Ohio State Sen Nina Turner agrees to a debate community activists on Cleveland schools levy, confirms via email, debate is Tues, Sept 25 from 6pm to 8 pm at the Harvard Community Services Center, State Reps John Barnes Jr., Bill Patmon to moderate, State Sen. Shirley Smith to attend to discuss new state law to expunge a felony, misdemeanors

Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner (D-Cleveland)

By Kathy Wray Coleman, Associate Publisher, Editor, Cleveland Urban News. Com and The Kathy Wray Coleman Online News Blog.Com (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com) and (www.clevelandurbannews.com)

CLEVELAND-Ohio. State Sen Nina Turner (D-25), Cleveland Jobs With Justice Executive Director Debbie Kline  and Gerald Henley, will debate next week in Cleveland Ward 1 for the Cleveland schools 15-mill property tax levy that is on the November ballot against Educational Activist Donna Walker Brown and Community affiliate Kimberly Brown, both of whom are against it.

The debate, expected to draw a large crowd, will be on  on Tues, Sept. 25 from 6pm to 8pm at the Harvard Community Services Center, 18240 Harvard Ave. in Cleveland. For more information contact The Imperial Women Coalition at 216-712-2641.

State Sen. Shirley Smith (D-22) will talk at intermission about a new state law that she sponsored that permits the expungment of criminal records of either a felony and a misdemeanor, or two misdemeanors

An email from Adam Warren to Imperial Women Coalition Leader Kathy Wray Coleman at Cleveland Urban News.Com confirming the state senator's presence was received. Warren, who is an administrative assistant to Turner, writes as follows:

Subject:   Re: Levy Debate From:   "Adam Warren" <awarren@ninaturner.org> Date:   Thu, September 13, 2012 7:28 pm To:   editor@clevelandurbannews.com Priority:   Normal Options:   View Full Header | View Printable Version  | Download this as a file

Ms. Coleman, As we discussed, Senator Turner would still be available to participate in the debate on September 25. If you would prefer to move it to a date on which there is no school board meeting, she would also be able to do the evening of October 4th or 11th. Let me know what you and the other participants would like to do, and we will do our best to see that Senator Turner is there. Thanks! Adam

(Editor's Note: Turner, who aspires higher office allegedly including Ohio Secretary of State, has also confirmed her presence with Elaine Gholstin, CEO of the Harvard Community Services Center, Gholstin told Imperial Women Leader Coleman).

"We are pleased that Senator Turner, who is one of the sponsors of the recent state law that supports Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson's educational transformation plan and the affiliated levy, has the guts to debate this issue in a neutral forum not controlled by the mayor and the establishment," said Coleman. "And we are glad that the senator has the integrity to keep a commitment to the grassroots and poor communities on such an important matter of public concern, our children."

State Reps John Barnes Jr. (D-12) and Bill Patmon (D-19) will co-moderate the debate, which will include panelists such as Ohio Family Rights Leader Roz McAllister, Cleveland African-American Museum Executive Director Frances Caldwell, and Eugene Brown, president of The Lee-Harvard Association

Some of the grassroots organizations that will be represented at the debate were The People’s Forum, The Imperial Women, Peace in the Hood, Black on Black Crime, The Oppressed People’s Nation, The Cleveland African-American Museum, The Northeast Ohio Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, Ohio Family Rights, People for Parental Equality, Cleveland Jobs With Justice, Stop Targeting Ohio’s Poor, The Joaquin Hicks Real People’s Movement, The Carl Stokes Brigade, Organize Ohio, The Underground Railroad, The Movement and the Save John Marshall Campaign. 

Reach Cleveland Urban News.Com by telephone at 216-659-0473 and by email at editor@clevelandurbannews.com.