Philip Fine

Please tell us your name, age, where you live, and how you make your living.

Philip Fine, 65. I live in Beachwood. I am an attorney who specializes in bankruptcy, foreclosure defense and family law.

Describe for us the duties of a member of the County Council.

County council duties include introducing and passing ordinances, adopting an annual budget, setting terms for intergovernmental partnerships, investigating departments, and establishing procedures for the executive branch to follow. The council may offer a scholarship to enable residents of the county to participate in post-secondary education, including job training and vocational education. The council may provide for the procedure for making public improvements and levy assessments to make such improvements. The council will approve contracts.

Why do you want to serve on County Council?

Thirty years ago I transitioned into private practice doing bankruptcy and divorce work for mostly blue-collar workers. Recently my practice has changed. Due to the economic downturn I am seeing too many people hitting a brick wall because of layoffs and job loss. I am handling a lot more foreclosures and personal bankruptcies than before. The numbers of people who are unemployed are not mere statistics; I see their faces as they sit across my desk trying to keep their homes and dignity because the economic downturn has affected their livelihood. Something is badly broken in the county; good hard working people cannot find jobs or keep their homes. I want to help them and bring this region back to life.

What qualifications do you bring that make you the most qualified?

Along with serving on a number of community boards, I was also an elected member of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School Board for eight years and its president twice. I was there during strikes, failed levies and agonizing cuts in services. During that time I displayed common sense and true grit, essential qualities in an elected official. My logical thinking, ability to zero in on problems and come up with ready solutions is needed during good times as well as during an unexpected crisis. I also know how to deal with the massive foreclosure crisis and save our neighborhoods, many of which are on the brink of turning into unstable areas due to absentee rental landlords and vacant housing.

What will you do in your first weeks? Please describe in detail, to give our readers an idea of what this position will actually be like.

The first order of business will be to adopt a strong code of ethics. This code must prevent self-dealing and provide an effective means of policing the newly formed county government. County council ,along with the executive, should carefully examine and implement many of the transition suggestions offered by the volunteers who gave thousands of hours of their time so that the new county government could hit the ground running and continue to provide reliable, well-managed county services. Council members must also get to know each others’ strengths and quickly learn to act as a team whose goal is to work for the greater good of the residents who placed their utmost trust in their governing ability and good judgment.

How, specifically, will we know that you are doing a good job?

There are certain benchmarks that I want to accomplish. First, there must be a strong code of ethics adopted and followed by everyone on council along with the county executive. There will be zero tolerance for any breach of ethical behavior. Second, there will be definite signs of economic revitalization including production and manufacturing jobs based on new tax incentives and creative financing. Third there will be regularly scheduled town hall meetings held throughout the 11th District so that residents’ voices can be heard and issues discussed. If there is a sense that the people in District 11 know that I will fight for their best interests and for that of the county, then it will be apparent that I am doing a good job.

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Volume 1, Issue 5, Posted 8:30 AM, 09.11.2010