[T]hose who resent the system - mostly on the West Side - turned out heavily, while those who use it most - East Siders - failed to show at the polls. According to unofficial results, Cleveland's two westernmost wards, 20 and 21, cast nearly 9,000 ballots. That was 657 more than the total cast by six East Side wards - 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 12.As a college professor of mine used to say: "That is true, but it is not significant." I pointed out yesterday that the levy would have failed even if the turnout in Old Brooklyn and the far West Side (Wards 15, 16, 19, 20, 21) had been zero. Here's another interesting way to look at the same numbers: Given the "Yes" and "No" percentages in each ward, if the identical number of voters (say 4,000) had turned out in each of Cleveland's 21 wards, the levy would still have lost by a 59% to 41% margin. (If you want to see the numbers, email me.)
This was a citywide defeat. The School District's leaders, their friends, PR consultants and patrons need to take responsibility for losing the public's trust... the whole Cleveland public, East, West and South.