Lucas Daprile, Olivia Mitchell
cleveland.com
(TNS)
CLEVELAND, Ohio – East Cleveland, mired in money woes for years, hit a new financial low when a gofundme account surfaced to raise funds for a new fire truck.
The account seeks $1.5 million for the vehicle. It netted $60 total from four people as of Wednesday, when the account has since stopped collecting money.
The account highlights the latest financial issues of East Cleveland, one of the state’s poorest cities that recently asked Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to provide state troopers to patrol streets to help a depleted police force.
The city needs the truck, but officials said they do not know who set up the account, as it was not allowed by the city’s administration.
City Council had invested the money for the truck, but the purchase has not been made.
The gofundme account indicates that it was organized by the firefighters’ union, the International Association of Firefighters, Local 500. East Cleveland Fire Chief David Worley told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer in a text message the fundraiser was not approved by the mayor, himself or the fire union.
Worley said he thinks it was an employee who was looking to raise money for the department but didn’t get approval.
The listing highlights the city’s struggle to keep its fire engines in working order. The listing describes the fire engine as “beyond repair,” as it leaks oil and water “faster than we could even fill it up.”
The truck mentioned in the fundraiser was a reserve truck that was taken out of service last week, Worley said.
In 2022, East Cleveland set aside nearly $1 million to purchase a new firetruck and a new ambulance. However, that money is gone.
“Since our city officials have failed to make the payment, they not only put our lives at risk but the citizens of the community,” the gofundme post says.
In June, East Cleveland Law Director Willa Hemmons took responsibility for the lost money, saying it was instead spent on a $1.6 million settlement with the city’s firefighters over overtime pay following a lawsuit, according to WOIO Channel 19.
Patricia Blochowiak, an at-large councilwoman in East Cleveland, blamed Mayor Brandon King. The councilwoman said the money meant for the firetruck was supposed to be housed in a special account, but it was instead deposited in the general fund, where it was spent.
“The mayor is known for spending money that hasn’t been appropriated,” Blochowiak said.
Blochowiak doubts East Cleveland has the money to purchase the firetruck, but it is hard to say because she said City Hall refuses to provide Council members with up-to-date financial information.
“We don’t know for sure if the city has the money,” Blochowiak said.
King confirmed to cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer that the fundraiser was not approved by the city.
He said he intends “to provide every department with adequate resources, equipment, personnel, so that they can safely and effectively do their jobs,” King said.
However, “There are a number of steps needed to be taken, both from the administration and…from the legislative perspective, to get that truck,” King said.
Mariah Crenshaw, a critic of East Cleveland’s administration, said it is “unacceptable” that the city is still unable to pay for a new firetruck when Council already set aside money for its purchase.
“The question is where is the money? And that’s a question us activists have been asking for some time,” Crenshaw said.
This is the second time this month that East Cleveland’s lack of resources has held up the city’s ability to perform basic public services. After 10 people were wounded in East Cleveland shootings over Labor Day weekend, Blochowiak questioned whether the city had enough officers to properly investigate the shootings.
For the city’s part, it assured residents it did have enough officers to investigate the shootings. As of Monday, no arrests have been made.
The city has faced financial struggles for years. It has the second lowest median income in Ohio, according to the U.S. Bureau of Census. Youngstown was the lowest.
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