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Public Affairs Discussion Group
"Cuyahoga County Port Authorities Role
in Local Economic Development Issues"
October 20, 2006
Guilford House, Guest Lounge
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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Michael Wagner
Vice Chairman and Chair Elect of
the Cuyahoga County Port Authority
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Dear Colleagues:
The Friday Lunch returns on October 20 with a discussion
of one of the least understood, but quite important,
engines of local economic development. How do the
various organizations in the area work together (or not)
to develop the economy? Who is in charge down on the
lakefront? Is there progress, and where might it lead?
To consider these questions, we will gather in the
first-floor lounge of Guilford House from 12:30 to 1:30
p.m., for a discussion led by Michael Wager, currently
vice-chairman and chair-elect of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga
County Port Authority.
Mr. Wager, a highly accomplished corporate and
securities regulation attorney, has been a leader in
numerous other civic activities. He is a member of the
advisory board of the National Leadership Council of the
Ireland Cancer Center, a member of the executive
committee of the Cleveland Jewish Community Federation,
and previously served as a member of the board of the
Gateway Economic Development Corporation (owner of
Jacobs Field and Quicken Loans Arena). He also earned
his M.A. in Political Science from Columbia University
before earning his J.D. at NYU, where he was
Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of International Law. So,
for all you political scientists out there, he’s an
example of what you can accomplish with a poli sci
degree – so long as you don’t go for the Ph.D. like your
professors!
Astute students of local government, or readers of the
Plain Dealer, will have noted that there are a lot of
governments around here. There also are a lot of special
districts, organizations that have authority over one
part of public policy, across the usual geographic
boundaries. The most obvious are organizations like the
RTA and the Sewer District. But one that is especially
important for visions of local economic development is
the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority.
You need only go to the Port Authority’s website (
http://www.portofcleveland.com/ ) to see that the
Port is a major factor in issues like redevelopment of
the Flats and the Lakefront more generally. If Cleveland
is ever going to realize many peoples’ dream of using
Lake Erie as its front yard and showpiece, the Port
Authority will be at the center of the action. But its
influence extends beyond where you might expect it to be
active. Because it has the authority to issue bonds, the
Port Authority also is a major player in finance of a
wide range of community development projects. Friday’s
discussion is a chance to get behind the headlines for a
sense of the opportunities and obstacles this community
faces in developing into a more attractive residence and
place for businesses, as seen from the vantage point of
one of the organizations that is going to be heavily
involved.
As always, beverages will be kindly provided by the
Office of University Communications, and cookies are
supported by generous souls who have donated to the
Center for Policy Studies for this purpose.
Best regards,
Joe White
More About Our Guest
Michael Wager is an attorney with the law firm
of Squire Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P. Wager has served as
counsel, advisor and director of several private and
public companies, and in 1994, he earned the designation
of "Dealmaker" from The American Lawyer magazine.
He has served as chairman of a Cleveland-based private
equity firm and frequently speaks on matters involving
capital formation, securities regulation and change of
control transactions.
In addition to serving as Vice Chair and
Chairman-elect of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port
Authority, Wager is active in several other civic and
philanthropic organizations. He is a board member of the
Northeast Ohio Development Fund LLC, The Montefiore
Foundation and the West Ecumenical Ministry and serves
as a member of the Executive Committee of the Jewish
Community Federation of Cleveland. He remains active in
national leadership on the Renaissance and Renewal
Pillar of the United Jewish Communities and the Jewish
Council on Public Affairs.
Wager also serves on the selection committee of the
American Marshall Memorial Fellowship (an affiliate of
the German Marshall Fund) and as a member of the
Advisory Board of the National Leadership Council of the
Ireland Cancer Center of University Hospitals of
Cleveland.
He previously served as a board member for the
Gateway Economic Development Corporation of Greater
Cleveland (owner of Jacobs Field and Quicken Loans Arena
(The “Q”)), the Cleveland Foundation's Task Force on
Economic Development and the Mayor's Convention Center
Task Force.
Wager received a bachelor’s degree in 1973 from The
American University, a master’s degree in 1976 from
Columbia
University
and a juris doctorate from New York University School of
Law in 1981.
Fall Semester Schedule
Sept 1: Ken Ledford,
Associate Professor of History and Law, hosts Jon Entin,
Professor of Law and Political Science, to discuss the
first year of the Supreme Court with John Roberts as
Chief Justice.
Sept 8: Leonard Lynn, Professor and Chair of the
Department of Policy and Management at the Weatherhead
School of Management, on what U.S. leadership in
engineering could mean with the rise of India and China.
Sept 15: Mark Naymik, of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, on
this year’s statewide elections in Ohio.
Sept 22: Greg Eastwood, Interim President of Case
Western Reserve University, on “The Interim Period:
Tasks for Today and Ideas for the Future.”
Sept 29: Alan Weinstein, Professor and Director, Law and
Public Policy Program, Cleveland-Marshall College of the
Law, "Eminent domain: State Legislative Responses to Kelo vs. New London: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.”
Oct 6: Amy Hanauer, Executive Director, PolicyMatters
Ohio, on raising the minimum wage
Oct 13: Marty Kress, Executive Director of the National
Space Science and Technology Center, University of
Alabama at Huntsville, on Organizing NASA for Space
Exploration. NOTE: Tentative room change to Mather House
100.
Oct 20: Michael Wager, Vice Chair and Chair Elect of the
Port Authority, on its role in local economic
development issues.
Oct 27: Pete Moore, Assistant Professor of Political
Science, on whatever is happening in the Middle East at
the time.
Nov 3: Justin Buchler, Assistant Professor of Political
Science, and Andrew Lucker, Adjunct Assistant Professor
of Political Science: Midterm Election forecast.
Nov 10: Eric J. Topol MD, Professor of Genetics, on
concerns about conflicts of interest in medical
research.
Nov 17: Norman Robbins, Emeritus Professor of
Neurosciences, on class bias in who gets to vote.
Nov 24: THANKSGIVING BREAK
Dec 1: Jerome Liebman MD, Emeritus Professor of
Pediatrics, on National Health Insurance
Dec 8: Terry Wolpaw MD, Associate Dean for Curricular
Affairs, School of Medicine, on the new demands on or
expectations of medical education.
Parking: For
those people who seek to make special arrangements about
parking, the contact person now will be Fay Alexander.
Her phone number is 368-4440, and her e-mail is
fabrienne.alexander@case.edu.
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