Council Resists County Measure in Contentious Debate

With tensions bubbling to the surface in council chambers, Mayfield Heights’ governing body continued to block the mayor’s push for the city to sign Cuyahoga County’s anti-poaching protocol with a 5-2 vote against during Monday’s meeting.

Council members Nino Monaco, Donna Finney, Diane Snider, Paul Sciria and Gayle Teresi reiterated their unwillingness to sign the pact with the same five standing firm on their Feb. 13 vote. Council president Anthony DiCicco and Joe Mercurio voted for the measure.

Mayor Gregory Costabile publicly criticized dissenting council members for resisting a measure that he believes will help the city grow its economy, saying he’s “slightly disappointed” council hasn’t asked him more questions about the project or offered strong reasons for their reticence.

Snider, Teresi and Finney took exception with Costabile’s view, with Teresi going so far as to openly accuse Costabile of “bias” in pushing council into supporting the pact.

Shortly after Teresi’s comments, and a brief Costabile rebuttal, the council chamber’s microphone system let out a brief but sharp wail of distortion as if to underline the rift between them.

Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald introduced the Cuyahoga County Business Attraction and Anti-Poaching Agreement initiative which attempts to prevent cities from secretly initiating contact with businesses.

Since its introduction last September, 42 of the county’s 57 communities have signed on to the measure, according to Ed Jerse, director of regional collaboration for the county, who attended Monday’s meeting.

Jerse said the idea is to have cities stop fighting each other for businesses and have area governments work with each other. Places that sign the protocol will promise not to approach businesses in other participating cities and inform the home city if a business considers moving.

Some cities have been attracted to the measure to gain greater access to the county’s $100 million economic development fund. Costabile said Mayfield Heights is the only community to vote down the measure.

Costabile referenced a recent economic mayors’ meeting where he said the city of Mayfield Heights was “laughed at” for not signing off on the protocol.

“(People ask) why does Mayfield Heights not sign this? I said, ‘I don’t know.’ I’m trying to explain some of the things that council members have mentioned and they shake their heads. Nobody understands it,” Costabile said. “This agreement will absolutely and unequivocally not bind the city into taking any action that is going to hurt our economic development at all. Period.”

But Teresi found little to be laughed at in Costabile’s comments.

“Though I appreciate your comments. I feel like we’ve all been reprimanded and hand-slapped, which I think on the one hand, you have to give us some credit that we wanted more information and that we needed some explanation. As an adult, I don’t like getting my hand slapped,” Teresi said.

Finney said she spoke with various Mayfield Heights business leaders and council members of Beachwood and Highland Heights who are against the measure.

“I’d like to end with saying what my mother always says, ‘just because everyone else is jumping in Lake Erie, are you going to jump, too?’ ” Finney said. “I’m sorry. I’m still voting no. I do not see the benefit for the city.”

Hotel sign gets lighting: City council approved the Staybridge Hotel’s proposed sign and its size and overturned the Board of Zoning Appeals’ earlier 3-2 split vote against its lighting proposal.

Road work bids accepted: City council accepted American Pavement’s $50,150 bid for crack sealing work on various Mayfield Heights streets. It also accepted Perk Company’s bid of $515,036.37 for asphalt and concrete patching base repair and the surfacing of pavement throughout the city.

Before voting to recess council meetings in July and August, it signed off on:

• The issuing and selling of $1,875,000 in notes for various municipal improvements to the fire station, city hall and various city parking facilities.
• Authorizing the mayor to enter into a collective bargaining agreement with Local 1500 fire fighters.
• Adopting the alternative tax budget information format for the 2013 fiscal year.
• Amending ordinances for garage sales and park rules and to advertise for rock salt bids.
• Approving a preliminary and final site plan request from New Hope Ministries to expand its parking area.
• Making a $16,723.26 payment to Great Lakes Petroleum Co. for gasoline for various departments and to accept quotes from Pat Flowers, Inc., for the striping of various streets in an amount of $12, 812.