Features
Stakeholder Perspective: Cornelius Lemon
Part of the infrastructure at one of Cleveland’s water treatment plants.
The Department of Public Utilities is made up of three Divisions: Water, Water Pollution Control, and Public Power. The three Divisions share common challenges of locating and digging in crowded right of ways. This is exactly how Cornelius got involved with the Council several years ago.
He said, “I was working with the Law Department on a particular lawsuit involving damages to an underground facility, and because of an increase in these types of lawsuits, it was determined that we needed to formulate a system or structure to iron out our differences. The Council has matured since those early days.”
What could a municipality the size Cleveland gain as the result of your involvement with this group? Cornelius responded, “I’m convinced there has been measurable benefit. The information that is shared at the monthly meetings allows us to work together on projects that we otherwise might not be aware of until frustration forces a confrontation. Then there is a benefit of being strategically placed alongside of Ohio Utilities Protection Service (O.U.P.S.) and Roger Lipscomb with their broader perspective of damage prevention.”
He continued, “Alice Miller has been most helpful in the entire process. She used to come to our facilities and provide safety training in addition to what we have done. It just provided another layer of training designed to help make our employees be better by raising the value of working together and creating a mutual respect for all utilities.”
“Let me give you an example,” he said. “When The Utilities Council of Northern Ohio was originally formed, I would say that the stakeholders didn’t necessarily trust one another. There was a lot of tension and finger pointing as to what the problems were. Once the venting was over, people started focusing on what we had in common rather than reveling in our differences. Then slowly people started coming together and as connections were developed, we started calling one another as problems arose instead of waiting until the next meeting. Such behavior naturally built relationships on a personal level and was also good for the various organizations represented.”
Lemon was on a roll and said, “One of the things we developed was a forum to share problems. One day Cook Paving and Construction Owner, Victor Stewart met with the group and told us that he had a problem. He identified a practice he thought was unfair to the excavator. During that process of defining the issue, he presented his case in such manner to help us better understand the distribution of risks in all projects.
We then tried to understand what each stakeholder deals with when they hold the work order. The most important thing is that everyone gets to see the process from the other person’s perspective.”
He said, “When I was working with the City of Cleveland’s Law Department, we’d get an invoice from someone like AT&T. I would look at the invoice and think there is no way the bill should be that high. After hearing an AT&T representative make a presentation of how they make repairs and seeing the detail involved in the repair, it help me understand why the cost of repair might not be out of line. If it helped me, it helped the City of Cleveland.”
Cornelius Lemon and John Goersmeyer review an investigation.
What about your involvement with Senate Bill 152? Cornelius replied, “When O.U.P.S. and the City began discussions regarding the impact of the legislation, there were those who wanted to learn more about the issues and I was in a position to bring different stakeholders together for the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the impact.”
He then said, “I think it would be fair to say that there are those who have a feeling that the legislation in question is inevitable in some form. That being the case, it benefits the City of Cleveland to stay abreast, so that the decision makers can have the best and most complete information necessary. Should there be some oversight mechanism put in place, obviously the City wants to be a player. We would want the opportunity to have a voice at the table when discussing the details of any provision.”
John Goersmeyer, with the Division of Water’s Office of Communications sat in on the interview and observed, “Cornelius and the Council have revolutionized how the city has worked with other utilities. There is a more effective partnership today. I believe there is certainly a higher level of cooperation. In the past, there may not have been as much consideration given to the impact to other utilities.”
Cornelius added, “This partnership is a key to the future as the city conducts its business. It allows all of us to get more accomplished and feel better about it when we get it done.”
Henry Ford was once quoted as saying, “If a man thinks he can or he can’t, he is right. It is apparent that the City of Cleveland and The Utilities Council of Northern Ohio have decided they can.
