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I just got back from spending the morning listening to former Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell’s testimony in the Flats Eminent Domain case. I left at the mid-day recess and I would be shocked if the Honorable Ms. Campbell’s visit to Judge John E. Corrigan’s courtroom will be exclusive to today. Her testimony is central to trying to get to the truth at the base of

this case and whether the use of eminent domain is appropriate. When I left she was still being questioned by the first of 6 lawyers in the room and I’m sure that they still have plenty of questions.

Today I saw attorney Stephen O’Bryan question the mayor and the crux of his questions came down to whether or not the city had obfuscated the public’s interest by steering eminent domain authority to the Port Authority (according to the city charter in cases of eminent domain such action is supposed to go to a vote of the people and by ceding responsibility to the Port Authority, the city was able to circumvent it’s own laws). While the mayor did not say anything particularly damning, the evidence provided in the form of depositions and public record certainly indicate that little was being done to adhere to the letter of the law.

The other item of note that I found interesting was the exhibit of a phone message record showing that local political consultant Bill Burges had arranged one of the early meetings between Campbell and Wolstein. Such a revelation leads me to believe that Bill’s involvement meant that from the very beginning there were actions done on Wolsteins’ behalf by the mayor’s office to curry favor.

Those two pieces of the puzzle are only minor constructions and putting them together points to the potential for legal actions well beyond whether or not eminent domain is justified. I’m not an attorney, but I wonder whether or not this creates the potential for RICO statutes to be considered… an illegal taking of property at the behest of those conspiring to circumvent the law - sounds like racketeering to me - at least it is on the Sopranos…
Some side notes:

I’ve been shocked by the level of disinterest from the local media about this case - and today was no different. All of the TV stations were there (likely because of the Mayor’s testimony), but only one actually sent a reporter (and he was so bored

that he left after about an hour of having to listen to testimony instead of talking to someone on his cell phone). The limited coverage in the local fishwrap has been appalling (although they have had a reporter there everyday) and Crain’s didn’t even have someone there.

The former mayor looks great. It’s obvious that being a private citizen agrees with her physically. She looks like she’s lost a ton of weight and the tan she’s sporting indicates she’s spending sometime out in the fresh air. I’ve always liked Jane (she officiated my wife and my wedding during her first year in office) even though I wasn’t a huge fan of her as mayor (I still voted for her instead of Jackson ). It was nice to see her looking good.

Judge Corrigan couldn’t be a nicer guy. I got to the courthouse a few minutes early and found myself standing alone in an empty courtroom when the judge popped in on his way to his chambers. He directed me to the correct hearing room and after he announced the luncheon recess stopped to chat for a few minutes. He seems level-headed and based on his courtroom demeanor should render a fair verdict.

I intend to continue to visit the courtroom as often as I can and will do my best to keep you updated (of course if the local media would do their job, then I could find something better to do).