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By Vince Robinson
Cleveland Mayor Justin M. Bibb delivered his State of the City address to a capacity audience Thursday, March 28 in the City Club of Cleveland at the Mimi Ohio Theatre of Playhouse Square.
He spoke of confidence being regained in the city as he ran down a list of items including public safety, education, lakefront development, digital infrastructure, action against predatory landlords, and lead remediation.
After his address, he received questions via video clips of various Clevelanders in a chat moderated by CSU President Laura J. Bloomberg.
The session started with selections by the Cleveland State University choir, followed by a video featuring Cuyahoga County Poet Laureate Honey Bell Bey performing a poem about Cleveland at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
His speech was peppered by a couple of spontaneous outbursts by hecklers. In Obama-esque fashion he deflected by responding “Let’s give it up for freedom of speech!”, buying time for security to quickly dismiss the offender.
The Mayor spent considerable time on public safety, citing it as the number one priority and highlighting the recent 52-member cadet class of police officers as an accomplishment. It exceeded the total of the previous four classes combined. He spoke of a nearly 80% homicide solve rate and a 14% decline in homicides since the pandemic. Police officers are also receiving raises that will approach 25% in two years.
Mayor Bibb mentioned a number of measures to curb gun violence and combat illegal firearms. “A safer Cleveland needs comprehensive gun reform and tools to crack down on illegal traffic, and as mayor, I’ll work with anyone in the legislature, regardless of party or politics who has a passion and sense of urgency to solve our illegal gun problem. It’s time for us to put people over politics on this issue once and for all.”
Another legislative measure he covered was a ban on the sale of flavored tobacco in the city, despite the fact that the Republican Ohio Legislature overrode Governor Mike Dewine’s veto to pre-empt local control of tobacco. He said Cleveland has one of the highest rates of smoking in the country at 35%, three times the national average. Illnesses caused by cigarettes are the number one killer in Cleveland, according to the Mayor.
He’s calling for a state-wide tobacco control policy.
The balance of his remarks drew attention to measures being implemented to address needs in the education system, housing stock, employment, environment, and other issues.
“We’ve reset relationships. We’ve taken on predatory landlords. We’ve delivered on a model city hall. We’ve been bold in our vision for our waterfronts and the southeast side. We’ve achieved real results in our strategy to address public safety, but many of the challenges we face today have been built up over generations. That’s not an excuse, it’s a reminder that change doesn’t happen overnight.”
The Mayor ambitiously suggested that “Cleveland is a place in this country where the American dream is still within reach for everyone. The state of our city is strong, and we’re just getting started.”
Bibb is in his third year as Mayor of Cleveland. To watch Mayor Justin Bibb deliver the State of the City address, click here.
