Michael Polensek

Michael D. Polensek
Cleveland City Councilman
In office 1982 – Present
Constituency	11th ward
In office 1977–1982
Constituency	26th Ward
City Council President
In office 2000–2001
Preceded by	Jay Westbrook
Succeeded by	Frank G. Jackson
Personal details
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Cleveland, Ohio
Alma mater	Cuyahoga Community College
Religion	Catholic

Michael D. Polensek (born November, 1949) 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 would likely "go to prison or the nearest funeral home." In reference to this prediction, 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. However, Councilman Polensek's prediction was accurate. In March of 2009, Arsenio Winston was jailed again, this time for 11 years following a series of armed robberies.

External links

• Michael D. Polensek Official Biography [1]
• Councilman Polensek's letter to Arsenio Winston [2]
• The Smoking Gun, July 19, 2007 article regarding letter to Arsenio Winston [3]