Cleveland City Council’s habit of invoking legal technicalities that alter the normal process for passing ordinances may seem mundane or bureaucratic, but it raises questions about why the rules exist if they are almost universally disregarded and how these practices bear on government accessibility and civic engagement.
A proposal to allocate $20 million to help bridge the digital divide in Cleveland by creating citywide broadband met with some opposition at Monday’s city council meeting, with some members asking why there wasn’t more community involvement or a concrete plan in place.
As election day voters headed to their polling locations, The Land caught up with city council candidates in four of the city’s hotly contested council races. Here’s what we saw.
With 100% of ballots recorded, nonprofit executive Justin Bibb and city council president Kevin Kelley led the Cleveland mayoral primary and will face off in the general election.
The Land visited polling locations across the city to talk with voters and campaign workers about why they’re voting this election, what changes they want to see in their neighborhoods, and who they’re supporting.
Civic engagement and voter turnout throughout Cleveland’s wards have been a mixed bag going into the primary election. Mail ballot requests and returns have generally increased citywide from where they lagged in 2017. And some progressive newcomers say their grassroots campaigns have seen on-the-ground interest in city council elections, but some of their incumbent counterparts remain wary.
On an early September evening, about a dozen neighbors gathered in the backyard of Phil and Christina Buck on Cleveland’s west side for a meet-and-greet with City Council president and mayoral candidate Kevin Kelley. The candidate, dressed casually in a short-sleeve shirt and leaning forward in his lawn chair, listened intently as an Ohio City resident complained about absentee landlords.
Are Clevelanders disengaged in politics heading into this election season? We talked to a political science professor and researcher at Baldwin Wallace University to break down some of the biggest factors shaping voter turnout and civic engagement throughout Cleveland neighborhoods.
Sen. Sandra Williams, who could be the first Black woman to serve as Cleveland’s mayor, said two prominent Cleveland businessmen have offered her cash and political favors to step out of the race. She’s faced questions about her ability to lead based on her gender. But banking on her state-level colleagues and legislative track record, she will see the mayoral race through to the end.
A historic parade returned from a year’s hiatus this Labor Day, drawing political candidates from as far away as Cincinnati and as far back as 1997 for elections as far ahead as 14 months.
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