We did something to kick off 2025 that I don’t think we’ve done before: We published – as a lead story on our website and as a dramatic story on the front page of The Plain Dealer – a story that we published in the same places six months later. earlier.
This is our bold proposal to create a quarter-cent regional sales tax and create a Northeast Ohio Facilities Commission. The money would build a shiny new airport as well as new and renovated homes for the Cavs, Guardians and Browns. Teams would benefit from new facilities every 40 years, with major renovations at 20 years.
The main point of the proposal is to end the threat of teams leaving to find new stadiums elsewhere and to spread the cost of the facilities across the population who use the airports and attend games. I wrote a note to explain why we were republishing the article and called out local leaders for repeatedly failing to take the bold action the region needed.
The readers I heard from largely loved the idea and were happy to see us repeat it. They’re frustrated with how Northeast Ohio continues to stagnate while neighboring Midwestern cities like Pittsburgh, Columbus, Indianapolis and Detroit thrive. They completely agree with me that our leaders have no vision.
The first reaction of public officials to this proposal last summer was to avoid it. Leaders in some neighboring Cuyahoga counties have said they would never support funding Cleveland’s facilities. And Cleveland officials don’t want to give up control of their airport, which they would be forced to do under our plan.
Such a petty thought.
What officials outside of Cuyahoga County fail to consider is that those who elect them are largely sports fans. They are proud that Cleveland remains a city with three professional sports teams. It is part of their identity. But if we don’t do anything to change the economic situation, our 3-team status cannot last. Cleveland and Cuyahoga County cannot afford to continue footing the housing bill for three teams. They shouldn’t have to.
If you sometimes wear a Guardians cap or have a Browns or Cavs jersey in your closet, part of your identity is probably tied to your fandom of our sports teams. Many people reading this would be devastated to lose their favorite team. Would it be worth putting an extra quarter on the counter for every $100 you spend to keep your team in Cleveland? This is what this proposal calls for.
Most readers we’ve heard from wouldn’t hesitate to pay that small price to keep their teams in town. It is their elected leaders who are standing in the way. Readers wondered what it would take to get the message across to their leaders. Some have suggested that we regularly publish the contact details of those who stand in the way. Maybe we should do it. And if the day comes when we lose a team, we’ll be sure to remind readers which elected leaders opposed the bold steps needed to keep it.
As for the airport, Cleveland leaders say they shouldn’t part with an asset. But our airport is hardly an asset. It’s an abyss.
And Cleveland can’t use him as an asset. Under the city charter, the airport must be self-financing and all revenue it generates must be used for the airport. It’s not like city taxpayers benefit. The city also proved incapable of ensuring the basics needed to operate, such as keeping toilets clean.
But let’s say that Cleveland remained uncompromising on this point. Who said you couldn’t build a new airport elsewhere? A more centralized location? Would another municipality want to benefit from the payroll, sales and car rental taxes, and other economic benefits of an airport? Detroit’s airport is one of the best and was built almost an hour from the city. When Denver replaced its airport 30 years ago, it placed it well outside the city. We could let Hopkins melt into a version of Burke Lakefront Airport if Cleveland refused to cooperate.
One final point: Sports team owners probably wouldn’t be crazy about our plan, because it would end the open checkbook they have on our taxes.
Under our plan, owners would have to pay 50 percent of new construction and major renovations when the facilities are 20 years old.
Owners, however, would be 100 percent responsible for maintenance, as well as any improvements made outside of major mid-life renovations.
As it stands, crews can replace things like escalators or just about anything else and charge us for it all. Cleveland and Cuyahoga County had to go into debt late last year to give $40 million to the Guardians and Cavs for that kind of upgrade.
Our plan would end all of this. With homeowners having to pay these bills, they might think twice about whether they actually need them.
Readers have asked us to continue promoting these themes, and we will. But unless a champion rises quickly to help change our destiny – unless Northeast Ohio demands more of those we elect – this region will fall further behind cities like Detroit and Columbus.
And we will eventually start losing our teams.
I’m at cquinn@cleveland.com
Thanks for reading.