CLEVELAND, Ohio - President Donald Trump on Thursday tasked Vice President JD Vance with removing “improper ideology” from the Smithsonian Museums.
We’re talking about what “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” means on Today in Ohio.
Editor Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with editorial board member Lisa Garvin, impact editor Leila Atassi and content director Laura Johnston.
You’ve been sending Chris lots of thoughts and suggestions on our from-the-newsroom text account, in which he shares what we’re thinking about at cleveland.com. You can sign up here: https://joinsubtext.com/chrisquinn.
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Here’s what we’re asking about today:
Ohio’s JD Vance was back in the news in a big way, this time with his master Donald Trump telling him to radically alter the beloved Smithsonian Institution. What, exactly, is Vance supposed to do?
With all the Vivek Ramaswamy ads we’re seeing, we wondered if something unusual is going on. Have we ever had ads for the governor’s race this far out from the primary and general elections?
The minute we say energy bill, a lot of people hit snooze. But both the Ohio Senate and House have passed bills that would radically change things that actually affect us, the regular people, when it comes to energy. Break it down. What’s happening in this legislation?
Ohio’s Steve Dettelbach, Dave Yost and Jim Jordan all played a role in a significant U.S. Supreme Court decision last week about guns. What was the decision, and what were the Ohioans’ roles?
What’s the bad news, sort of, for those hoping to get more trains running through this state as quickly as possible?
Our backwards Ohio Legislature has actually made strides in an area that you might not expect, and Jeremy Pelzer laid it all out over the weekend. How many women served in the Statehouse?
The amount of money colleges in this country get from the federal government. What’s the latest big name college in Ohio to succumb to the pressure of Donald Trump and close its DEI office?
There are times when someone retires in Northeast Ohio and everyone instantly recognizes their names. And there are times when people who have had a big impact on our lives retire but few people might notice. We made sure people knew about Mike Massie retiring. Who is he, and how big an impact did he have on this region?
Lastly, a very good news story in Cleveland. Violent crime peaked in the city more than a year ago and has been falling steadily, but what are the jarring numbers about homicides in the first quarter of 2025?
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Read the automated transcript below. Because it’s a computer-generated transcript, it contains many errors and misspellings.
Chris Quinn (00:01.093)
Back in action for this final day of March. Tomorrow starts April. Spring is here. It’s Today in Ohio, the news podcast discussion from cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer. I’m Chris Quinn here with Leila Tassi, Lisa Garvin, and Laura Johnston. Laura, let’s begin with you. Ohio’s JD Vance was back in the news in a big way, this time with his master, Donald Trump, telling him to radically alter the beloved Smithsonian institution.
What exactly is Vance supposed to do?
Laura (00:31.852)
Well, he’s supposed to remove quote improper ideology from all of those museums and they are wide ranging. My guess that this means taking away any of the context added in recent years so we can go back to the victor’s view of history where white men were always morally superior and winning. And so this new order bans federal spending on quote exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race,
or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal law and policy. I don’t understand how you are supposed to teach American history or explore anything of anything in depth without looking at the context and presenting some conflicts. But the Interior Secretary, Doug Burgum, is also supposed to determine which facilities within a jurisdiction like statues or markers have been removed or changed to perpetuate a false
reconstruction of American history inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures or include any other improper partisan ideology since the year 2000, which if you look back during the last five years, we have had a very kind of a revolution of understanding of American history and think of all of the markers that have been given context or taken down. I just wonder, are those Confederate memorials going to go back up now?
Chris Quinn (01:58.191)
Well, the most striking thing here is that in recent history, the African American Museum opened in the Smithsonian. So what do you do? Close it? I mean, it’s crazy what he is suggesting happens here. And a whole lot of people are now worried about this because this is our shared history. A lot of the museum collections are funded privately. This is a public-private partnership that the public side is about to host. But I...
Laura (02:06.296)
Yes, yes.
Laura (02:17.144)
Mm-hmm.
Laura (02:22.657)
Right.
Chris Quinn (02:25.901)
I look, I haven’t been to the Smithsonian in a while, but I remember being there and seeing exhibits for things like MASH and all in the family and the whole purpose of MASH was anti-war. was anti the Korean War, but it was really about the Vietnam War. Is he going to change that and say Americans fought valiant wars in Vietnam and Korea, which is not true. I mean, it’s just what are we going to do to the museums where we’re so much of our culture is based?
Laura (02:34.605)
Mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (02:55.381)
And frankly, how can it be stopped? Because one person does not have this kind of power. It’s frightening that he’s sending out his chief toady to do this because we could lose huge amounts of our culture and history.
Laura (03:10.592)
I completely agree. So Vance is one of 17 people on this public private board. So it’s not like he has the final say. We’re talking about 21 museums, 14 education and research centers, and the National Zoo. he and it’s free of charge to go to any of these. That’s what makes the Smithsonian so amazing in Washington, D.C. I’m a little more worried about the national parks and everything in the Department of Interior because that is under full federal control. And I sent you a photo.
I took it Manassas, battlefield, the Civil War battlefield on New Year’s Day with this giant statue that put it all into perspective that this was erected in 1940 for Stonewall Jackson. It wasn’t right after the Civil War and it was about feelings at the time then. you know, if we lose all of this stuff, I mean, we’re going to go back to.
Chris Quinn (04:00.218)
Yeah.
But let’s stick with the Smithsonian. We talked about the parks. The thing is, what will you do to each one? mean, you have a portraits gallery. You have the Air and Space Museum. There’s just so many of these. There’s the zoo. The zoo is part of the Smithsonian. There’s a whole lot of creatures that came from foreign countries in the zoo. Do we ship them all back? Do we get rid of the pandas?
Laura (04:16.962)
Right. Yeah.
Laura (04:24.962)
Right. They get very excited about those pandas. No, you’re right. I mean, do you take people you don’t like out of the portrait gallery?
Chris Quinn (04:29.381)
Well, I just, it’s-
Right. So, so hey, Trump proven racist, does he remove Obama from from from museums because he hates Obama? This is this is preposterous what’s going on. And you really have seen a sense of alarm from people who respect this preservation of the sacred objects of our history. A frightening moment that I think you hope that there’s some Democrats that are focused on this. They’ve been so hapless and so clownish about
the last couple of months and there needs to be some organized resistance to this because once you take this stuff out, he destroy it? Do you save it somewhere? It’s just a, it’s, this is out of control. It is a fictionalizing of our history by a guy who wants only white men, wealthy white men to be the ones that matter.
Laura (05:18.264)
Yeah.
Laura (05:23.918)
It feels like a cartoon, right? Rather than a full color documentary version of history, we’re just going to have the cartoon that’s like, then this president, and then this did, and everything was great, and Custer’s last day ended. Everything we’ve learned, it’s just going to be wiped away.
Chris Quinn (05:42.575)
Yeah, I imagine they would probably keep all in the family exhibit there because Archie Bunker was a racist bigot. And even though the show portrayed him that way so that people could see the problems with it, Trump might not be wise enough to understand that this was parody and he may celebrate people like Archie Bunker. You’re listening to Today in Ohio.
Laura (05:48.599)
Right?
Chris Quinn (06:03.171)
With all the Vivek Ramaswamy ads we’re seeing we wondered if something unusual is going on. Have we ever had ads for the governor’s race this far out from the primary and general elections, Lisa?
Lisa (06:15.618)
Well, most experts that we talk to say 19 months before an election is about the furthest out they’ve ever seen TV ads. And if you watch any primetime TV at all, like me, you’ve been seeing these Ramaswami ads ad nauseum since March 10th. They’re being paid for by a super PAC called VPAC, victors, not victims. They paid $2.2 million for those TV ads, which will thankfully end tomorrow. They’ve been running in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and Zanesville.
And of course they’re touting the Trump endorsement. There’s Trump, know, a soundbite from him and he calls him the vague Ramashwamy. So the Wright State University poli sci professor Lee Hannah, we talked to him and he said that early ads are a smart bet if you want to maximize that Trump endorsement and clear the GOP primary field.
He also says it might keep the intra-party fighting down, although that might be a pipe dream. We also talked to a poli-sci professor at University of Toledo, Sam Nelson. says, these ads are really not for voters right now. They’re really for potential donors and elected officials who are considering who to endorse in the GOP primary.
Chris Quinn (07:25.391)
I think it’s a name recognition kind of thing, I don’t think somebody in the story said a lot of people already recognize his name, and I’m not sure that’s true. And I think by blanketing their waves early, puts his name out there. So it does become much more of a household word. People do know who Dave Yost is, and that’s what he’s going up against. I wonder.
Lisa (07:35.704)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (07:50.225)
whether that Trump endorsement will be that valuable in a year and a half. I Trump over the weekend was caught on video talking to a reporter saying he doesn’t care if car prices go up, which I guarantee you will be in all the congressional ads for the midterms. You know, I just don’t care if prices go up. That’s not what Americans want to hear. And they got it.
Lisa (08:08.716)
Right. Right. And he also said that, yeah. And he also said that he could probably run for a third term in there figuring out ways around that. So yeah, I think that, yes, I can understand the bet to say, hey, people don’t know Vivek, so let’s, you know, bore them and annoy them with these constant ads. But you’re right. I think that the field may change quite a bit by the time the primary rolls around next spring.
Chris Quinn (08:35.995)
Okay, you’re listening to Today in Ohio. The minute we say energy bill, a lot of people hit snooze, but both the Ohio Senate and House have passed bills that would radically change things that actually affect us, the regular people, when it comes to energy. Layla, break it down. What’s happening in this legislation?
Leila (08:53.131)
So here’s the deal. Both the Ohio House and Senate have passed big energy bills, House Bill 15 and Senate Bill 2. And now they’re trying to figure out which version to go with or how to merge the two. Either way, we’re talking about major changes to how electricity is regulated, taxed, and paid for in Ohio.
So there are three reasons why this is happening now. First, power demand is skyrocketing thanks to data centers, especially the ones powering AI and crypto. Second, a bunch of old coal plants have shut down because they just can’t compete anymore. And third, lawmakers are still trying to clean up the mess from that big house bill. Six, bribery scandal that landed the former speaker of the house in prison. So here’s what’s actually in the bills that matters to regular people, as you said, Chris.
One, your electric bill. Right now, utilities can slap all sorts of extra fees onto your bill. You’ll see them buried under names like delivery capital recovery rider or advanced metering infrastructure rider. These fees seem small, but they add up to hundreds of millions of dollars across the state. Both bills would kill that system and force utilities into a real rate review every three years.
And that means more transparency and potentially less bloat on your bill. The second thing here is coal subsidies. Remember, you know, that bailout for two coal old coal plants, one of which isn’t even in Ohio. Well, that’s been costing all of us. These bills would finally end those payments, save Ohioans an estimated $591 million by the end of the decade. The third thing is taxes and incentives. The bills
would cut taxes for companies that build new power plants or upgrade electric and gas infrastructure. The idea is to lure new energy development into the state. There’s still some disagreement on how deep those tax cuts should go, but lawmakers insist local governments won’t lose current revenue. The cuts only apply to new projects. And then finally, there’s leftover solar money. There’s about 62 million just sitting in a solar fund that the House wants to refund it to customers, which
Leila (10:58.682)
would come out to about a dollar and change. The Senate wants to use it to help schools put solar panels on the roofs and cut energy costs long-term. That’s still up for debate. There’s some extras in there too. The House wants better reporting and power outages so we know how reliable our grid actually is. Senate wants to roll out some smart thermostat programs where you can get $40 a year if you let the utility tweak your AC during peak demand. A couple degrees difference on a super hot day, that kind of thing.
And finally, there’s a fight brewing over whether utilities like AEP can own off the grid power sources built just for big data centers. Both bills say no, but the House would make an exception for two solar projects already in progress and the Senate wouldn’t. that’s the skinny on that.
Chris Quinn (11:46.898)
Here’s the thing, this sounds in most respects like it’s good for the people, but we also know this legislature has been bought and paid for for decades with this industry. And even though the utilities testified against this, I just don’t trust it. I keep thinking, where’s the loophole that’s going to allow them to rape us for more billions of dollars?
and was the testimony against it a charade? Because this legislature has never done anything to help the consumers over the utilities. The utilities have always come first. That’s what HB6 was about, a $60 million bribery scheme. So while all of that sounds great, I just don’t trust a word of it.
Leila (12:35.376)
Yeah, it’s, does feel hard to believe because, the utilities have had such a stronghold on the legislature, but there is so much bipartisan support. You’ve got Democrats, Republicans, environmentalists, gas companies, consumer advocates. They’re all backing this. So that, that’s feels like it signals that the, the status quo must be really broken that we finally have arrived at this moment, but maybe that’s being a little naive about it.
Chris Quinn (13:04.599)
Yeah, what if they’ve all been fooled? And what if there’s this gigantic gaping loophole they’re all going to use? We’ll watch. We’ll see. On the surface, this looks like a good thing. But when has the legislature ever done a good thing when it comes to the utilities? You’re listening to Today in Ohio. Ohio’s Steve Dudelbach, Dave Yost, and Jim Jordan all played a role in a significant US Supreme Court decision last week about
guns. Laura, what was that decision and what were the Ohioans roles?
Laura (13:37.912)
So this is specifically about ghost guns, that these common kits and whether they qualify as firearms under the 1968 Gun Control Act and the idea that the commercial manufacturers of the kits would have to become licensed and include serial numbers on their frame or the receivers. And the Supreme Court last week upheld the Biden administration restrictions that the Republicans, including Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Jim Jordan, argued was overreached.
So this rule was announced at the same time that Biden nominated former US attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, Steve Dedelbach, and he headed up the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, basically known as ATF. And ghost guns are really difficult to trace because they lack the serial numbers and they were becoming more widely used by criminals. So legal papers filed in this case said the number of untraceable ghost guns used in those crimes rose from 1,617
to 19,000 in 2021. Let that sink in for a second. So the gun makers argued that the gun control act couldn’t be applied, but the Supreme Court agreed with Biden that it could. And it’s kind of this, you know, if it looks like a gun and it acts like a gun, then it is a gun.
Chris Quinn (14:57.009)
I’m not surprised to see that Steve Duttelbach was in charge ATF for this. And I’m not surprised really to see Dave Yoast on the wrong side of this and Jim Jordan on the wrong side of this. I am surprised the Supreme Court ruled the way it did because it goes against what they’ve largely been doing, which is to say unless Congress passes the law, it’s not an enforceable policy.
Laura (15:06.126)
Mm-hmm.
Laura (15:13.025)
Me too!
Laura (15:20.547)
Right.
Chris Quinn (15:22.981)
But maybe the common sense rule applied where this is completely and utterly out of control, a gun kit is a gun. You just put it together. How is it different? And so they did the right thing, not unanimously, but they did the right thing.
Laura (15:37.708)
7-2. Yeah, 7-2. I mean, I’m actually surprised it was that one-sided on this because you’re right, Republicans tend to just go party here. And I’m glad to see the Supreme Court sticking up for this. Yoast had argued that it was an overreach that the Biden administration overstepped and that they needed that congressional approval. And Jordan was just sticking up for the fundamental Second Amendment rights and privacy rights under the Fourth Amendment.
Yeah, I mean, it’s like when you get anything. If you order like a chair from Amazon, even if comes that you have to put it together, it’s still a chair.
Chris Quinn (16:14.737)
What’s amazing is Davyos filing all those lawsuits against the Biden administration saying they were overreaching when the Trump administration has done more overreaching in two months than the Biden administration did in the entire four years. And he’s been silent as can be. Not one time has he stood up to say, hey, hey, that’s affecting Ohioans. Stop it now. It shows how partisan he is. You’re listening to Today in Ohio.
Laura (16:22.03)
Mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (16:42.981)
What’s the bad news sort of for those hoping to get more trains running through this state as quickly as possible, Lisa?
Lisa (16:49.494)
Yeah, I don’t hold out a whole lot of hope for this myself. So in his speech last week to the Columbus Metropolitan Club, Governor Mike DeWine says he’s going to be out of office before a final decision is made on Amtrak expansion in Ohio. He said that a future governor or legislature can decide if passenger rail makes sense for our state. So he did get the ball rolling, though. DeWine after.
reluctantly, you know, he kind of reluctantly accepted federal money for feasibility studies that are now underway. We have three studies on three routes, the so-called three C and D, Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Dayton, and then the Cleveland and Detroit via Toledo and Chicago, Pittsburgh with stops in nine Ohio cities. And the second phase where they look at the logistics, the cost and the ridership is
going to be starting pretty soon. That’s a two year process. So we’re already well underway. We did ask Vivek Ramaswamy. He said, well, whatever questions are being asked today at the state level would be resolved by 2027 if he’s elected governor. But he said he would do whatever’s best for Ohio. Dave Yost, says he needs more research before Ohio invests money. But he did point out that Amtrak is not.
definitely a model of efficiency. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton says she wants to look into it more too, but she says modern transportation would really help attract people and jobs and we’ve been uncompetitive for way too long.
Chris Quinn (18:20.145)
She calls it modern transportation, but I don’t know that most Americans would agree. We are an auto vehicle based society. And how do you convert America into a train kind of society? That’s a huge investment. Can it be done at this point with all we’ve invested in roads and all the things that carry cars? It’s an interesting debate, but basically to say, I won’t be handling this.
You’re listening to Today in Ohio. Our backwards Ohio legislature has actually made strides in an area that you might not expect and Jeremy Pelzer laid it out over the weekend. Leila, how many women serve in the state house?
Leila (19:05.135)
Well, for the first time in the state’s history, there are 46 women serving in the general assembly. That’s more than ever before, which is a pretty big deal for a couple of reasons. First, just the fact that more women are getting elected matters. Women make up just over half of Ohio’s population, but they’ve always been underrepresented in state politics. Even with this new high, women still only make up about 35 % of state lawmakers. So there’s still a gap.
But this upward trend is really encouraging and the momentum seems real. Interestingly, it’s not just Democrats driving the change. While the Democratic caucus is still more evenly split between men and women, the shift recently has been mostly among Republican women. The number of GOP women in the House has more than doubled in the last five years. Part of that is thanks to groups like the Joanne Davidson Ohio Leadership Institute, which has been actively running, training, and encouraging.
conservative women to run. And across the board, there’s been more recruitment from nonprofits like the Matriots, but also from within the parties themselves. It turns out when more women get elected, they’re more likely to tap other women and say, hey, you should run too. So now, I mean, does it actually change anything at the state house? That’s kind of the interesting part here. Politically, doesn’t shift the overall leanings of the legislature. Republicans still have super majorities, but several lawmakers say the difference is in
what issues are getting attention. Child care, for example, something that affects working families across the state, has finally started to get more traction, in part because women lawmakers are pushing it higher up the agenda. And there are also real world experiences that women bring to the job that just weren’t being talked about in the same way before, things like balancing work and caregiving.
Chris Quinn (20:57.041)
I was surprised that the numbers are as high as they are. And it’s fascinating that it’s Republican women because normally it’s the Democrats that seem to celebrate women politicians. So it’s a great sign that you’re seeing people from both parties getting into it. And it’s a record number.
Leila (21:15.162)
Yeah, I I think that it’ll be a long way before we reach parity, if ever. But, you know, and unfortunately, sexism is still a thing. Some women say it’s subtle, like being underestimated or second guessed and, and other states more blatant, like rumors about why they got their positions or being asked who’s watching their kids while they’re at work. But, you know, what’s clear is that having more women at the table is changing the conversation, even if slowly and
And I think for young girls watching, it’s planting the idea that they belong in those roles too.
Chris Quinn (21:48.109)
Okay, you’re listening to Today in Ohio. The amount of money colleges in this country get from the federal government must be enormous. What’s the latest big name college in Ohio to succumb to the pressure of Donald Trump to close its DEI office, Laura?
Laura (22:03.5)
This is Case Western Reserve University and it’s citing the need to comply with the presidential executive orders. So that affects all institutions that receive federal funding. And you’re right, we don’t know how many millions of dollars we’re talking about, but these schools are rolling over basically. So President Eric W. Kaler put out a message Wednesday to the university community. said, the institution remains committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment, but the new federal mandates necessitate.
change because there’s consequences for those that don’t comply and they’re watching the legal challenges and it’s clear they have to comply. So the university replaced the DEI office with the newly created office for campus enrichment and engagement. They’re going to focus on community building initiatives, active engagement, and promoting civil dialogue on campus.
Chris Quinn (22:53.201)
I’m amazed at how fast colleges are giving in here. I sent out a text this morning, we have to figure out what the colleges get in federal dollars. It must be way more than anybody expects because of how fast they’re giving up. I mean, you’re not seeing any of them stand up to it, really. They’re all just giving it up. And it could be a game where they just change the name and keep doing what they’re doing. But I’m just surprised that so few institutions in this country are saying, no, we’re not going to do it.
Laura (23:09.208)
Mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (23:22.449)
principles matter, the money must just be overwhelming.
Lisa (23:26.734)
Well, in two, colleges are facing declining enrollment as it is. So, you know, this might be a survival tactic for them. Morally, it might be questionable, but it is kind of a survival move.
Laura (23:30.606)
Mm-hmm.
Chris Quinn (23:38.053)
But isn’t it times like these that test your metal? It’s easy to have principles when they’re not under fire. But this is what tests your character. Do you stand by your principles when it’s hard? And we’re not seeing much of that. This is supposed to be a country where you do stand for your principles when it’s hard. And we’re just not seeing it. We’re not seeing it over and over again. And it’s disturbing that Case Western Reserve University
Lisa (24:07.95)
Alright.
Chris Quinn (24:08.015)
said, yes, sir, and close the office. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. There are times when someone retires in Northeast Ohio and everyone instantly recognizes their name. And there are times when people who have had a big impact on our lives retire, but few people might notice. Lava, we made sure people knew about Mike Massey retiring. Who is he and how big of an impact did he have on this region?
Leila (24:33.404)
Massey was the guy behind some of the biggest corruption takedowns in Cuyahoga County history, and he just retired after nearly 23 years on the job. But even in retirement, he’s not stepping away from the fight. He’s already jumped into a new role investigating public corruption in Lorraine County. So to take a step back here, Massey was one of the lead agents in the FBI’s massive investigation that brought down more than 60 people, including County Commissioner Jimmy DeMora and Auditor Frank Russo. Of course,
That was the case that exposed bribery and backroom deals, Vegas trips and contractors essentially buying public contracts. And the fallout was so big, it literally led Kyga County voters to change their entire form of government. Massey was known for being sharp, steady and humble. He was a quiet type who kept huge amounts of detail in his head and always did the work without needing the spotlight. His colleagues nicknamed him Yoda because of how calm and wise.
he was under pressure. And after wrapping up the Demora case, this is an interesting detail, instead of taking a breather, he actually volunteered for another assignment, which was investigating corruption in Afghanistan. So that’s how seriously he took, he takes this mission of public accountability. Now he’s back on the beat this time in Lorain County, where he’s leading a public corruption unit for the sheriff’s office. His first case will be looking into allegations.
tied to former County prosecutor JD Tomlinson. That’s a case that had charges dropped last year, but now Massey’s reopening it with fresh eyes. His colleagues say his impact is really hard to overstate. One even said the work he did likely stopped a lot of other people from trying to pull similar schemes. And, you know, it’s not just the big fish. The cases he worked touched all corners of government, inspectors, council members, school district officials, even judges. So it’s really rare that one person’s work.
can change the culture of an entire county, but Massey might be one of those people.
Chris Quinn (26:34.417)
Well, we’ve gotten far enough away from that corruption case now. It’s what 13 years where people might not remember just how bad things were. No honest business wanted to do business with Cuyahoga County because of the pay to play. Everybody knew it. I remember there was one conversation that they recorded with the engineer’s office where they said, Hey, we just got to get the health and human services tax passed and we’ll have more money to use to grease the skids.
just using the taxpayers good faith as their checkbook. you had, so we didn’t have competition for contracts because honest companies didn’t want to play that game. And it was only corrupt. We were moribund going nowhere because DeMora and Russo were just running a gigantic corruption machine and taking it down was an absolute good for the county. Unfortunately, I do think the new government form is a mistake and we should abolish it, but
Leila (27:31.983)
I knew you were going to go there.
Chris Quinn (27:32.881)
Well, it’s just not working. The county council is a complete waste of food. When we had three county commissioners, they took the big view. They were checks on each other. If you take out Demora, you had mostly a long line of quality people. Demora was a terrible scumbag, did all sorts of bad things in that job. But if we were a little more visual in his voters, we could have stopped it. But we also cleaned up the corruption in a large way. It’s all a sign of what happens when you have one party rule.
Same thing happened in Columbus. It’s just the other party. The Democrats were way too powerful and Demora learned how to make that operate. And it took somebody like Massey and the prosecutors to finally end it. So big salute to him. He deserves all the accolades he’s receiving.
Leila (28:18.778)
Yeah, I would have loved to have heard from Massey on this, you know, reflecting on his career as he opens this next chapter and closes the other, but he was hard to reach. I think that probably speaks to his humbleness. He probably was trying to just quietly move on and his colleagues though made sure that he got the accolades that he deserved.
Chris Quinn (28:41.777)
Yeah, to the end, he doesn’t talk to the media. You’re listening to Today in Ohio. Lastly, a very good news story in Cleveland. Violent crime peaked in the city more than a year ago and has been falling steadily. But what, Lisa, are the jarring numbers about homicides in the first quarter of 2025 that ends today?
Lisa (29:01.998)
We’ve only had 15 homicides through the first quarter and that’s down 48 % from last year when we had 29 murders at the same time last year. It’s the lowest since 2016. Now we did have in the first quarter, 36 homicides in both 2022 and 2023, but it’s dropped sharply since then. At the pandemic, we had 192 murders for that year.
Last year we had only 128, that’s one of the lowest in years. This is part of a national trend. Cleveland Public Safety Commission Chair Mike Polenso credits the BIB administration and Cleveland residents for the drop. He also says the city is in the midst of creating a safety plan, the details to be determined or to be released at a later time. He’s also asking what we did last year, he’s also asking the city to tap the Ohio Highway Patrol to help with traffic violations.
Also the FBI and the US Marshals and County Sheriff’s deputies to help execute warrants and seize guns and drugs and recover stolen cars.
Chris Quinn (30:04.837)
Yeah, Polenski’s been around long enough to know though that what he says is hokum that this is a trend that’s national. It’s across America, homicides went up during the pandemic quite a bit. There was a lot of violence and across America in cities across America now, they’re dropping just like Cleveland. It says a lot about what police can and cannot do. And look, when we were having all those carjackings and all the crazy violence in Cleveland, the clampdown that bib and the highway.
Highway Patrol and Mike DeWine did clearly had an impact on stopping the hooliganism. But the murders are a trend and it’s not really something you have a lot of control over. So when I see a councilman for as many decades as Mike Polancic saying, yeah, this is because of what the city did. No, it’s really not.
Lisa (30:37.55)
Mm-hmm.
Lisa (30:53.838)
Well, and also there’s also another bit of good news in this report too, is that actually Cleveland police have a 70 % solve rate on homicides, which is 10 points above the national average.
Chris Quinn (31:05.879)
Okay, you’re listening to Today in Ohio that does it for the Monday episode. Thanks, Leila. Thanks, Lisa. Thanks, Laura. Thank you for listening. We’ll be back on Tuesday to talk about the news.