Here’s an interesting one—Joan Synenberg was a last-minute substitution for Peggy Foley Jones on Friday morning, August 25th at The Tower Press Building at 1900 Superior, and what follows is really fresh and upbeat, sort of like Joan’s impromptu campaign and her “unexpected opportunity? to run for the Court of Common Pleas. The compressed time to campaign doesn’t seem to faze her—she had 11 months last time, from January through November of 2005 prior to being elected to the muni bench, and this 2-month run is just like picking up where she left off a short while ago. She’s merely expanding from campaigning city-wide to county-wide, and she’s no stranger to the campaign regimen. Listen in. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what’s coming your way.
First of all, Joan’s a listener herself; she keeps her ear to the ground and continues to visit all the Town Hall Meetings (these are her special project through Cleveland Municipal Court), Police Community Relations Boards, parades, festivals, and neighborhood block parties, all of which she describes as “very rewarding.? There’s talk here of her Italian lineage, her husband Roger Synenberg and his Ukrainian roots, her background in the courtroom and in common pleas court over 16 years, Mary Eileen Kilbane, her philosophies, the intervention of fate, cosmic forces, major shifts, good karma, the attitude of “when opportunity knocks, I open the door,? being happy, positive, and blessed. We also touch on the muni court Expungement Program and the Reverend Mark Olds, Judge Larry Jones (“Judge, take the ball and run with it?), Dave Dawson, Dick Ambrose, faith-based practices, sealing a criminal record, marginalized people, specialized dockets, mental illness, reducing recidivism, poverty, drugs, alcohol, and their effect on people who are inherently good. Charles Patton also figures in here, and his phrase about each dog’s being allowed one bite, the economic development issue juxtaposed with personal development issues and expungement, the importance of offering hope, how personal development leads to economic development, holistic practices, Project Hope and Angela Stokes, Emmanuella Groves and the Get on Track program, the state of neckties and buttondowns versus baggies, the philosophy of punishment, the no-brainer, probation as a form of punishment, the magnitude of our prison population released each year and the City of Baltimore, latitude within the guidelines, and following the statute with DUIs.
You’ll also hear how Joan appreciates the need for “getting the message across in the shortest amount of time,? and her moments of fame and notoriety on ESPN, Cold Pizza, Jay Leno, and Sports Illustrated. Hear of the horrible deterrent effect of the clanging of steel bars, advocacy, witness hand-holding and encouragement, splitting the baby, pro bono work, the 6th Amendment, Little Italy, the Warehouse District, hitherto classified intelligence regarding Joan’s age, her past in social work and around county jail, her Leadership Cleveland class, the William K. Thomas Inns of Court, Cleveland Marshall College of Law, the SPCA and the possibilities for pet autopsies, the “intelligence and credibility? a judge’s position requires, Bill Mason’s arrogance in stepping into the current election process, and how we need to be cautious about being stuck in the name game in Cuyahoga County.
One solution to being caught up the “name game? at the polls is not to vote at all unless you know the candidate individually and personally. There are two Synenbergs who are public figures in this county; you can get to know Joan right now. She’ll reward you for the time spent. Vote smart, not blind.
We’ll post her website here when it’s up and running.
Part 1. Time: 13.03
Part 2. Time: 17.38
Part 3. Time: 15.51
Part 4. Time: 11.12
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