Public Comment

Firstly, it is only 2.5 hours since your in person comment slots should have been open yet it is not available. I want to address council’s utter lack of immediate transparency regarding new wards. If we have new wards that are not easily found on this site, how do we know who is running for primaries? Letting us know directly before primaries strips us of our rights to spend time researching, meeting with, campaigning for, or generally reviewing our potential new council members. Council has slowly been showing disrespect for their own constituents- revive this by making this information open and clear and do it as soon as possible.

Hey, My name is Makyah Styles and As a sophomore in high school, I feel compelled to speak out about an alarming issue that affects our community. Recently, a friend of mine faced false charges, which highlights the urgent need for real police accountability in our city. It’s disheartening to see law enforcement not living up to the trust we place in them, especially when we pay taxes for their services. Moreover, it's frustrating that our city council often overlooks the concerns of young people like us. We are speaking up about these issues, yet it feels like our voices are not being heard. We need to work together for a safer community and ensure that those in power are listening to us. It’s time for change, and we must advocate for a system that truly serves and protects everyone. Thank you for your attention.

I would like to speak with the Cleveland city council about banning the sale of foie gras in Cleveland. There are 3 petitions to get it banned in the state of Ohio, one is for Cleveland. It has been banned in several other cities, states, and countries and it should get banned here for many reasons. Please contact me (216)509-9237

I've seen so many balloon release events on people's Facebook stories and Facebook live broadcasts, it's clear the ordinance prohibiting balloon releases is not enforced when repeat offenders have public videos and events reported on channel 5 and channel 19 And do not get cited for illegal dumping. Please charge NeeNee Doingthingdifferent and ART Mckoy for their egregious, large balloon littering events, thats a major thing they do on weekends. They have blocked me from watching their stories. MYSELF AND SEVERAL OTHERS HAVE asked them to stop.

Considering city has a lot of other pressing issues like fixing existing streets in disrepair for years, saving money by using shoddy recycled patch material in winter vs commercial grade, resulting in dangerous pebbles after rain and spring rework - While I appreciate DOT picking up ~90M (gas tax revenue?) The other half would seem to come from citizens pockets(recent property tax hike? Bonds?) Where's the ROI on a bridge that appears to serve very few people and requures ongoing upkeep?

At this point in the new mapping process, the die is cast, and you are expected to vote to approve the new wards tonight. This is a very sad time for many of us in the current Ward 12, especially for me, as the Democratic Ward Leader. I'm leader of a lame duck area that will be split into six parts. We will lose not only many of our associations in the ward club but also our Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer, who has worked extremely hard to serve this area. Since we can't change; the current process --maps were released with minimal public input-- it's time to look to the future. Cleveland City Council voted to support the Ohio Issue 1 in the November 2024 election to create fair maps at the state level, so we ask Council to also change the city charter to take the mapping process out of the hands of the council president and give the power to the citizens. Should Council not do that, many of us are prepared to take the issue to the ballot by petition.

Below are my two maps proposals that are within the appropriate guidelines: https://davesredistricting.org/join/357ef986-0098-4325-8f77-8b277f40e0e8 https://davesredistricting.org/join/b310f62e-c5d5-40f8-8311-a1ba17cdbe25

The League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland is submitting a proposed map to Council as an example of how it is possible to draw a fair map, one that keeps communities and neighborhoods together, has wards fairly equal in population, and gives citizens a true voice and representation. Moreover, the proposed map includes two true Hispanic opportunity districts in Wards 11 and 14 (over 30%). https://davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::4bf4f05c-f621-48d2-b7b4-96d682e6ce42

Dear Members of Council - Given the extensive public criticism of the proposed ward map presented by Council President Griffin, please delay your vote. The public and its council representatives need more time to fully comprehend the weaknesses in the map and what appears to be gerrymandered boundaries to protect incumbents. Moving forward with a vote on January 6 will only confirm citizens' suspicions that Mr. Griffin and the $100,000 team he assembled have purposely divided neighborhoods to achieve hidden agendas. This is very concerning. Council President Griffin delivered this map to council during the busy holiday season and has determined a vote for early January. Neither council members nor residents and business owners have had enough time to fully digest the impacts of the proposed wards. President Griffin's timing is disrespectful. I urge you to delay this vote until early February and host public input sessions where ALL council members should be present to hear all comments. There is no need to rush this vote. You can allow for further consideration without jeopardizing any deadlines, timelines or requirements. Sincerely, Leslie Bednar

Well, I like it and find it much less gerrymandered than the previous version. I only wish the law would be re-written to prioritize traditional neighborhood continuity more and population less. The New Ward 8 is MUCH improved. Previously St Clair was divided along its median throughout the St Clair-Superior neighborhood, which made public engagement with street issues more difficult. Personally, I like the number "7" much more than "8." Can we keep our number? lol