Jones Sworn in as Judge

By Loretta Feller

After nearly a year of a year of hard campaigning, Stephanie Tubbs Jones was sworn in as a Cleveland Municipal Court judge. As a first-time candidate for office, Jones' success was remarkable, but even more

Judge Stephanie Tubbs Jones (photo by Peggi Celia)

exceptional was her wide margin of victory.

Jones faced a tough slate of opponents in the November election, including previous City Council President Edmund Turk. Yet when the ballots were cast, Jones tallied 35,339 votes, well above Turk's

22,116. Following behind were James Sheehan with 20,645, Charles Bauernschmidt, 20,506, and George Trumbo; 9,812.

:

Jones attributes her success to grassroots support from friends, family and churches. Her campaign was endorsed by the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, the Cuyahoga County Women's Political Caucus, the 21st Congressional District Caucus, Ohio DRIVE (a political wing of the Teamsters), and Operation ALERT (a group of black business and civic leaders).

Previously a trial attorney at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and an Assistant Prosecutor (Criminal) for Cuyahoga County, Jones

t

LOCAL NEWS

is licensed to practice law before the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Northern District of Ohio Federal District Court, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Municipal Court judges handle traffic offenses and civil litigation of up to $10,000. They also conduct preliminary hearings on felonies in the city, set bail, and decide if the accused should be bound over to a grand jury.

With the election of Jones and Ronald Adrine, the majority of Cleveland Municipal Court judgeships (eight of thirteen) will be held by blacks for the first time in Cleveland's history. Five of the judges are

women.

Coalition Contacts Sohio

By Amy Schuman

In 1981, the first woman completed a construction apprenticeship program in Cleveland. By the summer of that year, the total number of women apprentices rose to 39 out of 1,680 apprentices. One can understand why employers hire few women construction workers when so few women apprentices are available. But it is these same employers who have helped create the situation where only 40 women have been accepted for apprenticeships out of the hundreds who apply.

The Women's Employment Coalition was founded

Women Protest Day Care Cuts

By Loretta Feller

Reaganomics struck home in Cleveland as a group of 500 mothers and children gathered to protest proposed cuts in Title XX day care programs at a meeting of the Cuyahoga County Commissioners on December 14.

Packing the lobby of the County Administration Building, the chanting, sign-carrying throng made it clear that loss of day care services would mean loss of jobs for many working, mothers who cannot afford private, unsubsidized day care centers.

Brenda Reynolds, spokesperson for the women using Title XX services, told WSW: "I would rather be a working mother. I don't want to be on welfare. We don't want to come out the front door and come in the back door on welfare.'

In an interview with, WSW, Marlene Stoiber, Director of Early Childhood Development for Neighborhood Centers Association, pointed to the cost effectiveness of day care services. The cost to the taxpayer of maintaining a mother with two children on welfare for a year, she said, is $6,186, while the annual cost to the taxpayer for a working mother with two children in day care is only $3,071, netting a taxpayer savings of $3,115 a year per woman.

At this point, she said, the County has extended day care contracts at current levels for two more months, through February, 1982. The Commissioners will finalize their budget during the first weeks of January for the remaining fiscal year which ends June 30, 1982.

According to Reynolds, Commissioner Virgil Brown's commitment to day care is a critical factor since the two remaining Commissioners already appear to have opposing stands on the issue. In the meeting, she said, Commissioner Edward Feighan indicated he was in sympathy with their concerns, but. Commissioner Vincent Campanella was not very positive. In an interview with a local radio station shortly after the meeting, however, Brown said he

1

could not promise his vote, even though he wanted to maintain funding levels.

Last month, the State of Ohio passed along a 22 percent cut in Title XX allocations to the counties. Because Cuyahoga County had used all its day care money last year, the 22 percent statewide figure was adjusted to a 12 percent cut locally. The alarm sounded, however, when local day care centers learned that Commissioners were studying cuts ranging from 20 percent to 43 percent, based on priorities recommended by the County Welfare Department.

Federal funds pay for 75 percent of the county's day care services and 25 percent comes from state funds. Last year, Cuyahoga County spent nearly $5.5 million on day care, while allocations from state and local funds amounted to less than $5 million. The additional revenue to meet last year's expenditures (about $509,000) came from county funds. According to Stoiber, one of the options being considered assumes that, in addition to federal and state cuts, these additional county funds would also be withheld.

Contacted at his office on the first day of budget meetings in the new year, William Plato, County Administrator, told WSW that he was "not anticipating severe cuts in day care". Every effort was being made, he stated, to maintain funding which was at or close to current levels.

Yearly subscription rates: Individual-$6.00 Contributing-$15.00 Sustaining-$25.00 Non-profit Org.-$10.00 For profit Org,-$15.00

in May, 1981 to eliminate that first stumbling block by working to get women accepted into apprenticeship programs and helping them to thrive and survive to graduation. Several organizations formed the Coalition to counter budget cutbacks, attacks on affirmative action, and the increasing unemployment and underemployment of women. Members of the Coalition include the Women in Skilled Employment project of WomenSpace, the Recruitment and Training Program, Inc., Hard-Hatted Women, YWCA, ACLU of Cleveland, Hill House, Metropolitan Cleveland Jobs Council, Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor (Chicago), Domestic Workers of America, CETA, City of Cleveland EEO, Hickok Technical Institute, Church Women United, and individual women seeking work in non-traditional

areas.

In December, 1981, the Coalition met with representatives of the Standard Oil Company of Ohio (Sohio) to discuss its plans to build a new corporate headquarters on Public Square. The Coalition presented to Sohio a list of measures it can take to insure the fair employment of women on the building project. Some suggestions included that 1) Sohio draft a letter to the Joint Apprenticeship Committees (the apprenticeship selection bodies) stating its concern that women be admitted to the next apprenticeship classes at the required 20 percent level to insure sufficient availability of women trainees to work on the building project; 2) Sohio send a similar letter to Cleveland contractors stating its commitment to contract with those employing large numbers of women; and 3) Sohio establish a formal monitoring process or person to insure that women are recruited/ employed throughout the building project. Carmen Slominski, Manager of Equal Employment Opportunity for Sohio, received the ideas favorably and will report on Sohio's progress at the Coalition's February meeting.

The Coalition plans to continue watching the Sohio project closely. In addition, it will initiate meetings with other large building projects, including the Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland State University's Arena, both of which are to be built within the next two years.

Subscribe to What She Wants today... Name

Address City

Signature

I'd like to work on the paper. Phone me at

State

Zip

Mail this form and your check or money order to What She Wants, P.O. Box 18465, Cleveland Hts., OH 44118.

January, 1982/What She Wants/Page.3