The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

On top of the agenda for the U.S. Department of Commerce is American competitiveness--to create the conditions for economic growth and opportunity across the nation. What this comes down to, though, is a complex mix of policy, advocacy, collaboration, international trade, research, and public engagement. And, of course, so much depends on action in Congress, as the infrastructure bill and the reco...

When a family moves into an affordable home, it has the potential to transform lives. Having the opportunity to invest in a permanent address means improvements to children's health, increased job opportunities, and the power to revitalize struggling neighborhoods. Yet, homeownership is inaccessible for many families. Historic policies like redlining are at the root of the wealth gap found in comm...

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, reliable scientific consensus and critical epidemiologic information about the virus was often inconsistent. Despite having programs and protocols in place for this sort of challenge, the pandemic caught hospitals and healthcare providers off guard.\r\n\r\nTo address urgent public health needs, the moment called for collaboration across traditional silos...

In 2020, the City of Cleveland declared racism a public health crisis, bringing to the forefront honest conversations about systemic racism's influence on equity, access, and human rights. Yet, the debate around Critical Race Theory has been heating up nationwide. In Ohio, two bills are circulating through the statehouse attempting to limit discussion on race in the classroom, and local school boa...

In 2016, the country's attention turned to Indigenous Water Protectors in North Dakota as they stood up against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Plans for the pipeline would have it cross multiple waterways and threaten the water for millions of people downriver, including the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Thousands of Indigenous people from hundreds of tribal nations stood in s...

In May 2021, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson announced he would not be seeking a fifth term as Mayor of Cleveland-opening up a race for new leadership not seen in 16 years.\r\n\r\nIn the lead-up to the 2021 Cleveland Mayoral election, The City Club of Cleveland-in partnership with Ideastream Public Media-will be hosting two debates. All seven candidates seeking office have been invited to participat...

In 2022, Ohio will elect new statewide office holders. Leading up to the election, the City Club will be hosting conversations with candidates seeking statewide office.\r\n\r\nJames B. Renacci announced on June 9, 2021 that he was joining the race for Ohio governor.\r\n\r\nA Pennsylvania native, Renacci moved to Wadsworth in 1983 where he founded LTC Management Services, a company that owned, oper...

In May 2021, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson announced he would not be seeking a fifth term as Mayor of Cleveland-opening up a race for new leadership not seen in 16 years.\r\n\r\nIn the lead-up to the 2021 Cleveland Mayoral election, The City Club of Cleveland--in partnership with Ideastream Public Media--will be hosting two debates. All seven candidates seeking office have been invited to particip...

Public access to the waterfront and outdoor greenspaces is vital to the social fabric of a community and to individuals' health and well-being. Ohio lakes and rivers provide space for recreation, social gatherings, and simply a place to cool off.\r\n\r\nYet, 90 percent of Cuyahoga County's shoreline is inaccessible to everyone except for private businesses and residents privileged enough to live n...

Earlier this year, U.S. Representative Marcia Fudge -- the Warrensville Heights Democrat who represented Ohio\'s 11th District since 2008 -- was confirmed as the 18th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The vacancy allows voters to choose a new representative in special elections slated for August 3 and November 2.\r\n\r\nDistrict 11 is one of two majority-minority O...

Public transit plays an essential role in ensuring all residents have the freedom to get where they need to go, like their jobs, medical appointments, grocery stores, and school. Public transit is also a solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in highly congested urban areas. Yet, less than 2% of our state budget\'s transportation dollars are dedicated to public transit, which many experts b...

This is a pivotal moment for Greater Cleveland. With an open election in the Cleveland mayor\'s office for the first time in 16 years, an open congressional seat in the 11th district, a 2022 county executive race already heating up, and contested city council races in 16 of 17 Cleveland wards. All of this is happening amidst the pressing issues of entrenched poverty and racial inequities, a push f...

In March 2020, employees across the country packed up their offices, and \"Zoom calls\" and \"you\'re on mute\" entered our daily lexicon. Yet, millions of low-wage workers were deemed essential and reported to their jobs. Workers like farm laborers, meat packers, grocery clerks, retail associates, fast food workers, and janitors. They all risked exposure to COVID-19, and often faced hostile work...

As it happens every two years, the 2022-23 state budget was passed in late June after months of debate in both the Ohio House and Senate. The state budget ultimately determines how public resources will be spent on many things our communities need: K-12 public schools, health and human services, local governments, public transit, libraries, economic development, and more.\r\n\r\nThis particular bu...

In 2021, Cleveland faces a mayoral election. Leading up to the primary, the City Club will be speaking with candidates seeking the city\'s highest office.\r\n\r\nDennis Kucinich was elected to Cleveland City Council in 1969 and served as the 53rd mayor of Cleveland from 1977 to 1979. As mayor, Kucinich is well known for his battle against selling Municipal Light to the privately owned competitor,...

If you had 15 minutes to walk from your front door, where could you walk to? And would you? The 15-minute city is an urban planning concept where any resident should be able to get to their job, visit the doctor, grab groceries, or even a cup of coffee with just a short walk or bike ride. Andre Brumfield of Gensler, Jason A. Segedy, Director of Planning and Urban Development for the City of Akron...

In the fall of 2017, the #MeToo movement became a national force, outing men who for sexual abuse, assault, and harassment. At the time, artist and film producer Tanya Selvaratnam was dating one of the movement's most vocal and effective male allies-New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, known for filing charges against Hollywood's Harvey Weinstein. And at the time, Schniederman was also reg...

Earlier this year, U.S. Representative Marcia Fudge

After spending more than 44 years working to support and advocate for people returning to community from incarceration, Charles R. See retired from Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (LMM) in 2017. A native Clevelander, See is known for his leadership in addressing the needs of people involved in the justice system. In the 1960's when civil unrest in Cleveland was at its peak, he was drawn to a career...

It\'s vital that there be accurate and inclusive representation of LGBTQ people in the stories we tell. Are the right people telling these stories? If not, why?\r\n\r\nEarlier this year, the LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD released its annual Where We Are on TV report. For the first time in five years, the overall representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer characters on tel...

In May, the U.S. Census Bureau announced population statistics following the completion of the 2020 census. Ohio, for the sixth consecutive time, will lose a seat in the House of Representatives, bringing the number of representatives from 16 to 15. While Ohio actually gained population since the 2010 census, other areas of the country - especially in the Sun Belt and the west - grew faster. The t...

In May, 2020, Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), released a report examining a decades-long effort by conservative interests to remake the federal judiciary. The 54-page report, Captured Courts: The GOP\'s Big Money Assault on the Constitution, our Independent Judiciary, and the Rule of Law, details the impact Republicans and millions of dollars...

On April 5, 1968, the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, Senator Robert F. Kennedy stood at The City Club of Cleveland\'s podium and delivered the Mindless Menace of Violence speech, now considered one of the most important speeches of the 20th century.\r\n\r\nHistory, race, and politics converged in the 1960s in ways that indelibly changed America. A new book by civil rights histo...

In 1915, a pair of Oberlin College graduates opened a settlement house in an area of Cleveland called "The Roaring Third," located at the corner of East 38th Street and Central Avenue. The institution set out to establish a common ground where people of different races, religions, and social and economic backgrounds could come together to seek and share common ventures. It became a magnet for Afri...

In cities that have long struggled with disinvestment and the loss of jobs, leaders might be tempted to focus on growth at all costs. However, a growing body of evidence shows that revitalization works best when everyone shares in its benefits. This reality became even clearer during the COVID-19 pandemic, which deepened racial and economic inequities.\r\n\r\nThe need for equitable revitalization...