Looking for Principled Leadership

I’ve written before about the informal group Cuyahoga Democrats for Principled Leadership and urged fellow Cuyahoga Democrats to go to their website, take a look at their statement of principles, and consider signing them.

http://www.cuyahogadems4pl.org/

Among other things, the statement calls openness, transparency, the avoidance of even the appearance of unethical conduct and effective campaign finance reform. There are a lot of high-minded words there. But given that the county government transition process has already been marked by secrecy, lack of accountability, the appearance that money bought influence on the transition team and an almost flippant attitude about campaign finance reform, one wonders if such principles can long survive in this county unless Democrats want to unilaterally disarm.

That being the case, it’s somewhat heartening that two candidates for the new county government and a couple of transition-team members — including one of its co-chairs — signed the statement. At least we’ll have something to wave in their faces. County executive candidate Ed FitzGerald and county council candidate (and current state senator) Dale Miller, both of whom have attended the group’s meetings, have signed on. In addition, transition team member Judy Rawson, who attended the initial meeting, is a signer. In the biggest surprise of all, so is nominal — and controversial — Democrat Marty Zanotti, one of the transition co-chairs. Maybe you want to print out the statement of principles and compare it to his actions as the transition process moves along.

Other signers include Cleveland city councilmen Matt Zone and Jay Westbrook, county commissioner Tim Hagan, state legislators Mike Foley and Mike Skindell, and lieutenant governor (and U.S. Senate candidate) Lee Fisher and his wife, Peggy Zone Fisher, who is a candidate for the state Democratic Central Committee.