Cleveland's best public records journalist is a "mom with a blog"

• The companion Facebook group has 2,600 members.

What they're saying: "I don't see myself as a watchdog," Karr told Cleveland Scene in a profile this week.

• "I'm just a mom with a blog. I mean, you get this information and you gotta tell people about it."

💭 Sam's thought bubble: Karr's regular dispatches are animated by her experience as a CMSD parent and are hypercritical of CEO Warren Morgan.

• But they are supported by a staggering volume of public records, which makes her work unique in the region.

Between the lines: By building her beat alongside an active Facebook community, Karr has been able to convert complaints and observations into serious investigative journalism — exposing administrative expenditures on office chairs and textbooks to bus contractors and controversial speakers.

The other side: "We value Ms. Karr as we do all of our district parents, and we appreciate her passionate interest in our schools," CMSD spokesman Jon Benedict told Scene.

The bottom line: Given the shrinking resources for investigative reporting in Cleveland, the task of probing and poking powerful institutions often falls to citizens.