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By Lisa O’Brien
With the Cleveland City Council community feedback meetings and the national election in the rearview mirror, it is high time for another update on the city’s redistricting process. On Oct. 15, 16, and 17, the Cleveland City Council hosted three community feedback meetings across the city to give residents a chance to provide input and feedback on the map-drawing process.
Many council members, including Council President Blaine Griffin, attended at least one of the three meetings. Each meeting was led by members of the Triad consulting group: Mark Saling, Bob Dyke, and Kent Whitley. The videos are available to watch on YouTube via the City Council website.
The Cleveland Observer examined the meeting series and responses from Cleveland citizens. Here are key takeaways.
Overview
On Nov. 15, Council President Blaine Griffin opened the first community meeting explaining that the goal of the meetings was for residents to walk away with a better understanding of the council’s methodology for redistricting, and for residents to provide their input.
Griffin remarked during these opening statements, as did several other council members across the three meetings, this is the first time any council president or council body has allowed the people to give feedback before a map is voted on. Indeed, these meetings were the first of their kind. 
All three nights had mostly full rooms of people wanting to hear the council’s updates and have their voices heard.
After opening remarks at each meeting, the consultants led a presentation on the parameters of the Cleveland City Charter that requires the number of wards to shrink from 15 to 17 and an overview on how to create maps and submit them on Dave’s Redistricting App. This presentation is also accessible on the City Council’s website.
A key highlight from the city charter states that the wards created must be “nearly equal in population, composed of contiguous and compact territory and bound by natural boundaries and street lines.” Additionally, they explained that each ward must consist of approximately 24,800 people. The Triad consultants then explained how citizens could draw their own wards and submit them as feedback for the consultants to review.
The deadline for residents to submit their maps was Nov. 3, just over two weeks after the community meetings and two days before the general election. The consultants promised that “all maps will be reviewed” but, when asked, did not disclose their plan. After the presentation, the group opened the floor for questions and comments.
Common Concerns
Residents raised many questions that tended to fall into a few central categories, including the short amount of time citizens had to provide their feedback through the mapmaking process.
At the Oct. 15 meeting, resident Leshawn Caldwell asked why residents only three weeks to complete this detailed information but City Council gets five months. Caldwell stated “We are the supervisors of City Council.”
In response, Whitley replied that the accelerated timeline is because the census was delayed due to the pandemic. Council Member Jenny Spencer gave her input on the time crunch imposed on residents at the Oct. 17 meeting.
“Off-script, me, speaking as a fellow citizen, would I have recommended our citizens create and go through this map-making process ahead of a national and state-level election? No, I would not,” Spencer said. She closed her statement by arguing that while the Council’s feedback process was a step in the right direction, it was far from perfect and could be improved upon for the next redistricting.
Another common concern was that the census data did not have an accurate count of the population because COVID-19 and the “digital divide” prevented many from completing the census survey. The Council members remained firm in explaining that the charter mandates the city use the numbers from the decennial census.
Council Member Richard Starr expressed a desire to look at amending the city charter in the future and reminded the room that “the people created this charter.”
Amending the charter could be a positive change for those dissatisfied with the current redistricting process and criteria. Additionally, this process should include reminding residents of the importance of filling out the census.
In a statement to The Cleveland Observer on Oct. 16 regarding the census, Ward 13 City Council Member Kris Harsh said, “The best way to be counted is to want to be counted.”
Additionally, residents expressed concerns about the disproportional population loss on the east side. Many brought up the lack of funding and resources on the east side of the city as a result of fewer wards.
City Council members said this is a topic for another discussion but they were aware of this imbalance and hope to create wards that keep the east side neighborhoods together, though they are ultimately bound by the population requirements outlined in the census.
What’s Next?
Now that the community feedback meetings have concluded, the council members has made it clear they will not offer community feedback meetings for the drawn map before they discuss and vote on it. They will, however, continue to review citizen suggestions via email and the maps submitted through the Dave’s Redistricting App.
Key Takeaway
TCO’s key takeaway from these meetings is the importance of having residents’ voices heard. Resident input counted whether that was by completing the census, staying up to date with the process, or going the extra step to create your own map. More updates will likely come during the beginning of next year so make sure to follow us here at TCO.
Update:
On Nov. 13, Ward 15 Council Member Jenny Spencer announced that she will not seek re-election. She said she plans to serve out the remainder of her term, which ends in January 2026. Spencer said redistricting had “no bearing” on her decision. Her live video announcement can be viewed on her Facebook page:
