CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Service Employees International Union District 1199 on Monday released a radio ad blaming Mayor Frank Jackson and his administration for the city's poverty, homicide rate and neighborhood deterioration.
The minute-long commercial, titled "The failed leadership of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson," features a conversation between a man and a woman about Jackson's policies. (Listen to the radio ad in the Soundcloud player at the bottom of this post.)
Here's the transcript:
Man: Uh-oh. Looks like Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson made the news again.
Woman: That's usually bad news for Cleveland families. Hasn't he failed us enough? Like when Mayor Jackson shut down the buses on Public Square.
Man: Putting RTA funding at risk.
Woman: And the homicide rate continues to climb. It's the worst in 10 years.
Man: How about the staggering number of Cleveland families struggling to make ends meet on poverty wages?
Woman: And the children. Half of Cleveland kids are living below the poverty rate.
Man: All of this while Cleveland politicians beg their Republican cronies in Columbus to stop our city from voting on the minimum wage.
Woman: And how about this? After Mayor Jackson lavishly hosted Donald Trump and the RNC, our neighborhoods are still falling apart. And grocery stores are now closing. Mayor Jackson's list of failures just goes on and on.
Voiceover: Stop this insanity. Call the Jackson accountability hotline at 216-512-1740. Let's work together to build a better future for our neighborhoods and our families. Paid for by SEIU District 1199. Becky Williams, president.
Anthony Caldwell, director of public affairs for District 1199, said in a written statement that the city "needs a leader who has the ability to successfully address these difficult issues and will work with community leaders to build a better future for our families."
He said the anti-Jackson ad is set to air on stations WTAM 1100AM, WNWV 107.3, WENZ 107.9 and WERE 1490AM.
District 1199, which represents nearly 30,000 health care and social service workers in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, found itself at odds with Jackson when the union backed a ballot initiative to raise the city's minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Jackson opposed the measure, arguing that raising wages in Cleveland alone would undermine the city's economic recovery and drive business from the city.
Petitioners eventually withdrew the proposal after Gov. John Kasich signed a bill that prohibited municipalities from raising the minimum wage beyond the state's rate.
Last month the union endorsed City Councilman Jeffrey Johnson in his bid to unseat Jackson, citing Johnson's support of the minimum wage initiative.
Jackson could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
The mayor announced at a news conference earlier this month that he would be seeking an unprecedented fourth four-year term in November.
In his announcement, he emphasized that he is a lifelong resident of Cleveland's Central neighborhood and that he lives with the same daily challenges that his constituents face.
If re-elected, Jackson said, he would continue marching ahead with the key initiatives of his administration -- improving the school district, reforming the police department, and ensuring that residents share in the city's prosperity.
The recent passage of a city income tax increase, which is expected to draw an extra $80 million into the general fund annually, gives the city greater capacity to improve services across departments, he said.
As a result, the city expects to hire as many as 350 new employees this year, including police officers, firefighters and housing inspectors.
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