Cleveland-Cliffs puts anonymous commenter on blast

Northeast Ohio-based steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs is trying to unmask an online commenter the company says is posting defamatory messages about CEO Lourenco Goncalves. 

The anonymous writer, who uses the pseudonym @Booleansearcher, penned the offending posts on the Yahoo! Finance message boards associated with the stock offerings of Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel, according to a legal filing.

The company alleges that those posts “attack Mr. Goncalves’ business reputation and honesty, including the exercise of his and others at Cliffs’ fiduciary duties to shareholders.” The filing doesn’t cite any specific posts. 

The manufacturer is asking a judge’s permission to obtain identifying information on @Booleansearcher from Yahoo, Inc. The petition for discovery was filed this week in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. 

U.S. Steel rejected an acquisition offer from Cleveland-Cliffs last year and later accepted a buyout proposal from Nippon Steel.

Dennis Kucinich turns to Independence

It’s been said many times that Dennis Kucinich, the former Cleveland mayor, Democratic congressman and twice longshot presidential candidate, has a flair for the dramatic. More evidence is the news that he plans to run for congress again – this time as an independent.

He will make his formal announcement – and offer an explanation about why he chose to skip the Democratic primary – Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. at the Civic Center in … wait for it … Independence, Ohio.

He’s not the first politician or political party to hold events in the Cleveland suburb whose namesake makes for a nifty political prop.

Perhaps Defiance, Ohio, would have been better suited, but that northwestern city is not in the district.

Cleveland school kids road trip

Cleveland Metropolitan School District is hitting the road this spring – literally. 

District officials are taking parents, caregivers and students on bus tours to visit college campuses. It’s part of a program called “Parent University.” The goal, according to CMSD, is to get students’ families even more involved in their educational journeys. 

About 25 people visited Eastern Michigan University last month. They are set to head to Wilberforce University in March. CMSD officials said the country’s oldest private historically Black college invited students to attend an open house event. The campus is located about three hours from Cleveland in southern Ohio. 

Officials said these visits include a “session with admissions staff to learn about the application process, housing, services and support, scholarships, and financial aid.” Plus, representatives from College Now Greater Cleveland will give short talks about college and career readiness during the bus rides. 

The events are totally free for parents and students in eighth through twelfth grades. All costs are covered – except visits to the bookstore, CMSD officials added. The institutions cover lunch. 

The district is looking at other road trips this semester that include visits to Ohio State, the University of Akron, Bowling Green State University, and Youngstown State University. 

Register or learn more by clicking here.

Bibb talks waterfront development in D.C.

Mayor Justin Bibb had Cleveland’s lakefront on his mind during a trip this week to Washington, D.C., for a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. 

Bibb told Signal Cleveland that his plans included meetings with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttiegieg and other Biden administration officials. On the agenda were “all things riverfront and lakefront development in Cleveland,” he said.  

The Democratic mayor also had his first meeting with Republican U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance. 

Bibb has embraced the extracurricular side of the job, which has taken him to conferences with mayors and White House officials around the country. He now chairs the environmental group Climate Mayors, which hosted longtime White House insider John Podesta for a D.C. reception this week. 

Bibb said he also planned to chat with White House officials about how Democratic mayors in red states can work with GOP leaders – and how they can fight state efforts to preempt local control. 

Signal Cleveland asked Bibb if he’d be talking with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser about the Washington Wizards’ impending move to the Northern Virginia suburbs. Bibb has stadium negotiations of his own looming this year with the Cleveland Browns. 

“That’s not on the agenda,” Bibb replied, “but it’s certainly a topic of conversation for many of us who have publicly owned stadiums.”

Board of Health workers unionize

Cuyahoga County Board of Health employees voted recently to unionize, capping a push to organize the office that began one year ago. 

Among the 87 researchers, inspectors, nurses, community health workers and administrative staff participating in the election, 77 voted to join the American Federation of the State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME Ohio Council 8). Last January more than 65% of its 150-member staff expressed interest in joining the union.

Employees told Signal Cleveland last year the challenges of working during the COVID-19 pandemic and changes to management were motivating factors

Health board employees said this month that joining the union is the first step towards alleviating short staffing, increasing better pay and obtaining more work flexibility. They also said it will help retain employees. 

Maurice Cole, who has worked in the grants program at the health board for nearly two decades, added that he believed union membership will reduce employee stress and, therefore, help the staff better serve Greater Cleveland. 

“A healthier public health workforce is better for the community,” Cole said. “It fortifies us in a different way than we had been before and makes us better, stronger practitioners.” 

Union leaders, employees and the board plan to reconvene in February to establish contracts. With the addition of Ohio Council 8 AFSCME members, the number of union-represented workers at the board is 134. That includes union workers from the Ohio Nurses Association and AFL-CIO members.

Inside District 21 politics

Democrat and Beachwood City Council Member Eric Synenberg continues to build support among labor and elected officials for his bid for state representative in District 21, which includes a small portion of Cleveland and several eastern suburbs.

But he has tripped himself up over some campaign finance violations. The Ohio Elections Commission this week fined him $100 for $350 worth of questionable expenses made in 2022  on a campaign credit card, according to Synenberg. 

“I made a mistake in the use of the campaign credit card,” Synenberg told Signal Cleveland, noting he immediately repaid the campaign and corrected the paperwork.

A second complaint against him – related to his oversight of a political action committee active in last year’s Beachwood City Council race–was dismissed, Synenberg said.

The Ohio House seat is currently held by embattled Democrat State Rep. Elliot Forhan of South Euclid, who has been under fire from party leadership for what they say is his unprofessional behavior. Also in the primary race is businesswoman Angel Washington, who recently fell just shy of winning the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party endorsement. 

As for Synenberg’s labor support, he was criticized for driving a Mercedes and not a union-built American car. But he’s corrected that, too. He traded in the Mercedes and now drives a Ford Escape. 

Signal Statewide Bureau Chief/Editor-At-Large
I assist a team of storytellers as they pursue original enterprise and investigative stories that capture untold narratives about people and policies. I use my decades of experience in print, digital and broadcast media to help Signal staff build skills to present stories in useful and interesting ways.

Government Reporter
I follow how decisions made at Cleveland City Hall and Cuyahoga County headquarters ripple into the neighborhoods. I keep an eye on the power brokers and political organizers who shape our government. I am a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and have covered politics and government in Northeast Ohio since 2012.

Higher Education Reporter
I look at who is getting to and through Ohio's colleges, along with what challenges and supports they encounter along the way. How that happens -- and how universities wield their power during that process -- impacts all Ohio residents as well as our collective future. I am a first-generation college graduate reporting for Signal in partnership with the national nonprofit news organization Open Campus.

Candice covered health and arts and culture for Signal Cleveland until July, 2024. Her health reporting focused on women's health and lead poisoning.