Greater Cleveland Partnership Will Support Efforts to Retain Senate Bill 5

Board votes to work with statewide coalition to mobilize business community, educate voters

CLEVELAND, Aug. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP) announced today it will support efforts to retain Senate Bill 5 (SB5) in the statewide referendum vote on State Issue 2 scheduled for November.  

"The position taken by our Board of Directors is consistent with the organization's endorsement of SB5 when the legislation was being debated at the Statehouse," said GCP Board Chair William F. Christopher. "We determined that major components of SB5 track closely with the GCP's agenda to promote education reform and public-sector fiscal responsibility."

He noted that the organization reached its decision following input by GCP members and thoughtful consideration by the GCP Government Affairs Council, Executive Committee, and the full Board.

"Our efforts will include helping to ensure that voters have the full story about what SB5 is and isn't," said GCP President and CEO Joe Roman. "Polls have found that a vast majority of voters support the individual reforms that SB5 contains.  

"For example, SB5 provides important first steps toward creating education reform guidelines that can help the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and other districts keep the best teachers in their classrooms," he said. "In addition, it includes reasonable approaches that provide local governments with the tools they need to deal with fiscal challenges without raising taxes."

The components of SB5 also are consistent with the work of the GCP, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and other Ohio metropolitan chambers that culminated in the Redesigning Ohio:  Transforming Government into a 21st Century Institution report released in December 2010. It proposed sweeping changes designed to help the state improve economic performance and reduce costs.

In the weeks ahead, the GCP will work with the Building a Better Ohio organization to help mobilize business community support to retain SB5.

About the Greater Cleveland Partnership
As an association of business members, the Greater Cleveland Partnership mobilizes private-sector leadership, expertise and resources to create jobs and leverage investment to improve the economic vitality of the region. www.gcpartnership.com

Available Topic Experts: For information on the listed experts, click appropriate link.

Joe Roman -- http://www.profnetconnect.com/joe_roman
Carol Caruso -- http://www.profnetconnect.com/carol_caruso

SOURCE Greater Cleveland Partnership