Cleveland Mayor Unilaterally Decides to Give Grants

• Author: Jacob Greene
• Posted: 2023-11-14

The state of Ohio got billions of dollars in federal money from the CARES Act, which means that all of Ohio's counties and cities got their fair share of the money, depending on the size. So Cleveland, which is the largest city in Ohio, got more money than the rest. Though because they were federal funds and not state-based, a lot of states were playing fast and loose with the money, and some just wasted it away on pet projects that did nothing to help the people. In East Cleveland, Mayor Brandon King has decided unilaterally that use this federal money to give needed grants to residents still struggling with the virus, in a move that side-stepped city council approval.

This money specifically is left over from the American Rescue Plan, as all the CARES money that preceded it has been spent, or is at the least unavailable. It's a little more than $3 million, which isn't much; though it's still money that the federal government appropriated for the state of Ohio, which then earmarked it for Cleveland, and so it was the city council's decision to vote on how it was spent. Mayor King had other plans, however, and issued a unilateral decree that this money needs to flow into two different grant programs aimed expressly at helping Clevelanders with the virus.

There are two programs this money is aimed at. The first is a set of $3,000 home improvement grants. The thinking behind this is that improving one's home will boost one's equity, can lower their mortgage payments, or it can help them a lot in resell value. Though it also helps to support the local economy, as people will be hiring plumbers, painters and construction crews and paying them with this money. So it falls in line with the "two birds, one stone" saying, whereby money given to homeowners will also help to stimulate the economy, as they will have to spend it with construction crews and other similar businesses in the home improvement genre.

The second program is to hand out $300 checks to residents who are 65 and older, especially those who rely on retirement and Social Security payments, which have not gone up despite interest rates soaring. According to the Biden Administration, high interest rates are a sign of a booming economy. Though when someone's monthly stipend is stuck in place at an average of $1,200 per month, yet it only has the spending power of around $900 compared to last year, the only thing that's booming for these people is their increased debt.

While the residents of East Cleveland think this is a good move, and many are happy to apply for these grants, some of the city council members have protested about this and want something done about Mayor King's unilateral decision. Members Juanita Gowdy and Nathaniel Martin have protested this move. According to a statement by Martin: "We're not opposed to the grants...but we haven't approved it." The idea here being that Mayor King cannot act unilaterally as a king; there are checks and balances that must be respected.

Precedents Are Contagious

American politicians are far removed from a time of checks and balances, to be sure. A decade ago, Mayor King's actions would draw so much scrutiny that the cries for recalling his appointment would likely pressure him into resigning. But new America is very dictator-happy. People whose politics align with their chosen politicians are really sick of democracy, and most polls show it. What the people want is for a politician to do what they want them to do, and the checks and balances no longer matter.

We see this precedent from the highest levels of the nation. Just a month ago, Joe Biden fired a Trump-era secretary of a housing committee, which was his right to do, though he then hired one instantly without getting Congressional approval. Of course, the Democratic portion of Congress didn't mind, but the Republican portion took it up to the Supreme Court. According to SCOTUS, this President, Joe Biden specifically, should have that power due to the times in which we live. So, if the President can unilaterally dictate things that are supposedly outside the purview of his office, why wouldn't everyone else try? These behaviors are contagious.

If this $3 million gets out as needed, that's a good thing for the people of Cleveland who really need the money. Though if politicians in charge are just allowed to do whatever they want, they may decide eventually that what they want isn't actually in the people's best interests.