FBI, IRS Investigate East Cleveland Mayor

With his morning coffee on Tuesday, Mayor Emmanuel Onunwor of East Cleveland was given warrants by federal agents to search his house and City Hall. The Mayor said:

. . . eight FBI agents awakened his family about 6:30 a.m. and scoured his Fenemore Road home. The agents seized tax and other financial papers, campaign expense records, $700 in cash and his cell phone . . .

[ . . . ]

About 21⁄2 hours later, FBI and Internal Revenue Service agents began combing Onunwor's office and other offices at City Hall. Investigators from the office of the inspector general of the Department of Housing and Urban Development joined in as the search team grew to about 20.

U.S. District Chief Judge Patricia Gaughan issued the search warrant to gather Onunwor's tax returns, checks, day planners, calendars, telephone directories and travel records, including plane tickets, as evidence in an investigation of corruption. This should have been no surprise to Mayor Onunwor since he had received a subpoena last May announcing that a federal grand jury was investigating. The records of former East Cleveland Community Development Director Cecelia George were also included in the search.

United States Attorney Gregory White of Cleveland stated that the searches were part of a criminal investigation. It appears that the alleged illegalities involve corruption in the handling of federal funds and the award of contracts by the city.

My take on this is simple. I'm not surprised. It seems that Cleveland, East Cleveland, and other local communities deteriorate as a direct function of how much money is dumped into the local politicians' pockets. The more money that's thrown at problems, the greater the problems. The supposed cure actually exacerbates the problem. Probably the best example of this phenomenon is the Cleveland School System. Every time additional dollars are thrown at it, the quality of education decreases.

One last thing. With my morning coffee, I'd much prefer a bagel to a search warrant. [Note to all Country & Western songwriters. If you use that last line, give me credit.]