The biggest story this day after the election isn’t approval of County government reform or approval of a monopoly casino for a billionaire.

No. The biggest story is about the numerous murdered bodies found in the middle a city neighborhood. In fact, not far from famous Shaker Square in the new 4th ward.

That it could happen with little notice says so much more about Cleveland, its priorities and what it cares about than any election issue. Residents count little in this world.

The question is how does this happen? Why did it happen? Why did it happen so easily? Why did it escape notice so easily? For so long?

Where were the police? Where were health officials? Social workers? Community development personnel? Community activists?

Let’s build a new convention center. Let’s build a new casino. Can we build any new stadiums? Theaters? Fancy restaurants?

Anyone can see reform and casinos don’t answer what really ails Cleveland. You can’t hide it behind glitz or change for the sake of change.

Poverty and its relatives are eating away at the very life of the city. Giving recognition to this is step one.

But we are being sold shoddy goods instead.

The Pee Dee won big yesterday. The newspaper – surely looking for relevance – piggybacked on a vile corruption scourge in County government to change its form. Not its nature.

Where does this constitute a change in the nature of our government? I don’t believe it does. It may be a hope that it will.

Chalk up another victory for the Pee Dee in the vote for a casino.

The Pee Dee strongly backed both issues. Even the news columns were used to push the platform.

The newspaper got on a train that was already speeding. However, the paper did use all its power – which is still substantial – to promote passage of both issues.

Take a bow, Ms. Goldberg.

Corruption and joblessness were the twin engines prompting voters to vote for Issue 3 and Issue 6.

Rotting dead bodies, however, tell a more frightening, real picture of our situation.

What to do about it raises even more problems.

With the residency law killed by the all-Republican Ohio Supreme Court soon there will be even fewer police living in the city they patrol. The distance between the police and community can’t be helped by the distance between where the police live and where their eyes and ears are needed.

Some thought had better be given to hiring neighborhood people, not as police, but as monitors – eyes and ears – in the neighborhoods. There needs to be intelligence on the ground, methods of gathering information so that whether someone is a drug addict, a prostitute or an upstanding citizen, he or she is guarded as humanly as possible.

That isn’t happening now. Cleveland can’t survive as a thriving downtown and nothing more.

Let’s see if the Pee Dee can wrestle with this one. Honestly. Without pretensions. And not for circulation.