In his second State of the County address, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne focused on investments his administration has made in services for the county’s youth and unhoused; in environmental sustainability and to assist residents struggling to keep up with rising property tax rates.
During a 40-minute speech on Thursday, an upbeat Ronayne described the county as a national leader.
“This is a place to be proud of, a place to celebrate, a place worth protecting and a place worth investing in. It’s a place full of innovation, invention, of perseverance and determination,” Ronayne said.
Early on in his speech, Ronayne talked about progress his administration has made on one of his first challenges.
In 2020, two-and-a-half years before Ronayne took office, news broke that children without stable homes were routinely sleeping in a county office building, the Jane Edna Hunter Building.
According to Ronayne, the county has lost more than 200 beds over the last decade. When he took office, he said plans were already in place to begin providing more beds to reduce the number of kids staying at the county office building.
Ronayne said during Thursday’s speech, the county and the county nonprofit, The Centers, were on their way to raising $14 million through public and private funding for a Child Wellness Center with 58 beds. That's an increase from the eight beds that had already been announced by the county when he took office.
“I think you’d be proud of the transformation underway,” Ronayne said. “We’re not just transforming a campus for kids, we’re transforming lives.”
Protests over divestment
During his speech, Ronayne was interrupted repeatedly by protesters calling on the county to end its investment in Israel bonds.
One protester called out, “Free Palestine. Stop funding genocide” before being led out of the Huntington Convention Center.
At first, Ronayne acknowledged the protesters.
“My grandma used to say to me ‘Everyone is important,’” Ronayne said as one protestor was removed from the venue. “Your voice is important. You are important. Thank you.”
As time went on, he tried to ignore them and continue with his speech.
One of those protesters, Anna Powaski, said she was there because she never felt welcome at the City Club, which hosts the annual State of the County, and was upset that the impact of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the county’s investments in bonds issued by Israel would not be topics of discussion.
“It would be nice that, while noting the accomplishments of the city, which I actually appreciated that part of the presentation, it would actually talk about the inequity toward people who are left out,” Powaski said.
During the question-and-answer session after Ronayne’s speech, Cleveland Heights activist Akshai Singh asked Ronayne directly whether he would stop the county from buying Israel bonds.
“We are not moving away from Israel bonds,” said Ronayne, who acknowledged the county has $16 million worth of the bonds in its portfolio. “To know why, we can continue to talk.”
Ahead of Ronayne's address, protesters began to gather to call on the county to divest from their Israel bonds.
The group has been showing up to Cuyahoga County Council public comment for months, and Noelle Naser of the Cleveland Palestinian Advocacy Community said the group wanted to keep pressure on Ronayne and other elected officials.
“We're hoping it is a reminder to him that we are still here and we are not going anywhere; that communities here are affected by what's going on in Palestine; that we are all complicit by his investment in Israel bonds, and that we are going to continue to find him and meet him where he is at," said Naser, a Palestinian and Cleveland resident.
Rising property taxes
Another focus of criticism of the county during the past year has been the most recent property tax assessments and the larger-than-anticipated increases in property taxes many residents have seen.
The county recently completed its required sexennial appraisal and property values went up an average of 32%. While that doesn’t necessarily mean property taxes would go up significantly, county officials have tried to respond.
The county is launching an assistance program in the fall, according to Ronayne, offering cash assistance to seniors as well as alternative payment plans.
The county held more than 15 public meetings after the property valuations went out, said Ronayne.
“We not only talked, we listened,” Ronayne said.
A focus on Lake Erie
Back in 2022, Ronayne campaigned, in part, on the creation of a Fresh Water Institute, stressing the value and importance of Lake Erie to the county’s future.
He is moving ahead with the first “pillar” of that institute – a Fresh Water Institute Fellowship Program.
“Each year, 30 high school students will participate in eight months of after-school programing and a two-week intensive summer program based at the Foundry’s Columbus Road facility,” Ronayne said.
New for the coming year
Ronayne also highlighted two possible new initiatives, though it’s unclear how far either will go.
The first is a possible Music Commission, modeled after the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, which has sought to attract movie production to the region.
But at this point the county is only creating a Music and Entertainment Task Force, which will “evaluate” the creation of a Music Commission at some point in the future.
Since the hiring of Sheriff Harold Pretel, the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department has sought to expand its law enforcement role in the county. Those attempts have been met with opposition from county council.
Ronayne said he will work with council during the coming months on an “action plan” for the sheriff’s department, which traditionally has focused on staffing the jail and providing security at the courthouse.
