Ed Morrison · Another Cleveland joke

June 7th, 2009


Source: Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer

Earle Turner, Humble Public Servant:

“I work 24 hours a day.”
“I work this job every single day of the week.”
“This isn’t an attractive job.”
“I have never stopped working hard for the city of Cleveland.”
“I never stop working.”
“I ride my bike. I’m an avid cyclist.”

More from the Plain Dealer: Cleveland Clerk of Courts Earle Turner hired 127 clerks without giving civil service test

  • Clerks for the municipal courts in Akron, Toledo, Dayton and Columbus each have one to four chief deputy clerks, officials said. Cleveland has 166.
  • But he later added that if his employees took entrance tests, the city’s civil service commission would oversee it and determine how many workers the office needs. “I would lose my power,” Turner said. “I wouldn’t have no authority.” (That’s probably the point, Earle.)
  • The last civil service test for a job in the clerk of courts office was given in 1972.
  • The newspaper interviewed Turner three times last week about the parking records. He became agitated Monday and turned his chair sideways several times, refusing to look at a reporter. He also refused to answer certain questions or review records.

    • Tip of the Hat to the Plain Dealer reporters Mark Puente and Gabriel Baird :

    “That the printing presses shall be open and free to every citizen who wishes to examine the proceedings of any branch of government, or the conduct of any public officer, and no law shall restrain the right thereof.”

    – Constitution of the State of Ohio, 1802

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    2 Responses to “Another Cleveland joke”

    1. John Polk Says:
      June 7th, 2009 at 2:23 pm

      So, let’s see…$95,000 a year divided by 7 hours a week…that comes to a little more than $280 per hour (almost Fred Nance money)…on top of that juicy pension…Wow…How clueless…or arrogant…can a “public servant” be?…

      I know this is a city matter, but…when the deep thinkers play the race card in opposing county government reform by contending that reform could reduce the political power of African-Americans, is this what they have in mind?…The power to flout the law, bloat payrolls, and spend an average of one hour a day on the job (taking Mr. Turner at his word that he works seven days a week)?…

      And when Hizzoner Mayor Jackson suggests that a $900,000 fine for the City’s non-compliance with civil service laws would cause a financial hardship for the City, is that concern IN ADDITION to the cost to hard-pressed taxpayers of this type of bureaucratic arrogance, or INSTEAD of it?…

    2. TimFerris Says:
      June 16th, 2009 at 3:00 pm

      We keep trying to frame the discussion here in terms of what we think a normal, functional government is. Would we do better or understand more if we thought in terms of what it takes to deal in a third-world country, a banana republic, or any other such aftermath-of-order condition?

      And John, don’t worry about being short for $900K–they must have it somewhere–they just gave the Rock Hall $1,000,000 to throw a dinner.