Cleveland's Harbor by Jay C. Ehle

Author:Jay C. Ehle
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Kent State University Press

The 1978 outlook appeared good for repeating last year’s prosperity, which saw record tonnage, a successfullevy, and a honeymoon with new mayor Dennis Kucinich. Good news was that the U.S. flag carrier Lykes Brothers had decided to increase its sailings into the Great Lakes. Chairman Bernstein prophesied three hundred ships for 1978. The Port’s tax anticipation notes received a top rating from Moody’s financial rating service. If such good luck continued, the plans for the ore dock and Post Office Annex purchase would advance.

In an optimistic mood that winter, the Port directors and managers discussed the possibility of replacing the Buckeye Booster with a more mobile crane.

The Board was pleased with the plans presented by the Orba Company for the new ore dock, plans that carefully provided for pollution controls. The media carried existing artist drawings of the planned ore dock. Mayor Dennis Kucinich, boyish in appearance and stature, applauded the plan. The future ore dock was considered such a sure thing that the Sierra Club asked for a public observation platform to overlook the new facility.

On April 9, Captain Zunic Rouko sailed the Yugoslavian Makarska into Cleveland with 420 tons of aluminum ingots.

Tonnage was up. April was 46 percent ahead of April 1977, a record-breaking year. So things seemed to be going very well.

Who could predict that into that promising picture would plunge a steel pricing trigger regulation, some surprise personnel changes, and a political battle hostile to the Port?

In spring, vague uneasiness crept in. The new mayor, who had written a cordial letter of support to the Port Authority Board, now announced opposition to recreational development of the lakefront, including the museum proposed by the Great Lakes Historical Society and the proposed but delayed Gateway complex. The lakefront was to be for industry use.

Although young, Mayor Kucinich, having served on City Council and run for Congress, was already politically seasoned. He brought into office with him a very young and eager corps of campaigners plus one veteran gatekeeper, Bob Weisman, formerly with the United Auto Workers (UAW). Most of these individuals shared the attitude on which their chief campaigned, a battle cry of the little man against big business and entrenched institutions. However, some of his team, riding a wave of victory, did not have Kucinich’s experience and implemented new policy with insensitive arrogance that boomeranged. In backing up the actions of his young tigers, the mayor came head to head with many bureaus, departments, commissioners, business leaders, and especially the physically and politically towering Council president, George Forbes.

Caught in this crossfire was the Port Authority.

The mayor’s brash young administration talked about a higher rent to be paid by the Port to the city. There was unofficial, but threatening, talk about the city taking back the Port altogether.

That spring, Robert Bennett and A. Sapienza came to the end of their Board terms. By the rules, however, directors served until their replacements arrived. Mayor Kucinich appointed Warren Davis of the United Auto Workers and Charles Miller, a previous holder of several political appointments.

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