The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

The former Director of Ohio\'s Department of Health, Amy Acton, M.D., MPH was the first Democratic candidate to announce a campaign for Ohio Governor. Dr. Acton was nominated Director of Ohio\'s Department of Health by Governor Mike DeWine in February 2019. She quickly became a household name, joining Governor DeWine during his daily afternoon press conferences in the early days of the COVID-19 pa...

Dave Yost was re-elected as Ohio's 51st Attorney General on November 8, 2022. A member of the Republican Party, Yost began his public-service career as Delaware County auditor, later winning election as that county's prosecutor. From 2011 through 2018, he served as Ohio's auditor of state. In January 2019, Yost began his first term as attorney general, and joined the City Club shortly after to dis...

In February 2025, Ken Martin, was elected chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). A longtime party leader and organizer, he brings more than 20 years of experience working on behalf of progressive candidates and causes. Martin has a career focused on unifying the Democratic Party and evolving its national infrastructure to meet the demands of the current political moment, a moment charac...

The 1990s were a heady time. The Cold War had ended, and America's version of liberal capitalism seemed triumphant. And yet, amid the peace and prosperity, anxieties about the project of self-government could be glimpsed beneath the surface. So argued Michael Sandel, in his influential and widely debated book Democracy's Discontent, published in 1996. Now, a quarter century later, Sandel updates h...

In 2021, Cuyahoga County sent four times more children to adult court - referred to as a \"bindover\" - than the next highest county, Hamilton, which includes Cincinnati. Racial disparities exist at every stage of our criminal legal system. Yet, as of September 2024, Black youth comprised 72% of Ohio\'s youth prison population.\r\n\r\nMembers of the Youth Justice Collaborative believe it is time f...

Over the past two decades, the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) has been steadily replacing and rebuilding virtually its entire stock of low income and affordable housing across Greater Cleveland. As CMHA\'s CEO since 2012, Jeffery Patterson has led an ongoing process of neighbor and resident engagement, ensuring that every resident has a voice in the future of the community and the...

Mehdi Hasan isn't one to avoid arguments. He relishes them as the lifeblood of democracy and the only surefire way to establish the truth. His unapologetic approach to journalism has made Hasan a highly sought after expert for his sharp, unfiltered perspectives on politics, media accountability, democratic norms, and more.\r\n\r\nAs an award-winning British-American journalist, broadcaster, and au...

As the lasting impact of colonialism and slavery is felt throughout Native American tribes and Black communities today, museums across the nation are grappling with issues of patrimony and provenance regarding art, artifacts, relics, and remains. These items were often taken without consent, long before ethical protocols for procurement were established.\r\n\r\nNow, museums are working to find sol...

Originally expanded in 2014 under the Kasich administration, Ohio is one of 41 states, including the District of Columbia, that has implemented Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. However, the addition of trigger language into the current state budget bill would allow Ohio to disenroll from Medicaid expansion if federal assistance for the program drops below 90%. The trigger language...

Sarah Lewis's book The Unseen Truth: When Race Changed Sight in America examines America from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of Jim Crow when the country\'s conception of race, and whiteness, was transforming. A finalist for the 2025 Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, Lewis uncovers a pivotal era when Americans came to ignore the truth about the false foundations of the nation's racial regime....

Wilbur Ross has earned a reputation as one of the nation\'s hard-nosed negotiators and "King of Bankruptcy" over his 55-year career on Wall Street. This reputation, in part, landed him among Bloomberg\'s 50 most influential people in global finance, and a role as Secretary of Commerce during Trump\'s first administration.\r\n\r\nAfter coming to Washington, Ross faced tough challenges, yet survived...

Tired of swiping left? You\'re not alone. Today\'s society is arguably facing a digital dating overload. In addition, more adults than ever have reported feelings of loneliness and isolation from friends, family, and community. Social structures have changed, and with them, the way we approach and participate in love, joy, and connection.\r\n\r\nHeidi Friedman knows what it\'s like to soldier thro...

On March 20th, President Trump issued an executive order effectively abolishing the Department of Education. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have already filed a lawsuit to block the dismantling, alleging the executive branch has exceeded its constitutional authority and violated law. As the nation watches the flurry of executive o...

As Russia's war with Ukraine entered a fourth year on February 24, 2025, several things happened. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House to be told by President Trump that he "did not have the cards;" the US began to pull back aid for Ukrainian forces; and shortly after that Ukraine secured the support of European Union allies and launched a drone attack directly on Moscow....

In a July 2024 CNBC report, Ohio ranked 7th in business opportunities but received an "F" grade when it comes to workforce. Employers are looking for workers to advance their businesses and constantly talk about the need for workforce development. Meanwhile, there are thousands of justice-impacted individuals who would welcome the opportunity to work in these jobs. Connecting these two groups woul...

Join us for Cleveland Mayor Justin M. Bibb\'s 4th Annual State of the City, marking the final address of the Mayor\'s first term. This year\'s event will feature Mayor Bibb in a live conversation with WKYC\'s Russ Mitchell, discussing the initiatives driving Cleveland\'s growth and transformation.\r\n\r\nCleveland\'s historic Public Auditorium - now home to the Cleveland Charge - will serve as the...

State Senator Jerry Cirino has emerged as one of the most powerful members of the Ohio legislature. The finance committee chair and Kirtland area Republican is serving his second term. Senator Cirino also serves as vice chair of Higher Education committee. Indeed, higher ed is perhaps where the Senator is most well known. His proposal to reform higher education has reemerged as Senate Bill 1, a wi...

This student-led forum, the last in the 2024-2025 school year, offers an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue about social media and political content.\r\n\r\nSocial media has accelerated to become the most preferred news source for teenagers and young adults. Across the board, research concludes that platforms including Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube drive youth consumption, often on the...

In February, Congressman Ro Khanna penned a New York Times op-ed noting that to persuade Americans that transformative government is capable of improving their lives, we must reverse what many have experienced as decades of stagnation and decline. \"With the establishment of both parties defeated, we are, as you may have heard, at a fork in the road.\" Khanna wrote, \"Either the country will conti...

Cleveland and Cuyahoga County have struggled for decades with myriad challenges that have impeded economic empowerment and growth. Although Cleveland's leading business, philanthropic, governmental, and civic leaders and organizations have each invested mightily in various initiatives to address these challenges, improved quality of life outcomes have not been realized for too many local citizens....

Ten years ago, leaders at the Latino Donor Collaborative (LDC) began to recognize the emergence of a new mainstream economy-powered by U.S. Latino consumers, entrepreneurs, and workers-which was making an outsized contribution to the nation's economic growth. Yet, this positive growth they were seeing in the data was not reflected in a larger, inaccurate narrative about Latino contributions. Inste...

There are few others with as much experience covering the Supreme Court, Department of Justice, and Homeland Security than Pete Williams. He served as an NBC News Correspondent in Washington, DC for 29 years, and last year was named the inaugural Journalist in Residence at John Carroll University. The late Tim Russert, longtime host of NBC's Meet the Press and namesake of John Carroll University\'...

Sally Ride became a household name after she became the first American woman to blast off into space. But as Sally journeyed among the stars, she kept a nearly three-decade relationship with author and tennis player Tam O'Shaughnessy a secret.\r\n\r\nOn Saturday, April 5th, the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) will screen SALLY, a chronicle of Sally Ride\'s challenges as a pioneering w...

This upcoming year will undoubtedly bring substantial change to Cleveland\'s political landscape. A population decline in Cleveland spurred a redraw of ward maps, which were approved by Cleveland City Council in February, but not without controversy. Now there\'s a new 15-ward playing field, and two open seats following the announcement from long-time Council members Jenny Spencer and Kerry McCorm...

Imagine a Northeast Ohio where all people have quality jobs and careers with thriving employers. This is the vision of Greater Cleveland Works, the workforce development board of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Workforce development boards are a crucial part of the workforce system-liaisons between federal and local governments that distribute public dollars to support job seekers and employers.\r\...