protecting the Collinwood legacy

Meet the Bloggers » Cleveland City Councilman Mike Polensek -- Here's a good interview we did last week at Carol's Agape Christian Books & Cafe at 15813 Waterloo. I'm not of the East Side any more, so I hadn't been to Collinwood for a good while. I was pleasantly surprised. Mike Polensek has been safeguarding the legacy.

The first clue you have driving into the neighborhood is that it's clean. The second impression I got was that the brick street to the east of the cafe was in good shape--they hadn't patched it with asphalt or concrete--they had done what they were supposed to do, taken up the brick, made repairs, and re-laid the brick. The street was restored, not hastily patched. When I asked Polensek about this, he proudly stated that they paid attention to preserving their brick streets. In our ward, they consider this an impossible task, and we forfeit legacy daily to the depradations of the utility companies and the division of streets.

Mike pays attention to the details. It seems he does what he says he's going to do. He's a welcome counterpoint to the young flibbertigibbet downtown and to the west of him. As "The Dean" of City Council, he lends some stability and value to what otherwise would be a convocation of half-steppers, compromisers, and chameleons. I think you can count on him to protect the citizens' interests first. Listen, and decide for yourself.

Meet.The.Bloggers have decided to hold their Bloggapalooza this year on July 28th at the Beachland Ballroom during the Waterloo Arts Fest. The Beachland is just down the street from Carol's Agape Cafe; the area is definitely back and in move-in condition. You don't need tax abatement to make Collinwood attractive; it has intrinsic value.