2021 Election Forums
Cleveland Heights City Council Candidate Forum - unexpired term
TThe Noble Neighbors' Cleveland Heights City Council Candidate Forum is going virtual due to the Covid infection rates in Cuyahoga County. The questions that participants submitted to us before September 30, 2021 were combined into the following broad categories and were submitted to the candidates on October 1, 2021 for written response. Responses are due by October 12, but will be posted on this site as they are received. Please read the candidates' responses, look up their campaign websites, and link to other forums and questionnaires. We are better voters when we are better educated.
Email submitted to Cleveland Heights City Council Candidates on October 1, 2021:
Email submitted to Cleveland Heights City Council Candidates on October 1, 2021:
Hello Candidates for Cleveland Heights City Council,
Noble Neighbors' leaders have decided to cancel our in-person City Council Candidate Election Forums for October 5 and 12 due to the rising Covid-19 delta variant infections. Instead, we'd like to give you the opportunity to answer the questions we would have presented to you in writing. We will post your answers to our webpage as soon as we receive them and ask you to observe our October 12 deadline. We will also post links to other CH City Council candidate forums and questionnaires and use our social media platforms to encourage our neighbors to educate themselves before voting.
Please provide a link to the social media pertaining to your candidacy. We will include that link on our website.
Please respond in 250 words or less to these questions:
1. Describe how you have engaged with city government and with the neighborhoods along Noble Road to date.
2. Governance: What will your role and goals be as a council member in shaping our new form of government? How will you ensure that Noble and all other parts of the city are represented equitably?
3. Economic Development: What are your plans for economic development along Noble Road? How will you engage the residents, business owners and institutions in that planning?
4. Quality of Life: Residents are expressing concerns about trash pick-up, building and housing code violations, noise, traffic control and safety issues. How will you address these concerns including funding of solutions?
5. Additional Comments: This is your opportunity to provide additional information to the Noble area voters.
Thank you for your participation. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Noble Neighbors' leaders have decided to cancel our in-person City Council Candidate Election Forums for October 5 and 12 due to the rising Covid-19 delta variant infections. Instead, we'd like to give you the opportunity to answer the questions we would have presented to you in writing. We will post your answers to our webpage as soon as we receive them and ask you to observe our October 12 deadline. We will also post links to other CH City Council candidate forums and questionnaires and use our social media platforms to encourage our neighbors to educate themselves before voting.
Please provide a link to the social media pertaining to your candidacy. We will include that link on our website.
Please respond in 250 words or less to these questions:
1. Describe how you have engaged with city government and with the neighborhoods along Noble Road to date.
2. Governance: What will your role and goals be as a council member in shaping our new form of government? How will you ensure that Noble and all other parts of the city are represented equitably?
3. Economic Development: What are your plans for economic development along Noble Road? How will you engage the residents, business owners and institutions in that planning?
4. Quality of Life: Residents are expressing concerns about trash pick-up, building and housing code violations, noise, traffic control and safety issues. How will you address these concerns including funding of solutions?
5. Additional Comments: This is your opportunity to provide additional information to the Noble area voters.
Thank you for your participation. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Voters will choose one of these candidates
Candidate Responses
Erin C. Johnson @ERINCJOHNSON [email protected]
Received Oct. 11, 2021
1. Quite a few of my neighbors are along Noble Road and we have had in-depth conversations about the neighborhood, and what the city needs to move in the right direction. While talking to Noble Business Owners, Workers and Residents they have voiced concerns and issues as well. These issues are all the same. The community would like to see a renovated and resurfaced Business District, more homes being taken care of, less noise, no trash on the streets, people purchasing homes and a thriving city. From time to time, I have welcomed new residents on my street and asked if they have any questions or concerns about our neighborhood.
2. As a council member, I would start by addressing the issues the community has. Then, council and the community would need to see how we can resolve these issues or concerns. Getting out and talking to the community is what I would like to do. Certain areas of the city may not need as much attention as other areas, so it would be best to prioritize and bring those areas that are distressed in Cleveland Heights to the forefront for councils attention.
3. My plans for Noble Road would start with the Noble Road Business District buildings being renovated. I would like to see more businesses and homeowners purchase in this area. We should devise a plan to give financial assistance to the residents that need their homes brought up to date. I will engage business owners, residents and the community by having certain days where we all will meet on Noble to discuss ideas and concerns. I want neighbors to get to know one another. This will create a collaboration among the residents, council and the community. We may have a day where we will clean Noble Road, or have a Fair day on Noble Road, creating a sense of togetherness. This can facilitate the people getting acquainted with one another.
4 Cleveland Heights will soon have the automatic trash bins which will alleviate trash and debris being everywhere. With other issues such as noise, traffic control and housing concerns these issues will need to be enforced. As far as funding is concerned, that can be addressed later after more research is done.
Erin C. Johnson is a 30 plus year resident of Cleveland Heights. Graduated with an Associates in Business Administration and a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Indiana Wesleyan University. I have over 20 years of experience in the Public and Private Sectors. Presently employed by the Federal Government. My motto is "Unity in the Community". I'm committed to a unified and thriving city, ready to listen and lead.
1. Quite a few of my neighbors are along Noble Road and we have had in-depth conversations about the neighborhood, and what the city needs to move in the right direction. While talking to Noble Business Owners, Workers and Residents they have voiced concerns and issues as well. These issues are all the same. The community would like to see a renovated and resurfaced Business District, more homes being taken care of, less noise, no trash on the streets, people purchasing homes and a thriving city. From time to time, I have welcomed new residents on my street and asked if they have any questions or concerns about our neighborhood.
2. As a council member, I would start by addressing the issues the community has. Then, council and the community would need to see how we can resolve these issues or concerns. Getting out and talking to the community is what I would like to do. Certain areas of the city may not need as much attention as other areas, so it would be best to prioritize and bring those areas that are distressed in Cleveland Heights to the forefront for councils attention.
3. My plans for Noble Road would start with the Noble Road Business District buildings being renovated. I would like to see more businesses and homeowners purchase in this area. We should devise a plan to give financial assistance to the residents that need their homes brought up to date. I will engage business owners, residents and the community by having certain days where we all will meet on Noble to discuss ideas and concerns. I want neighbors to get to know one another. This will create a collaboration among the residents, council and the community. We may have a day where we will clean Noble Road, or have a Fair day on Noble Road, creating a sense of togetherness. This can facilitate the people getting acquainted with one another.
4 Cleveland Heights will soon have the automatic trash bins which will alleviate trash and debris being everywhere. With other issues such as noise, traffic control and housing concerns these issues will need to be enforced. As far as funding is concerned, that can be addressed later after more research is done.
Erin C. Johnson is a 30 plus year resident of Cleveland Heights. Graduated with an Associates in Business Administration and a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Indiana Wesleyan University. I have over 20 years of experience in the Public and Private Sectors. Presently employed by the Federal Government. My motto is "Unity in the Community". I'm committed to a unified and thriving city, ready to listen and lead.
Garry Kanter [email protected]
Received Oct. 8.2021
1. Describe how you have engaged with city government and with the neighborhoods along Noble Road to date.
For the last 10 years or so, I have been closely following the CH city council and the CHUH school board, as a private citizen in a watchdog role. I have spoken at many city council meetings, including 15 consecutive meetings in 2012.
It was my intervention with the city government that got this race for the remaining two years of Mary Dunbar’s term on the ballot, as the city had erroneously sent out a press release announcing an “appointment” process.
I closely watched – and provided input to - the Charter Review Commission for about six months, until it became obvious that it was not a legitimate representation of the Community.
With two other members of the community, over the past eight or so years, we responded to the city’s RFPs with Green/Sustainable proposals for various vacant properties in the community. One of the proposals we submitted was for what I recall was a former McDonald’s location – now a vacant lot and city parking lot – on Noble Rd. Each of our proposals was summarily dismissed.
The city’s purchase and demolition of the Medic drug property on Noble was very troubling. There were irregularities in that transaction, and of course nothing has been done with it.
I attended at least one of the community meetings regarding the proposed gas station at the Center Mayfield theater location.
I’ve picked up food at a few Noble restaurants, and had my car serviced at the Shell station. I’ve had a few beers at Pete’s 250
2. Governance: What will your role and goals be as a council member in shaping our new form of government? How will you ensure that Noble and all other parts of the city are represented equitably?
Ever since the elected mayor charter amendment was passed, I have done my best to encourage the city to codify the transition. Sadly, there is no evidence of much – if any – work being done.
I spoke at the city council meeting that immediately followed the charter amendment vote. I suggested that the four council members who created and funded the anti-elected mayor campaign PAC should immediately resign, as by their words and actions they could not be expected to assure a successful transition to an elected mayor. They didn’t care much for my recommendation, but it has since been demonstrated that I was correct.
In the spring of 2020, I reached out on two occasions to Council Vice Chair Seren, imploring him as the Chair of the Administrative Services Committee to assemble a project to team go through the charter and ordinances to find the changes that needed to be made. I even suggested a project manager he could discuss these needs with. Sadly, I nor the project manager heard back from Seren on the topic.
Just last week I asked the city manager if a draft of the city’s Organization Chart had been made, reflecting how the city will operate effective January 1, 2022. Her response was “Not yet”.
If elected, I will call for a legitimate Charter Review Commission, set up for a fixed length of time. Residents from all communities in the city would be represented.
3. Economic Development: What are your plans for economic development along Noble Road? How will you engage the residents, business owners and institutions in that planning?
Any solutions to economic will be complex, or they would have already been implemented.
One “new” thing would be to invest some of the $38.8 million Federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds in the Noble area. The city has unofficially earmarked $20 million of those funds as “good faith” money for the EPA mandated sewer system upgrade/replacement. The sewer system upgrade is going to happen, the only question is how will it be funded. I think we should solve today’s problems for today’s residents, rather than save some hypothetical future residents decades from now a few cents on their sewer bills.
The city needs to reorganize three separate departments into one: Planning, Economic Development, and the Housing Programs section of Public Safety. This three-headed monster is incapable of stating and executing any sort of Vision for CH.
I recognize that the citizens have been left out of the conversations and decision making at city hall for some time. I intend to work towards an Open Government, one that invites all stakeholders and subject matter experts to contribute. This certainly includes Noble Road.
One thing the city and municipal court have already accomplished is to divert some Housing Court matters to a property rehabilitation process. So instead of unpaid fines accumulating for no benefit, homeowners can engage with educational and financial resources so that homes are repaired and maintained.
4. Quality of Life: Residents are expressing concerns about trash pick-up, building and housing code violations, noise, traffic control and safety issues. How will you address these concerns including funding of solutions?
The fact is that city council members have only “Inquiry” capabilities with department heads. And department heads, in the past at least, have been instructed by the city manager to not respond to such inquiries. So a council member may have no more ability to affect daily operations than any other resident in the city.
As far as financially addressing these issues, once again I look to the $38.8 million of ARP funding. Certainly, more money can be directed to the housing, code enforcement, and safety departments.
I mentioned just above that the city and court have developed the repairs diversion program for struggling homeowners.
I want to see the city invest as necessary in our police department, making them a National Model for Community Policing. That means police on the beat in our neighborhoods. And better, state of the art training, equipment, data collection and reporting, and methodologies.
5. Additional Comments: This is your opportunity to provide additional information to the Noble area voters.
I have admired the work done by Davida Russell since she made her commitment to represent the under-served communities on the north end of the city. I want to see her great work continued.
The city council and the city government, in many ways, has been dysfunctional. Council took over a year to select a replacement to fill the previous vacancy. And by sending out an erroneous press release announcing that city council will be appointing Mary Dunbar’s replacement – which was corrected only through my own efforts to being this very council race on the ballot – the city manager and the law director have shown no command of the city charter and ordinances they’ve sworn to uphold.
Council abuses “emergency” legislation and they abuse executive session. Decisions like Top of the Hill going from 5 stories to 10 stories tall happened in the dark of the night, but they claim that every citizen could have been engaged in that decision.
The council doesn’t follow even rudimentary Roberts Rules Of Order, and often starts the bi-weekly council meeting long after the announced starting time.
It is my goal to remedy these solvable problems and return City Hall to We The People.
1. Describe how you have engaged with city government and with the neighborhoods along Noble Road to date.
For the last 10 years or so, I have been closely following the CH city council and the CHUH school board, as a private citizen in a watchdog role. I have spoken at many city council meetings, including 15 consecutive meetings in 2012.
It was my intervention with the city government that got this race for the remaining two years of Mary Dunbar’s term on the ballot, as the city had erroneously sent out a press release announcing an “appointment” process.
I closely watched – and provided input to - the Charter Review Commission for about six months, until it became obvious that it was not a legitimate representation of the Community.
With two other members of the community, over the past eight or so years, we responded to the city’s RFPs with Green/Sustainable proposals for various vacant properties in the community. One of the proposals we submitted was for what I recall was a former McDonald’s location – now a vacant lot and city parking lot – on Noble Rd. Each of our proposals was summarily dismissed.
The city’s purchase and demolition of the Medic drug property on Noble was very troubling. There were irregularities in that transaction, and of course nothing has been done with it.
I attended at least one of the community meetings regarding the proposed gas station at the Center Mayfield theater location.
I’ve picked up food at a few Noble restaurants, and had my car serviced at the Shell station. I’ve had a few beers at Pete’s 250
2. Governance: What will your role and goals be as a council member in shaping our new form of government? How will you ensure that Noble and all other parts of the city are represented equitably?
Ever since the elected mayor charter amendment was passed, I have done my best to encourage the city to codify the transition. Sadly, there is no evidence of much – if any – work being done.
I spoke at the city council meeting that immediately followed the charter amendment vote. I suggested that the four council members who created and funded the anti-elected mayor campaign PAC should immediately resign, as by their words and actions they could not be expected to assure a successful transition to an elected mayor. They didn’t care much for my recommendation, but it has since been demonstrated that I was correct.
In the spring of 2020, I reached out on two occasions to Council Vice Chair Seren, imploring him as the Chair of the Administrative Services Committee to assemble a project to team go through the charter and ordinances to find the changes that needed to be made. I even suggested a project manager he could discuss these needs with. Sadly, I nor the project manager heard back from Seren on the topic.
Just last week I asked the city manager if a draft of the city’s Organization Chart had been made, reflecting how the city will operate effective January 1, 2022. Her response was “Not yet”.
If elected, I will call for a legitimate Charter Review Commission, set up for a fixed length of time. Residents from all communities in the city would be represented.
3. Economic Development: What are your plans for economic development along Noble Road? How will you engage the residents, business owners and institutions in that planning?
Any solutions to economic will be complex, or they would have already been implemented.
One “new” thing would be to invest some of the $38.8 million Federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds in the Noble area. The city has unofficially earmarked $20 million of those funds as “good faith” money for the EPA mandated sewer system upgrade/replacement. The sewer system upgrade is going to happen, the only question is how will it be funded. I think we should solve today’s problems for today’s residents, rather than save some hypothetical future residents decades from now a few cents on their sewer bills.
The city needs to reorganize three separate departments into one: Planning, Economic Development, and the Housing Programs section of Public Safety. This three-headed monster is incapable of stating and executing any sort of Vision for CH.
I recognize that the citizens have been left out of the conversations and decision making at city hall for some time. I intend to work towards an Open Government, one that invites all stakeholders and subject matter experts to contribute. This certainly includes Noble Road.
One thing the city and municipal court have already accomplished is to divert some Housing Court matters to a property rehabilitation process. So instead of unpaid fines accumulating for no benefit, homeowners can engage with educational and financial resources so that homes are repaired and maintained.
4. Quality of Life: Residents are expressing concerns about trash pick-up, building and housing code violations, noise, traffic control and safety issues. How will you address these concerns including funding of solutions?
The fact is that city council members have only “Inquiry” capabilities with department heads. And department heads, in the past at least, have been instructed by the city manager to not respond to such inquiries. So a council member may have no more ability to affect daily operations than any other resident in the city.
As far as financially addressing these issues, once again I look to the $38.8 million of ARP funding. Certainly, more money can be directed to the housing, code enforcement, and safety departments.
I mentioned just above that the city and court have developed the repairs diversion program for struggling homeowners.
I want to see the city invest as necessary in our police department, making them a National Model for Community Policing. That means police on the beat in our neighborhoods. And better, state of the art training, equipment, data collection and reporting, and methodologies.
5. Additional Comments: This is your opportunity to provide additional information to the Noble area voters.
I have admired the work done by Davida Russell since she made her commitment to represent the under-served communities on the north end of the city. I want to see her great work continued.
The city council and the city government, in many ways, has been dysfunctional. Council took over a year to select a replacement to fill the previous vacancy. And by sending out an erroneous press release announcing that city council will be appointing Mary Dunbar’s replacement – which was corrected only through my own efforts to being this very council race on the ballot – the city manager and the law director have shown no command of the city charter and ordinances they’ve sworn to uphold.
Council abuses “emergency” legislation and they abuse executive session. Decisions like Top of the Hill going from 5 stories to 10 stories tall happened in the dark of the night, but they claim that every citizen could have been engaged in that decision.
The council doesn’t follow even rudimentary Roberts Rules Of Order, and often starts the bi-weekly council meeting long after the announced starting time.
It is my goal to remedy these solvable problems and return City Hall to We The People.
Robert Koonce https://robertkoonce.com/
Received Oct. 9, 2021
1. Describe how you have engaged with city government and with the neighborhoods along Noble Road to date.
Since 2015, I have served on the board of Home Repair Resource Center whose office has been in the neighborhood for many decades. While our work has expanded beyond Cleveland Heights, the organization has remained committed to the city and especially the Noble Road community. Beyond the day to day work of the tool lending library, the classes, and the grants and loans programs, I am particularly excited about our work partnering with the city to help transition vacant tax foreclosed homes into the hands of homeowners. This program is a key tool in preventing the deterioration of existing housing stock and the decline of home values.
2. Governance: What will your role and goals be as a council member in shaping our new form of government? How will you ensure that Noble and all other parts of the city are represented equitably?
In our collective conversation around the new form of government we have focused on the mayor’s role in the city. What has been less discussed is the change in store for city council. Council will no longer have a direct role of the day to day operations of the city – the mayor will not need to act according to council’s direction. Instead, council’s role transitions to a focus on legislation and oversight. In their oversight role, council members have a duty to ensure the city’s resources are equitably distributed throughout our neighborhoods, enforcing that through hearings, legislation, and budget allocations. I strongly feel that the Noble neighborhood’s commercial and residential assets are a priority for the city and need to see substantial investment in the coming years. My priority focus is to advocate for investments that increase our population in the next ten years by 10,000 residents. The Noble Road area is a crucial part of that goal and will need to be prioritized for investments.
3. Economic Development: What are your plans for economic development along Noble Road? How will you engage the residents, business owners and institutions in that planning?
Over the years, the city and many community advocacy groups have laid out visions for the Noble corridor. What is needed now is implementation. From both city funds and other sources, like the US Department of Transportation’s RAISE program, I would advocate a major infrastructure investment on Noble Road. These improvements would be very similar to those done for the extent of the Cedar Lee Business District. Those investments improved the district’s aesthetics and safety which have encouraged business and residential investment. Noble should have the same.
The Noble neighborhood is an incredible community with not only individual activists, but high quality community organizations like Noble Neighbors, Start Right, Home Repair Resource Center and others. Because council is freed from the day to day management of the city, members can spend more time in direct contact with residents giving them a means to express their concerns and react to plans for their neighborhoods. I would like to see city council hold hearings in the neighborhood to make it even easier for residents who are often not a part of conversations to engage in them.
4. Quality of Life: Residents are expressing concerns about trash pick-up, building and housing code violations, noise, traffic control and safety issues. How will you address these concerns including funding of solutions?
Each of the areas mentioned are the key activities of any functioning city. Downed trees, backed up storm drains, bulk trash pickup, business licenses, and permits all require time spent connecting with our city staff. Council should work hard to establish systems of accountability and investment to ensure that when residents connect with City Hall they are not met with any bureaucratic barriers, long wait times, or unreturned calls/emails. Our permitting process should be inexpensive and easy to understand. We can maintain quality housing and building conditions without convoluted rules that add unnecessary expense and delays. I would urge the new mayor to create a community relations department that directly reports to him/her and is staffed by people fully knowledgeable in each area of city services. They would be the first ones to respond to email, phone, and in-person inquiries at city hall. They would create a tracking system for each request and would follow up to ensure that resident problems get resolved, functioning as advocates for residents when they navigate city hall.
5. Additional Comments: This is your opportunity to provide additional information to the Noble area voters.
I have been greatly impressed over the years by community members in the Noble Road area. Much momentum has been built by so many who are deeply passionate about the city and I simply want to support and empower all those efforts to continue and thrive.
1. Describe how you have engaged with city government and with the neighborhoods along Noble Road to date.
Since 2015, I have served on the board of Home Repair Resource Center whose office has been in the neighborhood for many decades. While our work has expanded beyond Cleveland Heights, the organization has remained committed to the city and especially the Noble Road community. Beyond the day to day work of the tool lending library, the classes, and the grants and loans programs, I am particularly excited about our work partnering with the city to help transition vacant tax foreclosed homes into the hands of homeowners. This program is a key tool in preventing the deterioration of existing housing stock and the decline of home values.
2. Governance: What will your role and goals be as a council member in shaping our new form of government? How will you ensure that Noble and all other parts of the city are represented equitably?
In our collective conversation around the new form of government we have focused on the mayor’s role in the city. What has been less discussed is the change in store for city council. Council will no longer have a direct role of the day to day operations of the city – the mayor will not need to act according to council’s direction. Instead, council’s role transitions to a focus on legislation and oversight. In their oversight role, council members have a duty to ensure the city’s resources are equitably distributed throughout our neighborhoods, enforcing that through hearings, legislation, and budget allocations. I strongly feel that the Noble neighborhood’s commercial and residential assets are a priority for the city and need to see substantial investment in the coming years. My priority focus is to advocate for investments that increase our population in the next ten years by 10,000 residents. The Noble Road area is a crucial part of that goal and will need to be prioritized for investments.
3. Economic Development: What are your plans for economic development along Noble Road? How will you engage the residents, business owners and institutions in that planning?
Over the years, the city and many community advocacy groups have laid out visions for the Noble corridor. What is needed now is implementation. From both city funds and other sources, like the US Department of Transportation’s RAISE program, I would advocate a major infrastructure investment on Noble Road. These improvements would be very similar to those done for the extent of the Cedar Lee Business District. Those investments improved the district’s aesthetics and safety which have encouraged business and residential investment. Noble should have the same.
The Noble neighborhood is an incredible community with not only individual activists, but high quality community organizations like Noble Neighbors, Start Right, Home Repair Resource Center and others. Because council is freed from the day to day management of the city, members can spend more time in direct contact with residents giving them a means to express their concerns and react to plans for their neighborhoods. I would like to see city council hold hearings in the neighborhood to make it even easier for residents who are often not a part of conversations to engage in them.
4. Quality of Life: Residents are expressing concerns about trash pick-up, building and housing code violations, noise, traffic control and safety issues. How will you address these concerns including funding of solutions?
Each of the areas mentioned are the key activities of any functioning city. Downed trees, backed up storm drains, bulk trash pickup, business licenses, and permits all require time spent connecting with our city staff. Council should work hard to establish systems of accountability and investment to ensure that when residents connect with City Hall they are not met with any bureaucratic barriers, long wait times, or unreturned calls/emails. Our permitting process should be inexpensive and easy to understand. We can maintain quality housing and building conditions without convoluted rules that add unnecessary expense and delays. I would urge the new mayor to create a community relations department that directly reports to him/her and is staffed by people fully knowledgeable in each area of city services. They would be the first ones to respond to email, phone, and in-person inquiries at city hall. They would create a tracking system for each request and would follow up to ensure that resident problems get resolved, functioning as advocates for residents when they navigate city hall.
5. Additional Comments: This is your opportunity to provide additional information to the Noble area voters.
I have been greatly impressed over the years by community members in the Noble Road area. Much momentum has been built by so many who are deeply passionate about the city and I simply want to support and empower all those efforts to continue and thrive.
Josie Moore [email protected]
Received Oct. 11, 2021
1. Describe how you have engaged with city government and with the neighborhoods along Noble Road to date.
I began attending City Council meetings a few months before the pandemic. At that time, I was feeling burnt out from national politics and wanted to put my energy where I could effect change and impact the lives of people in my community. I wanted to learn all that I could about Cleveland Heights government and how it came to operate as it does.
A couple of aspects struck me right away: (1) the lack of responsiveness to many residents’ concerns, with a few exceptions, all of whom lived in the southern part of the city; and (2) the tenor of dialogue among city council members, which seemed at times to resist movement or progress on many issues.
One reason I applied to be a part of the Citizens Advisory Committee was to better understand the tapestry of services and programs for low- and moderate-income communities; I wanted to get a fuller picture of how our city is already working to uplift communities and provide resources where they are needed the most.
As a candidate, I have enjoyed getting to know the diversity of perspectives, experiences, and concerns of residents in the Noble area. I am committed to advocating for resources and investment in and around Noble to ensure it is safe and prosperous. In particular, I want to make sure that all work in the Noble area begins with meaningful community engagement from a representative swath of stakeholders to ensure that decisions reflect what is needed and wanted by 250
2. Governance: What will your role and goals be as a council member in shaping our new form of government? How will you ensure that Noble and all other parts of the city are represented equitably?
I anticipate that the next couple of years will be a time of negotiating new power dynamics and clarifying evolving roles and responsibilities of the mayor and council. For the sake of minimizing disruption to the people of Cleveland Heights, it is the responsibility of all involved to commit to the highest degree of professionalism, civility, and grace as we find our “new normal.” But more than this, I think I join most residents in simply wanting progress—I want to get things done. I will be coming into council with the intention of addressing the myriad challenges we face and working with fellow council members to build solutions that will create noticeable and positive differences for the people of our city.
I am keenly aware that all levels of our government have representation gaps, almost always among people who need representation and advocacy the most. I consider one of my jobs as a council member to be identifying different groups—whether by geography, income, demographics, or any other identifier—who are not directly represented on council, and then to reach out to make sure that I open a conversation to better understand their needs and concerns. One of my core values as a representative is equity, so I am committed to dedicating energy and resources where they are needed the most.
3. Economic Development: What are your plans for economic development along Noble Road? How will you engage the residents, business owners, and institutions in that planning?
I believe that—with Cleveland Heights’ topography and geography, as well as our creative and enterprising residents—we have the potential to build a thriving, dynamic, resilient local economy largely made up of a solid foundation of small and medium-sized local businesses. This is not a radical idea; it was the makeup of local economies for thousands of years before the age of the large national and multi-national corporations drove many “mom-and-pop” businesses into bankruptcy. But across America, we are seeing a resurgence of small and medium businesses—along with a return of what local businesses offer like no other: an understanding of and investment in the community that sustains them.
This approach to economic development is known by some as “economic gardening,” and it requires a commitment to supporting businesses and entrepreneurs every step of the way: from creating a business plan to finding investors, to mentorship, to growth strategy research and advising, and more. This will require a coordinated effort among multiple actors—including local government (mayor and council) as well as CDCs, SIDs, business owners, and community leaders—to work together to create a diverse economic ecosystem in Cleveland Heights.
The success of this depends upon several areas of work: ongoing community engagement to best understand residents’ consumer needs and wants as well as to connect residents with area businesses; our mayor and council improving our commercial districts’ infrastructure by securing capital, investors, and developers, particularly in areas where they have historically declined to operate; our council 250
4. Quality of Life: Residents are expressing concerns about trash pick-up, building and housing code violations, noise, traffic control and safety issues. How will you address these concerns, including funding of solutions?
Paying attention to simple but impactful quality-of-life issues is vital for taking care of our residents and attracting new people to join our community. Many times, these concerns go unaddressed because they seem minor when compared to larger problems, but they add up and, if ignored, become an ongoing thorn in the side of people as we go about our daily lives.
Some of these problems require greater investment in and attention from city staff, and some require clearer direction and goal-posting from city administration. I will work with our future mayor and fellow council members to:
(1) rebuild our housing department, including not only hiring more inspectors to bring our staff back in house but also hiring community liaisons to work with property owners to help them understand and connect with resources to address violations;
(2) work with our mayor to ensure that our city’s budget is created with clear performance goals, along with metrics for determining whether funding is being well spent, so we can maximize our public dollars to improve city services;
(3) revisit our Complete and Green Streets Policy to assess our progress and determine our next steps in making good on this commitment to ensuring that everyone is safe on our streets;
(4) explore how we can address both noise and air quality issues to establish parameters of how and when residents can use certain devices, such as leaf blowers and backyard smokers, to minimize disruption for their neighbors;
(5) create more jobs (discussed in 250
5. Additional Comments: This is your opportunity to provide additional information to the Noble area voters.
I am particularly interested in ensuring that all residents in Cleveland Heights feel that our local government represents their interests and advocates for their well-being. In addition to simply being a very empathetic person who wants to learn about everyone’s experiences and viewpoints, I am also aware that some areas of our city need more structural reforms to ensure that their voices are heard and concerns addressed. For this reason, I want to convene a new Charter Review Commission to (in addition to completing some basic housekeeping of the charter to update it thoroughly for the new form of government) explore whether an all at-large city council is serving our current Cleveland Heights’ communities adequately. More specifically: Would a city council with ward members better ensure that neglected communities have a voice on council that represents their unique needs and advocates for their interests? This is a question that should not be taken lightly, so the process must be done correctly and carefully. If the commission recommends a change to our city council structure, I will work to get the five votes from council to put it on the ballot—so that you, the voters, make the final decision.
1. Describe how you have engaged with city government and with the neighborhoods along Noble Road to date.
I began attending City Council meetings a few months before the pandemic. At that time, I was feeling burnt out from national politics and wanted to put my energy where I could effect change and impact the lives of people in my community. I wanted to learn all that I could about Cleveland Heights government and how it came to operate as it does.
A couple of aspects struck me right away: (1) the lack of responsiveness to many residents’ concerns, with a few exceptions, all of whom lived in the southern part of the city; and (2) the tenor of dialogue among city council members, which seemed at times to resist movement or progress on many issues.
One reason I applied to be a part of the Citizens Advisory Committee was to better understand the tapestry of services and programs for low- and moderate-income communities; I wanted to get a fuller picture of how our city is already working to uplift communities and provide resources where they are needed the most.
As a candidate, I have enjoyed getting to know the diversity of perspectives, experiences, and concerns of residents in the Noble area. I am committed to advocating for resources and investment in and around Noble to ensure it is safe and prosperous. In particular, I want to make sure that all work in the Noble area begins with meaningful community engagement from a representative swath of stakeholders to ensure that decisions reflect what is needed and wanted by 250
2. Governance: What will your role and goals be as a council member in shaping our new form of government? How will you ensure that Noble and all other parts of the city are represented equitably?
I anticipate that the next couple of years will be a time of negotiating new power dynamics and clarifying evolving roles and responsibilities of the mayor and council. For the sake of minimizing disruption to the people of Cleveland Heights, it is the responsibility of all involved to commit to the highest degree of professionalism, civility, and grace as we find our “new normal.” But more than this, I think I join most residents in simply wanting progress—I want to get things done. I will be coming into council with the intention of addressing the myriad challenges we face and working with fellow council members to build solutions that will create noticeable and positive differences for the people of our city.
I am keenly aware that all levels of our government have representation gaps, almost always among people who need representation and advocacy the most. I consider one of my jobs as a council member to be identifying different groups—whether by geography, income, demographics, or any other identifier—who are not directly represented on council, and then to reach out to make sure that I open a conversation to better understand their needs and concerns. One of my core values as a representative is equity, so I am committed to dedicating energy and resources where they are needed the most.
3. Economic Development: What are your plans for economic development along Noble Road? How will you engage the residents, business owners, and institutions in that planning?
I believe that—with Cleveland Heights’ topography and geography, as well as our creative and enterprising residents—we have the potential to build a thriving, dynamic, resilient local economy largely made up of a solid foundation of small and medium-sized local businesses. This is not a radical idea; it was the makeup of local economies for thousands of years before the age of the large national and multi-national corporations drove many “mom-and-pop” businesses into bankruptcy. But across America, we are seeing a resurgence of small and medium businesses—along with a return of what local businesses offer like no other: an understanding of and investment in the community that sustains them.
This approach to economic development is known by some as “economic gardening,” and it requires a commitment to supporting businesses and entrepreneurs every step of the way: from creating a business plan to finding investors, to mentorship, to growth strategy research and advising, and more. This will require a coordinated effort among multiple actors—including local government (mayor and council) as well as CDCs, SIDs, business owners, and community leaders—to work together to create a diverse economic ecosystem in Cleveland Heights.
The success of this depends upon several areas of work: ongoing community engagement to best understand residents’ consumer needs and wants as well as to connect residents with area businesses; our mayor and council improving our commercial districts’ infrastructure by securing capital, investors, and developers, particularly in areas where they have historically declined to operate; our council 250
4. Quality of Life: Residents are expressing concerns about trash pick-up, building and housing code violations, noise, traffic control and safety issues. How will you address these concerns, including funding of solutions?
Paying attention to simple but impactful quality-of-life issues is vital for taking care of our residents and attracting new people to join our community. Many times, these concerns go unaddressed because they seem minor when compared to larger problems, but they add up and, if ignored, become an ongoing thorn in the side of people as we go about our daily lives.
Some of these problems require greater investment in and attention from city staff, and some require clearer direction and goal-posting from city administration. I will work with our future mayor and fellow council members to:
(1) rebuild our housing department, including not only hiring more inspectors to bring our staff back in house but also hiring community liaisons to work with property owners to help them understand and connect with resources to address violations;
(2) work with our mayor to ensure that our city’s budget is created with clear performance goals, along with metrics for determining whether funding is being well spent, so we can maximize our public dollars to improve city services;
(3) revisit our Complete and Green Streets Policy to assess our progress and determine our next steps in making good on this commitment to ensuring that everyone is safe on our streets;
(4) explore how we can address both noise and air quality issues to establish parameters of how and when residents can use certain devices, such as leaf blowers and backyard smokers, to minimize disruption for their neighbors;
(5) create more jobs (discussed in 250
5. Additional Comments: This is your opportunity to provide additional information to the Noble area voters.
I am particularly interested in ensuring that all residents in Cleveland Heights feel that our local government represents their interests and advocates for their well-being. In addition to simply being a very empathetic person who wants to learn about everyone’s experiences and viewpoints, I am also aware that some areas of our city need more structural reforms to ensure that their voices are heard and concerns addressed. For this reason, I want to convene a new Charter Review Commission to (in addition to completing some basic housekeeping of the charter to update it thoroughly for the new form of government) explore whether an all at-large city council is serving our current Cleveland Heights’ communities adequately. More specifically: Would a city council with ward members better ensure that neglected communities have a voice on council that represents their unique needs and advocates for their interests? This is a question that should not be taken lightly, so the process must be done correctly and carefully. If the commission recommends a change to our city council structure, I will work to get the five votes from council to put it on the ballot—so that you, the voters, make the final decision.
Ellen M. Roth
Eric J. Silverman www.ElectEricSilverman.com [email protected]
Received Oct. 8, 2021
1. Describe how you have engaged with city government and with the neighborhoods along Noble Road to date.
My most direct engagement would be from my time on the School Board (1993 - 2001, 2014 - 2017) and on the Library Board (2003-2009) and our buildings there. As someone who grew up on Delmore for 20 years, I tried to make sure that the needs and concerns for the Noble Road Corridor were heard. Historically, going back to the 1920s, this part of the city has not much of a voice at city hall, for a variety of reasons. My view has always been to sing the praises of this part of Cleveland Heights which does not attract the attention or headlines of other areas.
2. Governance: What will your role and goals be as a council member in shaping our new form of government? How will you ensure that Noble and all other parts of the city are represented equitably?
I suspect that the outcomes of the election are likely to give north of Mayfield much more representation than it has had in the past, which is a good thing. With this new form of government, we need to determine how it will function in the future, and from my experience I am keenly aware of the need to keep in mind precedents being set. I see my role, as someone who lived along Noble for 20 years (plus 20 more throughout the city) as someone who has firsthand electoral knowledge to bring to Council going back 30 years.
Both times I was elected to the School Board we were in the middle of a Superintendent search, meaning we had to conduct our regular operations during a “regime change” which is precisely what will happen next year. My experience of doing this can be useful to Council. From my time on School Board (and Library Board) I am extremely attune of the need to make sure that if you offer a program in one part of town, you need to offer the same (or comparable) elsewhere and make sure people are aware of this.
3. Economic Development: What are your plans for economic development along Noble Road? How will you engage the residents, business owners and institutions in that planning?
On my website are several ideas I have for Noble-Nela, Noble-Mayfield, Severance as well as for housing infill (www.ElectEricSilverman.com). I feel we need to act on ALL of these at the same time IMMEDIATELY. The Noble Road Corridor has, in my opinion, some of the best sites for development and I believe that Noble-Mayfield could be a dynamic and engaging area, bringing new energy and businesses to the area (on ground floors) with housing above, located with short commutes to employment centers. The city already owns plenty of land to make this happen, like it also does at Noble-Nela. We need to reach out to developers one-on-one to see what we can do to get them to do business here and we need to find out from residents what they would like to see more of (regarding options) and ask current businesses what the city can do to make them more competitive as well as expand and grow. At the same time, we need to keep in mind the multiple challenges retail businesses face today and have realistic expectations.
4. Quality of Life: Residents are expressing concerns about trash pick-up, building and housing code violations, noise, traffic control and safety issues. How will you address these concerns including funding of solutions?
Let’s start with City Hall must be respectful and responsive to citizens, and the issues cited in your question are the bread and butter that the city must take care of as they are the basics of why government exists. While I believe in looking for efficiencies and cost savings, I also like the idea of having services in-house to have a stronger chain of command and ownership of results. As a driver to addressing these issues is revenue, my focus is on economic development to increase our revenues to add staff (as needed) to address these concerns, while at the same time working with other councils (and school boards) across the state to lobby for more funding from Columbus and changes in school funding to address our property tax burden. We need to grow our tax base and we need a Council (and Mayor) who, when citizens point out shortcomings in city services, Council works to address these problems and holds those responsible for shortcomings, accountable.
5. Additional Comments: This is your opportunity to provide additional information to the Noble area voters.
I have lived in Cleveland Heights for over forty years in the Boulevard, Canterbury, Coventry, and Fairfax neighborhoods. A second-generation Heights High graduate, I walked to school every day, first to Oxford and then to Monticello. I grew up walking to the Noble Road McDonald’s and have fond memories of the display cases there filled with Nela Park mementos. I remember walking to see movies at the Center-Mayfield Theater, buying ice cream from the Incredible Scoop and spent a summer as a bagboy at the Pick-n-Pay grocery store. I know this part of town as this is where I grew up and as such it is important to me. I also feel it has the most potential for development and ways to grow Cleveland Heights in the 21st century. I believe that between development on sites the city already owns, infill housing development and expanding the work of non-profit housing rehab, we can give north of Mayfield the attention, services, and housing options it has long needed.
This is why I am running for Council – to bring to Cleveland Heights (and where I grew up) the kinds of improvements I have wanted us to do for over 30 years. If the Council seats who I think it will in January, I believe that my history and knowledge of the Noble Road Corridor, coupled with my 19 years of experience, will make me an asset to Council and an advocate for the improvements I hear people say they want to see 250
1. Describe how you have engaged with city government and with the neighborhoods along Noble Road to date.
My most direct engagement would be from my time on the School Board (1993 - 2001, 2014 - 2017) and on the Library Board (2003-2009) and our buildings there. As someone who grew up on Delmore for 20 years, I tried to make sure that the needs and concerns for the Noble Road Corridor were heard. Historically, going back to the 1920s, this part of the city has not much of a voice at city hall, for a variety of reasons. My view has always been to sing the praises of this part of Cleveland Heights which does not attract the attention or headlines of other areas.
2. Governance: What will your role and goals be as a council member in shaping our new form of government? How will you ensure that Noble and all other parts of the city are represented equitably?
I suspect that the outcomes of the election are likely to give north of Mayfield much more representation than it has had in the past, which is a good thing. With this new form of government, we need to determine how it will function in the future, and from my experience I am keenly aware of the need to keep in mind precedents being set. I see my role, as someone who lived along Noble for 20 years (plus 20 more throughout the city) as someone who has firsthand electoral knowledge to bring to Council going back 30 years.
Both times I was elected to the School Board we were in the middle of a Superintendent search, meaning we had to conduct our regular operations during a “regime change” which is precisely what will happen next year. My experience of doing this can be useful to Council. From my time on School Board (and Library Board) I am extremely attune of the need to make sure that if you offer a program in one part of town, you need to offer the same (or comparable) elsewhere and make sure people are aware of this.
3. Economic Development: What are your plans for economic development along Noble Road? How will you engage the residents, business owners and institutions in that planning?
On my website are several ideas I have for Noble-Nela, Noble-Mayfield, Severance as well as for housing infill (www.ElectEricSilverman.com). I feel we need to act on ALL of these at the same time IMMEDIATELY. The Noble Road Corridor has, in my opinion, some of the best sites for development and I believe that Noble-Mayfield could be a dynamic and engaging area, bringing new energy and businesses to the area (on ground floors) with housing above, located with short commutes to employment centers. The city already owns plenty of land to make this happen, like it also does at Noble-Nela. We need to reach out to developers one-on-one to see what we can do to get them to do business here and we need to find out from residents what they would like to see more of (regarding options) and ask current businesses what the city can do to make them more competitive as well as expand and grow. At the same time, we need to keep in mind the multiple challenges retail businesses face today and have realistic expectations.
4. Quality of Life: Residents are expressing concerns about trash pick-up, building and housing code violations, noise, traffic control and safety issues. How will you address these concerns including funding of solutions?
Let’s start with City Hall must be respectful and responsive to citizens, and the issues cited in your question are the bread and butter that the city must take care of as they are the basics of why government exists. While I believe in looking for efficiencies and cost savings, I also like the idea of having services in-house to have a stronger chain of command and ownership of results. As a driver to addressing these issues is revenue, my focus is on economic development to increase our revenues to add staff (as needed) to address these concerns, while at the same time working with other councils (and school boards) across the state to lobby for more funding from Columbus and changes in school funding to address our property tax burden. We need to grow our tax base and we need a Council (and Mayor) who, when citizens point out shortcomings in city services, Council works to address these problems and holds those responsible for shortcomings, accountable.
5. Additional Comments: This is your opportunity to provide additional information to the Noble area voters.
I have lived in Cleveland Heights for over forty years in the Boulevard, Canterbury, Coventry, and Fairfax neighborhoods. A second-generation Heights High graduate, I walked to school every day, first to Oxford and then to Monticello. I grew up walking to the Noble Road McDonald’s and have fond memories of the display cases there filled with Nela Park mementos. I remember walking to see movies at the Center-Mayfield Theater, buying ice cream from the Incredible Scoop and spent a summer as a bagboy at the Pick-n-Pay grocery store. I know this part of town as this is where I grew up and as such it is important to me. I also feel it has the most potential for development and ways to grow Cleveland Heights in the 21st century. I believe that between development on sites the city already owns, infill housing development and expanding the work of non-profit housing rehab, we can give north of Mayfield the attention, services, and housing options it has long needed.
This is why I am running for Council – to bring to Cleveland Heights (and where I grew up) the kinds of improvements I have wanted us to do for over 30 years. If the Council seats who I think it will in January, I believe that my history and knowledge of the Noble Road Corridor, coupled with my 19 years of experience, will make me an asset to Council and an advocate for the improvements I hear people say they want to see 250
James A. Williams [email protected]
Received Oct. 6, 2021
Thank you Noble neighbors for being a active Cleveland Heights resident and apart of our local league of Voters. My thoughts for cleveland heights in the future are the added reduction of carbon emulsion by limiting the gas powered vehicles a resident can own in cleveland heights. Of course older residents would be grandfathered in To a limited number of four however new residents only one or an electric vehicle. This is happening all over the world.
Next I would like to have neighbors talk about systemic problems such as racism in cleveland heights and in the city government and why is it that cleveland heights has not come out publicly after a African American man was wrongly accused, charged and convicted of a crime that had nothing to do with him how much did the city agree to pay out. I will also be working to make this city a deaf friendly community and with law enforcement and better training and services. I would also work with bring more businesses and timeshare opportunities to our city.
Thank you Noble neighbors for being a active Cleveland Heights resident and apart of our local league of Voters. My thoughts for cleveland heights in the future are the added reduction of carbon emulsion by limiting the gas powered vehicles a resident can own in cleveland heights. Of course older residents would be grandfathered in To a limited number of four however new residents only one or an electric vehicle. This is happening all over the world.
Next I would like to have neighbors talk about systemic problems such as racism in cleveland heights and in the city government and why is it that cleveland heights has not come out publicly after a African American man was wrongly accused, charged and convicted of a crime that had nothing to do with him how much did the city agree to pay out. I will also be working to make this city a deaf friendly community and with law enforcement and better training and services. I would also work with bring more businesses and timeshare opportunities to our city.