Recent news coverage surrounding the possibility of hiring a public relations consultant that refuses to abandon the possibility of working on this election cycle’s County political races has sparked concerns in my mind that the Cuyahoga County Transition Public Engagement Committee would consider hiring a public relations firm that refused to abandon political activity in County races this election cycle. How can the public be expected to trust the Transition process if anyone involved gives even the appearance of impropriety?

I have mailed Randy McShepard, Chair of the Cuyahoga County Transition Public Engagement Committee, a letter urging his committee to require anyone working with the Transition rise above politics and discard all actual or perceived agendas.

I also took the opportunity to encourage the Committee look beyond just a public relations firm for assistance in outreach and to consider taking advantage of the brain trust waiting to be tapped at the County’s higher education institutions. Under the guidance of Cuyahoga County’s educational leaders, students have the ability to provide a fresh, untainted outlook.

Please take a moment to read the full text of the letter I mailed to the Public Engagement Committee

March 4, 2010

Dear Mr. McShepard,

I’m writing to express my concern regarding the current decision to hire a public relations consultant. While I understand the Transition Advisory Group’s Public Engagement Committee needs help in organizing, collecting and disseminating information about the Committee’s work, I am afraid the current path threatens to add to the public’s distrust and will waste resources.

I am very disappointed that the transition committee would even entertain a proposal from a public relations firm that may work for a County candidate (Executive or otherwise) in this election cycle. We are trying to clean up government—why would you cloud the process with even a hint of impropriety? We voted for reform, not business as usual. If the committee chooses to continue down the path of selecting a public relations firm, I urge you to require anyone you work with to rise above politics and discard all actual or perceived agendas.

More importantly, the transition committee is moving in the wrong direction by narrowing their search to only public relation firms. There is a precedent of using local educational institutions as resources in government. For example, Cleveland State University has provided assistance to the City of Cleveland on several occasions in recent memory and the Ohio Commission on Local Government Reform and Collaboration is currently working with the John Glen School of Government. There are many academic institutions in the County that we can and should tap. Baldwin Wallace, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, John Carroll University, Ursuline College and Cuyahoga Community College all have the resources we need to accomplish the Transition Group’s goals. Most importantly, our universities have an untarnished reputation; something that will serve this committee well. A partnership with one or several of these schools can save finite resources, engage our students, and help restore the public’s trust in government.

Issue 6 gave us the opportunity to begin a new era of government, please don’t taint the process before it even begins.

Sincerely,

Matt Dolan,
Cuyahoga County Executive Candidate

Cc: Cuyahoga County Transition Advisory Group and Executive Committee

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