Delete WardOct 05, 2021
Councilman Tony Brancatelli recently received the Leadership Award for Public Service from the International Economic Development Council. This award recognizes elected officials who have served as a committed advocate for economic development for at least 10 years in the public sector.
Councilman Brancatelli has been the chair of the Development, Planning and Sustainability Committee since 2009, a position which requires him to focus on development not only on his ward, but on the entire City.
“I’m proud of the work I’ve done for my ward and for the city of Cleveland, but also the guidance and help I’ve given to my council colleagues in helping developments in their wards,” Councilman Brancatelli said.
As chair, he works closely with the City’s Department of Economic Development to attract new businesses and investments and “has aided in the creation of tens of thousands of jobs,” the nomination noted. “As a result of his work, neighborhoods have experienced a new era of investment and development as more people look to move into Cleveland.”
“On behalf of the IEDC board of directors and Honorary Awards Committee, congratulations to Anthony Brancatelli,” said 2021 IEDC Board Chair and President and CEO of Invest Buffalo Niagara, Tom Kucharski. “His outstanding achievements, hard work and dedicated service to the profession goes above and beyond to improve the quality of life for others.”
Councilman Brancatelli, a national expert on the foreclosure crisis, recognized as it hit Cleveland early that this would threaten the economic viability of the city and region, devastating residents and create problems for the business community. He worked with the Federal Government to develop funding programs such as the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) to help communities across the country who faced these issues. He also recommended the establishment of a “land bank” to help deal with aftermath that left large swaths of vacant and blighted homes and businesses.
“In his role on the Cleveland Citywide Development Corporation, a public-private organization dedicated to advancing development in the City, he championed an effort to spur redevelopment in the city’s Glenville neighborhood, a low income, predominantly minority area,” the nomination noted. “To rebuild the neighborhood and attract new residents, the City planned for ground floor retail to bring back neighborhood amenities.”
Councilman Brancatelli led a similar effort for Fleet Avenue in his ward, including leading the effort in creating the only “Complete and Green Street” in the city, with special sustainable bioswales to capture stormwater and a sustainable streetscape.
Councilman Brancatelli has also had a large role in Brownfield redevelopment in Cleveland. As a lifetime resident, Brancatelli understood that the manufacturing legacy of Cleveland has left behind well-located vacant properties that needed remediation to be returned to productive use. He supported the Department of Economic Development in their efforts to attract stimulus funds from the Army Corps of Engineers and USEPA to use dredge material from a combined disposal facility in Lake Erie to fill in a large Brownfield along Interstate Route 77. The project not only created over 40 acres of prime industrial land, but also extended the life of the combined disposal facility for additional dredging. The project is now the home to two businesses.
On another project, he championed the City’s efforts to clean up a former steel processing plant that is now a large distribution facility. He also worked on converting brownfields with state funds to park facilities including the recent Brighton Park and Washington Park Center, the home of First Tee Golf.
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization serving economic developers. With more than 5,000 members, IEDC is the largest organization of its kind. Economic developers promote economic well-being and quality of life for their communities, by creating, retaining and expanding jobs that facilitate growth, enhance wealth and provide a stable tax base
Councilman Tony Brancatelli has been selected as the recipient of the Leadership Award for Public Service from the International Economic Development Council.