January 06, 2025

floor thank you Cil president good evening everybody uh I first want to say Felicia de Rees or Happy Three Kings Day to everybody and I would um like to ask Council if you can acknowledge that in your um celebrations in the future um now going with that I want to talk about the maps um we have seen the new maps and we have seen how much of a mess they are um I myself am an employee for uh Community Development through um the CDC and I know how awful that's going to be for me as it's going to be for every one of my residents to get divided and cut into words and how awful it's going to be for those groups out there working on an everyday basis to help their communities so I'm asking for you to please revise the maps one more time get some citizen input on it and check what is best for the city right now cutting the worst the way than they've been cut is just giving you and your close friends an amazing amount of like areas for you to take over and the huge amount of J mandering that is happening then I want to also go over something that was said in the last ccil uh meeting before the break and it was by um conman penc which was said about the W the Latino W um it was refer award and I want to correct that because that when you use that kind of terminology is literally going for and saying that you're segregating a City Cleveland is one of the largest cities that is segregated in this country and we are not doing anything about it and this maps are just keeping the same exact issue going and going after and after so I do ask that in the future we don't use terminology like that and we actually look at how we write in the wordss so please again take in consideration the way you write in your wordss ask the C for their input and not just give a 5 minute like little time or the day before no please ask them with weeks in advance perhaps months and think about this before we write in it I know your elections are coming up and you need this maps to be written for your elections so they can support you and get you back into this seat but don't think about your future job think about Cleveland as a city because that's what you should be thinking about not your job and your salary so again rethink this and do better

floor uh good evening and happy New Year to everybody hopefully had a great holiday season uh we had a great 2024 and the fight still continues in 2025 I can still proudly say after this map in veiling I am still a w 11 resident by maybe a few streets but I still I am so happy about that um a big word last year was Jerry mandering it was a big Focus up until the election and you know right after it happened we never heard about it and um now that the the maps that we're voting on tonight it feels like this is really the last say we really have which is why I really want to sign up for public comment I did attend the first Community feedback session on October 15th at tries metro campus but even then I still feel like this was a final draft I feel like we're our inputs really not taken into consideration some people may think that these are just lines on a piece of paper but you know what they used to say that also about redlining some people may wonder diab you're still in w 11 why do you care so much and to that I have to say that these lines mean so much more to me within these lines are residents neighborhoods with a rich history history communities and people and businesses that have been here for Generations these lines are our tickets to representation who's being catered to here the residents or is this a matter of incumbent protection Jerry mandering is something I want to say let's do away within 2024 Equitable and reasonable representation reflected by the newly drawn Ward boundary lines now that's what I want to bring into 2025 I may still be Ward 11 but my neighborhood is being cut up all of our neighborhoods are being cut up and Behind these lines there are people there are faces there are histories and there are stories that still need to be told even after your guys' terms are done these lines are going to still stick with these neighborhoods so please take this into consideration it's so much more important than the vote in November these are real people and real communities thank you and that's my time thank

floor okay greetings everyone uh greetings council president council member staff attendees and mayor bib uh thank you for the opportunity to speak my name is Michael Hardy I live in Ward 11 and serve as W 11's Ward leader I'm here to talk about the redistricting process that will be voted on tonight I hear here uh we understood uh that this day was coming and now it is here the boundaries for Ward 11 uh discussed was were discussed during the city council election in Ward 11 back in 2021 now the boundaries were discussed even more during the special election of 2023 there were many in the ward including myself who were aware that precincts 11a and 11b were getting moved to what is now W 16 and will be W 13 this was discussed um and considered during the 2010 census so we've known about this for some time but what wasn't discussed was splitting Precinct 11b now this area is arguably the first area in kyoga County with a sizable number of African-American residents uh they were brought here to work on the railroad back in the late 1800s and they resided in what is now Ward 11 and Ward um w 11 A and B uh Highway i71 moved a street out of out of the moved some people out of the way so they had to move north of the Highway 71 to live in in some areas there and you still have people who live families who live on both sides of the highway um and this is near Lindale I'm talking about the railroad in Lindale that's where the the people worked West Lindale they call it um so 11a and 11b borders are identifiable they're clearly identifiable this was a this is a voting block and it's a strong voting block one of the biggest voting blocks in the area and this is getting divided you know those streets need to stay intact uh this is probably an issue in other communities where similar things are are happening now and have and have happened but what we always want to do in a democracy is let people know that you know they are not cut out of this democracy and that they can be involved in the Democratic process you know people need to know that their vote counts and that their vote is Meaningful um keeping the Integrity of the ward 11 communities intact was important uh in in 2023 during that election it was talked about quite a bit but now keeping the Integrity of precincts 11a and 11b intact is important you I actually live in in 11b um I am asking you to to pause this vote so that we can have further discussions on the r districting process and w 11 and in other areas where I know there's quite a bit of talk going on but I want to thank you for listening and uh may God bless everyone here thank you very

evening council president president and members my name is Nadia Zim I am co-president of the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland for over a 100 years the league has been a nonpartisan Grassroots organization that believes voters should pay a critical role in democracy our mission is to empower voters and defend democracy that is why we advocate for fair redistricting at the state and local level this past year the league actively advocated for issue one the Statewide effort to take Ohio redistricting out of the hands of politicians and create a fair transparent and public process we cheered when Council unanimously approved resolution 1083 2024 in support of issue one stating that Jerry mandering takes power away from the people of Ohio in Cleveland allowing representatives to choose their voters rather than voters choosing their representatives thereby undermining the F foundational principles of free and fair elections that produce Democratic governance like the voters of Ohio the residents of the city of Cleveland deserve rting process that includes time for Meaningful public input and revisions you have a wonderful opportunity to show the state of Ohio how fairy districting Works Maps which keep neighborhoods together not only build strong communities but they encourage voting people will vote if they feel like their vote makes a difference when WS are drawn in a way that splits communities and neighborhoods people don't see a connection between their vote and what happens in our government we have provided you with a handout with our proposed map as an example of how it is possible to draw a fair map one that keeps communities and neighborhoods together has words fairly equal in population and gives citizens a true voice and representation it even includes two true Hispanic opportunity districts WS 11 and 14 with Hispanic voting age population of at least 32% please do not rush this important process city council has known since April 2021 when it received census data that a map with fewer rewards would have to be drawn nevertheless Council took no action for 3 years until May 2024 after this delay now there is a rush to approve maps without time up for Meaningful Community input and revisions the league applauds Council for having three Community meetings in October however those meetings were held with only a week's notice and were ill timed just prior to the November general election the most important time for public engagement is when C can respond to a propos map now is the time for Community input public meetings and revisions based on public input we hope that you take a step back listen to your constituents allow time for Meaningful public input and adopt a map that reflects the communities you serve the league will continue to fight for fair maps at both the state and local levels empowering voters and defending democracy thank

anyone good evening council president council members it's very good to be here here my name is Reverend Dean vanf Faro I'm a 25-year resident of Detroit Shoreway I'm also employed in the ward as a pastor of Calvary reformed I ask you tonight to reject the proposed Ward maps and the main reason is is that cohesive neighborhoods are split up or mapped unnaturally so I live on 65th between bridge and Lorraine Avenues previously my ward went to a natural Border West 85th and then in 2014 to cadel Common Park still a natural boundary now it strangely ends to the West at Little West 73rd Street but more strangely heads East all the way past Burke Lakefront Airport what do Burke Lakefront and Detroit Shoreway share in common How could a council member oversee both of those well speaking of downtown it will now be split into three Wards how inefficient to serve as a council member there take another example A friend of mine lives on West 89th Street they commented to me that their new Ward will extend all the way to Old Brooklyn imagine they can no longer speak to the concerns of cadel Park but now to esterbrook Recreation Center they can go out of their door in the new Ward 11 and walk to the new Ward 12 6 and 8 in 5 to 10 minutes but it might take them up to 2 hours to walk to Old Brooklyn we all know that one side of Shaker Square will share a ward with a section of Slavic Village that historic neighborhood will now be in six different Wards I served two terms on the board of Northwest neighborhood CDC I saw how important it is that the cdc's Align well with neighborhood concerns I like that local urban planner Greg suus who often works with cdc's urged you recently to coordinate Ward boundaries with CDC service areas this would quote streamline funding mechanisms and political Machinery required to make the mission of a CDC successful Mr suus is correct in my view when they are not aligned work does not get done I would simply add at the conclusion that you guys have not had a chance for administrative review You've not had a chance as committees to look at these Maps this is a rushed process that should have been started long ago and I urge you to reject these Maps thank you thank

Happy New Year to all I'm here right from the end I'm asking you to reject those map proposal the MS will destroy the city the MS will destroy the sense of community in the city and and this community that exist for over 100 years I'm part of it for 45 years in that Community it's been it's been like Council woman describe her word been turkey thing are World 15 now they World 15 today it's been like Taliban hanging they place people straight line and hang them World 15 being hanged in those map South north to south World 12 World 11 World 7 just to satisfy some I don't know what I'm asking you I'm asking your conscience reject those Maps the other thing as assuming you pass it we're not giving up tomorrow morning you pass it tonight tomorrow tomorrow morning we'll start another Alternatives one of them to place a referendum to change the structure of this Council reduce it to 9 or 11 and all elected at large no W no District you divide the communities we will reunite those communities and believe me council president talk to us talk to the league of wom vter talk there's 0 groups oppose this and you want to find the numbers pass it and we'll find the numbers next election thank you thank you next we have Brent minko

thank you all for the opportunity to speak publicly on the proposed Ward Maps my name is Brent misenko and I have been a proud homeowner in the Clifton Baltic neighborhood for the last decade I applaud council's decision to hire a non-biased nonpartisan third party to draw the map I know it's a difficult process when we lose two Wards and attempt to um excuse me attempt to combine 34 Spas into just 15 Wards more often than not visiting outside Consultants using outside Consultants is the only truly Fair way to draw these Maps I would also like to commend city council for taking input on these Maps over the last few months for the first time I'm here today in strong support of the process and of the proposed W Maps particularly with regard in the changes impacting board 15 where my home is located for years my property has been one of just three houses on the West Boulevard section of my neighborhood in W 15 with my home being the only single family owner occupied residents the prop excuse me the proposed W map however does something we have long advocated for fully uniting West Boulevard in the closely knit Clifton Baltic neighborhood and finally getting rid of the Jerry mandard scorpions tale additionally drawing the wests side Wards more North and South versus East and West increases the socioeconomic diversity in the Pro in the proposed wards that every and that is something that every every single one of us should Champion I firmly believe in the strength of our communities and of Cleveland as a whole I firmly believe that the strength of our communities and and of Cleveland as a whole comes from the rich diversity of our population this map more accurately reflects that diversity and will enhance our Ward's ability to grow Thrive and collaborate I encourage you all to approve the proposed W Maps today thank you for your time consideration and for working to make our great City even stronger through thoughtful and effective representation thank

floor hi everybody I'm cat Richards I'm a a resident of the Edgewater neighborhood for 30 plus years um I've been through three redistricting processes all all of which seem to not make sense for my neighborhood um so I'm I'm I'm here in support of the new board Maps um we feel like going south a little bit for us since we are a single family resident neighborhood is better for us um we don't exactly belong in a mixed use neighborhood we have one of those most stringent um zoning uh Appropriations that there are so uh I wanted to thank everybody for letting me speak it was very interesting to hear everyone else talk about this uh it illustrates how complicated the process is but like I said for the first time in 30 years I'm actually uh impressed with the new map and uh I hope that we vote to keep it thank you thanks Miss

good evening uh my name is Linda megalan and I live on Edgewater Drive and I was the president of Edgewater North's homeowners association for 13 years and I still remain active in the neighborhood I've lived through two uh redistricting processes and believe the maps that this body will hopefully pass tonight are positive and have an excellent result for my neighborhood I want to give you a little background for everyone about the representation of our neighborhood because we believe we should be included with our neighbors to the South not to the east now nothing against the Detroit shway area at all as a matter of fact my neighbors and I frequent the businesses often and um our issues facing our neighborhood just closely align with the neighbor in the South um we'd like you to consider the history uh from 1963 where Cleveland had 33 Wards the maps ran North and South this was true to 1986 with 21 Wards then we were separated um then in 2003 we were back with our South Neighbors when we were represented by councilman Westbrook and in 2008 when Cleveland had 21 Wards and they introduced what was called call the Scorpions tale we were Ward 18 with our Southern neighbors and we were represented by councilman Zone then in 2010 there were 19 Wards and we were with our Southern neighbors except we didn't we weren't a part of with the Scorpions tale and once again we were represented by councilman Zone then in 2013 councilman Westbrook agreed to step down and the boundaries were changed and then we were moved from the southern to East West so there's where we are today and I know with all this history I sound like John mechum but and if you've lost track um we've been more with our Southern neighbors than with the East so the proposed map return our neighborhood to what is a more natural fit and with what previous council members had determined being connected to the southern neighbors again we certainly support Detroit sh and all that all the neighborhoods but our neighborhood does have certain issues that are different from everybody else our neighborhood has a very specific zoning um it's we have created and protected our doublea single family for years our association uh has continued to be committed to this and um when the Gold Coast was being um uh put together uh being built uh the plan was to tear down all the houses on Edge Water Drive all the houses and so what we did the neighborhood did was you know got together stuck together fought it and we won time thank thank you thank you Miss

anyone um first uh here are copies of at least if I can finish the speech in time okay I'll just leave it lay here uh if you want to help me contact me after the meeting or in if it's on TV right to city council City H Hall uh I start with a prayer Harry and Mary full of grace the Lord is with thee blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy wom Jesus holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners now at the hour of our death amen Mary help me my name is James jile I'm not a democrat or a republican I disagree with the Democrats in that I am not for samex unions and I am 100% pro-life I disagree with Trump because I am against supporting people the lord gave me the black white party based on the Ten Commandments the Bible the encyclicals of the Pope and the teaching of the Catholic church we are all precipitance of God's Jesus's mercy and I and should be charitable to others okay I ask that St Vincent Charity Hospital not be torn down but it be used to treat the babies from Gaza for the last three years the Lord has given me the scripture for the Middle East the Revelation is certain a great War Daniel 10:1 not only will it save babies but it might well prevent a great Regional War if the Muslims see some charity some Christianity toward them the Palestinians would temper their Vengeance for example Hezbollah said as long as Israel bombed Gaza they would bomb Israel in Matthew 25:36 it says you saw me ill and you cared for me well Lord when we see you ill what did you when you did it for the least of my brethren you did it for me scripture says the beginning of wisdom is fear the lord okay can you imagine your aunt mother grandmother a baby child being imprisoned in your ward with no way out and being bombed President Gerald Ford had a baby lift at the end of the Vietnam War we had a vigil outside of St Vincent Charity Hospital on Christmas Eve we had a clear view of the bridge we heard a loud crash the man could have been dying it would have taken five minutes to get to St Vincent had it been open but one half hour to get to another hospital and in that case the guy would be dead on arrival the doctors in Gaza describe holding a baby's brain flowing out of his hand the hospital has to use Gau o over and over again spreading infections instead of making a political decision think of your Eternal salvation instead of being the Marie antonet quit uh City outrageous tax increases for the poor hit and run drivers not arrested and Street takeovers the whole world will admire you for while they did nothing Proverbs says did you fail to rescue those who were being dragged off to death you did not fail to rescue those tottering near death Proverbs 24:11 I might get through it for decades Nori and I have fought to save babies in the womb from being killed now those now they're killing babies after birth 33 years from now no one will know what you did for your ward but with the Lord a thousand years are like a watch in the night Jesus will always know what you did for the his least Brethren you can make a mistake we all do allowing St Vincent Char hospital to self construct up thank you sir okay thank yous at home