In his second State of the City address, Mayor Justin Bibb touted accomplishments from his first full year in office and laid plans to address his top priorities in the year to come.
Students from the John Marshall high school marching band ushered in crowds funneling into a packed auditorium at East Technical High School, where the Cleveland School of Arts choir serenaded audience members ahead of Bibb’s speech.
The setting was a fitting backdrop as Bibb pointed to education as a key priority in his upcoming year in office.
“We must ensure that we are meeting our young people where they are with the support they need,” he said.
Bibb promised that in addition to addressing negative effects students are facing from the pandemic, such as declining literacy rates and mental health concerns, the city is drawing closer to selecting a new superintendent to replace outgoing Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) CEO Eric Gordon.
“I think it’s going to be very beneficial seeing that he’s made a lot of progress with the other problems that he promised to help try and fix,” said 16-year-old Zhariya Phillips, a high school junior who introduced Bibb ahead of his address.
Public safety is Bibb's 'top priority'
Facing a shortage of public safety officers, a federal consent decree on policing and citywide gun violence, Bibb said his “top priority” is safety for Clevelanders.
Cleveland’s police department is short by more than 200 officers, even after the 2023 budget slashed 142 vacant positions.
And with 285 officers eligible for retirement and only 13 cadets in training, the city is facing a majorly taxed police force.
Bibb boasted he'd negotiated the largest pay raise police have seen, as well as loosening policies on beards and tattoos to retain and recruit new officers. He also said the city is working with CMSD to create pipelines from schools to the police force.
But he said law enforcement is only part of the equation.
“To become a safer city, we must invest in violence prevention and reduction and address the root cause of violence,” he said.
Touting an upcoming $10 million investment into a violence prevention endowment fund, backed by the city’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, he said the city plans to invest in community initiatives addressing the root cause of violence for decades to come.
Undoing a history of racism and redlining on the Southeast Side
Bibb has long championed Cleveland’s Southeast Side, highlighting the need for investment in parts of the city hardest hit by systemic racism and historic redlining.
With $15 million toward development of commercial corridors in neighborhoods like Lee-Harvard, Union Miles and Mt. Pleasant, he told Ideastream last week he wants to turn these areas into “neighborhoods of choice” and restore the Black middle class.
In his speech, Bibb announced a partnership with Goldman Sachs, which will bring their 10,000 Small Businesses program to the Southeast Side to bolster Black-owned businesses.
“It is my fundamental belief, we will not see a thriving Cleveland until all corners of our city experience a true economic recovery,” he said.
The State of the City’s venue, East Technical High School, is located in Ward 5’s Central neighborhoods, one of Bibb’s target areas.
Ward 5 Councilmember Richard Starr, who grew up in the neighborhood, said he’s not optimistic, but “hopeful” about Bibb's plans.
“I have good faith, and I want to make sure I support,” he said. “When it comes time to vote and do what’s right, me and my colleagues are going to make sure we dive deep into those plans to make sure they are equitable, and we have the diversity that’s needed.”
Bibb plans to go after ‘slumlords’
Bibb announced legislation coming later this year to crack down on out-of-state and absent property managers who neglect their properties.
“We will hold you accountable, and we will find you,” he said, evoking applause from the audience.
He also announced that the city has recently begun filing affidavits in property records noting use of lead paint to alert homebuyers about the presence of toxic materials.
Other priorities include sustainability, waterfront development
Keeping in line with his focus on waterfront accessibility, particularly on the city’s East Side, Bibb highlighted a recent proposal to use $20 million of the city’s pandemic relief funds to build out “the best lakefront in the country.”
“From Euclid Beach to the Downtown lakefront to Irishtown Bend, our waterfronts have been underutilized for far too long,” he said. “It’s past time we leverage their potential.”
He also discussed the city’s commitment to sustainability, noting his efforts to bring back recycling last year to the more than 60,000 households who enrolled in the program.
Bibb also announced the city recently enrolled in the national Better Climate Challenge, which vows to reduce City Hall’s carbon emissions by 50% in the next 10 years.
