Michael D. Polensek
Encyclopedia
Michael D. Polensek is a City Council person in Cleveland, Ohio
. He presently represents Ward 11 in Cleveland City Council
. He was first elected to council in 1977 and represented what was Ward 26. He served as its president from 2000 to 2001.
His nickname is purported to be McGruff, as in McGruff the Crime Dog
.
On July 12, 2007, Councilman Polensek sent a letter to Arsenio Winston who had recently been arrested on allegations of drug dealing in Cleveland's 11th Ward, which Polensek has represented since 1982. The harsh letter referred to Winston a "crack dealing piece of trash" who should "go to jail or the cemetery soon." Writing that jail or a funeral home would be Winston's next stop, Polensek noted, "Quite frankly, I don't care which one you get to first as long as your dumb stupid ass is out of my neighborhood." While Polensek defended the confrontational letter in an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Winston's mother said she considered the missive a threat to her son and was conferring with her lawyer.
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. He presently represents Ward 11 in Cleveland City Council
Cleveland City Council
Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Cleveland in Ohio. Its members are elected from 19 wards to four-year terms. The number of council members has decreased over the years...
. He was first elected to council in 1977 and represented what was Ward 26. He served as its president from 2000 to 2001.
His nickname is purported to be McGruff, as in McGruff the Crime Dog
McGruff the Crime Dog
McGruff the Crime Dog is an anthropomorphic cartoon bloodhound created by Saatchi & Saatchi through the Ad Council for the National Crime Prevention Council for use by American police in building crime awareness among children. He debuted in July 1980. The character was created by John Young. The...
.
On July 12, 2007, Councilman Polensek sent a letter to Arsenio Winston who had recently been arrested on allegations of drug dealing in Cleveland's 11th Ward, which Polensek has represented since 1982. The harsh letter referred to Winston a "crack dealing piece of trash" who should "go to jail or the cemetery soon." Writing that jail or a funeral home would be Winston's next stop, Polensek noted, "Quite frankly, I don't care which one you get to first as long as your dumb stupid ass is out of my neighborhood." While Polensek defended the confrontational letter in an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Winston's mother said she considered the missive a threat to her son and was conferring with her lawyer.
External links
- Michael D. Polensek Official Biography http://www.clevelandcitycouncil.org/Home/CouncilMembers/Ward11MichaelDPolensek/MichaelDPolensekBiography/tabid/147/Default.aspx
- Councilman Polensek's letter to Arsenio Winston http://blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2007/07/letter.pdf
- The Smoking Gun, July 19, 2007 article regarding letter to Arsenio Winston http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0719071cleveland1.html