Public Comment

FUNDING THE ISRAELI MILITARY WITH U.S. TAX DOLLARS MAKES AMERICAN INDIVIDUALS COMPLICIT IN GENOCIDE AGAINST THEIR WILL. WE THE PEOPLE ARE ANTI-GENOCIDE AND ANTI-ETHNIC CLEANSING. WE THE PEOPLE DO NOT BACK THE UNITED STATES GOV.

I do not want my tax dollars to go toward the killing of Palestinians. There is plenty of causes here in Ohio that need financial support rather than the genocide of a group of people. I am deeply saddened.

The city of Cleveland must condemn the genocide happening in Palestine and call for an immediate ceasefire. Cleveland should speak against the violence Israel is responsible for.

Please condemn the genocide of Palestinian people and condemn the US military support of Israel. The United States backs Israel because they need a military power in the Middle East to bully nearby countries into submission for resources like oil. It's not about justice for Israeli people-- many of them are also against the genocide of Palestinian people.

Cleveland City Council needs to divest from Israel and denounce the blatant and disgusting genocide happening in Gaza. The people of Palestine should not be suffering, and these acts supported by our government are disgusting.

Let there be NO public funding for professional soccer facilities or operations in Cleveland. Proponents are already setting the table for taxpayer handouts. Mayor Bibb and City Council are joining in the exuberance, as if any new entertainment, development or construction will actually benefit residents. As entertaining as these diversions can be, they DON'T necessarily bring a significant number of full-time, living-wage, family-sustaining jobs with benefits here. If these types of developments were truly economically beneficial to all residents, Cleveland wouldn't remain one of the poorest big cities in the United States. Our county, city and civic "leaders" need to get a grip on priorities: 1) poverty, 2) poverty and 3) poverty. Make progress there, and many other good things will fall into place. When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. Our "leaders" are too scattered and running in six directions at once, and wasting time and money flitting around country and world pretending to be working. Professional soccer is a seductive distraction. Let its fans, boosters and investors carry the ball, and foot the bill. So, no taxpayer subsidies and no free or cheap land, no city backed low interest loans, no tax abatement and no TIF to private money-making schemes that just end up keep our poor people poor.

The landlords do not live in Cleveland. They are hiring management companies to collect the rent. The management companies are not keeping the properties up, the tenants are allowed to do what they want to do. People like myself and numerous amount of other home owners have to suffer. We are part of the solution not the problem. We have been living in Slovac Village for a long time and we would like to live peaceably and clean. These people move in and wreak havoc for a short period time and then move and wreak havoc somewhere else. Meanwhile, anyone who is descent they will move if they are renting. Myself and plenty other home owners can not afford to move. We do not want try to move somewhere else and pay a whole lot of rent for something that is not as solid as our properties. These out-of-town landlords need to be more responsible for their properties. It is so hard to contact the real owners that is why they leave it up to the so-called management companies who truly do not care. Thank you Jackie Beckette

Mayor Bibb and other city council reps or officials that publicly support Israel and its war crimes are way off base. Stop supporting Apartheid Israel and what is described as genocide on the Palestinian people.

It is archiac, cumbersome, and mind boggling that individuals who work in Cleveland but reside in another city cannot efile their CCA taxes like residents of Cleveland can. While it's a small example, it's representative of how challenging it is to do business in Cleveland. I voluntarily come to my office in downtown Cleveland but it's headaches and barriers like this that make working from home seem much more attractive (and cheaper, given I also pay income tax to my city of residence).

I read about the new rules being approved, including the increase to parking costs and possibility that parking may no longer be free on the weekends. The increase in costs is necessary, however, no longer offering free parking weekends is counterintuitive. Visiting downtown Cleveland is more accessible when there is available free parking on weekends. I disagree with Councilperson McCormack's comments that residents of downtown park their vehicles for the entire weekend, clogging up spaces. As a downtown resident, I can assure this council that a vast majority of downtown residents pay for a garage space. I feel that the benefit of free parking on weekends, such as offering accessible access to downtown Cleveland for outweighs the possible benefits. Respectfully Submitted, Josh Friedman W 9th Street Resident