West Side Market vendor claims retaliation for speaking to media about rat problem

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - A West Side Market vendor says management is retaliating against him for speaking to the media about rats and poor conditions at the historic market.

Jason Scott, who operates Greg’s Produce Stand, claims the Cleveland Public Market Corporation is pushing him out of his stand after he spoke with 19 News about a rat problem in July.

“After I did the story about that, they came to me and said I shouldn’t go to the news with those stories. I said, ‘What, don’t I have freedom of speech?’” Scott said.

Scott says management told him he should come to them first before speaking to news outlets.

“They said, well if you go to the news and talk to them then you should come to us first,” Scott said.

Scott says earlier this month he was hit with multiple write-ups, a $7,000 fine and a rent increase.

He says he tried to discuss the actions with management.

“I’m just not getting any answers from upstairs at all, from a nonprofit organization that is doing nothing but profiting off the whole market,” Scott said.

One of the write-ups includes leaving fruit out on the loading dock, which Scott says was a solution to keep rats away, and he says that was the last straw.

“So, I said lets mutually terminate the lease and be done with it,” Scott said.

West Side Market Executive Director Rosemary Mudry says Scott’s situation has nothing to do with his news story earlier this year.

She says Scott still has the option to stay if he pays fines for rules she says he violated.

“What has resulted has nothing to do with his news story earlier this year, it’s disappointing that he is choosing to leave, but he had other options and still has those options if he would like to stay,” Mudry said.

Mudry says the organization has an open door policy and welcomes constructive criticism from vendors.

“If there are ideas on how to be more transparent, we are always looking for ways to more clearly communicate with our merchants what our expectations are,” Mudry said.