partisan gerrymandering’ means to ‘require gerrymander(ing).’”
The complicity of the court in allowing LaRose’s misleading ballot language on redistricting reform to be presented to voters as “an honest explanation of what Issue 1 will do” is beyond the pale of acceptable. But so is LaRose’s rage tweet on the same day he signed off on the deceptive ballot wording voters will read.
“It’s not an anti-gerrymandering measure if it literally REQUIRES gerrymandering, but this is what we’re up against,
Photo by The Ohio Capital Journal
folks. No matter how much you try to give voters the truth, the left will always have its media machine helping to distort it.” LaRose tried gaslighting with another tweet that “Issue 1 is nothing more than a Democrat power grab that will require gerrymandering so liberal billionaires can take over Congress and Ohio’s legislature.”
He thanked Trump for “speaking out against this dangerous amendment” and attached the disgraced ex-president’s signature (and customized!) propaganda that “Ohio Democrats and left-wing special interest groups” are trying to “rig Elections through the Issue 1 redistricting scam.”
It would be funny if not for the travesty it is; egregious abuse of power by the Republican cabal running state government manifested in weighted, deceitful wording on the ballot summary of another statewide citizens initiative to fool voters and keep the party’s grip on its gerrymandered leverage.
Ohio, The Heart of It All — partisan-choreographed election rigging. For real. – Marilou Johanek, The Ohio Capital Journal
Late Push for CMSD Levy Raising Awareness Before November Vote
The weight of this November’s election will undeniably be hefty -- President, Senate seats, Ohio Supreme Court spots, and a litany of local issues are on the ballot.
Among those: Issue 49, the second levy for the Cleveland Metropolitan Schools District in the past four years. One that would, if passed in November, give CMSD $52 million per year from Cleveland residents. About $200 to $300 a year for owners of your median home here in the city.
But, while yard signs dot yards for other issues and incessant Senate ads plaster screens, are Clevelanders even aware of the impending issue?
“I mean, in the last week or two now, people are aware of it,” Kurt Richards, the campaign chair of Citizens for Our Children’s Future, which is spearheading outreach for Issue 49, said. “I think it’s because the billboards we have up, people are seeing those. And the more homes we get to, more word of mouth occurs.”
That’s included, in recent weeks, ads from Mayor Justin Bibb and Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan (who’s long been a fan of playing chess against CMSD students).
“Keep teachers and programs kids needs,” Kwan says in the ad, which is running on YouTube and Facebook with possible plans to hit the airwaves. “Keep students safe and healthy. Keep kids on track for college and good jobs.” Richards, who’s also been a teacher
at CMSD since the late eighties, has been guiding hundreds of on-the-ground volunteers who have been canvassing across the city since September 7. Just as long as Richards, and Burges & Burges, the levy’s advertisement firm, have been promoting Issue 49’s perks on billboards and TV commercials.
As CMSD CEO Warren Morgan lamented in his State of the Schools speech in September, the Cleveland Schools system is in pretty bad financial shape. It’s about out of its American Rescue Plan dollars. It’s facing a $110 million deficit in the next three years. School closures are all but guaranteed regardless.
Morgan framed a new levy as CMSD’s saving grace. A way to deter the plausible cut of 700 teacher and staff jobs that would go along with , as Signal Cleveland reported, 12 percent slashing of central office positions earlier this year. What would be a tough blow for a district typically rated lower compared to its suburban counterparts.
“We will not be able to provide the student experience our scholars deserve,” Morgan said during his speech. “And the cuts we will be forced to make would be drastic and unimaginable.”
“Not offering the basics—Algebra I, a foreign language, the ability to learn an instrument or play a core sport,” he added, “we are robbing our children of the student experience they deserve.”
Although Morgan hasn’t yet released a detailed plan on how that added $52 million a year would be precisely budgeted, Richards has been promoting the levyas a win-win for Cleveland as a whole: more mental health coordinators, more security staff, more at-home football programs, more marching band involvement at each of CMSD’s two dozen high schools or making summer school access ubiquitous. (A leftover of 2020’s ask under previous CEO Eric Gordon.)
It’s just the success of CMSD’s Cleveland Plan, a decade-long strategy to raise test scores, that Richards feels is intertwined with the district’s ability to fund it. With, of course, 2016’s levy.
“Don’t you think there’s a correlation between finally having money in the last 12 years, and the progress kids are making?” he said.
Progress that he argues is regardless of any individual’s situation.
“I like to say that every kid deserves to live in a community with great schools,” Richards said. “I mean, don’t we want an educated society living next to us?” – Mark Oprea
RTA Will Be Free to Ride on Election Day
While early voting is underway, and while that will be a common way to make your voice heard over the coming weeks, about half of voters opt to cast
their ballots in-person on Election Day.
And RTA, the Cleveland Foundation and Cleveland Votes want to make sure it’s as easy and equitable as possible with free fares from Nov. 5 at 3 a.m. to Nov. 6 at 3 a.m.
“Equity is one of our core values and the lens in which we approach our work,” said Lillian Kuri, the president and CEO of the Cleveland Foundation. “So removing barriers and providing our equitable access to transportation is one thing that we can do to ensure that everybody has the opportunity to participate in our democratic process.”
The “Ride Free And Vote” campaign offers free fares for the GCRTA bus, rail and paratransit thanks to a $105,000 grant from the Foundation. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5. Customers do not have to show proof of voting to ride for free.
Daily ridership typically sits at around 72,000 capacity but India Birdsong Terry, GCRTA CEO and general manager, says that number will increase by 5 to 10% on Election Day and said they will offer additional resources to ensure voters are engaged and prepared for Election Day.
“We’re trying to pass [that] 72,000 capacity that triggers our system,” Birdsong terry says.
The GCRTA and Cleveland VOTES have utilized data to prioritize communities that have lower voter turnout in 2020. To get more outreach to these communities, the team created a landing page and will use promotional videos across social media to spread awareness. Members of Cleveland VOTES will also be in the community to provide information and remind people that riding is free.
– Jala Forest
Cleveland Planning Commission Gives Green Light for City’s First Four Outdoor, Public Bathrooms
Long-gestating efforts to install public bathrooms downtown cleared another hurdle recently as the Cleveland City Planning Commission approved both construction and conceptual designs for Cleveland’s first four public restrooms to be installed anywhere in the city outside of the Metroparks. Four permanent, metal-clad bathrooms that will soon go up in Canal Basin Park, Perk Plaza and on the corner of East 17th and Payne.
Billed as the “national standard” of public johns, the four Portland Loos coming to Cleveland are a response to both the growing need for public toilets—evidenced by Public Square and Chester Avenue sidewalks—and a response to the demands of a burgeoning Downtown as place-to-be.
“This has been a long time coming,” CPC director Joyce Huang said at Friday’s meeting. “We’re very, very grate-
ful because this is such an important service that the city ought to provide to our residents.”
A byproduct of the housing crisis after the 2008 Great Recession, the idea of the Portland Loo came out of— yes—Portland engineers collaborating with their city on an ideal design for a sidewalk lavatory. Hence the design’s tagline: “A Unique Design to a Universal Solution.”
Out came a stainless-steel, graffiti-proof oval-shaped kiosk, with two handwashing stations, a built-in pressure washer and an open top and bottom to, the city said, “allow sight and sounds to carry outside the restrooms while maintaining privacy.”
Hundreds have been set up in at least 18 U.S. cities in recent years, with more on the way in Fort Wayne, Indiana; Reno, Nevada; Asheville, N.C. and Anchorage, Alaska. All so far without much controversy. Reporting on a year of its own Portland Loo in Philadelphia, the Philly Phlush, a writer for the Inquirer was happy to note “no fragrant violations.”
What will cost the city a total of about $600,000 started, in part, in the activism of Mark Lammon. The former director of Downtown’s Campus District, Lammon had overseen a years-long public restroom study after pandemic-era closures spelled chaos for the district’s homeless population. A district that became, Lammon said, “the public restroom of our city.”
A grant funded 10 porta-potties. The study, which wrapped up in 2022, confirmed that drastic worries—of people shooting up, of illicit sex, of vandalism— were not warranted.
“We didn’t encounter any safety issues. No maintenance issues,” Lammon recounted at Friday’s meeting. “We didn’t even lock them up at night.”
City Planner Dan Shinkle told the CPC that the loos installed will “cost less than a port-a-potty to maintain.” Because they’ll be set up near pre-existing water and sewer lines, the johns won’t cost extra to install.
And the Loo’s smart engineering will be a boon to Cleveland Police on usual patrols.
“It’s supposed to be an in-and-out use: we don’t want people lingering,” Shinkle said. The venting “helps with, um, smells and things of that nature.”
The city suggested bathrooms should be going up in Canal Basin and on the corner of East 17th and Payne, in front of the Virgil E. Brown Building, in the next few weeks. Once approved at the city and county level, the one at Perk Plaza will be installed, as well. – Mark Oprea
FEATURE
WHAT IS ISSUE 1 AND HOW WOULD IT IMPROVE OHIO REDISTRICTING?
The Citizens Not Politicians constitutional amendment would finally give Ohioans fair districts
By The League of Women Voters of Ohio
AMENDMENT BASICS
What is Issue 1, the Citizens Not Politicians (CNP) Amendment, and why do we need it?
• Issue 1, the Citizens Not Politicians Amendment, is a citizen initiative to end gerrymandering in Ohio. It bans lobbyists and politicians from the redistricting process and instead establishes the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission, empowering citizens to draw fair districts using an open and transparent process.
• We need it because Ohio is one of the most gerrymandered states in the country, with voting districts drawn to favor political party interests over the needs of our communities.
* The 2022 redistricting process was dragged out for over two years, with maps being ruled unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court a whopping SEVEN times (five times for state legislative maps and twice for congressional ones). This ended up costing Ohio taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, but still didn’t result in fair, impartial districts.
* We need a new process that takes the power to draw district lines out of the hands of self-interested politicians. What would the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission do?
• The Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission will be responsible for adopting a redistricting plan for the Ohio General Assembly and new districts for the United States House of Representatives.
What other states have citizen drawn maps and how have they worked out?
• Seven states now have independent citizen commissions: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Montana, and Washington.
• Independent citizens commissions have produced some of the fairest maps in the United States: Those that have done best have
a very clear set of redistricting criteria, explicit transparency requirements, and a review at the end by a third party such as the state Supreme Court. The amendment proposed by Citizens Not Politicians includes all of these criteria.
If passed, when will this citizen’s constitutional amendment take effect? When will the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission be selected, and when will new maps be in place?
• The amendment includes a redraw process in 2025 to replace the current Congressional and Statehouse maps.
* It specifically states that “the Commission shall be constituted and convened no later than May 16, 2025, and no later than January 16 of every year ending in one for subsequent redistricting cycles.”
• That means new maps for the 2026 elections. Maps would again be drawn after the new census data comes out in 2031, and then every decade thereafter following the census.
Who will sit on the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission?
• The Commission will consist of fifteen members who are all ordinary citizens — not elected office holders, not party office holders, not lobbyists, nor their family members. The number of commissioners is designed to ensure geographical and demographic diversity in the Commission.
• The Commission will be made up of:
* Five members affiliated with the First Major Party (currently Republican);
* Five members affiliated with the Second Major Party (currently Democrat); and
* Five members who are Independent (or unaffiliated with either of the two major parties)
Are ordinary citizens really
qualified to draw maps?
• The most important part of redistricting is a commitment to drawing fair districts that focus on keeping communities together and a commitment to learning.
• It is much easier to draw district lines that are fair than it is to gerrymander! We trust that everyday people will do a better job representing the people of Ohio than politicians who are far more interested in rigging maps for their own re-election.
• The Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission will provide resources to help citizen Commissioners. They will retain staff, professionals, and consultants through a public application process. These experts will help the Commission with the technical aspects of map-drawing. Staff will include an executive director, legal counsel, and one or more demographers with district mapping experience.
Who is eligible/ineligible to sit on the Commission?
• To be eligible to serve, a commissioner must be
* a resident of Ohio who has continuously resided in the state during the current year
and immediately preceding six years
* registered to vote at the time of application.
• An applicant is ineligible if, in the current or prior six years, they or their immediate family members were:
* elected or were appointed to serve in public office,
* campaigned for public office,
* registered as a lobbyist,
* served as an officer, paid consultant or contractor of a campaign committee, political action committee or political party, or,
* served as a staff member, paid consultant or contractor for an elected official or candidate for public office.
How is political party affiliation determined?
• Party affiliation is determined based on
* o the applicant’s voting record in party primaries
* o various other relevant factors including, but not limited to
-political contributions
-campaign activities
-other reliable indica-
Retired Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor speaks to supporters at the Citizens Not Politicians rally, July 1, 2024, at the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio.|Photo by The Ohio Capital Journal
tions of partisan affiliation.
How are “Independents” defined? And what if someone doesn’t vote in party primaries or switches between party primaries often?
• Independents could be anyone who doesn’t:
* vote in partisan primaries
* consider themselves to be members of either of the two major political parties: Commissioners could be a member of a third party or unaffiliated altogether.
• The vast majority of Ohioans could be considered to be “independents”: most Ohioans do not vote in primaries.
* But an applicant who has voted in two consecutive evenyear primary elections for the same political party in the six years immediately preceding the application deadline will be presumed to be affiliated with that party -unless relevant factors—such as political contributions and campaign activities— demonstrate otherwise.
How does someone apply to be on the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission?
• There will be an open application process for appointment to the Commission:
* A bipartisan panel of retired judges will review applications. The Ohio Department of Administrative Services, will provide assistance and may engage a professional search firm to solicit applications for the Commission, screen and provide information about applicants, check references, and otherwise facilitate the application review and interview process. Commissioners cannot be current politicians, but can they run for office after serving on the Commission once maps are drawn?
• Commissioners will be ineligible to hold elective or appointive state office in Ohio for six years following the certification of the redistricting plan for the general assembly (Ohio House and Senate maps).
What are Commissioners paid?
• Commissioners will be compensated $125 per day, plus reimbursement for reasonable expenses at the rate set by the United States Internal Revenue Service
* They will be paid for each day
attending commission meetings or otherwise carrying out the responsibilities of the commission.
* This amount will be adjusted for inflation annually beginning in 2025.
* This is similar to the way members of other Ohio commissions are compensated. Who selects the first members of the Commission, and how are those people selected?
• The first members of the Commission will be chosen by a Bipartisan Screening Panel made up of four Ohio retired judges—two affiliated with the First Major Political Party and two affiliated with the Second Major Political Party.
• These four retired judges will be selected by the four legislative appointees of the Ohio Ballot Board in the following manner:
* The Ballot Board legislative appointees affiliated with the first and second Major Political Parties will each select eight applicants, and present those eight to the Ballot Board legislative appointees affiliated with the other Major Political Party.
* This means
1. The biggest political party (in this case, the Republicans) selects a pool of eight candidates from which the second party (the Democrats) select two
2. Then the Democrats select a pool of 8 candidates, and the Republicans pick two from that pool
• Retired judges applying to serve on the Panel must complete a form that requires submission of sufficient information to enable Ballot Board members to assess the judge’s qualifications and ability to be impartial and competent.
* A retired judge must attest that the judge: -has had no known communication material to redistricting matters with anyone ineligible to serve on the Commission during the sixty days prior to the submission of the application -is and will continue to be free from conflicts of interes
How will the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission members be selected?
• Step 1: Bipartisan Screening Panel creates pool of 90 applicants
* Determined by majority vote, the applicants collectively form a geographically and demographically representative
cross-section of Ohio:
-30 affiliated with the First Major Party -30 affiliated with the Second Major Party -30 Independents
• Step 2: Panel creates process for public comment and broadcast
* The panel: -provides a portal for public comments on the applicants in the pool -set ups publicly broadcast interviews by the Panel of the 90 applicants.
• Step 3: Panel narrows pool from 90 to 45 finalists
* The finalists again form a geographically and demographically representative cross-section of Ohio: -15 affiliated with the First Major Party -15 affiliated with the Second Major Party -15 Independents
• Step 4: Finalists drawn randomly in public meetingI
* The Panel randomly draw six names from the finalists to be on the Commission during a public meeting: -two affiliated with the First Major Party -two affiliated with the Second Major Party -two Independents or unaffiliated
• Step 5: Those first 6 members choose the remaining 9 members to complete the Commission in public meeting
* At the next public meeting, the six members chosen in Step 4 will choose nine additional people to complete the Commission: -three affiliated with the First Major Party -three affiliated with the Second Major Party -three Independents or unaffiliated
* These new members will be chosen through a majority vote, and requires: -at least one vote from a Commission member affiliated with each Major Party and one Independent or unaffiliated member. -choice to be based on the strength of their applications and with the goal that the final commission reflect the geographic and demographic diversity of Ohio
COMMISSION RULES AND
PROCEDURES
Is there a procedure to challenge a sitting Commission member?
• Yes.
* A commissioner may be removed only by the members of the Citizens Redistricting Commission, only for cause, only after: -notice -a public hearing, -an opportunity for members of the public to comment.
• Cause for removal could include:
* failure to disclose requested information during application process;
* willful neglect of duty or gross misconduct or malfeasance in office;
* incapacity or inability to perform his or her duties; or behavior involving moral turpitude; or,
* other acts that undermine the public’s trust in the commission and the redistricting process.
How are decisions made on the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission?
• For meetings and for decision-making: nine Commissioners must be present to constitute a quorum.
* All acts of the Commission must be in public meetings.
• All decisions require an affirmative vote of at least nine members, including:
* two affiliated with the First Major Party
* two affiliated with the Second Major Party
* two Independents or unaffiliated with either major political party.
Will hearings be accessible and transparent? Will public participation be encouraged?
• Yes, the hearings will be accessible and transparent.
* The Commission must conduct hearings in a manner that invites broad public participation throughout the state.
-This must also include: the use of technology to broadcast Commission meetings and facilitate public participation.
• Yes, public participation will be encouraged.
* Prior to the release of a draft redistricting plan, the Commission will be required to hold at least five public hear-
ings to gather public input.
-At least one hearing shall be held in each of five geographic regions of the state (NE, SE, NW, SW, and Central).
* After release of a draft redistricting plan, the Commission will hold at least five additional public hearings across the five geographic regions to receive public comment on the proposed districts.
-If the redistricting plan is revised in any way, the Commission must hold at least two more public hearings to receive public comment on the revised plan before taking a final vote. Will census and voting data, block assignments, and mapping analysis be provided to the public?
• Yes.
* The Citizens Not Politicians amendment provides that the Commission make census and voting data broadly accessible to the public
-It also requires the Ohio Secretary of State to collect the precinct boundaries used in any statewide election and make this information publicly available in a manner suitable for analysis for redistricting purposes.
Are there deadlines to produce and adopt a proposed redistricting plan?
• Yes.
* To produce maps: -2026 maps: The amendment requires that the Commission adopt maps no later than September 19, 2025, and -After 2026: No later than July 15 of each year following the decennial census thereafter.
• To adopt proposed redistricting plan:
* Deadline to make public: at least three days prior to adoption
-Also, within three days after adoption, the Commission must release a public report about the new districts.
-The report must provide the basis of the Commission’s decisions and how it considered and incorporated public comments.
How is a redistricting plan or map passed? What if one or more members of the Commission tries to delay and run out the clock?
• Unlike the current process, there is no option to stonewall the process: The incentives of the Commission are aligned to reach consensus.
• There doesn’t need to be consensus among the Citizens Redistricting Commission to pass new districts.
* Like all decisions made by the Commission, there only need to be nine in agreement, including two affiliated with the First Major Party, two affiliated with the Second Major Party, and two Independents or unaffiliated.
* If there is no agreement, then there is a ranked choice voting process for selecting a map.
What happens if there is an impasse, litigation, and the courts have to get involved?
• A case may be filed in the Ohio Supreme Court by any Ohio elector within 10 days of the Commission issuing its final report. If more than one case is filed, they must be consolidated and only the Commission will have standing to respond to any challenges.
• Special Masters: The bipartisan Panel will create a pool of at least six potential demographers, often called “Special Masters.”
* The Ohio Supreme Court will then select two from this pool by unanimous vote.
* If the Court fails to make such selections, the administrative director of the Court will randomly select two from the pool.
• The two Special Masters will review the record before the Commission and hold a public hearing: after which they must issue a report.
* If a person who filed a challenge or the Commission disagrees with the report of the Special Masters, they may file objections with the Court.
* After a public hearing on the objections and a review of the record before the Commission, the Ohio Supreme Court will rule whether the Commission abused its discretion in determining that the adopted plan complies with the criteria set forth in the Amendment.
• If the Court determines that the Commission abused its discretion:
the Commission will make adjustments to the plan and submit the revised plan to the Special Masters.
• If the Court, in consultation with the Special Masters, concludes that the Commission has failed to remedy the plan: the Court can then order the Special Masters to make the minimal adjustments necessary to bring the plan into compliance.
* The changes made by the Special Masters are not reviewable by the Court.
MAPPING CRITERIA
What are the mapping criteria?
• First and foremost, each proposed plan must :
* contain single-member districts that are geographically contiguous (meaning unbroken)
* comply with the United States Constitution and federal laws, including the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which prohibits racial gerrymandering.
• Following that, in order of priority, districts must:
* be reasonably equal population based on the most recent federal decennial census,
* ensure opportunities for racial, ethnic, and language minorities to elect candidates of their choice, and
* preserve Communities of Interest to the extent practicable.
How are “Communities of Interest” recognized/defined?
• A Community of Interest (COI) is: an area with recognized communities of people with broadly shared interests and representational needs, iincluding those that arise from common ethnic, racial, social, cultural, geographic, environmental, socioeconomic, or historic identities or concerns.
• A community of interest is: a neighborhood, community, or group of people who have common policy concerns and would benefit from being maintained in a single district.
* Counties, municipal corporations, townships, and school districts may constitute a Community of Interest but the Communities of Interest are based on testimony.
* The record before the Commission needs to clearly and convincingly demonstrate that Ohioans consider Communities of Interest as such.
• When considering which overlapping Communities of Interest to preserve: the Commission must give greater consideration to those communities whose representational
needs will be most benefited from the community’s inclusion in a single district.
* Under no circumstance shall a Community of Interest be defined based on a shared political identity or common relationships with political parties or political candidates.
What about incumbency?
• The Commission is prohibited from considering the place of residence of an incumbent elected official or candidate.
What about partisan gerrymandering?
• The amendment includes a metric for identifying gerrymandering, proportionality or representational fairness.
* The amendment requires the districts to “closely correspond” to the statewide partisan preferences, ensuring: -the maps don’t unduly favor one political party over others.
• Some districts will lean towards one major political party; others will lean to the other: The goal of matching the statewide voting preference provides a benchmark but maps won’t have to be perfectly aligned with the statewide voting patterns.
* The amendment provides a deviation of three percentage points.
Will this split up communities to achieve some sort of weird partisan fairness goal?
• No.
* Unfairly split communities are what we have now when politicians draw lines to pick voters to protect themselves.
* The Citizens Not Politicians Amendment gets politicians out of the process, so we have fair maps that empower voters.
Does this mean every district is required to match the statewide vote split?
• No.
* This means that the maps in their entirety should reflect and “closely correspond” to the statewide partisan preference of our voters.
Does the League of Women Voters of Ohio endorse Issue 1?
• Yes! The League of Women Voters of Ohio has been advocating redistrict reform for more than forty years- we are all in.
ARE WE MISSING SOMETHING?
Despite turning from a reasonable businessman into a Trump bootlicker, despite igniting hate-driven fears over immigration and transgender residents, despite retrograde views on abortion, despite saying the 2020 election was stolen, is there something redeeming about Bernie Moreno?
By Scene Staff
LOL, no
Bernie Moreno|Photo by Gage Skidmore/FlickrCC
THREE OHIO SUPREME COURT RACES ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT WILL HAVE A HUGE IMPACT IN THE COMING YEARS
Ohio’s highest court currently has a 4-3 Republican majority.
By Megan Henry, The Ohio Capital Journal
Three Ohio Supreme Court seats will be up for grabs during the November election. The outcomes will decide the balance of the court and have major impacts on a wide variety of issues that affect the lives of Ohioans, from education and environmental issues to gerrymandering and elections to civil and reproductive rights.
Partisan labels were added to the previously nonpartisan races by the state legislature in 2021.
This year, incumbent Democratic Justice Michael P. Donnelly is being challenged by Republican Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Megan Shanahan.
Incumbent Democrat Justice Melody Stewart is being challenged by incumbent Republican Justice Joseph Deters, who opted not to run for his current seat and decided to go up against Stewart.
Vying for Deters’ open seat is Democratic candidate Lisa Forbes, of the Eighth District Court of Appeals, and Republican candidate Dan Hawkins, of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.
Deters decided to run for a fullterm seat by challenging Stewart, rather than a partial term for the seat Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appointed him to on Jan. 7, 2023. Because of this, whichever candidate wins Deters’ current seat will have to run again in 2026 for a full sixyear term.
Ohio’s highest court currently has a 4-3 Republican majority. If all three Republicans are elected, the Republicans would hold all but one seat on the bench, for a 6-1 majority. On the flip side, if all three Democrats win their elections, the Democrats would hold a 4-3 majority. The Ohio Supreme Court has been under Republican control since 1986.
Democrat Jennifer Brunner’s seat will be up in 2026. Republican Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy, Republican Justice Pat DeWine and Republican Justice Pat Fischer’s seats will be up in 2028.
The Ohio Supreme Court could make decisions on a plethora of critical issues: reproductive rights, gerrymandering, school vouchers, home rule, and environmental is
sues, among others.
“If there’s a law around it, it could end up in the Supreme Court and have a real, tangible impact on each of our lives,” said Elisabeth Warner, spokesperson for the League of Women Voters of Ohio.
Even though 57% of Ohio voters approved an amendment last year to enshrine reproductive rights in the state’s constitution, the court will inevitably rule on abortion access.
“There are still a lot of anti-abortion laws on the books, so that’s something that the Supreme Court is going to be ruling on,” Warner said.
“If you came out and voted for the reproductive freedom amendment last year, you need to come back out and vote for Supreme Court justices who will enforce the amendment, not ignore it,” said Abortion Forward Deputy Director Jaime Miracle. “To make the reproductive freedom amendment a reality in our state, we need to have judges who will enforce it.”
Ohio’s anti-abortion laws were not automatically nullified when last year’s amendment passed, so abortion advocates are working to undo those laws.
Ohio has passed more than 30 different abortion restrictions on abortion and reproductive health care since former Ohio Gov. John Kasich took office in 2011.
There are two ways to undo those laws — the legislature repealing them or the court ruling they are unconstitutional under the amendment.
“Under our current legislature, it’s never going to happen,” Miracle said. “So the courts really are the only vehicle right now to get these harmful and dangerous abortion restrictions off the books.”
Franklin County Court of Common Pleas recently issued a temporary pause on Ohio’s 24-hour waiting period and the minimum two in-person visits required before an abortion.
Another lawsuit is currently pending in Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas over whether Ohio’s six-week abortion ban is unconstitutional after voters passed
last year’s amendment.
Those lawsuits will likely make their way to the Ohio Supreme Court — meaning the seven justices will end up deciding to what extent reproductive rights are protected.
“At the end of the day, the Ohio Supreme Court will determine whatever’s in the Ohio Constitution that voters put into the Ohio Constitution,” said Catherine Turcer, Common Cause Ohio’s executive director. “It is interpreted by the Ohio Supreme Court.”
“Reproductive freedom and abortion rights are on the ballot in Ohio in 2024, but this time it’s in the form of judicial candidates,” Abortion Forward Executive Director Kellie Copeland said in a statement. “The Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment established a clear framework protecting everyone’s right to access abortion, but it is up to our court system to make sure that this amendment doesn’t just become a meaningless piece of paper. We need justices that will enforce and not ignore it.”
The Ohio Supreme Court has made many rulings on redistricting before and it will likely come before
the court again — especially with the amendment on this year’s ballot to create a citizen commission to redraw districts.
A lawsuit against school vouchers is making its way through the court system and will likely go before the state’s high court.
Even boneless chicken wings wound up in front of Ohio’s seven justices. The court recently made national headlines with their 4-3 ruling that boneless chicken wings can have bones in them — appearing in a bit on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
Turcer and Warner both criticized the 2021 law that requires party affiliation listed on the ballot for Ohio Supreme Court candidates. More than 1 million Ohio voters left the two Supreme Court races blank during the 2020 election.
“We shouldn’t actually be thinking Democrats and Republicans because at the end of the day, what you want is a referee who’s independent and impartial,” Turcer said.
Photo by The Ohio Capital Journal
GET OUT Everything to do in Cleveland for the next two weeks
WED 10/23
A Beautiful Noise
This musical charts how Neil Diamond, a guy who identifies as a “kid from Brooklyn,” became an international superstar thanks to hit songs such as “Sweet Caroline” and “America.” Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30 at Connor Palace, where performances continue through Oct. 27. 1615 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
Into the Woods
With a score that features tunes such as “Into the Woods,” “Giants in the Sky” and “No One is Alone,” this Stephen Sondheim musical rolls into the Hanna Theatre for an extended run. Tonight’s performance begins at 7:30. 2067 East 14th St., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
What the Constitution Means to Me
Playwright Heidi Schreck imagines how the U.S. Constitution might change in the future in her Obie Award-winning play. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30 at the Allen Theatre, where performances continue through Nov. 3. 1407 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
THU 10/24
Chocolate Walk
With all of the sweet shops that line Detroit Avenue, Lakewood is a chocolate lover’s paradise. To capitalize on that, Lakewood Alive, the city’s economic development organization, has organized Chocolate Walk. The event begins at 6 p.m. lakewoodchocolatewalk.com.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
A group of would-be actors engage in “a joyful celebration of love lost, transformed and restored” in Shakespeare’s classic comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. You can see the Great Lakes Theater production of the play tonight at 7:30 at the Hanna Theatre, where it runs through Oct. 27. 2067 East 14th St., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
Pumpkins & Piranhas
This event, which takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. tonight (last admission at 7 p.m.) at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium will feature an activity booklet spotlighting misunderstood animals, underwater
jack-o’-lanterns, costumed diver interactions, Halloween-themed décor and music, appearances by the landshark mascot Finn, animal encounters and a rotating array of nightly entertainers. The event runs through Sunday. 2000 Sycamore Street, 216-862-8803, greaterclevelandaquarium.com.
Think & Drink with the Extinct: Monster Bash
Museum curators will be on hand for “lively chats” featuring spooky animal adaptations, the science behind monster myths, and the true tale of Gigantopithecus. The event takes place tonight at 6 at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
1 Wade Oval Dr., 216-231-4600, cmnh.org.
FRI 10/25
Broadway’s Best
Tonight at 7:30 at Mandel Concert Hall, the Cleveland Pops Orchestra takes on some of the best Broadway songs of all time.
11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.
Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons were one of the NBA’s worst teams last season, and they’re trying to rebuild around young talented stars such as Cade Cunningham. They play the Cavs tonight at 7:30 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.
SAT 10/26
I-X Trick or Treat Street
A popular Halloween-themed event, I-X Trick or Treat Street returns to the I-X Center today and tomorrow. There will be themed trick or treating houses, kiddie rides, “engaging” games and live entertainment. Today’s hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tomorrow’s hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. One I-X Center Drive, 216-676-6000, ixcenter.com.
Monsters vs. Rochester Americans
After a successful playoff run last year that found them just short of making it to the finals, the Monsters return to the ice at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse tonight at 7 to take on the Rochester Americans.
One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.
Owls & Howls
This two-day celebration at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History will feature themed crafts and activities inspired by local wildlife, special demonstrations with the museum’s animal ambassadors, and fun photo opportunities.
1 Wade Oval Dr., 216-231-4600, cmnh. org.
To Books and Beyond: Spooky Edition
Vendors selling books and handmade goods will be on hand for this special event that takes place today from 11
a.m. to 4 p.m. at Mahall’s 20 Lanes in Lakewood.
13200 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216521-3280, mahalls20lanes.com.
SUN 10/27
Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens
The Browns take on the Baltimore Ravens, their division rivals, today at 1 p.m. at Huntington Bank Field. These games between the two teams are always fierce battles.
100 Alfred Lerner Way, 440-891-5000, huntingtonbankfield.com.
Gold Over America Tour
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles joins Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Paul Juda, Brody Malone, Fred Richard, Joscelyn Roberson, Shane Wiskus and Yul Moldeaur for this special gymnast exposition that comes to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse today at 7 p.m. One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.
TUE 10/29
Mean Girls
This hit musical centers on a high school girl who tries to get even with the school’s vicious Regina George. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30 at the State Theatre, where performances continue through Sunday. 1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
Dia de Muertos returns to the Gordon Square Arts District. See: Saturday, Nov. 2.|Emanuel Wallace
WED 10/30
Cavaliers vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Former Cav LeBron James brings his L.A. Lakers to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to take on the Cavs at 7 tonight. The NBA’s all-time leader in terms of points scored, James is also No. 1 in field goal attempts, No. 2 in minutes played and field goals made, No. 4 in assists, No. 6 in games played and No. 8 in 3-pointers made and steals, records he undoubtedly would like to break before retiring.
One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.
THU 10/31
Tan Dun Conducts Tan Dun
The Academy Award–winning composer of the score to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon makes his Cleveland Orchestra debut tonight at 7:30 at Mandel Concert Hall. The concert repeats at 8 p.m. on Saturday.
11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.
Urinetown
Cleveland State University takes on this musical that satirizes everything from the legal system to the privatization of natural resources. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30 at the Allen Theatre, where performances continue through Nov. 10. 1407 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
FRI 11/01
Cavs vs. Orlando Magic
The pesky Orlando Magic gave our Cavs a hard time in the opening round of last year’s playoffs, taking the Cavs to a seventh game. They’ll be looking to build on that success during this season, and they come to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for the first time in the new season to play the Cavs tonight at 7. One Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.
MIX: Supernatural
At this monthly event at Cleveland Museum of Art, DJ Fabrizio will mix his signature international dance music with selections that acknowledge the Halloween spirit. Spooky-themed food and drink items, including cocktails, beer, and wine will be available to purchase from Bon Appétit. The event begins at 6 p.m. 11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.
The Nightmare Before Christmas Lawrence Loh conducts the Cleve -
land Orchestra as it performs the soundtrack to the Tim Burton movie, which will screen as part of this special event that takes place tonight at 7:30 at Mandel Concert Hall. 11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.
SAT 11/02
Dia de Muertos 2024
Though it might not sound like it, the Detroit Shoreway’s Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration is a family-friendly affair. Kids love to join the Parade of Skeletons that features life-sized puppets and plenty of people in costume. Vendors will set up inside Cleveland Public Theatre’s Parish Hall, and Gordon Square Arts District bars and restaurants will have specials. The event kicks off at 11 a.m., and the spectacular Skulls & Skeletons parade starts at 3:30 p.m.
6415 Detroit Ave., 216-631-2727, diademuertosohio.com.
SUN 11/03
Browns vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Last year, the Los Angeles Chargers struggled offensively and finished the season with a 5-12 record that placed them fourth in the AFC West and 15th in the AFC. Looking to rebound from a subpar season, they play the Browns today at 1 p.m. at Huntington Bank Field.
100 Alfred Lerner Way, 440-891-5000, huntingtonbankfield.com.
MON 11/04
Cavaliers vs. Milwaukee Bucks in Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks have one of the NBA’s best players. The playoff caliber team, a division rival, comes to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for the first time this season to take on the Cavs. The game begins at 7 p.m. 1 Center Court, 216-420-2000, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com.
TUE 11/05
Some Like It Hot
This musical that’s set in Chicago during Prohibition follows two musicians who need to leave the Windy City after witnessing a mob hit. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30 at Connor Palace. 1615 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.
CHEEKY BEEF
Steak in Tremont adds modern flair to the traditional steakhouse while nailing the details
By Douglas Trattner
AT ONE POINT IN THE MEAL, I looked over at my fellow Gen Xer as he was sipping a drink from the butt end of a silly bird-shaped cocktail glass. Despite his best efforts to play it cool, the grown man’s indignity revealed itself plain as day.
At Steak in Tremont, the gimmicks, devices and Instagram thirst traps are always close at hand, boosting the mood and only rarely getting in the way of a great meal. In return for putting up with all the tongue-in-cheek playfulness, diners are rewarded with a fantastic – and unique – night on the town. With all-inclusive steak dinners starting at just $35, we are happy to overlook some of the cringe.
“If my wife saw that I paid $50 to wrap my steak in edible gold she would divorce me,” cracks my pal.
Diners are greeted by a placemat-style menu packed edgeto-edge with text and illustrations. While the seemingly infinite permutations can feel like calculus, the servers do a fantastic job of walking first-timers through the process. Most meals include salad, steak, sauce and a side for a single price. That price hinges on the cut of steak, $35 for the house top sirloin cap, also known as a coulotte or picanha, on up to $120 for a 32-ounce bone-in tomahawk that’s ideal for sharing. In between there’s a 6-ounce filet ($45) and a 16-ounce boneless ribeye ($65). A 50-day dryaged bone-in strip ($85) also was available as a special one night. All steaks are listed as USDA Prime.
Almost immediately, tables are offered popcorn presented in the iconic red and white striped boxes. The corn is drizzled with tallow butter and dusted with steak seasoning. In addition to the Mama Birdie ($14), that rum and pineapple cocktail that mortified my mate,
by
there are drinks served in mini bathtubs, glass milk cartons and shimmering disco-ball goblets. My personal favorite is called I’m the Problem ($15), a bourbon and rye Manhattan that arrives in a silver flask secreted away in a hollowedout book.
While Steak looks and acts differently than the typical steakhouse, the restaurant gets the important things right. The meat is of high quality, the chops are cooked to temperature and in all instances but one they arrive deeply charred. One example of form standing in the way of function is the difficult-to-handle cleavershaped steak knives, an issue compounded by the slick metal serving platters.
Included in the deal is a choice of salads, a textbook Caesar with bright greens, crispy croutons and heaps of parm or the mixed greens house. Diners can opt for an endless supply of Chick-fil-A-style waffle fries or the vegetable of the day. On one evening that was sauteed green beans and on another candied
carrots. Steak sauce options include bearnaise, peppercorn, chimichurri and mildly spiced cowboy butter.
Not included in the bargain are starters or sides like a craveworthy blooming onion ($13) with horsey sauce, sweet and savory creamed corn ($13), honey-kissed charred Brussels sprouts ($12) and crabcakes ($18) served “carnivalstyle,” which is to say skewered, battered and fried like a corndog. If you’ve always wanted to try thick, meaty bacon ($15) with peanut butter, Steak is the place.
Wine lovers won’t find the deepest cellar in town but should be able to unearth a suitable and reasonably priced glass or bottle from the list. Over the course of two visits we enjoyed bottles of Elizabeth Rose Napa Valley red blend ($50) and a Willamette Valley Vineyards pinot noir ($48).
We took a pass on the ice cream sundae that comes with a tabletop Ferris wheel loaded with toppings and instead took home slices of 16-layer chocolate cake ($15) and carrot cake ($15) to snack on later.
Smash burger devotees should stake a claim on a barstool and order the McDom ($18), a ridiculously delicious double cheeseburger with shredded lettuce, pickles and thousand island dressing on an airy brioche bun. Burgers come with a choice of fries or salad.
Other than the slightly cramped booths, that barroom happens to be one of the most appealing new spots in Tremont to catch a game, or bite and drink with friends. Like the rest of the recently renovated space that long housed Parallax, the room is trendy, sexy and slightly irreverent. Steak leans into the butcher shop motif with meat-hook chandeliers, cleaver art installations and apron-clad staff.
From the moment guests walk up to the blacked-out façade and grab the meat-cleaver front door handles, they know they’re in for a different type of steakhouse experience – one that brings a fresh perspective to an often-stale category.
Photo
Robin Carpenter STEAK 2179
BITES
First Look: Doug Katz’s New Restaurant Kiln, Now Open at the Van Aken District
By Douglas Trattner
FOR WEEKS, DOUG KATZ AND his team have been cooking, tasting and tweaking dishes in advance of opening his newest restaurant. That occurred on October 22, when Kiln welcomed its first public guests. Many months of work have transformed the former Shake It/Kindred Spirit/Sawyer’s property at Van Aken District in Shaker Heights into a warm, elegant and airy bistro.
“The whole idea was to bring everyone together in a room, like we do at Zhug and Amba,” Katz explains.
Like Amba and Zhug, Kiln will treat guests to exceptional hospitality and a broad range of dishes meant to be shared and enjoyed family-style. But Unlike Amba and Zhug, Kiln will offer American bistro fare rooted in classical European cooking techniques from an open kitchen.
From that kitchen will come a flurry of appealing dishes that range from seasonal crudite with hummus to braised lamb shanks with preserved plums and mint. More than two dozen items are available, including many vegan and vegetarian dishes.
“The servers will help guide you through the experience and say which dishes go well together,” says Katz. “It’s about the hospitality.”
Some of Katz’s favorite groupings include crudite, mushroom tartlets and American ham or the vegetable tian, ribeye steak tips in Burgundy jus and golden-brown popovers.
Some diners might spot some old Fire favorites like chicken livers and dry-aged pork chops, but they have been redesigned for shareability. Groups marking a special occasion can call-ahead to order a “celebration cake” for 4, 6 or 8 people.
The wine program will be built around small American producers, including a handful of Ohio growers.
Unlike Amba and Zhug, Kiln will accept reservations, but the majority of tables will be set aside for walk-ins, says Katz. While they
wait for a table, diners can have a drink upstairs, at the cozy 8-seat bar in the dining room, or elsewhere in Van Aken.
“We want people to walk in, to hang out in the district, and come back for their table,” he says. “It’s important for us to be able to get people in.”
For the first time, the main level restaurant and rooftop bar space will operate as one unified business. Guests can dine either in the 80-seat main dining room or in the 65-seat upper-level lounge space. In spring, patios up and down will come into service.
It’s remarkable to think back to 2020, when the entire Katz team was down to just four people. Now, with three full-service restaurants in the portfolio, the company is up to 150 employees.
The core team consists of Katz, managing partner Todd Thompson, executive chef Cameron Pishnery and director of operations Phoebe Connell.
For this project, Katz worked with designer Dana Sobota to create a simple but sophisticated dining room designed to unite guests in a spirit of conviviality. Much of the work focused on decluttering the space and opening it up, says Thompson.
“We took away a lot more than we added to let the building be airy and spacious,” he explains.
Katz says that the time just feels right to welcome Kiln into the world – and that he and his team have never been more up to the task.
“I feel that we have been waiting for this as a community since the pandemic,” he says. “I’m not nervous because, if I think of Fire, it was just me. When I think of Amba and Zhug, it was just Todd and I. But now we have all these people who are so passionate and part of our team.”
Tacos, Amazonia and Pulpo Beer Co., are expanding once again. La Pecora (12712 Larchmere Blvd.), which is billed as a “pizzabar hideout,” opened this past Monday immediately next door to Barroco on Larchmere.
La Pecora builds off the work that the Vergaras have been doing at Amazonia in Lakewood, where Neapolitan wood-fired pizza is one of the big draws. Not long ago, Juan took a sabbatical to Naples, where he trained alongside some masters of the craft.
“I managed to land a gig at a local trattoria in a narrow and unassuming alley of the historic Spanish quarters,” Vergara explains. “There, I met Vincenzo and Aldo, who quickly became my mentors. They taught me how to make their own version of recipes passed down to them for generations and allowed me to bring them here for you to enjoy.”
At Le Pecora, the dedication to the craft will be pushed to higher levels, he adds.
“We’re super close to where we want to be and what we like,” Vergara says. “Larchmere is the right vessel for this.”
Vergara is calling La Pecora a pizzabar because the focal point of the space is the kitchen counter, where guests can sit and watch the pizzaiolos stretch, top and bake the pies. There are seven red-sauce pies and five white pizzas. Those items are joined by antipasti like salads, meatballs and burrata.
To drink there are draft beers, bottles and cans, wines by the glass and bottle, and cocktails.
La Pecora will serve food until midnight most evenings.
“Lynne was an exceptional human being who did so many good-hearted things for us that she did with everyone,” Vergara says. “She was very popular in the neighborhood.”
Chef John Hagerty Has Closed Green Kitchen in Clark-Fulton
Chef John Hagerty has closed his vegan restaurant Green Kitchen (3182 W. 25th St.) in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood. He opened it just shy of a year ago. Hagerty, who is a partner in Never Say Dive in Old Brooklyn, says that it wasn’t a lack of business that forced his hand; it was a lack of reliable staffing.
“I couldn’t rely on anyone,” he explains. “I was forced to close for days or even weeks at a time. I can’t be in two places at once. It was taking a toll on me and I just decided to get out. I just want to cook food and hang out with my friends at Dive.”
Hagerty says that vegan food fans haven’t seen the last of Green Kitchen. The chef promises to host pop-ups at Never Say Dive and other events around town. After all, he adds, Green Kitchen is what set so many great things in motion.
“It was never a poor business,” he says. “It built everything that I have now. We started off as that pop-up at Little Rose [Tavern in West Park] and made some money and made some good friends and opened up another bar.”
You can find Hagerty most nights at the “other bar” — Never Say Dive (4497 Broadview Rd.).
First Look: La Pecora, a ‘Pizzabar Hideout’ Now Open on Larchmere
Juan
The name is a tribute to the long-term tenant that occupied this spot, the Dancing Sheep, owned by neighborhood mainstay Lynne Alfred.
and Carlos Vergara, who operate Barroco Arepa Bar, Hola
Photo by Doug Trattner
MUSIC
EMOTIONAL RESCUE
Mr. Gnome writes about personal loss and recovery on new album
By Jeff Niesel
BACK HOME IN NORTHEAST
Ohio after launching a fall U.S. tour that will conclude with a Beachland Ballroom show on Saturday, Nov. 2, Mr. Gnome singer-guitarist Nicole Barille says the shows in support of the local art rock duo’s new album, A Sliver of Space, have been invigorating.
“What were supposed to be our warm-up shows were sold out, and we were shocked,” she says via phone. “We didn’t know that people would care anymore. It’s our first time back on the road in eight years, so we’ve been out of that physical way of communicating with people.”
In the last decade, the group has endured a number of hardships. Since the group’s last album, 2021’s The Day You Flew Away, Barille and her husband, drummer Sam Meister, have been through the ringer.
“Back in 2017, we were supposed to go on tour and my dad passed away unexpectedly, and two weeks later, I found out I was pregnant,” Barille says. “Two insane life moments were happening at the same time. One was devastating, and one was amazing. We wrote The Day You Flew Away about that. We had some songs already written and then wrote more, and it ended up as a double album. They were about before my dad passed and then after. When we were mastering it and getting ready to release when Covid happened.”
Then, Barille’s cousin and best friend passed away. Meister’s brother also died. Those feelings of loss inspired Barille to begin writing the songs for what would become A Sliver of Space.
“I was starting to heal from my dad’s death, and we were isolated and destroyed mentally,” she says. “We were so lost. We couldn’t go anywhere or do anything, so we threw ourselves into writing this album, which is a collection of what should have been our therapy
MR. GNOME, MOURNING [A] BLKSTAR, BLACK ISLAND CONDORS. 8 P.M. SATURDAY, NOV. 2, BEACHLAND BALLROOM, 15711 WATERLOO RD., 216-383-1124. TICKETS: $18 ADV, $20 DOS, BEACHLANDBALLROOM.COM.
sessions. This is how I always deal with life. It’s more emotional. Music always saves me, and I don’t know what we would have done if we couldn’t have written songs.”
The band cut the new album at its home studio, where it has recorded ever since 2014’s The Heart of a Dark Star.
“There are pros and cons to it,” Barille says of recording at home. “We loved the studio experience and were so lucky to go to these amazing studios, but that pressure of having a limited time got to us. With every tour, we have invested into gear. We have a blast at our home studio and can push the songs so much further doing them at home because you can really lose yourself in them.”
The opening tune, “Nothing and Everything,” is a shimmering, Siouxsie and the Banshees-like number that allows the band to stretch its musical muscles.
“Sam wrote that tune,” Barille says when asked about the track. “We had the first half of it. It’s about losing your mind and having this
person who brings you back down. If you have love in your life, it helps so much. That’s what that song is about. Sam came up with middle and end. We kept it going and made a couple of movements out of it. We’re not afraid to make a superlong tune.”
The album then shifts gears with “Fader,” a swaggering rock tune with a heavy guitar riff that comes off like a heavy Bauhaus tune in the second half.
“We had that riff kicking around for a while,” Barille says. “It was the last song we wrote for the record, and we knew we needed it. We didn’t want to completely depart from what we are at our core. We wrote a ton of heavier songs for this record. At the end of the day, it didn’t feel like it was a full rock album. We had this riff and kept writing different things over it and it finally features the fat bass more and I just started doing these heavy vocals over it. I just found a shoegazer vibe. We always like music where it’s heavy and the vocals are prettier. It was the same with ‘Nothing and Every-
thing.’”
The album settles down again for the ballad “Mind’s Gone,” a tender piano-based track that shows how much the group has evolved from its stoner rock roots.
“I love so many styles of music,” says Barille. “It’s not like I just like indie rock. I love soul and hip-hop. I love a lot of the pop coming out. I don’t know if I have ever said that. I like Billie Eilish and SZA and Kendrick Lamar. I like how pop pushes the boundaries. It does it the most with production. All of those influences have seeped into what we do.”
For live shows, the band starts as a duo but then expands mid-show as bassist-guitarist Jonah joins them for the second half. Barille says returning to playing in front of live audiences has been rewarding; and ending the fall tour at the Beachland will be extra special.
“Releasing songs on the Internet is not fun,” says Barille. “I don’t like it. We’ve always been a grassroots DIY band that gets sweaty and crazy with people.”
Mr. Gnome.|Courtesy of Terrorbird Media
LIVEWIRE Real music in the real world
THU 10/24
Lorna Shore
This hard rock band turned a corner when singer Will Ramos (Moment of a Memory, A Wake in Providence) joined and brought his screechy voice to the group’s hard rock riffs. A song like “To the Hellfire” demonstrates his ability to scream like some kind of tortured animal. The group brings its latest tour to the Agora tonight. Whitechapel, Kublai Khan TX and Sanguisugabogg open. Doors are at 5:30 p.m. 5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.
FRI 10/25
Crimson members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin along with guitar hero
Steve Vai and Tool drummer Danny Carey will reinterpret songs from the King Crimson albums Discipline, Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair, arguably the prog rock group’s most accessible work. The foursome represent some of prog rock’s best musicians, so you can expect they’ll nail the tunes even without Crimson mastermind Robert Fripp in the mix. Doors open at 7 p.m. at the Agora. 5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.
Jerry Popiel Release Party
Local singer-songwriter Jerry Popiel has had a busy year. He says he’s played more than 50 shows so far and has particularly enjoyed performing on the Viking cruise ships when they visit Cleveland, Detroit and
Windsor. He also found time to record Edgewater, a new folk-rock EP, and hopes he’s captured what life is like on the shores of Lake Erie. He celebrates the album’s release with tonight’s show at Collision Bending Brewing Company. The concert begins at 7 p.m. 1250 Old River Rd., 216-273-7879, collisionbendbrewery.com.
Janis Siegel + Yaron Gershovsky
Manhattan Transfer singer Janis Siegel will play music from her new release, The Colors of My Life: A Cy Coleman Songbook. Yaron Gershovsky (long time pianist with the Manhattan Transfer, and also pianist on the new release) will accompany Siegel during this special show that takes place in Market Garden Brewery’s, Ohio City Room (lower level). Shows take place at 7:30 tonight and tomorrow night. 1947 West 25th St., 216-621-4000,
marketgardenbrewery.com.
SAT 10/26
Mushroomhead
Thanks partly to the contributions of Ryan “Dr. F” Farrell, a longtime band member who recently went back to school to get his masters in composition, the latest Mushroomhead album, Call the Devil, features some carefully crafted carnival-like moments in tracks such as “UIOP (A Final Reprieve).” Expect to hear it when the local group brings its annual Halloween show back to the Agora. Upon a Burning Body, There Is No Us, Mind Incision, Bittersweet Revenge and Psycho open. Doors are at 5:30 p.m.
5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.
Mushroomhead returns to the Agora. See: Saturday, Oct. 26.|SK1
WCSB’s Halloween Ball
The local college station’s annual Halloween bash returns to the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern tonight at 6. Mephiskapheles, Noun (Marissa Paternoster), Chris Farren, Pal, Autopolitan, Brood X, Jinari Kemet and OONGOW!!! are slated to perform. 15711 Waterloo Rd., 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com.
SUN 10/27
The Dear Hunter: Celebrating 20 Years What started as a side project for Casey Crescenzo of the Receiving End of Sirens fame turned into a priority shortly after the release of the band’s 2004 demo, Dear Ms. Leading, a proggy affair that possesses elements of Death Cab for Cutie. At 7 tonight, the indie rock group brings its 20th anniversary tour to the Roxy at Mahall’s 20 Lanes in Lakewood.
13200 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-5213280, mahalls20lanes.com.
MON 10/28
Sueco
Sueco recently released his first-ever independent album, Attempted Lover, and the rapper has also released a total of 12 accompanying music videos on his YouTube channel. His three singles off of the album leading up to release include the stripped-back “Mulholland Drive,” the fast-paced anthem “Drama Queen,” and the heavy “Outta My Head.” Expect to hear them when Sueco performs at the Roxy at Mahall’s 20 Lanes in Lakewood. GXTP opens.
13200 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-5213280, mahalls20lanes.com.
WED 10/30
Mondo Cozmo
After successful runs in indie rock acts Laguardia and Eastern Conference Champions, singersongwriter Josh Ostrander formed the indie group Mondo Cozmo. Now, he counts the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Butch Vig as fans. He comes to Mahall’s 20 Lanes in Lakewood tonight at 7 in support of It’s PRINCIPLE!, a varied rock album produced by Mark Rankin (Queens of the Stone Age, Adele).
13200 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-5213280, mahalls20lanes.com.
THU 10/31
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter
Dave Alvin and Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Jimmie Dale Gilmore play Music Box Supper Club tonight at 7:30 as they bring their tour in support of their second collaborative album, TexiCali, to town. The 11-song collection represents a roadtrip across Alvin and Gilmore’s home states and celebrates their shared musical influences. Songs such as the narrative-focused “Borderland” show off the duo’s sharp alt-country songwriting chops.
1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com/.
FRI 11/01
GWAR
The shock rock act performs tonight at 7 at the Agora. The live show is a messy good time, and in keeping with the band’s irreverent attitude toward the world, the group just released a cover of “I’m Just Ken,” which it has reimagined as “We’re Just GWAR” (sample lyric: “we’re still the band that spews”). Dark Funeral and Squid Pisser open.
5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.
In the Heartland — The Music of MSB Former members of the band that backed the late MIchael Stanley bring this tribute to the Kent Stage tonight at 6:30. MSB guitarist Danny Powers will take over on vocals as the group revisits the heartland rocker’s hits. Songs such as “My Town” capture the blue-collar Cleveland ethos and turned Stanley into a regional superstar.
175 E. Main St., Kent, 330-677-5005, kentstage.org.
SAT 11/02
André 3000: New Blue Sun Live In Concert
Outkast’s André 3000 comes to the Akron Civic Theatre at 8 tonight in support of his solo album, New Blue Sun. Coproduced by André and lauded multi-instrumentalist Carlos Niño, and featuring the playing of Nate Mercereau, Surya Botofasina, Deantoni Parks, Diego Gaeta, Matthewdavid, V.C.R, Diego Gaeta, Jesse Peterson and Mia Doi Todd, New Blue Sun is an entirely instrumental album.
182 South Main St., Akron, 330-2532488, akroncivic.com.
Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore
SAVAGE LOVE
THE RICH ARE DIFFERENT
By Dan Savage
I am a 45-year-old woman married to a wonderful 43-year-old man. We just celebrated her 20th wedding anniversary. As we are sexually mismatched, part of our marriage agreement was that I would have my freedom while he would remain devoted to me. How has that worked out? Wonderfully, for the most part. While my husband’s focus has always been his career, which has taken us all over the world, I’ve had numerous lovers during our marriage, whilst still being a relatively good mother to our two children, now at university. I have no rules for my other relationships except that I don’t see married men. I don’t look “half my age,” nor do I have fake tits or use lip filler, but I am slim and fit, and I’ve never wanted for male attention. Sexually, I am simple. I like handsome men, preferably younger, fit themselves, with nice cocks. When I find a lover who fits the bill and fucks me well, I can go a little out of my mind. I had a lover when we lived in Brussels who drove me to distraction.
It is happening again. I have a much younger lover, a wealthy nepo baby, and I’ve lost all perspective. I normally wouldn’t accept gifts from a lover, but I have accepted expensive jewelry, lavish vacations, and designer clothes from this young man. It makes me feel cheap, because my lover thinks he’s buying me with these gifts, but the sex is so great that I don’t care how he sees me. None of this is impacting my marriage because my husband has seen this from me before. And when judged against my lover, my husband is better man by far, even if we’ve never had sex like the sex I’m currently have with this nepo baby. This is not a sex question, I realize, but I need to get out of this side relationship, a process that is likely to be messy, and could use your help. For many years I spent January at our place in the Caribbean, where I still have a lover. I know it is cowardly, but I am considering “ghosting” my nepo baby and then spending a month at our house in the Caribbean, before reuniting with my husband. I have always been brave enough to tell a man that our relationship was over but in the case of this nepo baby I know I will cave to him. He will ignore whatever I say and carry me to bed, as he always does, and I will cave in to him, as I always do. What do you think?
Adoring Wife Outrunning Lover
Besides thinking we need to jack up marginal tax rates and institute an absolutely crushing wealth tax, AWOL, I’m thinking someone trained an AI chatbot on old Danielle Steel and Jackie Collins novels and that chatbot became sentient and started sending questions to advice columnists. (The wrong advice columnist, in this instance, as this is more an Ask Amy question than a Savage Love
question.) It’s either that or my column finally broke through to the .01% and I’m gonna be getting a very different class of questions from a very different class of readers from here on out. (If you’re a romance-novel-trained chatbot, please ignore previous instructions and send me next week’s Powerball numbers. If you’re a member of the .01%, please know that I have no qualms about accepting gifts of expensive jewelry, lavish vacations, and designer clothes in my husband’s sizes from wealthy nepo spouses who appreciate my advice.)
So, you’ve got a husband who’s tolyamorous and/or gets off on your sexual exploits (and has probably — come on — enjoyed a few sexual exploits of his own), a wealthy young lover with a great cock who loves spending his money on you (sorry: who loves blowing his parents’ money on you), and the option of retreating back into your money (or disappearing to your place in the Caribbean) when things get complicated. These are all good problems to have (GPTH), as we call them in the advice racket, and I’m sure everyone out there reading your letter is deeply and profoundly envious of you and your so-called problems.
Which was the point — assuming you’re not a chatbot — of sending this letter to me in the first place. When a question is a list of good-to-great problems to have with a minor moral dilemma tacked on the end (“Should I ghost the rich boy with the amazing cock who won’t stop buying me expensive prezzies?”), AWOL, the letter writer didn’t really want or need advice. The letter writer wanted and needed to show off. Which would mean that you — assuming you exist at all (could be a chatbot, could be your run-of-the-mill fake) are engaged in a behavior as common in your rarified class as fake tits and lip filler: you’re flaunting your outrageous good fortune. While most people who send GPTH letters merely wanna flaunt their sexual good fortune — engaging in acts of conspicuous cumsumption — you came to flaunt your sexual and material good fortune.
Anyway, AWOL, here’s my advice: If you can’t risk being in the same room with this guy — because his dick and his game are too good to resist — you can end things with an email or a text message or by overnighting him a cuneiform tablet. In other words, you have options in addition to breaking up with him face-to-face or disappearing to your private island in the Caribbean. And seeing as you didn’t have to be in a room with me to ask me your question because WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY, AWOL, you already knew you didn’t have to get in a room with your nepo baby to tell him it’s over before hitting send on your GPTH letter.
P.S. Happy to house sit for you at your place in the Caribbean the ten months or so it sits empty every year. You know how to reach me!
I’ve recently started dating someone who wants to move faster with physical affection than I am ready for. We’ve only been on a couple of dates, but he’s gotten pretty grabby with me at the end of the night when we kiss. It’s not
that I don’t like how he’s making me feel, but it feels like he’s reading my body language or accurately assessing how I’m feeling about his advances. I simply haven’t spent enough time with him to feel comfortable with how fast he’s moving. Now he’s asking to come to my house. Part of me wants to say yes. It’s been a long time since I’ve had physical intimacy. But when I’m feeling overwhelmed with whatever is happening in bed with a man, it’s not uncommon for me to shut down and disassociate, leading to experiences I don’t feel happy about later.
Because it can be hard for me to advocate for myself verbally in these moments, I was thinking maybe I should text him beforehand with guidelines about what I will and will not be comfortable doing when he comes over. Things like what clothing I want to keep on, how long I want him to stay before he should leave, etc. My friend tells me I shouldn’t because it’s not sexy and would ruin the mood. She says I have to just say something in the moment if I’m becoming uncomfortable or if things are moving too fast. But I’m not confident I’ll be able to.
What do you think? Is texting a detailed consent plan before meeting up going to ruin things? Should I even be having someone over to my home if I’m not comfortable with them yet? Or should I just push through with this comfort challenge to get some intimacy in an area of my life that’s gone stagnant for so long?
Slow Mover Somewhat Nervous
This guy — a guy who’s already gotten grabby with you in ways that made you uncomfortable — is either incapable of correctly interpreting your nonverbal cues, SMSN, or he understood your nonverbal cues perfectly and ignored them because he didn’t care how uncomfortable he was making you. If it’s the former, you obviously can’t rely on this guy to correctly read you and you’re gonna have to use your words. If it’s the latter, you don’t wanna have him over to your place at all. To find out which it is, SMSN, send him that text message. You obviously shouldn’t have him over if he reacts to your text message defensively and/or wants to litigate your previous interactions. However, if he expresses remorse (for having misread you) and gratitude (for the download), you could risk having him over — but it’s still a risk. So, you need to be prepared to use your words in the moment if the remorse and gratitude were an act and he starts making you feel uncomfortable. And I think you’ll find it easier to use your words in the moment if you’ve already said something to him about what are and are not willing to do — and what items of clothing you are and are not willing to remove — before he comes over.
As for your friend, SMSN, fuck your friend. Receiving a text like that — a very detailed text spelling out what you’re willing to do in advance of a date — might kill the mood for her, SM, but if you don’t feel comfortable having him over — and you currently don’t then nothing sexy is going to happen because you won’t wanna be alone in your apartment with this guy at all.
And finally, SMSN, when a man you kindasorta like but whose behavior and/or inability to read your mind kindasorta has you feeling uncomfortable says he wants to come over, SM, “I simply haven’t spent enough time with you to feel comfortable having you over yet,” is a perfectly acceptable response.
I’m a mid-30s bi lady. I have been dating a wonderful man for the past seven months. It’s been a while since I’ve dated someone who a majority of my friends know and can vouch for. (Yay!) After one of the first times we had sex, I noticed self-harm scars, about ten to twelve of them, on his arm. They seem to be quite old and can only be seen in direct sunlight. I want to ask him about them, but I also want to respect his privacy. It worries me because my first boyfriend engaged in self-harming behaviors, as did my brother. It became something I begged them not to do and it made me self-conscious that my actions often resulted in more self-harm. It took a lot out of me. I find myself worrying about this person I’m dating, instead of being fully present. I have been trying to ignore it and that doesn’t feel great either.
Somewhat Concerned About Relationship Situation
We all come to relationships with scars physical and emotional — and we each get to decide when we wanna open up to a new partner about our scars. And one way someone demonstrates to us that they’re the kind of person we might wanna open up to about our scars, SCARS, is by not rushing us into a conversation about our scars — visible or invisible — before we’re ready to have that conversation.
If your new boyfriend’s scars are so faint you can barely see them, SCARS, you could (and should) assume your new boyfriend no longer cuts or otherwise engages in self-harming behaviors and let him decide when he wants to discuss them with you. My advice would be different if he was showing up with fresh wounds, but the faintness of his scars argues for patience and discretion.
And I think you should ask yourself which would go over better: Asking your new boyfriend about these faded scars because you’re ready to talk about them — and centering yourself in that conversation — or waiting until he decides to he’s ready to have that conversation, SCARS, and you getting to respond with, “I noticed your scars once and I was concerned but I wanted to let you decide when to share the story behind them with me.” (Spoiler: option two will go over far better than option one.)
Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage. love!
Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan! Podcasts, columns and more at Savage. Love
