Cleveland City Council holding redistricting feedback sessions

Cleveland City Council will hold three community feedback sessions on the upcoming redistricting. Residents can share their thoughts on possible redistricting on Oct. 15, Oct. 16 and Oct. 17.

All sessions will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The meetings will be hosted by the city’s redistricting consultants: Bob Dykes of Triad Research Group, Dr. Mail Sailing, demographer and former Cleveland State University professor, and Kent Whitley, urban planner, political consultant and community organizer. They will share redistricting goals, collect feedback, and ask residents to share their own maps.

Officials believe this is the first time Cleveland City Council has sought public feedback on the reapportionment process, council said in a press release. The sessions will also be livestreamed on YouTube.

Census data dictates how many members sit on Cleveland City council. Per the 2020 Census, Cleveland now has a population of 372,624, down from 396,815 in 2010. Due to the population decline, the City Charter mandates that Council be reduced to 15 members, down from its current count of 17.

Here’s a list of upcoming meetings:

• Tuesday, 10/15 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Jerry Sue Thornton Center, 2500 E. 22nd St.
• Wednesday, 10/16 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Glenville Neighborhood Resource & Recreation Center, 680 East 113th St.
• Thursday, 10/17 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Estabrook Neighborhood Resource & Recreation Center, 4125 Fulton Rd.