Browns negotiations ongoing
Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam publicly acknowledged this week that they are looking at two options for the next long-term home for their team.
One is a more than a billion-dollar renovation of Browns Stadium on the lakefront. The other is building a more costly new stadium – possibly with a roof – in Brook Park, near the Cleveland border.
Media had already reported much of this, including Signal Cleveland, which broke the news that the Haslams were seeking up to $600 million in taxpayer money to renovate the current football stadium. (That would equal a roughly 50-50 split with the team for a $1.2 billion makeover.)
By speaking about their options at a recent meeting of NFL owners, the Haslams clarified that both options are real to them, shooting down speculation that an alternative site is just a ploy to get more money from the city.
It’s worth noting that the City of Cleveland has said for months that it planned to have an outline of an agreement in place with the Haslams by the end of the first quarter, which is now about to pass. Asked about the blown timeline, City Hall said the team and city officials continue to meet monthly and are “making progress” toward a deal.
The Browns are seeking a significant buy-in from taxpayers, though not all from the city of Cleveland. As we noted before, there is a combination of revenue options the team could pursue, including state money and a new countywide tax on alcohol and cigarettes, which would require state lawmakers to clear the way for such a move.
A new tax would also need support from County Executive Chris Ronayne. City Hall told Signal Cleveland this week that the mayor and county executive are not currently discussing ways to pay for a renovation or new stadium but that it “sounds like we would welcome it.”
New MetroHealth board members on deck
Cuyahoga County Council is considering two more people to fill positions on the MetroHealth System Board of Trustees. The latest picks – recruited by County Executive Roynane’s administration – are Nancy Mendez and Ronald Dziedzicki.
Mendez is president and CEO of Starting Point, a nonprofit agency that offers early education, daycare, preschool and other youth services. She is slated to replace the current board vice chair, Vanessa L. Whiting.
Dziedzicki is a retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. and former chief operating officer of University Hospitals-Cleveland Medical Center and University Hospitals Physician Services. He would fill the spot left vacant by Terry Monnolly, who resigned from the MetroHealth board in 2022.
Prosecutor O’Malley has a clean sweep of one small suburb in primary
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley racked up victories across Cleveland neighborhoods and suburbs in the recent Democratic primary.
Newly available precinct-level unofficial election results show how O’Malley and his challenger, Matthew Ahn, performed around the county.
Although he lost by almost 19 points, Ahn found a few bright spots. He won the progressive-leaning East Side suburbs of Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights by double digits. He eked out closer wins in Lakewood and Oakwood, and he fought O’Malley to a draw in Highland Hills.
Within Cleveland, Ahn won wards 3 and 15, which include the neighborhoods of Detroit-Shoreway, Ohio City, Tremont and downtown.
O’Malley won every other ward in Cleveland, from Lee-Harvard to West Park, and most suburbs broke his way. He won by large margins in such cities as Parma, Euclid, Rocky River and Strongsville.
But O’Malley notched his best performance in the tiny Village of Linndale, where he won every single vote counted on election night. All six of them.