Treatment of Frank Giglio raises questions of fairness
by Debbie Webb

(Plain Press, February 2010) The last few years of economic downturn have hit Cleveland hard. Already one of the poorest cities in the U.S., the mortgage foreclosure and banking crisis had left streets in some neighborhoods looking like a ghost town. However, the large vacant area right off the freeway on W. 14th Street, where the sign tells motorists they are entering the historic district of Tremont, did not have to happen.

Frank Giglio has owned two parcels of property there for 23 years. In 1998, the City demolished his yard with heavy equipment. Later he was arrested and jailed with a $1,000,000 bail for housing code violations. In December 2008, his house was demolished though being declared structurally sound and not a danger to others. The inspector in this case is now in prison convicted of accepting bribes. (See the December 2009 Plain Press).

NEWS ANALYSIS

Giglio was now without a house. Owing taxes on his property, Giglio made payment arrangements with the County auditor for taxes on the larger parcel where the house once stood. Giglio says that he has made a monthly trip to the auditor's office to make the payment. In an interview, Giglio said that he inquired monthly about the status of the small parcel adjacent to the larger one. Giglio states that the staff told him that the amount was so small that he should not worry, as foreclosure does not occur until that amount reaches $200.

On 9/21/09, the County filed foreclosure proceedings in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. The amount owed on that parcel was $184.

Giglio said that he had inquired early that month when he made his September payment on the other property and was told again "not to worry". Giglio says that he does not know why this happened.

A fundraiser was held in December, and this past week Giglio took some of the funds raised to pay off the back taxes in full on the foreclosed property. The County Auditor’s office refused to take Giglio’s payment.

Are there different rules for different people? A stroll up the block from the Giglio property says that the answer is yes, Kingsway Manor Apartments has a delinquent tax bill of $71,055. They owed as of 2008 over $50,000 in back property taxes. They are not in foreclosure. The Cold Storage Building on the other end of the block owes $673,103 in back taxes, and the auditor’s site shows no payments at all from 2002 through 2009. The site also says that they are in foreclosure, but the Court site does not show a filing. Residential neighbors on W. 14th St. also show arrears in taxes without foreclosure proceedings ranging from $656 to $4,718.

On the larger property where the house once stood, Giglio has reduced the taxes owed through the payment plan to around $700, including the current taxes. He successfully fought fees levied by the City for grass cutting, According to Giglio, not only did the City not cut his grass, he has maintained the city owned parcel to the east of his property, cutting the grass and picking up the trash. Late in 2009, the County added old board up fees and fees for the demolition of his house. The cost of those fees raised the total owed on that parcel from $700 to over $17,000.

Speculation abounds as to why all of this has happened to Giglio, What has happened has been documented in other print media, in video and by witnesses. Some speculate that GIglio has annoyed the wrong people in power; some say that someone must want the property to resell for large sums to the Ohio Department of Transportation when the bridge goes through; some say that the property is targeted for the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Center to go in where Grace Hospital now operates; and some say that other development is planned for that property

What is clear is that an investigation needs to occur. When people in the same or similar circumstance receive very different treatment, it shows a systemic problem that needs to be corrected.

News & Articles | Archives