Thomas Chema, who led the Gateway Project which oversaw the construction of what was then known as Jacobs Field and Gund Arena, has died.
Chema served as Gateway's executive director from 1990 to 1995 at a time when controversy over the project swirled around the region: The debate raged over whether the project, which called for the construction of a new baseball stadium and new basketball arena in Cleveland, would spur economic development or was a subsidy for professional sports teams.
It all came down to voters, who ultimately approved — and later extended — the sin tax on alcohol and cigarettes to cover half the estimated cost of the project.
In the 1990s, the fate of professional baseball and basketball in Cleveland was in question due to the inadequacy of facilities and the inability of political, business and community officials to make any headway in what seemed an intractable problem, according to Chema's obituary.
"Fearing the loss of the professional franchises, then Governor Richard F. Celeste tasked Chema with the mission of saving the teams and sparking a revitalization of Cleveland's downtown," it reads.
The debate over the economic impact and the cost of the project continues, but the difference to the Cleveland skyline is obvious.
More than three decades later, the Gateway Economic Development Corp. serves as the landlord for Progressive Field and Rocket Arena managing millions in taxpayer dollars.
Chema's career touched a multitude of industries, including education, infrastructure and governance.
After Gateway, Chema launched a consulting business for the development and construction of stadiums and arenas. In 2003, he was named president of Hiram College, a liberal arts college in Portage County. As president, he moved the school out of a financial deficit and increased undergraduate enrollment.
In 2014, he retired from Hiram and returned to his consulting work.
Democratic Ohio Gov. Richard Celeste appointed Chema the executive director of the Ohio Lottery Commission in 1983 and the chairman of the Ohio Public Utilities Commission in 1985.
Chema was born in 1946 and grew up in East Liverpool in southeast Ohio. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame and Harvard Law School. He also served honorably in the U. S. Air Force during the Vietnam War.
