[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 25, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E308-E309]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN MEMORY OF JAMES CARNEY, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 25, 1997

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the late James Carney, Sr. 
Mr. Carney was

[[Page E309]]

brilliant in business and influential in politics. He was a towering 
figure in the Cleveland landscape. His influence was felt far and 
wide--not only locally but in the State and nationally. He now passes 
into legend. I commend to your attention the following article.

          Developing Community--The Legacy of James Carney Sr.

                           (By Larry Durstin)

       One of the most frequent stories told about James Carney 
     Sr., who was referred to in the 1970s as the most powerful 
     man in Cleveland and who died last month at the age of 84, 
     was how he would often perform a philanthropic deed for 
     someone in need and invariably say, ``Now don't tell anyone 
     about it.''
       And while his son, James Jr., kiddingly explains that his 
     dad probably was motivated more by a desire to avoid drawing 
     large numbers of supplicants not truly in need than he was by 
     modesty, nonetheless the preponderance of evidence suggests a 
     legacy of genuine compassion and altruism--characteristics 
     that will be just as much in need as his legendary vision and 
     perseverence if today's leaders are to succeed in meeting the 
     huge challenges involved in developing strong and vital 
     communities into the next century.
       It's true that each person's life serves as a kind of road 
     map to how or how not to live. But looking at the life of a 
     business and political giant like James Carney Sr.--son of 
     Irish immigrants, survivor of the Depression, lawyer, elected 
     official, multi-millionaire developer, Democratic Party power 
     broker--is like looking through a telescape at Twentieth 
     Century Cleveland to find the key to how we, as a community, 
     got to where we are in the hopes of discovering exactly what 
     personal and collective qualities will be required to guide 
     us where we need to go.
       Carney's journey began on Cleveland's West Side where he 
     and his brother John went into the family's excavating 
     business following the death of their father in 1929. A huge 
     part of their work at that time was digging out basements 
     using horses and wagons. He graduated from Holy Name High 
     School in 1931, attending college and received a law degree 
     from Western Reserve. He was admitted to the Ohio Bar 
     Association in 1941. After serving three years in the Army, 
     he and John started their own law firm.
       In 1946, Carney began what would turn out to be a lifetime 
     romance with politics by following his brother into the Ohio 
     House of Representatives, where he served six years, two of 
     them as minority leader. In 1952, with political stardom 
     within reach, he lost a primary election race for the United 
     States Senate to future Ohio governor Michael V. DiSalle, 
     Carney couldn't have known it at the time but, though just 
     40, he would never again hold elected office. He would, 
     however, soon turn his business experience, brilliant mind 
     and tough negotiating skills to land development--where he 
     had as much or more impact on Cleveland and surrounding 
     communities as did anyone in the past half century.
       ``Jim Carney was one of the most under appreciated people 
     we've ever had in this community,'' says Sam Miller, chairman 
     of Forest City Enterprises and former partner with Carney in 
     several businesses. ``He was a pioneer in every aspect. He 
     took a look at downtown on its way to desolation and on his 
     own decided to do something about it. He went in when 
     absolutely no one wanted to.''
       What he did was, in the early and mid '60s, begin to 
     redefine Cleveland's downtown image by developing the 
     Hollanden House, the Bond Court Hotel and the Ohio Savings 
     Plaza. At the time these were the first significant 
     developments in downtown in around 40 years.
       ``He also went into Westlake and bought large tracts of 
     acres before anybody had any idea what Westlake was,'' Miller 
     asserts. ``He was truly a visionary, but a very practical 
     one.''
       According to Miller, despite Carney's success, he was 
     treated as somewhat of an outsider because he was an Irish 
     Catholic, not a WASP, and had come up the hard way. ``He 
     wasn't part of the power establishment, but the power 
     establishment had left a total vacuum. Carney came in and 
     filled that vacuum because they didn't want to dirty their 
     hands. You gotta scuffle like Carney did. He was resented 
     because of his success and because he didn't belong to the 
     fancy country clubs. Hell, I don't know if he was ever a 
     member of the Union Club.''
       It's obvious listening to Miller talk about Carney that 
     there was a deep kinship between them, one that went beyond 
     simply being business partners. ``He used to tell me he was 
     considered `dirty lace Irish' but when it came to being a 
     mover and a shaker, believe me, he was. Like me, he knew that 
     in certain circles he was an outsider and he understood it. 
     He was one of the smartest men I've ever known. He was my 
     teacher. He showed me how to buy land, how to rezone land. He 
     showed me the whole thing. He was a real idol to me.''
       Although Carney was unsuccessful in his dream of becoming 
     mayor of Cleveland--losing to Ralph Perk twice in the early 
     '70s--a brief summary of his positions and accomplishments 
     gives a clear indication of what a towering figure he was in 
     Cleveland's public and private sectors.
       At one time or another in the 30 years prior to his death 
     he was Director of the Union Commerce Bank, board president 
     for the Cleveland Convention and Visitors Bureau, chairman of 
     the Greater Cleveland Growth Association, vice chairman of 
     the Port Authority Board, and president of the CMHA board. 
     Additionally, he was one of the most powerful local and state 
     Democrats (being one of the first in Ohio to spot Jimmy 
     Carter as a potential winner and sponsoring a breakfast for 
     him in '76) and a major real estate developer throughout 
     Cuyahoga County and as far away as Florida, Colorado, Texas 
     and Missouri.
       But despite the staggering breadth of Carney's resume and 
     the size of his fortune, when his son is asked to reflect on 
     his dad's influence, he speaks of subtler things. James 
     Carney Jr., is no stranger to either the political or 
     business world--having served as a Cleveland City Councilman 
     and school board member along with running several of the 
     family businesses. Still, he feels his father's legacy lies 
     more in terms of personal and community values than profits 
     or political power.
       ``My father taught me not to look down on anyone--
     regardless of race, ethnicity or economic status. He had as 
     much respect for the guy who swept up the bank as he did for 
     the bank president. He would walk downtown at noon and 
     destitute folks--some people would call them bums--would say 
     `Hi Jim' and he would greet them in the same way he would his 
     millionaire buddies. I was taught--by example--to respect all 
     people and to work hard. We had friends who were from the 
     wealthy elite and friends who were on welfare. And judging by 
     the incredible cross section of folks who showed up at his 
     funeral, I think he was successful in touching all kinds of 
     people. I'm very proud of that.''
       But despite his ``don't tell anyone about it'' modesty in 
     doing charitable deeds and his capacity to be genuinely 
     respectful of people from all walks of life, make no mistake, 
     James Carney, Sr. had a ton of power and he knew how to use 
     it. Politics and high-level real estate dealings are contact 
     sports--and Carney, his business competitors and political 
     enemies all had plenty of scars to show from their battles 
     with each other in board rooms, back rooms and court rooms.
       Carney was very open and up front about operating in both 
     the corporate and political world, something you don't see 
     many leaders doing nowadays. ``It was a little easier in the 
     old days to jump into both worlds,'' says James Jr. ``Today 
     there are so many rules and regulations, so much media 
     scrutiny, so much of a `gotcha' mentality that many talented 
     people shy away from both politics and the corporate arena, 
     let alone being openly active in each at the same time. 
     Another thing that's changed is that in the old school there 
     was, for better or worse, a strong loyalty ethic. As times 
     changed that ethic became a handicap for my dad.''
       In fact it was the issue of loyalty that was at the center 
     of two events in the late '80s--the selling of his downtown 
     hotels and the serving on the rancorous CMHA board--that 
     perfectly capsulize Carney's life as a brilliant businessman, 
     a connected politician and a generous public servant.
       After many warnings to the downtown community about the 
     inadequacies of the Convention Center, Carney became miffed 
     when his plan to build a tunnel between his Bond Court and 
     the Convention Center was scuttled and he began getting bad 
     publicity concerning late hotel tax payments. Convinced that 
     a long-time ally, Convention Bureau Director Dale Finley, was 
     behind the bad press, Carney sold the Hollenden and the Bond 
     Court at a very tidy profit.
       Around the same time, in response to personal appeals from 
     then Mayor George Voinovich and City Council President George 
     Forbes, Carney accepted an appointment to CMHA board, a 
     political meat grinder where he served with distinction for 
     three years before resigning in 1989, as he began to feel the 
     effects of Alzheimer's disease.
       ``My dad made a really good buck on the deal involving two 
     glitzy hotels,'' his son says,'' but then he turned right 
     around and worked for no pay in just about the toughest 
     public policy area--housing--involving the city's poorest 
     people. Since he knew his way around politically, he knew who 
     to call and how to get things done. He straightened and out 
     the balance sheet and financial reports. He even hired a 
     lawyer out of his own pocket. Having that position wore him 
     out and actually cost him money--but he got the job done. In 
     many ways it was his crowning achievement.''
       So if we, as Clevelanders, are looking for guideposts that 
     will show us the way to meet the obstacles involved in 
     developing strong and just 21st century communities, we could 
     do much worse than simply following the map provided by the 
     life of James Carney Sr. But that's no small task since it 
     points to the need for leaders who are practical, tough-as-
     nails visionaries with compassion, a genuine commitment to 
     public service and true sense of loyalty. It also underlines 
     the need for citizens who treat each other with respect and 
     kindness.
       His is a profound and challenging legacy, one that warrants 
     honor and emulation. Tell everyone about it.

                          ____________________