Mayoral election in Cleveland, Ohio (September 14, 2021 primary election)

Cleveland has missed too many opportunities because our leaders lack the sense of urgency we need to tackle our biggest challenges: poverty, violence, economic relief and recovery.

Our city and people deserve better and Cleveland is ready for change.

In the coming months, more plans will be released outlining my policies for improving safety, city government, economy, education, health and the environment. First, we must focus on getting back to basics and prioritize:

Safe & Secure Neighborhoods

177 people were killed in Cleveland last year, our most violent year on record in recent memory. Cleveland needs a Mayor who will act quickly to address crime with evidence-based programs and create a model of policing that prioritizes justice and accountability with more effective enforcement of the Consent Decree to make our neighborhoods safer.

Economic Relief & Recovery

Cleveland is expected to receive $541 million in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan. City Hall must immediately establish an Office of Economic Recovery to coordinate a long-term strategy for how to spend this money to lift people out of poverty, support small & minority-owned businesses and drive economic growth in every neighborhood.

High-Quality Education

Our city’s future depends on the quality of our schools. We need to build on the Cleveland Plan to ensure there is a high-quality school in every neighborhood and develop a learning loss strategy to help kids catch up and be prepared for college, work and life in the 21st century.

Modern & Engaged City Hall

Residents shouldn’t have to drive, walk or take the bus to Lakeside Avenue to use basic city services. It’s time to modernize City Hall with new technologies, streamlined permit processes and online services. It’s time to open the doors of City Hall to everyone.

Healthy Communities

The City allocates 1% of its budget to the Public Health Department. We must increase funding and develop strategies to quickly distribute vaccines, accelerate lead testing, increase access to healthy food and reduce maternal and infant mortality to keep residents safe and healthy.

Climate & Environmental Justice

Residents are being overcharged for electricity at the expense of our mismanaged utilities. Cleveland gets most of its power from the third-largest emitting coal plant in the country. We need to transform Cleveland Public Power into a 21st century utility and turn plans into action for a clean energy future.^[76]

Why I'm Running
Too many of our children are living in poverty. Racial injustice is a crisis of both our morals and our public health. Our schools are failing students and their teachers.

Housing inequity, homelessness and lead paint poisoning are at crisis levels. Our public transportation system is in disrepair. Minority infant mortality rates, addiction and mental health issues go unaddressed in a city with world class medical facilities. Quality jobs with higher wages are needed to help our people lift themselves up.

All the while, a stagnant, toxic culture in City Hall has little to show for all their years in office. They’ve squandered our tax dollars and partnered with bad-faith actors.

Black Lives Matter
Politics and policy cannot matter more than black lives. Working in our court system for over seven years, I saw the law applied unfairly against minorities time and again. We have to fight this injustice daily and affect change by lobbying the state and doing whatever we can at the municipal level. Instituting curfews and bans cannot be the answer when we know how unevenly those laws will be enforced.

Current budget estimates have the city spending $218 Million on police in 2020. Rather than spending less, let’s spend it differently. Let’s spend more on our people and less on weapons. Let’s put that money toward education and innovations in community policing that will achieve more humanitarian results for the people of our city, and comply with Federal decrees and recommendations toward those ends.

We’re running out of time to bring our city into an actual renaissance, based on real leadership and inspired direction rather than catchy slogans, fleeting glamor from one-off events and shiny pet development projects.

We must come together to determine the direction that we want this city to go in, what reforms need to be made to get us there, and which leaders we need making those decisions.

The Hard Truth
The Mayor, City Council and too many other of our elected leaders make decisions based not on what is best for rank-and-file Clevelanders or the best practices for our city, but rather the fear of angering campaign financiers that reside outside of city limits.

The Right Future
Decisions that put Cleveland children, residents, local business and our civic institutions first will only be made by leaders who won’t cater to a broken campaign finance system. We must create a more democratic government by Clevelanders and for Clevelanders, through amendments to the City Charter put forth to the people:

• Immediate Public Comment for all City Council Meetings.
• Restrict individual donations to City of Cleveland candidates to a maximum of $750 a year (currently $5,000 per year mayoral and $1,500 per year for a councilperson)
• Restrict corporate donations to a maximum of $250 to a City of Cleveland candidate (currently $7,500 mayoral and $3,000 per year for a councilperson).
• Mayor and Council Members may not run for the same government position if they have served in that position for 5 years as of the date of the next election (This allows for 2 full terms in 8 years for new representatives).
• Primary elections for future council and mayoral elections will occur during Presidential primary years, with general elections occuring during Presidential election years.
• No more appointments for vacant Council or Mayoral seats.

When City Council voted overwhelmingly to increase campaign contribution limits in 2016, attentive taxpayers and those who closely follow policy gained an understanding of why we find ourselves in our current state. Ohioans need only look to present day events to see the influence of corporate money in government. Cleveland will not be able to compete with neighboring, similarly situated cities on a humanitarian or business level until we institute a system that ensures better leadership. We remain a city with great geographic and cultural advantages, but until we fix this broken system, the poor results and population loss will persist.

Other Ross DiBello for Mayor platform issues include:

• Recast the yearly budget as a Moral Document.
• Ensure a transparent, representative government that treats all Clevelanders equally by putting an end to crony capitalism and unfair, unjustified handouts of taxpayer money.
• Unite all 17 Wards and 34 Cleveland neighborhoods.
• Continuous community education to foster knowledge and appreciation of our diverse population.
• Demand the Ohio Lottery renegotiate with the City of Cleveland.
• Gun Buybacks and Criminal Justice Reform.
• Prioritize public transportation, recycling, green spaces, schools, police, fire departments, libraries and other services.
• Create more affordable living units within the city, not just high-priced condos.
• Increase innovation in public education.
• Rethink philanthropic financing and seek out global philanthropic interests in struggling urban areas.
• Close Burke Lakefront Airport and create a vibrant lakefront with endless live/work/learn possibilities for Clevelanders.

With our current system, Clevelanders need to be aware that the Mayor they elect in 2021 could certainly still be campaigning in 2041 with a message that “there’s more work to be done.” That Mayor will outraise any ordinary, competent working resident of this city that wants to change it for the better. Now is our chance to secure a better future for our city and its people. If not, we’ll suffer the consequences for decades to come.

Democracy affords us the opportunity to set a high standard for our city. Will we continue to accept having the highest rate of child poverty in the country?

If the last five years are any indication, we know that once this election is over, the fat and happy residents of City Hall won’t be moved to action by any number of our signatures on any ballot initiative we put forth. If we act now, we can evict these negligent tenants and reclaim Cleveland government for Clevelanders.

Please join me in my campaign to reform Cleveland now and forever. Together we can make common sense, tangible changes that the current collection of lifelong politicians propped up by wealthy donors will never even bother to address.

The only way this situation changes is if Clevelanders are willing to act, speak the truth and become politically active in 2021.^[76]

Create a 21st Century Department of Public Safety

• Merge Divisions of Fire & EMS, saving millions while enhancing service.
• Create robust Community Policing policies.
• Install police mini-stations, at least one in every ward.
• Restore a working relationship between Mayor and Public Safety forces, including an appropriate pay raise for Division of Police.
• Restore a fully staffed Mounted Police Unit.
• We will create mobile crisis units staffed with therapists and mental health experts.

Education

• We will have coordination with post-secondary opportunities (universities, building trades, entrepreneurship, and workforce development) for children and adults.
• We will have wraparound services for all children and families to ensure their health, social, and educational needs are met.
• We will ensure the full weight of the city is around education.
• We will listen to teachers and parents to ensure they receive the respect and honor they deserve.

Restore Trust in City Government

• We will bring trust and transparency back to the city.
• We will upgrade technology to make processes more efficient.
• We will hold more open forums and town hall meetings.
• We will cultivate an inclusive and equitable economy where all businesses can thrive.
• We will attract new businesses.

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An Inclusive, Innovative, Community-Based Approach to Public Safety
Every resident of Cleveland has the right to be safe in their home. Every resident of Cleveland has a right to live in a neighborhood that is safe for themselves and their family. There is nothing more important. Even if we do everything else right, if we can’t guarantee safe neighborhoods for our residents, our city cannot thrive.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on many pre-existing issues, including public safety. The rates of some violent crimes have risen in all major American cities, including Cleveland. But that fact only highlights how interconnected health and economic issues are with public safety.

My public safety strategy recognizes the complexity of this issue by being inclusive, innovative, and above-all, community-based.

Neighborhood Safety Centers

As with all my initiatives, my efforts start at a neighborhood level. I believe in a local, community-oriented staffing and deployment strategy. My plan would establish Neighborhood Safety Centers in each of Cleveland’s seventeen wards. These facilities would provide a local, walkable resource for residents with public safety concerns. Community Resource officers based out of these locations would truly engage with residents, participating in bike patrols, foot patrols, and attending neighborhood meetings and festivals. All of this is consistent with encouraging a “guardian” mentality as opposed to a “warrior” culture within the police department.

Response Times

A rapid and timely response is a crucial component of effective policing. When a resident calls the police, they expect and deserve a timely response. I have heard far too many complaints about slow response times for basic calls for service. Because of staffing levels, too often our Division of Police has had to rely on a worst-first approach – in other words, being so deluged with high priority calls that the quality-of-life complaints are put on the back burner. This is a kind of triage strategy that allows smaller neighborhood issues to sometimes fester and grow into more serious situations. Appropriate staffing levels combined with Neighborhood Public Safety Center-based staffing can help address this problem.

Full Staffing of Special Units

It was revealed in recent years that many key units of CPD have been chronically understaffed. Insufficient staffing of units like Homicide, Sex Crimes, and Domestic Violence is completely unacceptable. When units like these are not staffed appropriately, the solving of crimes are delayed, or they go unsolved entirely. This allows the perpetrators to offend again, creating even more victims, and adding to the cycle of violence and undermining faith in the justice system. We owe it to the victims of crime to fully staff these units so that justice can be swiftly served.

Coordination with Social Services

Cleveland cannot police its way out of crime. For fifteen years, I worked as a social worker in the neighborhoods of Cleveland. I worked with incarcerated individuals in the county jail, and I saw so many people who went down the wrong path and then found themselves trapped in the maze of the criminal justice system. Our public safety strategy must use a collaborative approach with our human services resources. Not every neighborhood dispute requires an armed police officer, and sometimes, a more lasting solution can be found by addressing the underlying human needs that sparked the conflict in the first place. We can’t just look to prosecute or arrest our way out of every situation, and my experience as a councilman, advocate, human services professional, and community volunteer has taught me that a more balanced approach is the right strategy.

Juvenile Intervention

I believe in stopping the cycle of violence before it starts. Nothing is more tragic than a young person turning to violence – they are negatively impacting both the victim’s life and their own future. The city can do more to provide hope to young people, especially through our jobs program. Every child in Cleveland needs to know that they have a real, positive future – real job training, a real career, free community college, and a real job, right now.

Complimentary Neighborhood Services

Consistent with my neighborhood and holistic approach to safety, part of my plan includes the effective deployment of other city services. A failure to provide comprehensive neighborhood services helps lead to an environment where crime can thrive – vacant lots, abandoned houses, abusive slum landlords, trash in the streets, decaying streets, and sidewalks. The city must do its part to maintain and beautify every street in order to foster pride and respect for each individual neighborhood.

Demilitarization of the Police

The law enforcement profession is meant to be a protective vocation, working collaboratively with the community to build a safe environment for everyone. This “benevolent guardian” mentality is in contrast with a negative trend that has emerged across the country of a “warrior culture”, that treats the community as a war zone and prioritizes military or paramilitary tactics. This approach can unfortunately become self-fulfilling and can spiral out of control. My plan, building on best practices across the country, encourages the “guardian spirit,” beginning during the recruitment and training process, and continuing throughout a police officer’s career.

Racial Justice and Policing

The death of George Floyd and its aftermath served to underscore simmering racial issues that have been a fact of life across America and right here in Cleveland. The consent decree that CPD has been operating under has helped point the way in some respects, but we still have a long way to go. One long term strategy is to recruit a police force that is more reflective of our diverse community. Recruitment strategies must begin earlier – working with our high schools and community colleges to demonstrate that law enforcement can be a way to truly serve and protect the city – and the people – we love.

Addressing the Root Cause of Crime – Poverty

It is not a coincidence that crime spikes when the economy is depressed, as happened just last year. Many people turn to crime out of sheer economic desperation and an absence of hope for the future. Every Cleveland resident must have hope that they can get a family sustaining job. My jobs plan will put thousands of Cleveland residents to work, providing both an economic lifeline and self-respect. This is a hard-working town, and Clevelanders want to work. Providing them with job opportunities makes economic sense and creates safer neighborhoods at the same time.

Decriminalizing Non-Violent Drug Offenses

It is perfectly clear to almost everyone that the War on Drugs is a failure. Billions if not trillions of dollars were spent in a fruitless attempt to criminalize recreational drug use, and the laws have been unevenly enforced in a way that disproportionately affect people of color. I support treating low-level, non-violent drug offenses as a non-criminal matter. I also believe in fully funding drug treatment for those battling addiction.

Help for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals

After someone has paid their debt to society and served a sentence in prison, we can’t view them as disposable. They must be re-integrated into society, or else the chances that they will reoffend are greatly increased. My plan includes support for the Governor’s expedited pardon plan. I also propose prioritizing expungement services, and I believe that our jobs programs should offer individuals with a criminal record a second chance. I plan to re-launch the successful Safe Surrender program, in partnership with the faith community. Only by appropriately funding all these kinds of re-entry programs can we hope to break the cycle of recidivism that has disproportionately affected our communities.

Gun Violence as a Public Health Crisis

The number of shootings in Cleveland is alarming and unacceptably high. As Mayor, I would direct the police and City prosecutors to target gun dealers, and I would strongly support state and national efforts to restrict the flow of weapons into our city. I also support the work of the Office of Prevention, Intervention, and Opportunity for Youth and Young Adults. Reaching young people at the neighborhood recreation centers, dealing with toxic stress and interrupting the cycle of violence are keys to our success. These types of violence interrupter programs have been proven to work, and they offer a non-incarceration strategy that should be a part of our public safety toolkit. This balanced approach recognizes both the seriousness of the violence and the underlying causes that lead to its prevalence. President Biden’s recently introduced infrastructure bill includes $5 billion for violence prevention programs, and Cleveland should aggressively pursue our share of these dollars.

Workforce Development: Supporting Career Paths for Clevelanders
Clevelanders need jobs. Cleveland’s industries need skilled, qualified workers. It is unconscionable that the same community can have unemployment and underemployment coexisting with available, family-sustaining jobs.

Cleveland has many unemployed and underemployed people who are yearning for opportunities. Cleveland also has strong industries that are facing a critical shortage of workers to fill available jobs. And the jobs that are available are family-sustaining, career jobs; jobs in healthcare, jobs in skilled manufacturing, jobs in information services and the skilled trades.

And while Cleveland currently has many projects and organizations working to increase training opportunities to alleviate skills gaps, provide tuition assistance, and generally increase job opportunities across the region, we are not solving the problem.

So while the concept of “workforce development” has been discussed for years, it is clear that we now need different strategies and a renewed sense of urgency to solve this problem – and what I believe is the greatest threat to our economy.

The Path Forward for Workforce Development

First, recognize that our inability to properly train and educate our citizens for jobs and careers in our strongest industries is a threat to continued economic growth. I will treat this issue with an absolute sense of urgency.

Second, realize that we cannot fail our children from K-12 and then think a job training program can make them career ready. We need to ask hard questions regarding where we are falling short and why our current programs are not solving the problem.

Third, form a coalition of leaders in industry, education, trades, and affected people to redefine the issue, determine what the economy needs, what is working, and what is not. I will focus on identifying the employment needs of industry and the economy as a starting point. We must then design a community strategy based on the needs of employers to get our residents working.

But industry must be a part of solving this problem. And our education system needs to begin career readiness in grade school and continue within curriculum through graduation.

The Availability of Jobs and Careers

A December 2020 report by Team NEO indicates that there were over 300,000 job postings in Northeast Ohio from March thru October of 2020. Healthcare and social assistance represented about 60,000 of these openings, with the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals posting almost 13,000 of this number.

The most requested core skill was communications (over 79,000 postings) and 80% of the overall postings did not require a postsecondary degree.

However, the availability of jobs is only one aspect of the challenge of a successful workforce strategy. This is a complicated endeavor for multiple reasons – but at least one is that the path from high school, to training or college, to a job and then a career, is not well designed or established. We often hear about the large number of jobs in a particular industry that are not being filled – and some express surprise that this continues to happen – but workforce development is multifaceted.

If you have or know children of high school age, you are well aware of the way that a conversation about choice of study and careers unfolds, and probably how it went for you at that age, as well. Young people are encouraged to finish high school, many to enter college, and many to go straight from high school to a trade or other work opportunity. But the conversation and process for choosing a career as part of that process is still somewhat random.

Our educational system is just not set up to support this process strategically. There is talk of careers, internships, exploring opportunities – but it does not reflect an intentional focus on career paths. And perhaps most importantly, many in-demand jobs and careers may not fit the interests of a student finishing high school and about to take the next step. When the world opens up for those about to graduate from high school, future economic security and stable employment may not be an immediate priority for young people in this position.

This process is an even larger challenge for low-income students and students of color who may not have easy access to internship opportunities or other resources that support the beginning of a career path. And while there are efforts to address this issue, disparities and equity issues remain a problem. Addressing inequity in workforce development is a high priority for me.

And while workforce strategies can focus on young people, we also need to provide meaningful services to all adults, particularly for those who face barriers to employment – such as those reentering the workforce after incarceration, or those facing other challenges from the impact of a variety of social determinants that affect physical and mental health, but impact other aspects of life as well.

Elements that can be Built Upon

While the City and Cuyahoga County jointly manage the Cuyahoga Workforce Development Board, which is part of many meaningful efforts to address this problem, city government needs a greater focus on workforce development. As Mayor, I will dedicate greater resources to this effort.

Current strategies underway include the following:

• CMSD and Say Yes to Education: The Say Yes to Education program has raised over $90 million from private sources to greatly reduce the barrier of paying for college tuition or job training – as well as wrap-around services – for Cleveland Metropolitan School District students. I also support and will work to enhance CMSD’s efforts to build a career path for students not planning to attend a 2- or 4-year college.

• Workforce Connect: This is a partnership with the City, the County, local philanthropy, and other stakeholder-funders. It is a strategy focused on three key employment sectors – manufacturing, health care, and information technology – to work closely with employers to understand their talent needs and to support those seeking jobs to get the right training to be ready to work in those industries. I will ensure that this kind of thoughtful strategy is supported and continues to make progress.

• Cuyahoga County Workforce Development Board: This important community resource provides workforce support for the variety of job seekers – and is well integrated into all local workforce strategies and programs. I will support their efforts to assess future needs and explore how the City can enhance their services.

Future Strategies Needed

• Mayor’s Office Workforce Position: In addition to the City’s support for the Workforce Development Board, I will appoint a dedicated staff person in the Mayor’s Office whose primary responsibility is supporting workforce development strategies in our community – working with existing efforts and exploring how to take these efforts to a higher level.

• COVID-19 Workforce Recovery: The impact of COVID-19 has fallen disproportionately on people of color and low-income families – both in health outcomes and in layoffs, permanent job losses, and economic status. Working with the City’s Department of Economic Development, I will promote an inclusive recovery that focuses on racial and economic equity and provides an opportunity for all Clevelanders to recover from this most difficult challenge.

• Place-Based Approach to Workforce Development: At an Urban Institute conference held in December 2020, place-based approaches were highlighted as a key element of recovering from COVID-19 – but also as a way to revolutionize how workforce development is done. Cleveland needs a neighborhood-by-neighborhood strategy to understand individual community needs and provide workforce service tailored to those needs.

Conclusion

Workforce development is an absolute priority with an urgency that must be elevated in the civic dialogue – because it serves both Cleveland residents and Cleveland-area employers trying to build and expand their businesses.

It is imperative that we pledge to be a constructive partner to those organizations doing work in this area now – and examine how the City can best advance these efforts to come closer to meeting the needs of all Clevelanders, particularly of those populations that have been historically excluded.

Supporting families with Paid Parental Leave for City Employees
Suriname, Papua New Guinea, and the United States. What do these countries have in common? These are the only countries in the entire world that do not guaranteed paid leave for new parents. Instead, America has a uniquely burdensome system that forces new parents to exhaust their entire paid time off allowance on leave to care for their newly born or adopted children.

The City of Cleveland must – at the very least – commit to removing our corner of the country off this embarrassing list. While the Biden Administration might someday pass some minimum level of paid family leave, we cannot assume that federal action will provide employees with financial security.

Being a City employee should not be something one has to balance against having a family. The birth of a child is a pivotal moment in a family. It is a joyful experience as new relationships are formed. It is an extremely difficult physical experience for the mother. It is also the beginning of the child’s cognitive development – which many studies show can be positively or negatively impacted by the initial bonding period between parent and child.

Adoption has its own joys and family stresses – unique to the age and situation of the child – that require the parental focus and attention.

Regardless of how a family grows, it is a stressful undertaking and a challenging transition for a household.

Why Paid Parental Leave?

To make it easier for parents to fully engage with their new responsibilities, paid parental leave has is almost universally mandated outside of America. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) tracks paid parental leave worldwide and shows showing more gains for families in the rest of the world.

For example, in Africa, more than 30 countries mandate 12 weeks or more at 100% of pay for new mothers. In the rest of the Americas, the least generous level is 12 weeks at half pay, while most countries offer 12 weeks or more at full pay. Across Europe, in addition to at least four months of fully paid maternity leave, most countries offer six months of additional paid family leave to one or both parents, some offer paid prenatal leave, and some offer as much as 3 years of additional paid leave.

But in the United States, government policy – or lack thereof – adds financial stress onto birth and/or adoption. The US Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) does not provide or require paid parental leave. Instead, parents are asked to use saved sick and vacation leave, forgo their pay entirely, or neglect health and developmental care for themselves and their child.

In fact, the situation is most difficult for the demographic that is most likely to have children – younger, new employees who traditionally earn the lowest pay, have the least amount of savings, the most debt – and who will have had the least ability to save up sick leave or vacation.

For families who cannot financially afford to go without wages for any amount of time, there is simply no choice. Mothers return to work too early to allow full recovery time post-pregnancy, and parents cannot be fully present during their child’s first months. If leave was used for recovery and bonding time, the routine and even urgent appointments might have to be skipped for both parent and child. This is unacceptable. Even when leave is available, a relatively new worker would have to forego sick or vacation days for years to come to compensate for that leave.

In a city with such poor and racially disproportionate outcomes in infant and maternal mortality, household incomes, and career advancement – and one with a population that continues to both shrink and age – offering good family leave is both a matter of justice and self-interest.

Offering Paid Parental Leave to City Employees

Currently, the City of Cleveland offers no more than the bare minimum required by FMLA. It would take a new employee 2.5 years of employment at the City without taking a single day off to save up for the 12 weeks that FMLA purportedly offers. Then, they must begin saving again if they want to have another child 3 years later – leaving nothing left for routine doctor appointments and illnesses, much less to deal with any medical complications.

In the past 5 years, Columbus and Cincinnati have both begun offering 4 to 6 weeks of partially paid leave, and Cuyahoga County has offered two weeks of fully paid leave. Of course, those policies still rank those jurisdictions among the worst in the world. The recently adopted parental leave policy for federal employees is a better target: 12 weeks of fully paid leave for both parents – with no impact on the employee’s accrued leave.

The question before the City is what level of leave it can afford. We should review our finances and recent use of FMLA for births and adoptions and implement the largest period of fully paid leave it can reasonably offer.

We should avoid the temptation to stretch six weeks of full pay into 12 weeks of half pay, just to claim the number. Cost-sharing arrangements between the employer and employee, advance-leave programs, and other complex schemes should also be avoided.

These restrictions create an administrative burden for the City, make the benefits more difficult to use and will send a message to employees that we are more concerned about cheating or penny-pinching than making it easier to have or adopt a child while being an employee. However, if the benefit is clear and fair, it will instead improve morale and retention among our employees.

The policy could be implemented as Mayor Jackson did with a citywide minimum wage – first to non-union employees, and then negotiated into union contracts as they next come up for revision.

Beyond the basic paid leave, the City should engage in a full review of other aspects of family leave – for example, how it is available to part-time employees, and how any remaining unpaid period affects eligibility for medical and retirement benefits.

The goal should be that the City place no undue burden on employees with a new child. This is a minimum benefit that all Americans deserve. It should not be considered a handout or a special incentive to attract city employees.

I firmly believe that being a City employee should not be something one has to balance against having a family.

Addressing the Digital Divide: A Digital Inclusion Strategy for Cleveland
The time to merely talk about addressing the digital divide in Cleveland must come to an end. City government must lead the development and creation of broadband internet access for all city residents, and the necessary support technology to create universal digital inclusion across our community. As a Brookings Institution study from March 2020 reports:

While the average broadband adoption rate for households in Cleveland’s majority-white neighborhoods is 81.2%, the average is just 63% in Black-majority neighborhoods, based on 2018 American Community Survey 5-year data. Broadband adoption is both a lagging and leading indicator of economic growth and prosperity, meaning these numbers are a sign of the existing economic inequities in Black communities as well as the barriers to greater prosperity in the future.

Defining the Digital Divide

What is the digital divide? To me, it is simple: those with access to technology will be able to participate in the knowledge economy, and those who do not have access will be left behind. Digital inclusion means more than access to Wi-Fi networks. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance defines digital inclusion as:

(T)he activities necessary to ensure that all individuals and communities, including the most disadvantaged, have access to and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). This includes 5 elements:

1. affordable, robust broadband internet service

2. internet-enabled devices that meet the needs of the user

3. access to digital literacy training

4. quality technical support

5. applications and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation, and collaboration

The pandemic has heightened the awareness and relevance of the digital divide in Cleveland. Access for students, professionals and others who need the ability to work from a residence or remote location has ceased to be a luxury and is now a necessity. The problem in Cleveland is serious and is a glaring example of inequity in our community.

My Record on Digital Inclusion

For these reasons, I held a City Council hearing in August to begin to tackle the gap in internet access that has prevented as many as two-thirds of Cleveland school children from receiving their education remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic. As I said then:

Now is the time to strike. The goal is to come up with a plan that City Council can be a partner in … and support to get to the finish line, which is to provide affordable, accessible service to all Clevelanders.

I brought free Wi-Fi service to Ward 13 in 2010 – a process not without challenges and that served as a significant learning experience. The result, however, was that every resident in my Ward had access to the internet through a public system. We must bring this opportunity to everyone who lives in Cleveland.

Solution: An Office of Digital Equity

From Boston to New Orleans and Seattle to Louisville, cities are tackling different aspects of the problem – including network gaps, affordable devices, and subscriptions, and skill development.

As Brookings noted in another paper, “broadband has become essential infrastructure” in our society, and our newest kind of utility service must be provided, universally. If elected, I propose creating a Cleveland Office of Digital Equity and its required infrastructure.

This office would address the comprehensive list of issues noted above that make digital inclusion possible:

• Understanding Community Needs: We have a general idea of the elements of the digital divide, but we need to first speak with and gain greater understanding of how Cleveland residents see this problem. We need to listen and create an action plan.
• Access to Networks: The most crucial element of digital inclusion is the ability for all residents to access affordable wireless services. Through a combination of infrastructure improvements and partnerships with private and non-profit entities, Cleveland can meet this goal. But this will require resources and will likely involve the build-out of access points throughout the neighborhoods.
• Affordable Devices and Subscriptions: The Covid-19 pandemic has forced immediate action on making devices available to students. A Digital Equity office could expand this effort – while also partnering with existing broadband providers for expansion of low-cost subscriptions.
• Digital Skill Development: Digital equity is not created by equipment and subscriptions alone. Skill development is a necessity for students, workers, senior citizens, and all residents in order to truly address this issue.

Digital inclusion is a particularly challenging issue, and I will always be transparent and realistic about what can be done and how quickly. But I am certain that this is an absolute priority for Cleveland, and I will jumpstart this effort as Mayor.

Corporate Greed, Example #1 – DoorDash: Ripping off the CLE
It is no secret that the pandemic has unleashed new examples of corporate greed. Here in the CLE, DoorDash is Example #1. Here’s what I’m doing about it.

DoorDash is a 3rd-party food-delivery “gig” company that launched in Palo Alto, CA in early 2013. During the COVID-19 pandemic, DoorDash became the fastest-growing meal-delivery service in the country. It is now valued at about $50 billion.

On the very day Cleveland City Council passed an ordinance designed to help small businesses, drivers, and consumers, DoorDash had its initial public offering (IPO). It instantly made them a multi-billion-dollar, publicly traded corporation.

Now, this newly-minted corporation has become exceedingly rich – in part, due to the COVID 19 pandemic. At the moment of its IPO in late 2020, DoorDash was valued at $46.98 billion.

In response to this greed, Council passed legislation to limit the fees DoorDash and others can charge our local restaurants to 15% – simply in an effort to help these small businesses survive. This limit is less than the typical 30% charged. Mayor Jackson signed the law soon after and it went into immediate effect because it was passed as an emergency.

Then, trying to circumvent our local law, DoorDash started charging customers an extra $1 per delivery and calling it the “Cleveland fee” – fleecing our residents big time. DoorDash’s arrogance, gall and greed is simply astounding.

DoorDash is mistaken if they think we will sit idly by and allow them to continue to overcharge Cleveland residents to line their own pockets. As Mayor, I will work with City Council to continue to investigate options to rein in corporate greed. Stay tuned.

Housing Instability: Creation of the Cleveland Affordable Housing Commission
The effects of housing instability can be – and often are – devastating to families in Cleveland. I view this issue as a core challenge to our community – a challenge that needs to be both understood and regarded as a key priority for city government.

Following the example of cities like St. Louis, Missouri, I will create the Cleveland Affordable Housing Commission (CAHC) – to take a broader and more comprehensive approach to enhancing our City’s work in this area.

Introduction

After graduating from college and returning to Cleveland, I began work as a Jesuit Volunteer Corps member – assigned to do social work at the West Side Catholic Center. After that, I spent many years at Recovery Resources, a Cleveland mental health agency.

I quickly learned that my clients with mental health needs had challenges and problems similar to many people – but in other ways, their needs were much greater and more serious. In addition to the support and encouragement they needed to help them maintain regular therapeutic care and medication compliance, they also needed support to overcome other challenges – like finding or maintaining stable housing.

My work with Recovery Resources was my first exposure to the massive problem of housing instability in Cleveland, a challenge shared in many communities in the United States. The problem stems from poverty, the lack of affordable housing, and an inadequate federally subsidized housing system. This also spurred my interest to develop the Right to Counsel program, for tenants facing eviction in Cleveland Housing Court.

Nature of the Problem

Residential instability has been defined by The Urban Institute as “when the frequency of residential mobility in a household or individual is high or occurs in short intervals.” While moving from one residence to another can be positive, forced moves can trigger instability – which can lead to housing insecurity, which can lead to homelessness or other harmful outcomes for a vulnerable family.

As noted above, the effects of housing instability can be – and often are – devastating to families in Cleveland. This is a core challenge we must treat as a priority.

Causing of Housing Instability

In the article referenced above, The Urban Institute convened 40 practitioners, advocates, public officials, researchers, and funders to discuss insights and policy solutions to address residential instability. They identified several major causes of instability, including individual and household characteristics, housing conditions, neighborhood and housing market dynamics, and lack of assistance and safety net support.

• Individual and Household Characteristics: Families in poverty, or who experience income or benefit changes, job loss, family conflict or physical and mental health challenges are at greater risk to housing instability. Children in low-income families were 4 times more likely to experience residential instability (5 or more moves) as compared to children in families with incomes double or more of the federal poverty level (p.3)A key aspect of the challenge for poor families is the percent of income dedicated to rent. The number of renters paying more than 30% of income on rent (a common benchmark) was at almost 21 million households in 2016, translating to 83% of very low-income renters who face that challenge. Paying an excessive percentage of income on rent results in the obvious need to cut back on other household essentials (p. 4). Income and benefit volatility play a major role for low-income families as well. In one study cited by The Urban Institute, low-income families had income at 25% above or below their average level over a 5-month period. Factors other than income can also have a major impact. Families with children face obstacles because of occupancy limits, pressure to find new homes quickly, and family discrimination.
• Housing Conditions: Poor conditions in housing – including damage or other code violations related to health or safety – can lead to conflicts with landlords and a higher likelihood of eviction. The Joint Center for Housing Studies (2015) reports that 1 out of 7 affordable housing units is “physically inadequate” – which can include environmental hazards that cause or contribute to health conditions and developmental harms to children.Because most low-income rental housing units are not owned by conglomerates but by individual landlords, there can be limited property-management experience and financial reserves – which can lead to substandard housing quality.
• Neighborhood and Housing Market Dynamics: Neighborhood-level challenges – such as safety, vacancy, and changes in market conditions – can make housing instability worse. Broader market conditions make an even greater impact. There are only 45 adequate, affordable housing units for every 100 extremely low-income renter households in the United States (Getsinger study, p. 5). Large urban counties face a greater shortage and competition for adequate units among low-income households which reduces the likelihood of long-term tenancy. The long-term effects of exclusionary zoning, racial segregation and housing discrimination are an obvious element of the problem. A housing study found that nonwhite families seeking housing are told about and shown fewer homes and apartments than white families, leading to fewer housing options.
• Lack of Assistance and Safety Net Support, Other Systems: Federal assistance for low-income renters is inadequate and has not kept up with increased demand. In a 2015 report, 1 in 4 eligible households received assistance (p. 6). Additionally, incarceration patterns and reentry challenges can harm family stability – resulting in increased instability.

Consequences of Housing Instability

Housing instability is possibly the most impactful of all challenges faced by low-income families. The Urban Institute report identifies several primary areas of concern, including education, health, financial security and employment, and social and neighborhood stability.

• Education: Children who move frequently have much worse academic outcomes than their peers with greater housing stability – a well-known concern to educators (p.7). For schools with frequent student turnover among a low-income population, the effects are multiplied in relation to need for support services and impact on the learning climate.
• Health: Instability can lead to homelessness – which has an obvious impact on a family’s health. And, housing-quality issues related to lead paint, mold and moisture, or other safety concerns can have a direct impact on children’s health and development. The Lead Safe Cleveland program, an initiative I helped create in partnership with Councilman Blaine Griffin, the current Administration, and a wide variety of community stakeholders and funders, helps to address this challenge.
• Financial Security and Employment: Relocation in and of itself carries a financial cost – including the housing search, security deposits, and moving expenses. Frequent moves can also impact employment prospects, when job applicants are scrutinized for their residential history and/or credit history, or when housing instability affects attendance at work or ability to complete a training program.
• Social and Neighborhood Stability: Often forgotten is the impact of housing instability on a family’s ability to build social capital and neighborhood strength. High turnover prevents neighbors from building social structures and working together to solve individual and community issues, or to participate in broader community policy development.

Solutions to Residential and Housing Instability

Addressing housing instability in Cleveland requires the will to understand the problem and take concerted action to address it – while assuring that goals are set, and outcomes are measured as part of the process.

A wide variety of solutions to the problem have been identified, as follows:

• Improve the collection of meaningful data on the problem;
• Augment housing services and tenant supports;
• Address issues in the legal system related to evictions and housing quality;
• Create a connection between housing and family support services – including educational systems, health, and other social services; and
• Advocate for improvement in federal funding and support for low-income housing

These are all important, and any meaningful plan will include these elements. But to truly make an impact, the City needs to focus its attention on increasing the availability and supply of affordable housing in all its neighborhoods.

The creation of housing trust funds has been successful in some communities, as well as using bond issuances to support housing development. Support for “accessory dwelling units” (ADUs) has been suggested and implemented in some locations. As Lead Safe Cleveland has demonstrated, any successful effort will include landlords in the process — many of whom own a small number of properties and can benefit from training and support. A focus on housing supply is key, and Cleveland needs a method and vehicle for making this happen.

Creation of the Cleveland Affordable Housing Commission

While Cleveland has supported residential development and the building and retention of affordable housing in the city, there is a need to take a broader and more comprehensive step to enhance the work in this area.

Following the example of cities like St. Louis, MO, I will create the Cleveland Affordable Housing Commission (CAHC). In 2001, St. Louis voters supported the creation of an Affordable Housing Trust Fund, and its Affordable Housing Commission (AHC) was implemented to oversee the fund. Every year, the AHC:

…awards grants to non-profit and faith-based organizations and loans to housing developers working with community and housing organizations to fuel community-driven housing solutions. It is through this framework that the Trust Fund capitalizes on its financial strength, social commitment, brain trust, organizational muscle, and volunteer energy of our partner agencies. (St. Louis Affordable Housing Commission Report to the Community, 2020)

In 2020, the St. Louis AHC awarded almost $6 million to fund 48 programs in support of a variety of affordable housing programs and projects, and over $25 million in low-interest loans to 6 housing developments. The return has been almost $19 for every trust fund dollar invested. Since its founding, the AHC has awarded $32.9 million into developing 3,821 homes – and these developments have invested a total of $650 million in the City of St. Louis to address the issue of housing instability.

Cleveland has the knowledge, expertise, and community stakeholders to implement an Affordable Housing Commission. As Council President, my involvement in and support for the Right to Counsel and Lead Safe Cleveland has only increased my interest in taking a bolder step to support housing stability. As Mayor, I promise to bring the political will and actions necessary to do so to the equation.

Tough Lessons from Covid-19: Investing in Cleveland’s Public Health
Local elected officials are uniquely positioned to help their communities manage the economic and health impact of COVID-19 and address the severe chronic inequities exposed by the pandemic. As City Council President, I have witnessed both the challenges and great strengths of our city. As Mayor, I will invest in our public health system to help improve health outcomes and reduce the inequities many of our residents face every day.

Cleveland, like many mid-sized American cities, faces some of the nation’s most entrenched and difficult challenges. Poverty, poor public health, and a lack of consistent investment over the years have exacerbated our community’s public health problems.

An effective public health system impacts more than health – it also directly impacts our systems around the economy and good jobs, housing, food, education and childcare, neighborhood development, and others.

Lessons Learned

At the time of this writing, the country is still in the midst of the pandemic. Vaccines are available and rolling out, the curve is beginning to flatten, but this heartache will be with us for months to come. By early 2021, Cleveland has lost over 200 residents; Cuyahoga County has lost over 1,160 residents; and, across the state, we’ve lost more than 11,000.

Now, we must act upon the lessons learned from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic – and our public officials must lead our community out of this crisis and help prepare us for the next emergency.

In doing so, we can create a more responsive, flexible, and resilient public health and healthcare system. There are plenty of opportunities ahead if we apply the lessons learned as a call to action and roadmap for preparedness.

Response and Recovery

Clevelanders are tough enough to meet any challenge, and our response to this crisis proved that yet again. When called upon to follow the new health policies set by the state, we did not complain – we got to work. Essential workers showed up and got the job done. Healthcare professionals, grocery store employees, food bank staff, police, and EMS were ready. Teachers moved to online, remote instruction. Businesses, governmental agencies, and nonprofit organizations made changes so that people could work from home.

No other city of our size has the wealth of medical institutions and resources of Cleveland, and we, strategically, put this to use during the crisis. Our systems worked together and adapted to ever-changing guidelines. The hospitals worked with the local public health community to share information, develop protocols, redeploy staff, and set up auxiliary hospital space where needed.

Unfortunately, the public health response to the pandemic also has exposed many weaknesses in the system. It has revealed all the racial and gender inequities that we experience every day, especially for individuals and people of color in lower-income communities.

Sadly, we were not fully prepared – and we must no longer look past known systemic issues and if we hope to fully recover and thrive. Sustainable improvement requires acknowledgement of our weaknesses and building upon our assets.

Leading the City Forward

While this pandemic has exposed racial and income disparities in our health outcomes, these inequities were not caused by the pandemic. We have known for many years that health outcomes in Cleveland are largely determined by one’s zip code. And we cannot continue to tolerate this disparity.

My initiatives to invest in and improve the City’s public health system will include the following:

• Reorganizing the Cleveland Department of Public Health and recruit and retain a high-quality epidemiology team.
• Reinvesting in a public health emergency response program, as we had post-9/11, including alignment with the city’s public safety and emergency services, and our healthcare systems.
• Creating a Health Disparities Advisory Council for the public health department that reflects our hard-working employees, other healthcare workers, hospital leadership, and nonprofit organizations. These people and organizations not only represent traditional public health – but are also responsible for job creation, emergency food distribution, housing justice, business associations, schools and higher education, aging, public transportation, and digital connectivity.
• Investing in additional mental health support services.
• Strengthening and refocusing our “Healthy Cleveland” program to address current needs and emerging public health issues.
• Continuing to strengthen our close working relationship with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and the Ohio Department of Health for seamless public health services across our community.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the defining challenge of our time. Smart cities will take lessons learned and put them into action. Cleveland cannot afford to remain status quo in the wake of this crisis.

We must have the will to build on our strengths and solve the problems that have been hindering our growth long before the pandemic. I will lead our community in doing so.

Transit and Transportation: Improving our Infrastructure
In the leadup to the arrival of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in 2016, a local film project known as “The Fixers” sought to highlight the challenges faced by low-income Clevelanders that otherwise would have been missed by the thousands of journalists who came to town to cover the convention.

One of the short films – The Fixers: Marvetta Rutherford (thefixerscleveland.com) – featured a Cleveland resident describing her experience as a regular user of public transportation. While this film is critical in nature and focuses on the flaws of our current system, I find it to be a moving and helpful lens through which to see the challenge of delivering effective public transit services in Cleveland.

Challenges Facing Greater Cleveland RTA

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is a crucial community resource and should be a policy priority for the City of Cleveland. It is true that the City appoints just four of the 10 board members (three by Cuyahoga County and three by the Cuyahoga Country Mayors and Managers Association).

Having said that, it is also true that here is an untapped opportunity for the Mayor of Cleveland and the City Administration to take a more active role to ensure the future success of RTA and greatly improve transit and transportation policy in our community.

In recent years, the organization has engaged in a thoughtful and painstaking assessment of where it stands, the challenges it faces, and potential improvements in the short- and long-term.

Like transit systems around the country, RTA is encountering major barriers to success. In a November 2020 Urban Institute report, Yonah Freemark summarizes the problem:

Poor-quality transit is common, particularly in low-income and Black communities. American transit options are notoriously poor, less frequent and less reliable than comparable systems abroad. That’s one reason only about 5 percent of US commuters use buses or trains.

Freemark also speaks to the variance in quality in different parts of the country – while the average New York City region resident takes 224 transit trips annually, the average Cleveland area resident takes about 10% of that amount. He also notes that transit resources are “subpar” and “unfairly distributed” for low-income people and people of color. For example, transit service in the areas with the highest poverty rates is 37% less comprehensive as compared to the wealthiest areas.

RTA faces its own unique set of obstacles, including:

• Ridership in the system has decreased 75% since its peak in 1980 and fell 31% between 2007 and 2017 (WSP report, October 2019);
• Population loss and outmigration have been major factors, as well as the dispersion of jobs and residents – particularly our residents who are dependent on public transit; and
• With Cleveland having one of the lowest percentages of car ownership – almost 24% of households do not own a car – there is a large group with this need, particularly to reach jobs that are further removed from the core city.

RTA also can point to strengths – including the success of the HealthLine Bus Rapid Transit project, and generally being in line with peers in relation to several industry benchmarks. However, new approaches and improvements are needed to reverse both the local and national trends facing urban transit systems.

Action Steps

As Mayor, I will commit to making transit policy an integral and routine priority of my Administration. RTA completed a thorough and meticulous strategic planning process in 2020 – and priorities and objectives for public transit in Greater Cleveland have been set forth.

I intend to support these objectives – particularly in relation to our community’s rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic – and our overall public transit system through the following actions:

• The city, county and other municipalities need to work in concert to support transit priorities most effectively. While broader regional collaboration is also important, I will start with a more collaborative approach among local governments in our county who make up the membership of the RTA board.
• This coordination is possibly most important in aligning economic development strategy with transportation policy – including a focus on transit-oriented development projects.
• We need a more effective local-advocacy strategy for federal policy makers and funders. With the intention of the Biden Administration to “provide every American city with 100,000 or more residents with high-quality, zero-emissions public transportation options,” we need to ensure that our local voices are unified and heard in Washington – and that Greater Cleveland is seen as a prime candidate for any pilot activities or projects.
• “Public transit” and transportation is much broader than the services provided by RTA. Any work we do in the transit sphere must incorporate complete and safe streets – including cycling and broader micro-mobility strategies – so that our transit and transportation systems are connected and aligned with all the ways that our residents make their way around Greater Cleveland. We have made some amount of progress in this domain, and as Mayor I will provide a more explicit focus on these and related challenges.
• I also pledge that equity will lie at the center of our work in transit and transportation. As noted above, the central challenges of our transit system relate to serving low-income and Black residents – and thus equity will guide and govern this work.

A Focus on Results

The challenge and promise of being Mayor include a nearly unlimited list of priorities that all need new, special, and creative attention. As Mayor of Cleveland, I will draw on my experience throughout my public service career of getting concrete things done. Simply floating ideas or discussing alternatives is not enough. Public transit and transportation is a good example of an area where concrete improvements are needed.

But addressing this problem is also an example of the formula I will use as Mayor – establish the issue as a priority in my office, put attention and resources toward the issue, seek collaboration outside of city government itself, and set goals and benchmarks to measure progress.

I have worked in government and politics long enough to see the interplay between campaign promises and real outcomes – and my intention is to make real promises that will result in meaningful improvements. Public transit and transportation policy needs real progress, and I intend to deliver on that promise as Mayor.

Protecting Clevelanders’ Right to Vote: A Bold, Year-Round Voter Engagement Program
The State of Ohio is intent on making voting as inconvenient and difficult as legally possible. During the 2020 election cycle, Ohio led the nation in a voter-purge law that made it to the United States Supreme Court. Further, Secretary of State Frank LaRose refused to allow more than one ballot drop box for Cuyahoga County’s 1.2 million people during the COVID19 pandemic.

But there is hope. Two years ago, the now-deceased Congressman John Lewis introduced his “For the People Act” with the following words:

The vote is the most powerful non-violent instrument of transformation we have in our democracy…and at the foundation of our system, it must be strengthened and preserved…

According to the Act, it intended “To expand Americans’ access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, and strengthen ethics rules for public servants, and for other purposes.”

Local Initiatives

Here in Cleveland, I intend to take Congressman Lewis’s lead and break down barriers to vote because our very democracy is at stake.

Voters in local elections face many barriers – and generally, voter turnout is dismal. Lack of information about voting laws, shrinking access to the polls, lack of transportation, conflicts with work hours, and cynicism, are compounded by a belief that “my vote doesn’t matter, so why bother?” This may also help explain why only 70% of eligible voters in the country are registered to vote.

Cleveland is no different and the state of Ohio has created even more barriers over the last several years. In the November 2020 national election, Cleveland saw a decrease in voting even though the voting increased overall in Cuyahoga County.

This must change.

I plan to take specific actions to address voter suppression on behalf of the voters of Cleveland.

Policy Efforts Underway

There are several key initiatives at the federal and state levels that can help increase local voter turnout and engagement. If enacted, they will support Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and Ohio, as well.

First is the above-noted “For the People Act” – passed by the House of Representatives in 2020. It now sits with the Senate that has a very slim Democratic majority and will need an extra effort from the Biden Administration to get it moving. If enacted, it would restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to its full strength.

Strong voting rights allow us to hold our elected officials accountable. Acts of voter suppression or gerrymandering make it more of a challenge for constituents to do so. Ohio has several statewide organizations fighting for equal access to the polls and fair district lines. This year is especially significant because, in 2021, the Ohio Redistricting Commission is charged with redrawing district lines with the 2020 data from the Census Bureau.

While voting rights are largely determined by state and federal legislation, there are many things that cities can do, as well.

Leading the City Forward

Cleveland is the largest city in Cuyahoga County – and we have a responsibility to provide leadership on improved voter protection and strengthened voting rights.

My administration will provide that leadership in the following ways:

• Establish a Voting Rights Task Force – bringing together leaders from local and statewide advocacy organizations and legal groups so that we can put forward strategies to improve civic engagement in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.
• Advocate with members of our delegation for the Ohio General Assembly to introduce and enact strong bipartisan legislation to provide more access to voting. This includes more ballot boxes in communities and same-day voter registration.
• Advocate to the Ohio Secretary of State to strengthen online voter registration and restrict voter purging based upon inactivity.
• Direct City departments that provide community education, health and social services, housing assistance, and other assistance to our residents to include voter registration information.
• Work with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and other school systems within the City to distribute voter registration information to eligible students to complete and submit to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
• Work with youth groups and encourage young leaders to server as poll workers.
• Work with local voter registration groups to help educate the public on ballot issues, voting rights, where and how they can register to vote.
• Support “Know Your Ballot” events organized by local synagogues, churches, and mosques.
• Work with the Greater Cleveland RTA to alleviate potential transportation barriers on election days.
• Join the National League of Cities’ “Cities Vote” initiative.

Cities are on the front line of civic engagement – and I will work to restore trust in a free, fair, and democratic voting system. In doing so, we will work for safe and easy voting, remove extraordinary requirements for voter access, and ensure transparency and accountability across the board.

Cleveland Jobs Now: The Largest Jobs Program in Cleveland Since the New Deal

Background

In 1935, Cleveland was in the depths of the Great Depression. Unemployment had skyrocketed since the 1929 economic collapse, and there was no end in sight. Something bold and dramatic had to be done to put Americans back to work and improve the country’s infrastructure at the same time. President Roosevelt’s response was to launch the WPA, the Works Progress Administration. Unemployed workers all over the country, including Cleveland, were put to work – improving the country while learning new skills. The WPA was big, bold, and it worked.

Our Current Challenge

Now in 2021, Cleveland is again facing an economic crisis that demands bold action. Like its New Deal predecessor, the Cleveland Jobs Now will be a massive jobs program – the biggest program of its kind in Cleveland since the original WPA. New federal funding has given Cleveland the resources we need to take decisive action. This Cleveland Jobs Now program will seize this moment and create a local jobs market where every Cleveland resident who wants work will have work.

With the myriad of challenges facing our neighborhoods, we need to hire and employ our own to solve these problems. Problems such as eliminating blight, bringing our housing stock up to code, and expanding neighborhood public art are just some ways the Cleveland Jobs Now can work.

This is Cleveland’s chance to launch our community forward and provide thousands of jobs along the way.

Types of Projects

There is no shortage of projects in need of money and workers. Here are just a few examples:

• Parks/Green Space/Playgrounds
• Streetscape Improvements (residential or commercial), including pedestrian safety elements
• Public Art (could fit with Parks/Streetscapes, etc.)
• Commercial Storefront Improvements
• Clean Energy Projects (solar panel installation on vacant lot to power local businesses or neighborhoods, green building improvements)
• Residential Safety Improvements for Seniors (security, grab bars, other home improvements)

Apprenticeships

Every Cleveland Jobs Now project in every ward will have apprenticeships attached that will lead to permanent employment, and every major City of Cleveland building or public works project will have a mandatory apprenticeship element, so that every public works project will lead to permanent employment for the apprentices who work on them.

City-Wide Impact

Every ward in Cleveland was hit hard by the pandemic, and every ward deserves Cleveland Jobs Now projects. There will be no “winners and losers” among our wards and neighborhoods because each ward is guaranteed to be included.

Community Involvement

Because government works best when it listens to the people it serves, each and every Ward will have a public/community input process for selecting projects.

Partnerships

Cleveland Jobs Now will work collaboratively with local non-profits, labor unions, businesses, and the faith community. These partnerships can help define potential workers, projects, training opportunities and collaborative efforts.

Funding

Because it is specifically designed to help Cleveland recover economically from the pandemic, it is eligible for American Recovery Program Act funding, in addition to supplemental funding from the City of Cleveland and foundations.

Existing Job Training Programs

There are multiple and overlapping job training and placement programs in Cleveland. Cleveland Jobs Now will work collaboratively with these programs to increase efficiency and avoid duplication.

Public Art

Cleveland has one of the most creative arts communities in the country. Like the original WPA, Cleveland Jobs Now will sponsor neighborhood arts projects, employing both established and aspiring artists to help beautify our city.

National Model

After previous recessions and depressions, Cleveland lagged other metro areas, taking years to recover. This time, Cleveland should lead the nation for a change- with a creative, bold approach that invests in our people. Cleveland Jobs Now will show the rest of the country how it can be done.

Childhood Lead Poisoning: The Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition

Background

The federal government outlawed the use of lead in paint in 1978. Still over 40 years later, children in Cleveland and other cities in the United States are being poisoned by the presence of lead in older paint in homes in which they live.

The impact of lead exposure on children can be devastating.

Lead poisoning can harm children in permanent, lifelong ways. Research has shown that lead exposure, even at very low levels, can affect brain development and result in behavioral and other long-term developmental issues.

Understanding the Problem

A recent Case Western Reserve University study – “Downstream Consequences of Childhood Lead Poisoning: A Longitudinal Study of Cleveland Children from Birth to Early Adulthood” – found that:

…children with elevated lead levels in early childhood have significantly worse outcomes on markers of school success, and higher rates of adverse events in adolescence and early adulthood, compared to their non-exposed peers.

Local data show that 25% of children in Cleveland are exposed to lead at or above the CDC reference level by the time they start kindergarten. Lead-based paint and leaded dust are the primary causes of lead poisoning in Ohio. In Cleveland, more than 90% of the housing stock was built before 1978, when residential lead-based paint was outlawed.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has operated the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program since the early 1990s, and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has funded residential lead abatement programs for decades. Unfortunately, the problem has continued at a high level in Cleveland and in other communities with a large proportion of older housing.

Housing at Risk in Cleveland

The makeup of older housing in Cleveland requires a particular strategy to address lead poisoning hazards in residential neighborhoods. Another Case study, “Characteristics of Rental Properties and Landlords in Cleveland: Implications for Achieving Lead Safe Rental Housing”, examined the kinds of housing in Cleveland and made the following observations:

Single-family homes make up most of the city’s rental properties – accounting for nearly half of all rental units. Another 24% of properties are two-family homes; 21% are small buildings (with three to 20 units); and 12% are large buildings (with more than 20 units).

Nearly two-thirds of Cleveland’s rental properties are maintained in above average or good condition and have average market values – but the remainder are of relatively low value and in rather poor condition.

Among Cleveland landlords in 2018, more than 80% were listed as individual owners, owned only one property in the city of Cleveland and either lived or had a business address within Cuyahoga County. A significant proportion of the landlords (43%) had property that was classified as being in “bad condition” and/or of “very low market value” (29%).

Based on a combination over a dozen landlord characteristics, researchers divided the city’s landlords into three categories:

• Type 1 were owners of single- or two-family homes in good condition and of average or above-average market value;
• Type 2 landlords owned mostly doubles in bad condition with low market value; and
• Type 3 landlords were larger operators, often corporate, holding properties of varying sizes and conditions.

These categories inform how best to engage and support different landlords. Understanding the properties in Cleveland that are at-risk – as well as how to involve property owners in the process – is a necessary part of a broader overall strategy.

Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition

Determining a meaningful approach to address the decades-long problem of lead poisoning in Cleveland requires a comprehensive and collaborative effort. I worked with Councilman Blaine Griffin, Chairman of City Council’s Committee on Health and Human Services – and an unprecedented group of community stakeholders, funders, subject matter experts and community advocates. I credit these community advocates and leaders with the creation of the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition – designed to reduce and someday eliminate lead poisoning as an issue for children who grow up in Cleveland.

In some ways, the Coalition is just getting started, but in other ways it already has an impressive list of accomplishments. From a recent publication from the Coalition – its “2020 Report” – these are the most recent accomplishments:

• Supported the City of Cleveland to build and measure the roll out of the Lead Safe Certification System:
  • The City of Cleveland built the new system, and invested in technology and staff, while also engaging the Case Western Reserve University Poverty Center to serve as the new Lead Safe Auditor.
  • CWRU published a report entitled “Downstream Consequences of Childhood Lead Poisoning and Characteristics of Rental Properties and Landlords in Cleveland.”
  • The Coalition’s Research and Evaluation Committee established a multi-tiered framework for evaluating the Lead Safe Certification System and the Coalition overall.
• Launched a Public Awareness Campaign
  • The Coalition launched a lead poisoning prevention and Lead Safe Certification public awareness campaign featuring our own community leaders. The campaign can be heard on the radio, seen at bus stops and inside buses or on flyers in your neighborhood and mailbox.
  • The Coalition launched a website entitled www.leadsafecle.org.
  • The Lead Safe Home Summit Committee, led by the United Way of Greater Cleveland, hosted a series of virtual workshops for landlords on the Lead Safe Certification system and other housing policies and programs.
• Advocated for Lead Safe Policies and Resources:
  • The Child Care Subcommittee, led by Starting Point, engaged Groundwork Ohio in producing a report, Building the Way to a Healthier Future, on lead safety in child care settings.
  • The joint Early Childhood Screening and Testing & Services/HHAC Subcommittee, led by Invest in Children and the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, coordinated messaging on lead testing for families, health care providers, and early childhood professionals, and facilitated a lead testing data collection and quality improvement project plan.
• Secured Investments in the Lead Safe Home Fund:
  • Because of our ongoing belief of pairing mandates with incentives, the Coalition has raised nearly $30 million for the Lead Safe Home Fund to support property owners.
  • Secured private sector investments from foundations, a Medicaid managed care organization, community development financial institutions, banks, and more.
  • Worked toward closing a first-of-its-kind, $14 million initial loan fund.
• Launched the Lead Safe Resource Center and Home Loans and Grants:
  • After a nationwide search, the Coalition selected CHN Housing Partners (CHN) and Environmental Health Watch (EHW) as the LSHF Administrators.
  • CHN is managing property owner loans, grants, and incentives. EHW has established the Lead Safe Resource Center located at 4600 Euclid Avenue – a one-stop-shop for education, community outreach, lead safe certification system navigation, and workforce development.
  • With ongoing landlord input, the Coalition crafted new loan, grant, and incentive products and launched an application for landlords seeking financial assistance.
  • The Workforce Development Advisory Group, led by the Urban League of Greater Cleveland, helped the Resource Center build and maintain the lead safe workforce and served as a sounding board and referral network for lead safety workers.
  • The Lead Safe Resource Center hosted 20 workforce trainings in its newly established training facility.
  • The Coalition, led by the Community Action Team, canvassed in every Cleveland neighborhood while adhering to COVID-19 safety guidelines to spread the word about lead poisoning prevention.
  • The Coalition launched the Lead Safe Hotline, 833-601-5323 (LEAD)

Cleveland’s public-and private-sector leaders joined together to form the Coalition to take the kinds of actions described above. With over 320 members representing more than 100 cross-sector organizations, the Coalition’s mission is to protect children and families from lead exposure.

The Coalition has cited its aims as:

to protect Cleveland’s children by merging practical public policies; knowledgeable agencies willing to collaborate and adapt; proven community programs and leadership; and public and private sector resources rooted in mutual accountability.

I am proud to be part of the group that helped to create this Coalition. Councilman Griffin and I, and the Mayor’s administration, and our numerous partners will not stop until we reach our goal of eliminating lead hazards and thereby better protecting the health of our children.

Opioid Addiction and Behavioral Health:The Problem and What the City Can Do About It

Background

The subject of opioid addiction has received a great deal of attention in recent years. It is a unique problem in many parts of the United States and particularly in states like West Virginia, Ohio and other “rust belt” areas.

Cuyahoga County has seen an incredible rise in overdose deaths from opioids in the past 10 years – which explains the amount of local effort and attention paid to the issue, and a great many meaningful and life-saving public health responses.

Quantifying the Problem

Overdose deaths in 2011 from all drugs in Cuyahoga County was 300 and more than doubled to 727 in 2017 – a shocking increase in fatalities in a brief period of years. While this increase alone reflects a tragic public health issue, it does not speak to the even larger impact of addiction on those who may overdose and survive, or the much larger number of those who are battling addiction on a regular basis.

The National Survey on Drug Use from 2016 found that 11.5 million people abused prescription opioids and 2.1 million people had an opioid-use disorder. Therefore, approximately 21% to 29% of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them, and between 8% to12% of these patients develop an opioid use disorder.

But opioids are far from the only substance abuse issue facing our community. As overdose deaths from all drugs rose into the middle of the past decade, the number of overdose deaths involving cocaine increased from 116 in 2013 to 300 in 2017 – again, an unprecedented increase.

My Perspective

Substance abuse is often directly connected with broader issues of mental health, and the conditions coexist for many who are struggling with it. I believe that we sometimes focus our attention on substances only, or on opioids only, and we fail to understand the larger problem of behavioral health – which includes both substance issues and mental health issues – in Cleveland and our country.

As you may know, after college my first job was with a national service fellowship that placed me with Recovery Resources, a non-profit agency that provides “behavioral health” services in the Cleveland community – often to those without health insurance and/or those experiencing homelessness. Mental health and substance abuse is one of the most difficult public health challenges facing our community and our country, and the effect is multiplied for those without resources or family support systems.

Substance abuse is often directly connected to poverty, but it afflicts a broad portion of our city neighborhoods. Substance abuse and accompanying mental health issues of all varieties calls for an aggressive, supportive response by city government. While the Department of Public Health is aware of and participates in the effort to develop solutions to the problem, it has not had the support or the direction to focus greater attention on addressing the issue.

What the City Should Do

Our medical community – including hospital systems and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and non-profit service providers – are providing excellent services and support to our community in the behavioral health field. But Greater Cleveland has never declared a goal of assessing the status of our community’s behavioral health and where the most urgent gaps exist.

As Mayor, our Department of Public Health will work with local community partners to assess where we stand in behavioral health. Too often I hear – in tandem – about the variety of services that are available and the too many gaps in the system.

We will engage in a professional and thoughtful process to examine our systems and try to identify areas of priority for which we can provide greater support. Some examples include:

• Cleveland Metropolitan School District: CMSD has long understood the importance of behavioral health in the development of its students and has attempted to meet this need in its schools with local partners. The “Say Yes” program announced earlier this year that a physical and mental health pilot program was beginning in 4 of the over 100 CMSD buildings. This kind of service should be available to every CMSD student, and as Mayor we will explore that possibility and what it would take to create that kind of resource district-wide.
• Opioid Crisis: The City should also be one of the leaders in assessing the status of the tremendous opioid response that has taken place in recent years, and to see where more can be done. Our public health department needs to work more closely with the county board of health, and other city and county departments that have common challenges need to engage collaboratively in this area, including our local health partners also. For example, this should include examining how the City can support the remarkable efforts of programs like “Project DAWN” – which has saved several thousand lives during the opioid crisis and continues to employ new and creative strategies throughout the area.
• Neighborhood Approach: As we assess the behavioral health system in our City, we need to look carefully at the gaps in our neighborhoods, and how we provide local resources and build the networks needed to connect resources to people in need in every part of the City.

• Medical Partnerships: We will also strive to better collaborate with our medical partners – hospitals, FQHCs and other non-profit providers – to serve Cleveland residents and the broader community.

My Commitment

I know firsthand how complicated this issue is, and I am not going to overstate what is possible to accomplish here. But one important job for a mayor and a city is to put attention toward understanding a challenge like behavioral health – and then determine how to identify resources to fill gaps or make improvements in priority areas.

Behavioral health is particularly important to me, and I will make it a priority to understand what the City is able to do to address the problem, and then undertake that work.

Addressing Infant Mortality
Infant mortality has been a long-time scourge on our community. Over five years ago, I moved to address this epidemic – and now results of our efforts are being realized.

Background

“Infant mortality” is a measure of a community’s health that goes well beyond the numbers themselves. The ability of a community to nurture its newborn children through at least the first year of life speaks volumes for what its leaders’ priorities are.

In the last week of 2015 – after decades of work on the problem without a coordinated community strategy – I convened major stakeholders at the Convention Center and asked them to take a new approach to eliminating infant mortality in Cleveland. From this convening, First Year Cleveland (FYC) was created – with the primary goal to reduce and then eliminate infant mortality in the Cleveland community.

First Year Cleveland: Our Plan

For far too long, the overall infant-mortality rate in Greater Cleveland has been as high as in some undeveloped countries. While many communities across the country face the challenge of a high infant-mortality rate, such communities tend to have elements in common – high levels of concentrated poverty and other poor public health indicators due to the impact of inequitable social determinants of health.

More strikingly, racial disparities and the overall Black infant mortality rate have remained unacceptably high. The role of institutional racism is particularly apparent in the presence of this disparity; Black babies are more likely to be victims, even where a Black mother has higher income, education or socioeconomic status.

In creating First Year Cleveland (FYC), my fellow stakeholders and I committed both to concrete action to “move the numbers” and an infusion of new resources to focus attention and action on the problem. FYC has developed a concrete strategy to address the problem and make an immediate impact thru 3 major objectives:

• Reducing Racial Inequities
  
• Addressing Extreme Prematurity
  
• Eliminating Sleep-related Deaths

Each objective of our plan includes specific goals, action teams, budgets and outcome measurements (see firstyearcleveland.org). The following objectives are underway and are being modified as more information and knowledge is gathered.

Reducing Racial Inequities

First, we want to build awareness and employee-training campaigns to address biases in the workplace that are negatively impacting maternal and child health outcomes. Here, we will include leaders and diversity and inclusion officers from health, education, employment, housing and public safety institutions.

This outreach will hopefully afford us with a further understanding from Black families that have experienced a loss. From this due diligence, we intend to initiate research efforts to better understand the roles race and maternal stress play in infant deaths.

Given this information, we will then develop an integrated equity model with housing, education, research, health care, and public sector leaders to address the link between structural racism and infant deaths – thereby determining next steps to eliminate barriers resulting from these economic and social conditions.

Addressing Extreme Prematurity

Here, we will start by collecting data and launching Learning Circles – a method to pull together collective wisdom – with local birth hospitals and researchers/experts to identify and resolve issues contributing to infant deaths.

This will allow FYC to do the following:

• Partner with Maternal and Child Health (MCH) and social-service providers to identify opportunities for enhanced service delivery and engagement with the MCH population
• Engage Cuyahoga County families in the development and implementation of community-driven strategies to improve birth outcomes for women at highest risk for infant death
• Educate and engage families to improve maternal and child-health outcomes thru the provision of evidence-based programs and interventions (e.g., CenteringPregnancy® Model (CPM) (i.e., peer-based support networks), 17P, reproductive health services) – ultimately increasing the number of expectant mothers being served in the CPM.

FYC will work with providers to increase public awareness of birth-spacing guidelines, implement the One Key Question – a strategy to promote equity – and improve access to Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC). With the March of Dimes organization, we will work to ensure that Cuyahoga County has the resources to be a leader in prematurity research.

Finally, FYC will address social determinants impacting expectant parents by serving over 4,000 pregnant mothers annually with results-driven interventions – addressing housing insecurity, employment, education, nutritional needs, and early access to prenatal care and postnatal care.

Eliminate Sleep-Related Infant Deaths

Here, we intend to model the MetroHealth employee sleep-ambassador program throughout the county by hiring parents and grandparents that have experienced a sleep-related loss – thereby driving the messaging campaign and lead training. In this effort, working with faith-based organizations might be critical.

Lastly, if we promote the use of free State of Ohio Quit Line and Support Tobacco21 efforts to limit tobacco sales to persons age 21 and above – we may be able to achieve additional significant results.

Progress and Work to be Done

FYC has made progress in the past 5 years, but there remain serious issues to be addressed – most notably racial disparity in Black infant mortality.

Positive Data

One of FYC’s key aspects is the aggressive collection and reporting of data by the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH). Data collection for infant mortality has relied on state figures – which has unfortunately included a significant time lag in the past. While annual data reports still cannot be completed until several months into the succeeding year, data for 2020 outcomes are coming into focus.

The following were preliminary reports for 2020, available at the FYC and CCBH websites:

• Cuyahoga County’s overall infant mortality rate had decreased from 10.51 in 2015 to 8.61 in 2019, and 7.18 through November 2020.
• The County’s infant mortality rate for the Black non-Hispanic population had decreased from 18.45 in 2015 to 16.33 in 2019 and 13.57 through November 2020.
• The County’s Black-to-white infant-mortality inequity rate has steadily decreased – from 6.7 in 2017, 4.17 in 2019, and 3.87 through November 2020.
• The County’s overall preterm birth rate had decreased from 12.14% in 2015 to 11.62% in 2019, and 11.33% through November 2020.
• The County recorded 27 sleep-related infant deaths in the County in 2015 – decreasing to 24 in 2019.

Additional Strategies and Tactics

FYC’s work to address infant mortality has employed strategies and tactics in a wide variety of topical areas. Below is some of the work that was completed in the 2019-2020 time period (again, information from firstyearcleveland.org):

• FYC has led and grown a community-wide network of nearly 500 participants and partners – including parents and prospective parents, individuals with a lived experience of infant loss, neighborhood initiatives, faith-based, nonprofit, and philanthropic organizations, corporations, health care providers, hospital systems, and government entities.
• In November 2019, FYC sponsored, with the YWCA Greater Cleveland, “400 Years of Inequity: A Call to Action.” This national conference acknowledged the 400-year anniversary of slavery in this country and the specific, urgent action necessary to dismantle racism. Conference attendance exceeded 500, with several national experts presenting. As an outcome, strategies were executed to work with local government to declare racism a public health crisis.
• FYC was one of the first infant-mortality collaboratives in Ohio to highlight structural racism as a key factor contributing to Black infant deaths. Since our initial efforts, strategies were executed which led to Cleveland City Council and Cuyahoga County passing resolutions declaring racism a public health crisis.
• FYC partnered with providers to meet the increased needs of new and expectant parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic. FYC received a $100,000 grant from the Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund – enabling our partners to provide care packages, food, doppler fetal monitors, blood pressure cuffs, and iPads to COVID-19 positive and high-risk expectant mothers and families.
• FYC has been active in leading efforts to scale up effective programs serving Black expectant and new parents. As a result, the community has increased the number of home visiting and birth worker slots and has served 3,600 additional consumers over three (3) years through Ohio Department of Medicaid grants to four (4) highly-effective agencies – MomsFirst, Birthing Beautiful Communities, Moms & Babies First, and Nurse Family Partnership. Of the additional home-visiting units of service, 98% served Black expectant parents and each of these high-performing programs had a significantly lower infant-mortality rate when compared to Cuyahoga County’s Black parents not served by these programs.
• Over the last several years, FYC increased the number of CPM (Centering Pregnancy program) participant slots by over 1,300. Of these additional slots, 80% served Black expectant parents. National data show that Black expectant parents served in a CPM program experience a 41% reduction in premature births. The FYC Centering Coalition is now one of the largest and most active CPM coalitions in the US.
• Led by its Action Team 1, FYC was selected as one of 17 organizations in Ohio to pilot implicit bias training developed by the March of Dimes, in collaboration with Quality Interactions, an equity training organization. The training – “Breaking Through Bias in Maternity Care” – is focused on addressing racial bias in maternity care, improving maternal and infant health outcomes, and building a culture of equity within health care systems. The training will be provided to Greater Cleveland health system leaders, staff members and clinicians.
• FYC’s Action Team 2, the Pregnancy and Infant Loss (PAIL) Committee, established the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Society, led by men and women who have experienced infant loss. PAIL, in partnership with the Healthy Neighborhoods Committee of Healthy Cleveland, held the premiere of their film “Toxic: A Black Woman’s Story” in September 2019. The film has been screened across the US – including within the three (3) Cleveland health-care systems. The film was also added to the “Focus 2020: Racial Equity Shorts” program of the Cleveland International Film Festival, and it was featured in an additional six (6) national film festivals. The film is available for purchase.
• FYC’s Safe Sleep Action Team has grown the number of Safe Sleep Heroes in our community. More than 17,000 Safe Sleep Heroes have been recruited and trained as a sustainable community engagement effort to reduce preventable sleep-related infant deaths. The Heroes teach the ABCs of safe sleep – alone, on their back, in a crib and don’t smoke.
• FYC and University Hospitals received one of the only system-wide and anti-bias infant-mortality grants from the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM). FYC certified 28 local trainers throughout multiple local systems using a highly-effective, evidence-based Cook Ross Workplace Bias curriculum. By the end of 2019, over 1,000 key employees completed this impactful bias training.
• FYC secured $4.8 million through the 2019 ODM Healthy Moms and Babies grant to coordinate a community-wide, data-driven initiative and target the disparity in the Black infant mortality rate in Cuyahoga County. The funds went directly to seven (7) local, highly-effective entities to expand nine (9) programs that have a track record of reducing Black infant deaths.

As noted in the FYC 2019-20 summary:

There is urgency to our work. We have made progress in reducing infant deaths for all races, but improvements are moving too slowly. We have the right road map and we must continue to work strategically and collectively in leading both system changes and scaling effective programs for Black parents and expectant parents to eliminate racial inequities. FYC is committed to eliminating the inequity rate for Black infant mortality by 2025. We appreciate all your efforts to ensure continued progress.

Our community has made significant strides, has begun to identify and unpack what lies within the challenges of infant mortality, and is prepared for continued progress in the future.

Poverty in Cleveland: Making Meaningful Progress
Addressing poverty must be the chief priority of city government. Every aspect of city services and city policies should operate with this challenge in mind.

Introduction

One of the most common statements about Cleveland is that we have some of the worst poverty measures in the country. Having said this, significant context demonstrates that poverty is widespread in communities across the country (and the world), in urban and rural settings – and that national, state and local strategies are needed to address its pathologies.

Economic statistics alone do not capture the core elements of poverty – or how it manifests itself in a city like Cleveland. Data are sometimes cited that the percentage of families living in poverty has increased or decreased, or that policies or related economic conditions have contributed to these changes.

However, the truth is that any progress in reducing poverty in recent decades has been modest and lacking in scale. More accurately, aspects of poverty have become a bigger problem in recent decades.

The data on “concentrated poverty” is one of the most meaningful measures of the problem. Communities that have multiple neighborhoods with a high percentage of very low-income residents face some of the deepest challenges.

When a large number of families with major economic challenges are living in the same neighborhood, the barriers and needs multiply and create a more complex and urgent issue. A Brookings Institution report from November 2020 notes the following crucial facts and disturbing implications:

The United States has experienced sharp increases in urban poverty over the last 40 years. The number of neighborhoods where 30% or more of residents live in poverty doubled between 1980 and 2010. Almost 67% of high-poverty neighborhoods in 1980 are still very poor almost 40 years later.

Persistent poverty damages long term outcomes for children. The connection between poverty and place matters for families and particularly for their children.

The impact of poverty on families varies significantly based on race. Approximately 1 in 4 Black Americans are in high-poverty neighborhoods – compared to 1 in 6 Hispanic Americans – and compared to 1 in 13 white Americans. Brookings cites Raj Chetty, who found in a 2018 study that Black boys have lower incomes in adulthood than white boys in 99% of census tracts.

Why Poverty Matters

Poverty should not be an academic discussion – or be seen merely as an unfortunate sidelight to everyday life. The existence of highly concentrated, very low-income families in Cleveland directly impacts our ability to be successful as a city.

While I may see the issue more as a social worker – that we have a duty to provide support for underserved residents and improve the quality of their lives – our failure to address poverty directly impacts our economic success as a community and region.

When bond-rating agencies evaluate local government investments, they take many factors into account – including the amount of debt, quality of financial management, and other internal factors. But the economic status of the constituency – median income, tax base, related indicators – plays a larger, if not the largest role.

The ability to make future investments in our infrastructure and our community are dependent on addressing issues of poverty. Further, a high level of poverty also adversely impacts our ability to attract and retain businesses and jobs in Greater Cleveland.

Lack of an educated and economically viable population becomes a vicious circle of disinvestment and economic decline. Any community stakeholder not aware of this fact and not focused on addressing it is not serious about what it takes to create a successful city.

My Poverty Agenda

I have tried to define my work in public service as more action than words. Vague goals or slogans about poverty do not make a difference. But city government can be aggressive, thoughtful and concrete in addressing issues of poverty.

These are the steps I will take to address poverty if elected Mayor of Cleveland:

• Advocacy Strategy for State and Federal Government Policy: Policy and budget decisions made at the state and federal level play a major role in addressing issues of poverty. City government should have a strategic and aggressive advocacy strategy to support policy changes that benefit low-income Clevelanders.
• Collaboration with County Government and Other Community Stakeholders to Address Issues of Poverty: County government serves over 400,000 County residents – many of whom are Clevelanders – in administering programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, Child Care, Child Support and many others. The City and County have collaborated to serve people experiencing homelessness – but have never worked in tandem to directly address broader issues of poverty. The creation of a Greater Cleveland Poverty Coalition – led by city government provides a vehicle for a community-wide focus and response to the issue.
• Choose Priority Areas to Fight Poverty: Vague expressions of concern and awareness of the issue is not a meaningful response to the problem. City government should employ the Poverty Coalition to tackle the highest priority problems and set goals and measure impact in the following areas:
  • Affordable Housing: Creation of the Affordable Housing Commission (see “Housing Instability” issue paper) will allow for goals to be set in providing more affordable housing in Cleveland.
  • Workforce Development: Many organizations are working hard to address this issue. However, City government must make it another Poverty Coalition priority – by measuring annual progress to support training and readiness for Clevelanders to fill open positions throughout our community, and improve their economic prospects.
  • Universal Pre-Kindergarten: City government must take up the mantle of encouraging expansion of this important program – which greatly improves outcomes for children in underserved neighborhoods.
  • Public Health Priorities: Many Clevelanders face worse health outcomes because of social determinants of health that disproportionately affect poor families. Work to address infant mortality, lead poisoning and other public health issues is good – but a detailed strategy with measurable outcomes is a must for City government.
  • Economic Opportunity and Community Development: The City has invested and made progress in poor neighborhoods – but citywide plans need a timetable and outcome metrics to have a chance at being successful in every neighborhood, particularly in light of new American Rescue Plan funds being available.

Changing the Dynamic

There are many other areas of potential focus. But the most important point is to develop a collaborative strategy, choose priorities and measure outcomes. Without goals and a way to determine if progress is being made to accomplish them, poverty will continue to be a conversation topic and not an action item on the city agenda.

As Mayor, I intend to change that dynamic.

Welcoming City
For Cleveland to be successful, to continue to grow and enhance our communities, we must be a "welcoming community" for immigrants. Effectively welcoming and retaining newly arrived residents is not only the right thing to do - it is a necessary strategy to generate economic development and opportunity in Cleveland.

Advancing City Planning Through an Equity Lens
There is no question that the role of city planning is crucial in a post-pandemic Cleveland. Refocusing our efforts to ensure that we emerge stronger than ever is a priority – and we must take this opportunity to rethink how we want Cleveland to feel, function, and thrive. The pandemic has shown a bright light on inequalities as never before. The events of the past 18 months present tremendous opportunities to fix past mistakes and injustices while planning for equity and inclusion.

The bipartisan Ohio Mayors Alliance is promoting a policy agenda around recovery, resiliency, and equity to help reframe city operations moving forward. The American Planning Association also has a focus on recovery and equity – and recommends matching robust federal pandemic recovery spending state and local expertise and innovation.

Current efforts by Cleveland’s Department of City Planning are focused on health, equity, and sustainability. These principles will continue in my administration and will be enhanced with an emphasis improving outcomes for every person in every neighborhood in the city of Cleveland.

City Planning Through an Equity Lens

Cleveland must recover from the pandemic stronger than before and be ready to meet the next challenges. There are both targeted actions and big-picture innovative planning initiatives that my administration will undertake – especially early on. Common threads my team will utilize through all these efforts will be their impact on public health and public safety, as follows:

• Housing Security: Work across related departments to focus on housing development for all markets – with an emphasis on subsidized and mixed-use planning so that housing opportunities are equitable. For example:
  • Housing projects can be scaled and located on transportation routes and residents can access needed amenities for everyday life; and
  • Housing stability strategies through planning will be supported by ongoing efforts to prevent impoverished tenants from being evicted.
• Broadband Infrastructure: “Broadband for all” has been a singular focus for me for years as I brought free Wi-Fi to Ward 13 in Old Brooklyn in 2010 using Block Grant funds. As we know, the pandemic revealed the need for a comprehensive broadband infrastructure that reaches every corner of the city. The challenges of work-from-home and learn-from-home became clear as institutions, businesses, and schools had to shut down in March 2020.
  • To address this challenge, my administration will work with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, DigitalC, telecommunications providers, and other investors to work as quickly as possible to finally finish these critical connections.
• Transportation and Street Design: Transportation planning for Cleveland must improve post-pandemic – and equity must be built into any improvement and redesign projects. The potential for long-term teleworking may draw employees away from Central Business Districts and may cause disruptions to traffic and transportation routes and usage. My administration will continue and expand efforts around Complete Streets policy as well as support the Vision Zero effort to reduce injuries and deaths on our streets. Factors to be considered include the following:
  • Movement of goods into, within, and out of the city; coordinating data collection and analysis across transportation systems;
  • Reducing inefficiency in parking systems and payment; and
  • Limiting the impacts of climate change and reducing carbon emissions
• Climate Change: The intersection between city planning and climate change is about people and quality of life. While changes at the federal level can be painfully slow, cities have a unique opportunity and authority to make meaningful changes that can impact zoning and land use, greenspace, housing, transportation, and even energy policy. My goals:
  • I want Cleveland to transition to a green community – truly become a green city on a blue lake;
  • Building out the tree canopy certainly is a good start, but I also want to expand vacant land into urban agriculture opportunities to co-exist with existing and new development;
  • Research shows that access to nature can improve mental and physical health and has the potential to reduce crime; and
  • I would like to see the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability transition to a research office – collecting and analyzing data and providing technical assistance to city planning and other departments which can then implement meaningful programming.
• Form-based Zoning: Work with City Council and other leaders to enact a city-wide Form-based Zoning Code that can be phased in for new projects or in redesign of current spaces.
  • Form-based zoning is based on principles of urban form – or what happens outside the building (e.g., streets, building form and scale, open and green space) versus what happens inside the building or the uses (e.g., institutional, residential, commercial).
  • It provides a regulatory framework for walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods.
  • It can be used at different scales – citywide, neighborhood, district, or corridor – and in different contexts – urban or suburban, green fields or redevelopment areas.

These change alone can reshape how Cleveland feels and functions. Cleveland’s post-pandemic recovery will demand that we refocus efforts around these key areas – and thereby forge a new path through constant effort, innovation, and best practices

Forging a New Path for Gender Equity and Women’s Empowerment
In January 2015, President Barack Obama said:

Communities that give their daughters the same opportunities as their sons, they are more peaceful, they are more prosperous, they develop faster, they are more likely to succeed.

Finding pathways to improve the health of women in Cleveland and increasing economic opportunity for them will take a multi-step, multi-path effort. As Mayor, I will actively work to build a more equitable Cleveland for the women in our community and all who call Cleveland home.

Women make up more than half of Cleveland’s population and 57% of our workforce. As a father of five daughters – Margaret, Nora, Grace, Maeve, and Erin – and a husband to my wife, Elizabeth, I have developed a deep appreciation for the impact that gender barriers can have. So, while the issue is personal for me, it also must be viewed as a public policy priority, requiring thoughtful discussion and unparalleled cooperation between all sectors across the City.

Background

It is well-documented that women are more at risk to be victims of domestic violence and face threats to their economic security, among other challenges. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 25% of women have experienced violence at the hands of their partners and one in five women has been raped. These experiences lead to a host of physical, mental, and economic consequences for women.

Additionally, women face barriers to building their careers and prosperity. Women earn nearly 20% less than male counterparts according to the Department of Labor. The economic and social impacts wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic have impacted women more than men. According to the National Women’s Law Center, another 275,000 women dropped out of the workforce in January 2021 – bringing the total to more than 2.3 million since February 2020. This represents the lowest women’s workforce participation rate in 33 years.

What I Will Do as Mayor

As Mayor, I will hold regular listening sessions across the community on women’s issues to identify key needs and ways to help in the areas of health and safety, education, and workforce. My administration will actively support and advocate for fully funded programs offered through the federal Violence Against Women Act – and other health and safety funding. We’ll work with local groups to secure as much funding as possible for local efforts. And I will launch a City Hall Council on Women and Girls and design an internship program for girls in different areas of city hall – using a Loaned Executive Program specifically focused on women in the workforce.

To realize the goal of gender equality and women’s empowerment, our community will require work in three key areas:

• Health and Safety: My administration will work with local health-care providers to continue full access to key preventive services, such as well-woman checkups, mental health needs, and access to quality maternal-child health resources. In particular, the following:
  • Continue and strengthen our work with local organizations on the front lines on the prevention and treatment of mental health needs for survivors, and their children, of domestic or intimate violence;
  • Ensure that the Cleveland Divisions of Police and Emergency Medical Services are active and supportive partners in this effort; and
  • Our work will be inclusive and engage all facets of our community – academia, clinical and public health, law, neighborhood groups, campus police, and other organizations dedicated to health and safety – especially for women and girls.
• Education: We will continue partnership efforts with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District to accomplish the following:
  • Advocate for and help raise the funding required to provide equal access to high-quality education opportunities;
  • Strengthen liaison efforts from City Hall and continue to bolster STEM education for girls; and
  • Support early childhood literacy – including math literacy, and universal pre-kindergarten and other childcare resources.
• Workforce Training and Retention: My administration will seek additional ways to build needed resources for childcare and elder care and treat as essential infrastructure for women in the workplace, including the following:
  • Partner with local workforce efforts in K-12 technology, health care and manufacturing pipelines; and
  • Promote the need for gender equity and inclusion – and strengthen existing partnerships with local employers.

A Recycling Reboot: My Plans Start at City Hall
Recycling is a critical step that the City government can take to reduce waste, create local jobs, and mitigate climate change. Cities across the country are working to boost recycling efforts to better control waste disposal and landfill fees, improve environmental impacts – and align administrative policy with community waste reduction efforts.

As Mayor, I will make recycling a priority. In my administration, Cleveland’s recycling program will be part of a greater effort to pursue “green actions” with good public policy and best practices, with the goal of becoming a more sustainable city.

After the City’s recycling contract lapsed in 2020, I led City Council’s efforts to improve resident outreach and examine the recycling market for better opportunities to meet our goals. The Jackson Administration’s recent announcement of an opt-in recycling program is a good first step to get the city back on track. But, much more work is needed to elevate recycling as a priority and realize its benefits for our city, our neighborhoods, and our residents.

Reboot Recycling

A more sustainable Cleveland must center around environmental justice and inclusion. This starts with recycling – and neighborhood, resident and business engagement will be crucial for any effort to be successful. A comprehensive solid waste contract will be crucial – including key components for recycling, consistent municipal control and leadership, good management practices with dedicated resources, and workforce stability measures.

I want to lead Cleveland to environmental sustainability. To do so my proposal focuses on several key components – including education, strengthening existing and creating new partnerships, innovative funding models and small business investments, building out infrastructure to support a local circular economy, and enhancing technology.

• Education: Last measured in 2018, Cleveland’s recycling performance was dismal, with only 7.5% of waste material recycled. The rest went to a landfill. Based on an audit of material, about 68% of collected recyclables was contaminated. The responsibility for this lies with the City. Moving forward, the City must do better with resident education and outreach to increase our recycling rates. I will instruct key leadership staff across the administration to jointly develop an education program to improve recycling rates and lower contamination rates. Education will focus on what can be recycled, what steps will need to be taken to recycle properly as well as the benefits recycling has for our community.
• Partnerships: My team will engage with local, state, and regional organizations already active in recycling efforts – building on those efforts and providing extra resources to support them. I also propose to launch the “Cleveland Recycling Partnership” – a representative group dedicated to recycling improvement, much like what the Denver Recycling Partnership does. The Denver Recycling Partnership engages the full recycling supply chain – from the corporations that manufacture products and packaging, to local governments charged with recycling, to industry end markets, haulers, material recovery facilities and converters.
• Innovative Funding: My administration will seek new and innovative funding ventures to support local businesses. The funding can be a mixture of government and private investors to support a local infrastructure; small business investments; and identification of resident-led, neighborhood-driven recycling projects. A pilot project initiative will help jumpstart this work.
• Infrastructure: Improving local infrastructure will include finding and/or investing in a local facility so that waste material does not have to be hauled great distances. Infrastructure investments should include incentives for the private sector to increase its domestic recycling infrastructure. We have learned the hard way through the COVID-19 pandemic that without local infrastructure, it is difficult to launch emergency response activity. Rebuilding infrastructure can bolster the economy and create good jobs for Cleveland families.
• Technology: Communities can begin to invest in innovative technologies to process materials efficiently and improve quality to boost increased demand for recycled materials. Local investments and other local expertise can be tapped to build resources for recycling. National and international organizations have already laid the groundwork that we can use to better meet our local needs.

Starting at City Hall

As Mayor, I will invest in sustainability and build partnerships to make Cleveland a leader in recycling. Under my leadership, we will collect good data, build on best practices, cultivate innovation, and use our collective energy to advance recycling.

I intend to convert the Office of Sustainability into a research and policy office so that our initiatives are comprehensive and meaningful. A recycling managing director will be designated – and be responsible for coordinating all the administration’s efforts, working across departments, and partnering with City Council and other government officials.

Additionally, to support other innovative funding efforts, I will submit a recycling ordinance to City Council to bolster our local efforts. Modeled after legislation drafted by two state legislators in New York, it would help convince product manufacturers to invest in a recycling system and to help mitigate the environmental impact from the waste their products produce

Cleveland Right to Counsel Program: Response to Our High Eviction Rates
While housing instability and the lack of affordable housing speaks to a broader City challenge, (see Housing Stability and Poverty in Cleveland: Making Meaningful Progress) the problem of tenant eviction is one of the most crushing symptoms of poverty faced by our residents.

The Scope of the Problem

Studies on housing in Cleveland have documented the level of this problem in our community. The “Cleveland Right to Counsel Report” (January 2021), outlined major eviction issues, including data from a 2019 study by Case Western Reserve University that reveal areas needing urgent attention:

Throughout Cuyahoga County, 36% of our residents spend more than 30% of their income on housing;

• To afford a 2-bedroom apartment in Cleveland with a minimum-wage job, a person needs to work 73 hours a week to meet rent costs;
• There are about 9,000 eviction filings in Cleveland per year;
• 60% of the families facing eviction have children under 18, with an average number of 2 children per household; and
• 78% of eviction cases involve a woman as head of household, and 77% a Black woman.

The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic has made the eviction problem in Cleveland an even more urgent issue. While the data on evictions are compelling, the impact of this devastating and too-common event are even more striking.

Impacts of the Eviction Epidemic

Few life events create greater disruption and economic insecurity than being evicted. The cascading effects are common and far-reaching:

• Tenants who are evicted are 30% more likely to lose their wages or job (Aspen Institute, 2020);
• Evicted tenants move 4 times more frequently than those who have not been evicted and spend more time in homeless shelters;
• Children in families who are evicted are more likely to be absent from school – affecting graduation outcomes;
• These children are less likely to be tested for lead poisoning, and more likely to have high lead levels when they are tested (Case Western Reserve study);
• From a US Census study on the impact of COVID on families and housing, 41% of households with minor children said they had “Slight Confidence” or “No Confidence” in their ability to pay next month’s rent.

Evictions and Equity

Finally, there is a well-documented, inequitable impact on communities of color and low-income residents. The “Cleveland Right to Counsel Report” noted that 42% of Black families in Cleveland live below the poverty line, compared to 24% of white people.

The Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services reports that 78% of clients who enter the shelter system are people of color and the top 10 ten census tracts for eviction filings from 2016 – 2018 were majority Black tracts. The challenge of evictions is inextricably connected to issues of equity therefore, focusing on equity must be incorporated into any solution.

Action Taken

Through a partnership with the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, United Way and a variety of other stakeholders, Cleveland City Council passed legislation in October 2019 to provide:

Low-income tenants in Cleveland with at least one minor child in the household the right to full legal representation by an attorney when facing eviction in Cleveland Housing Court.

Under my leadership as City Council President, the legislation we passed made Cleveland the first city in Ohio and the Midwest to provide this service – and in the ordinance we recognized that the lack of legal counsel in eviction cases “is a violation of a basic human right.”

While the law has only been in effect since July 2020, the first 6 months of activity have shown significant progress:

• 93% of families with eviction cases in Cleveland Housing Court represented by lawyers from the Legal Aid Society avoided being displaced;
• 700 children were impacted through this legal representation;
• 1,600 tenants have inquired about Right to Counsel services
• 323 cases have been opened by Legal Aid in this period, with 71% involving Black families; and
• This program also served to connect families to other vital community services, including CARES Act rental assistance and longer-term rental support from local housing partners.

Costs of the Program and the Need for Future Expansion

I consider the program we implemented in July 2020 to be only the beginning of how the City of Cleveland should address issues of housing stability

The Right to Counsel program has made a significant impact to date and has raised over $2 million in revenue for 2021 – from the generous support of United Way, the Cleveland and Gund Foundations, the Legal Aid Society, the City of Cleveland budget, and others – it is not enough to meet the immediate financial need of the existing program or the actual legal needs of all Cleveland families facing eviction.

At the same time, other Right to Counsel programs have been shown to save money for the community, due to the elimination of the costly and detrimental effects of eviction. A study of a similar program in Philadelphia showed an estimated savings of $42 million annually, even after considering expenses of the program. This is one example of how progressive and strategic investments can not only focus on doing what is right but also eliminate costs in the future.

As Mayor, I will continue to be committed to addressing housing stability. I will work to identify funding to fully support the need for legal services for families facing eviction in Housing Court.

I believe my enthusiastic interest and facilitation of the legislative process, and the ultimate passage of this law and support for the implementation of this program, show my seriousness and intent to address the basic needs of low-income families in Cleveland

Solar Energy: Our Best Path to Renewables

Our reliance on fossil fuels is not sustainable. Our best path to renewables includes solar energy – and the City of Cleveland has launched two innovative initiatives to explore its feasibility. As Mayor, I will build upon the work that I have done to date as Council President and make solar energy a viable option for Cleveland.

Cleveland Initiatives

To advance Cleveland’s aspiration to be a “Green City on a Blue Lake,” in May 2019, I commissioned an extensive “solar site assessment” for Cleveland.

The primary objective of this study was to survey a sizable quantity of municipal-owned properties and develop target criteria that would be utilized to identify sites for prospective free-standing solar installations – emphasizing the use of solar carports and fixed ground-mounted solar arrays. It was intended as a next step in the City’s investment in energy in general and solar energy in particular.

At this time, the Jackson Administration is reviewing proposals from contractors that would identify prospective rooftop solar installations.

The City Council study first evaluated the feasibility of solar-power installations on multiple sites across the City. Initially, the project team inventoried 222 possible sites – eventually narrowing the focus to 20 of the most promising. Next, it created detailed models of possible carport and ground-mounted solar arrays on City-owned properties.

The study then calculated the likely annual daylight for each site, the amount of electricity each array would produce, and the levelized cost of energy.

The project team’s initial calculations suggest that there is adequate annual daylight to generate enough electricity at viable rates to conduct further investigations of the installations of free-standing solar arrays.

As such, this study concludes what is expected to be a first step in the eventual development of solar energy in Cleveland with subsequent activities – including, but not limited to, interconnections and financing – to be determined.

Background

Climate change is often viewed as a national or international problem. But I believe that it is also a local problem. As the issue seems to be perpetually stalled at the national level, local communities need to lead in the areas of climate change and renewable energy.

Today, most of our energy comes from fossil fuels – with most of our electricity being generated by coal. This is not sustainable. Solar power is emerging as a cost-effective renewable alternative to coal. Because Cleveland owns and operates an electric utility and is a large consumer of electricity, we have an obligation to ensure that Cleveland and Cleveland Public Power (CPP) take aggressive actions to reduce the amount of carbon emitted.

Advantages of Solar Energy

There are numerous advantages to renewable solar energy. Since sunlight is “free,” solar energy reduces electricity bills – with the eventual reduced monthly payment only limited by the cost to install the delivery system. Solar energy also includes the possibility of receiving payments for surplus energy that may be exported back to the grid through a newer technology called “net metering.”

Solar energy can be used for diverse purposes, generating electricity, and producing heat. It can be used to produce electricity in areas without access to the energy grid, to distill water in regions with limited water supplies, and to power satellites in space. Solar energy can also be integrated into building materials, such as roof shingles, wall claddings and windows.

In addition, solar energy systems are typically low maintenance – requiring minimal annual cleaning, with no moving parts, and little wear and tear. System manufacturers usually offer 20 to 25-year warranties.

And solar energy technology is constantly advancing. Improvements will intensify in the future. Innovations in quantum physics and nanotechnology may eventually be able to dramatically increase the electrical capacity of the solar power systems.

Overcoming Barriers to Solar Energy

Solar energy’s advantages are substantial the perceived disadvantages are being addressed as the technology evolves. For example, the initial cost of purchasing a solar system is fairly high, but technology improvements and widespread adoption will continue to decrease the initial costs. Advancements in solar energy storage are addressing both the cost of storage and a drop in solar energy available on cloud days. Finally, while solar energy requires more space than other energy solutions, advances in more efficient materials and technologies is making this issue is becoming more manageable.

Other Cities

While cities comprise 2% of the world’s land mass, they account for most of the world’s energy use. Therefore, habitat and renewable energy are, according to a recent report by Deloitte,

Increasingly inseparable. As cities vie to attract growing businesses, talent, and innovation in an increasingly global competition, solar and wind power have become key for many in achieving their smart city goals.

In a 2020 report, Environment America (EA) reported that “almost 90 percent of the 57 cities surveyed… more than doubled their installed PV capacity from 2013 to 2019.”

More recently in the Cincinnati area, leaders broke ground on the largest municipally-led solar array project in the country on nearly 900 acres about 40 miles east of the city – with completion due in December. According to Ideastream,

The array will generate about 75 megawatts per year, or about 18% of the city’s total energy needs. It’s enough energy to power the entire city government. Officials estimate the array will save taxpayers $1.8 million over the next two decades.” The project will create about 160 jobs – mostly for electrical workers, whose salary will be at a rate of about $62,000 per year.^[76]

Justice
Cleveland, year after year, tops the lists for crime and lack of public safety when compared to hundreds of cities across the country. It's time to enforce the laws of the city and to fundamentally reform the practices of law to ensure safe streets and civil rights work hand in hand.

Utilities
Public power and other city utilities are a fundamental part of Dennis' belief in ownership of public utilities and fair pricing of communal resources. It's time for Cleveland's public utilities to be run efficiently and effectively. Ensuring that power and water is a basic human right in a modern society.

Economy
Cleveland has a chance for an economic boom not seen in years. With the city slated to receive $511 million dollars from the American Rescue Plan over the next two years, it will take proven leadership and vision to properly allocate these funds to bring Cleveland not only back from the damages caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic but into an age of equal & equitable economic growth.

Health
Cleveland residents have some of the worst health outcomes in not just Ohio, but the entire country. The next mayor must make it a priority to deliver better adult and child health outcomes for the citizens of Cleveland. This will be done by establishing health practices and standards that will ensure a healthier city and citizens.

Education
Cleveland's educational budget is one of the highest in the state. Yet, its student's educational outcomes have decreased over the years. It is vital to properly allocate these funds to fundamentally meet the educational needs of our children in schools. While also stressing the importance of teachers having the right to policy making power over how the School Boards are run.

Housing
Cleveland's current housing stock must be protected and residents allowed to have affordable housing available. We must also endeavor to protect the rights of renters and tenants in our city. It's vital to capitalize and expand on the renewed interest in Cleveland and work to continue bringing in people to not just visit this city but to build lives in this city.

Green City
Cleveland is known as the Green City on a Blue Lake and also known as The Forest City. It is our fundamental duty to ensure our city is a leader in environmentally friendly practices. This involves properly running our recycling program, instituting more green landscapes, community gardens, and pollen corridors. These initiatives will regenerate our city and make an eco urban center for all to live and grow.

Transit
Cleveland needs to be transformed into a walkable and bicyclist friendly city. However, we must also ensure that those who rely on public transit must have access to frequent and reliable transportation that is safe, clean, and affordable. Our public buses and rails must be modern and environmentally friendly to ensure a public transportation system that is to the benefit of all.^[76]

Zack’s Vision
We live in one of the most amazing cities in the country. Cleveland is affordable. Our higher education institutions are top tier. Health care resources are second to none ⎯ and our natural resources like Lake Erie, parks and entertainment districts are the envy of many.

Yet, with all we have going for us Cleveland is plagued by poverty, violence, and lack of opportunity. We have been held back by our city leader’s overwhelming lack of leadership and vision. Inaction has become the status quo ⎯ and every day we pay the price.

Zack Reed understands what we’re up against. The status quo is never good enough. We need real leadership that will secure a strong, sustainable future for all of us.

As our mayor, Zack Reed will implement real, lasting changes creating…

A Healthier Community

Prosperity starts by keeping us healthy and safe. The infant mortality rate is the highest in the country. Fresh groceries are hard to come by in many neighborhoods, families are starving and lead paint is poisoning our children. This must change.

Zack Reed understands that strong communities start by overcoming the challenges that are holding us back. As Mayor, leaders from every aspect of the community will be brought to the table to build and execute a plan that secures a safe, healthy future for all Clevelanders.

Safer Neighborhoods

We must improve the safety of all of our neighborhoods. This starts by hiring more officers, increasing police efficiency, response times, training ⎯ and taking strong measures that hold them accountable.

The community must be part of the solution and trust our safety forces. From the Chief on down, there will be direct accountability. Community policing and proper training is a start, but our safety officers must be supported and uphold the highest professional standards. Under Zack Reed’s leadership, our police operations will be fully assessed and improvements will be made from the bottom up ⎯ ensuring accountability and making every neighborhood safer.

Zack Reed Safety Plan

A Stronger Workforce

Growing our economy and expanding opportunities starts by strengthening our workforce. It’s not simply about preparing students, we must help residents of every age build the skills for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

Cleveland Public Schools should be something people are running to ⎯ not running away from. It’s among the most expensive districts, with one of the lowest performances. Improving the district begins with ensuring accountability for every member of our school board. As Mayor, Zack Reed will hold the Board and CEO accountable for every aspect of the district.

Cuyahoga Community College is one of our greatest assets and the opportunities to help train workers are boundless. Through public and private partnerships, we will expend core-skill training programs and teach real, current skills that can be used to start a career today.

We’ll seek new ways to train for the real jobs that offer a living wage. We’ll cover the spectrum from construction, to office technology and the jobs of tomorrow that are fueling a thriving gig economy. And we’ll help make sure people are able to build practical financial skills so every hard-earned dollar is well managed.

A Strong Economic Future

Our local economy is not keeping up. Cleveland must be the go-to choice for entrepreneurs, businesses and major corporations. We are second only to NYC in terms of fortune 500 companies within 45-minutes of each other ⎯ yet we constantly struggle to keep the very companies that were born here. We must do better.

We need to bring our business leaders together with our budding small businesses, health care leaders and universities to build and implement a real, lasting plan that gets Cleveland back on track.

Our infrastructure must be overhauled. Basics like roads and streetlights need to be improved and every resident must have affordable access to a reliable high speed internet connection.

Ohio is among the top spots for the development and manufacturing of next generation environmental technologies, yet we are missing the boat. There is no better place to expand this segment of the economy than right here in Cleveland and in turn we can use it to help protect our greatest resource – Lake Erie.^[76]

Economic Development
Sandra has been a consistent champion for measures that improve economic outcomes and viability for all Clevelanders. Delivering for small businesses, the RTA, our Ports, and our greatest natural asset, Lake Erie.

Housing Affordability
Affordable housing can help address many of the issues Cleveland faces, such as education disparities, public safety, and unemployment. Sandra will fight to ensure that our neighborhoods increase their safe family housing capacity which keeps our families safe and continuing to pursue economic advancement.

Education
From sponsoring the Cleveland Plan to ensuring Cleveland Public schools have funding for secondary programs, I have always prioritized education for the next generation of Clevelanders.

Public Safety
Cleveland families need to feel safe in their neighborhoods. At the core of improving public safety is addressing issues in our education system, our healthcare system, and our criminal justice system. Another critical step we took was declaring racism a public health crisis.

Justice Reform
Having worked herself in the criminal justice system, Sandra unequivocally believes that all Clevelanders deserve equal treatment under the law. She will work with local stakeholders to ensure that we continue to push reform, not just when the time calls for it.^[76]