Pointy View: Masks off Kucinich attacker(s)

Cuyahoga County Judge Jennifer O'Donnell has denied the request of an unidentified defendant to remain anonymous in a defamation lawsuit filed by Dennis Kucinich, the former mayor, congressman and U.S. presidential candidate.

Catch up quick: Kucinich filed suit in September against the John Doe(s) who created an incendiary website that suggested his 2021 mayoral campaign paid a sex offender to collect information on residents as he gathered signatures for Kucinich.

Context: The website was one example of the trenchant oppositional literature crafted by then-city council president Kevin Kelley supporters, who viewed Kucinich as the major foe in the primary.

The other side: "[Kucinich] filed this matter for the sole purpose of unmasking the persons behind the website and having a public scapegoat for his failed campaign," the defendant argued in a response.

State of play: That reasoning failed to persuade O'Donnell, who denied the motion without explanation last week, in a decision first reported by Law360.

Other tidbits...

⛰️ The Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union filed an Unfair Labor Practices charge against REI on Thursday.

• The union alleged that after workers at the Beachwood store filed for an election to unionize, the company engaged in "unlawful surveillance" at the store.
• Also, a hearing with the National Labor Relations Board begins Friday to sort out the disagreements between the employees and the outdoor retailer.

🚧 Cuyahoga County executive Chris Ronayne traveled to Columbus this week for Mike DeWine's State of the State address. He stayed an extra day to tour the Franklin County corrections facility, which opened in 2021 and could serve as a model for Cuyahoga County as it revisits discussions about a new jail this year.

• "Word of the day was humanize," Ronayne tweeted.

🚌 Clevelanders for Public Transit (CPT) will rally on Public Square tomorrow afternoon to celebrate "Transit Equity Day," which commemorates the birthday of the country's most famous bus rider, Rosa Parks.

The intrigue: CPT has challenged local elected leaders, including county executive Chris Ronayne, Mayor Justin Bibb and all members of the city and county councils, to rely solely on public transit next week.

• "We believe you will be better able to legislate for the needs of public transit dependent residents if you first walk a mile in our shoes, or rather, ride a mile on our bus," CPT's letter to the elected officials reads.
• As of yesterday afternoon, only RTA board member Rev. Charles Lucas, already a daily paratransit user, had agreed to participate.