Posted by Patrick O'Donnell/Plain Dealer Reporter May 04, 2009 11:15AM

CLEVELAND — Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, and a couple of big-name supporters, this morning called for a purposeful approach to reforming Cuyahoga County government -- one that eliminates back-door deals and concentrates on health care, education and jobs.

Fudge's proposal was short on specifics, but it was clear participants were not interested in a reform push if the result was not going to make things better for residents, not just county officials.

Joining the congresswoman from Warrensville Heights on the steps of the Cuyahoga County Administration Building was Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich and 18 others, including local mayors and state legislators.

"To just have structural change and believe these things [improvements] will happen is foolish, and I believe naive," Jackson said.

A number of attempts at reforming county government have failed in the last year. Fudge said she believes past efforts have not brought enough stakeholders to the table.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/05/marcia_fudge.html

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