Cleveland City Council | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
Leadership | |
President | |
Majority Leader | Kerry McCormack,Democratic since January 2022 [2] |
Majority Whip | Jasmin Santana,Democratic since May 2021 [3] |
Structure | |
Seats | Total seats: 17 |
Political groups | Democratic (17) |
Elections | |
Single-member districts | |
Last election | November 2, 2021 |
Next election | November 4, 2025 |
Meeting place | |
Cleveland City Hall 601 Lakeside Avenue, Room 220 Cleveland, OH 44114 | |
Website | |
Cleveland City Council Website |
Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of government for the City of Cleveland, Ohio. Its chambers are located at Cleveland City Hall at 601 Lakeside Avenue, across the street from Public Auditorium in Downtown Cleveland. [4] Cleveland City Council members are elected from 17 wards to four-year terms. [5] In Cleveland's mayor–council (strong mayor) form of government, council acts as a check against the power of the city executive, the mayor. Its responsibilities include "monitoring city departments, approving budgets, and enacting legislation to improve the quality of life [for the citizens of the city]." [5]
The current President of Council is Blaine Griffin. [1] The council Majority Leader is Kerry McCormack, and the Majority Whip is Jasmin Santana. [6] Patricia Britt serves as the Clerk of Council. [7]
The structure and membership of city council have fluctuated throughout Cleveland's history. Established in 1802, it initially included three trustees, and when Cleveland was incorporated as a city in 1836, it had three aldermen. After the annexation of Ohio City in 1854, "the revised city council expanded to 11 wards, with 2 trustees elected from each," or 22 representatives in total. [4] By 1885, the city's legislature had grown to 50 representatives. [4] Cleveland's 1892 Federal Plan, which strengthened the powers of the mayor, reduced the size of council to 20 members, but after the plan was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Ohio in 1902, council membership grew again to 32. [4]
After gaining municipal home rule from the state in 1912, Cleveland's city government, led by Mayor Newton D. Baker, drafted a new municipal charter. In developing the charter, the size of council proved to be the most contentious issue. According to the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, "those advocating a small council elected at large maintained that it would be more efficient, less expensive and would eliminate local machine corruption. Those who favored a large council elected by ward considered it more democratic, since it made councilmen answerable to their constituents." [4]
The final charter adopted in 1913 introduced a system with 26 wards each represented by a single council member. Due to the city's continued expansion, council grew to 33 members by 1923, making it "second in size only to Chicago's 50-member council." [4] In the 1920s, during the brief council–manager experiment, the number of council members was reduced to 25. When the mayor–council system was restored in 1931, the city had 33 council members again. [4]
In November 1981, as part of Mayor George Voinovich's effort to streamline city government, Cleveland voters approved reducing council to 21 members. [4] In November 2008, during the tenure of Mayor Frank G. Jackson, Cleveland voters passed a charter amendment linking the size of City Council to the city's population. [8] City Council approved a redistricting plan in March 2009, [9] reducing the number of wards to 19 at the start of the 2010–2013 term. [10] Thereafter, the number of wards was tied to the population identified in the decennial United States Census.
Population decreases identified in the 2010 Census resulted in the elimination of two wards, reducing the number of members to 17. In March 2013, City Council approved new ward boundaries that went into effect in January 2014. [11] Council voted to amend the boundaries on April 17, 2013. [12]
The members of Cleveland City Council - all from the Democratic Party - are listed below in the order of the ward they serve. [13] [14]
Ward | Neighborhoods [13] | Council Member [13] | In office since | Ward Map |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lee–Miles (Lee–Harvard and Lee–Seville), parts of Mount Pleasant and Union–Miles | Joe Jones | 2017 | |
2 | Union–Miles, parts of Mount Pleasant | Kevin Bishop | 2017 | |
3 | Downtown, Ohio City, north Tremont, north Cuyahoga Valley, part of Stockyards | Kerry McCormack Majority Leader | 2016 | |
4 | Buckeye–Shaker and Mount Pleasant | Deborah Gray | 2022 | |
5 | Central, Kinsman, parts of Broadway–Slavic Village | Richard Starr | 2022 | |
6 | Fairfax, University Circle, Buckeye–Woodhill, parts of Broadway–Slavic Village and Union–Miles | Blaine Griffin President | 2017 | |
7 | Hough, St. Clair–Superior, Goodrich–Kirtland Park (Asiatown) | Stephanie Howse | 2022 | |
8 | North Collinwood, parts of Glenville and South Collinwood | Michael Polensek | 1977 | |
9 | Glenville, part of University Circle | Kevin Conwell | 2001 | |
10 | South Collinwood, Euclid–Green, parts of Glenville and St. Clair–Superior | Anthony Hairston | 2017 | |
11 | West Boulevard, parts of Edgewater, Cudell, and Jefferson | Danny Kelly | 2023 | |
12 | Broadway–Slavic Village, south Tremont, south Cuyahoga Valley, parts of Brooklyn Centre and Old Brooklyn | Rebecca Maurer | 2022 | |
13 | Old Brooklyn, part of Stockyards | Kris Harsh | 2022 | |
14 | Clark–Fulton, parts of Brooklyn Centre, Stockyards, and West Boulevard | Jasmin Santana Majority Whip | 2017 | |
15 | Edgewater, Detroit–Shoreway, Whiskey Island, part of Cudell | Jenny Spencer | 2020 | |
16 | West Park (Jefferson and Bellaire–Puritas) | Brian Kazy | 2015 | |
17 | West Park (Kamm's Corners and Hopkins) | Charles Slife | 2019 |
As of 2023, City Council has 11 standing committees. [15]
Committee | Chair | Vice Chair |
---|---|---|
Development, Planning & Sustainability | Anthony Hairston | Jasmin Santana |
Finance, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Blaine Griffin | Kerry McCormack |
Health, Human Services & the Arts | Kevin Conwell | Rebecca Maurer |
Mayor’s Appointments | Joe Jones | |
Municipal Services & Properties | Kevin Bishop | Richard Starr |
Operations | Kerry McCormack | |
Rules | Blaine Griffin | |
Safety | Michael Polensek | Joe Jones |
Transportation & Mobility | Kerry McCormack | Charles Slife |
Utilities | Brian Kazy | Jenny Spencer |
Workforce, Education, Training & Youth Development | Jasmin Santana | Stephanie Howse |
Cuyahoga County is a large urban county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. The county seat and largest city is Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,264,817, making it the second-most populous county in the state.
Cleveland Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 45,312 at the 2020 census. One of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs, it was founded as a village in 1903 and a city in 1921.
Maple Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Cleveland. The population was 23,701 at the 2020 census.
Olmsted Falls is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 8,582 at the 2020 census. A southwestern suburb of Cleveland, it is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. The city's main business district is located at the corners of Bagley and Columbia Roads and contains the Grand Pacific Junction, a historic district.
Shaker Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 29,439. Shaker Heights is an inner-ring streetcar suburb of Cleveland, abutting the eastern edge of the city's limits. It is a planned community developed by the Van Sweringen brothers, railroad moguls who envisioned the community as a suburban retreat from the industrial inner city of Cleveland.
The mayor of Cleveland is the head of the executive branch of government of the City of Cleveland, Ohio. As the chief executive in Cleveland's mayor–council system, the mayor oversees all city services and is "responsible for enforcing the city charter, city ordinances, and the laws of the State of Ohio." The mayor's office is located at Cleveland City Hall at 601 Lakeside Avenue in Downtown Cleveland. Since 1836, the city has had a total of 54 mayors, including the city's current mayor, Justin Bibb, encompassing 58 mayoral administrations, as four mayors have served in non-consecutive terms.
Frank George Jackson is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 57th Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 2006 to 2022. He was first elected on November 8, 2005, unseating incumbent Jane Campbell, and re-elected in 2009, 2013, and 2017. Having served four full terms, he is the longest-serving mayor in Cleveland history. On May 6, 2021, he announced he would not seek re-election in 2021.
Daniel Edgar Morgan was an American politician of the Republican party who served as the second and last city manager of Cleveland, Ohio, but is often regarded as the 42nd mayor of the city. He was the last member of Cleveland City Council to become mayor until Frank G. Jackson was elected in 2005.
The Metropolitan Council is the legislative body of the consolidated city-county government of Nashville, Tennessee and Davidson County.
Collinwood High School is a public high school located in the Collinwood neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. The school is divided into three academies: Advanced Placement Academy, STEM Teaching Professions Academy, and Academy of Interior and Fashion Design.
Jeffrey D. Johnson is an American politician and attorney who served as a member of Cleveland City Council for Ward 10 from 2014 to 2018. Johnson served as councilman for Ward 8 from 1984 to 1990 and as a member of the Ohio Senate from 1990 to 1998.
The Cuyahoga County Council is the legislative branch of the government of Cuyahoga County in Ohio. Cuyahoga, along with Summit, is one of only two of Ohio's 88 counties not governed by a three-member commission. The council and county executive position were created by means of a charter approved by the county's electorate on November 3, 2009, and became effective January 1, 2011.
This article is a timeline of the history of the city of Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
The County Executive of Cuyahoga County, the second largest county in Ohio, and the 29th largest county by population in the United States, is the elected chief executive of the Cuyahoga County government. Democrat Chris Ronanye is the current county executive. The county charter stipulates that the executive is responsible for the appointment and removal of county personnel, working with other local governments, introducing legislation to the county council, submitting budgets and capital improvements plans to the council, and many other duties.
Janine Boyd is an American politician who served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives for the 9th district from 2015 to 2022. She resigned from her House seat in April 2022 to take a position in the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
The 2017 Cleveland mayoral election took place on November 7, 2017, to elect the Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio. The election was officially nonpartisan, with the top two candidates from the September 12 primary election advancing to the general election, regardless of party. Incumbent Democratic Mayor Frank G. Jackson won reelection to a fourth term.
Fannie Lewis was Cleveland, Ohio's longest-serving councilwoman and civil rights activist, best known for the Fannie Lewis Law requiring government contracts in Cleveland provide for employment of local workers.
The 2021 Cleveland mayoral election took place on November 2, 2021, to elect the Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio. The election was officially nonpartisan, with the top two candidates from the September 14 primary election advancing to the general election, regardless of party. Incumbent Democratic Mayor Frank G. Jackson was eligible to run for reelection to a fifth term, but instead chose to retire. Justin Bibb was elected the 58th mayor of Cleveland in the general election.
Justin Morris Bibb is an American politician and former non-profit leader serving as the 58th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio since January 2022. Prior to serving as mayor, Bibb was the Co-Chair of Teach for America – Ohio, and a board member for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, Destination Cleveland, and LAND Studio.
The 2021 Cleveland City Council election was held on November 2, 2021. The primary elections were held on September 14, 2021. All 17 seats on Cleveland City Council were up for election for four-year terms. Elections in Cleveland are officially nonpartisan, with the top two candidates from the primary election advancing to the general election, regardless of party.