Fudge, Jackson, Kucinich oppose county reform effort

U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge has just released a statement opposing a local reform group's new county charter proposal. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich have signed Fudge's statement, along with 5 state legislators, 11 suburban mayors, some black ministers and a labor leader.

Here is a link to their press release.

The signers say they support changing county government's structure in the future, but they argue that the proposed county executive and council system would result in "a concentration and dramatic increase in executive power." They also say it would decrease public oversight -- an argument they don't explain. Most of all, they say the effort to draft the charter wasn't inclusive enough.

This is an interesting position for Fudge to take. She pushed to include more people in the discussions about a charter. For a while it seemed like she was supportive of the reform effort. Now she and a lot of other public officials have formed an opposition to the charter petition drive before it even launches.