![A photograph of Cleveland downtown buildings. [Bryan Busovicki/Shutterstock]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/119fadc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1971+0+0/resize/840x552!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F7%2F14%2Fshutterstock_18039127.jpg)
This November, Cleveland's voters will choose the next mayor to lead the city. Mayor Frank Jackson announced earlier this year that his current fourth term will be his last.
The prospect of new leadership for the first time in 16 years has led a field of seven candidates to seek the city's top job. Some are familiar to voters. Others are entirely new to the political arena. However, each has his or her own ideas, about how to improve the city.
The field of candidates are as follows (listed alphabetically):
- Justin Bibb, an executive at an urban technology nonprofit
- Ross DiBello, an attorney
- Cleveland Ward 7 Councilman Basheer Jones
- Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley
- Dennis Kucinich, the former congressman and former Cleveland mayor
- Former Ward 2 Councilman Zack Reed, who unsuccessfully challenged Jackson in 2017
- State Senator Sandra Williams
An eighth candidate, Landry M. Simmons, a career law enforcement officer, and the sole Republican seeking the position of mayor withdrew from the race after the Cuyahoga County Board of Election said he did not collect the required 3,000 valid signatures. Simmons says he will seek a state senate seat in 2022.
Voters will vote in a non-partisan mayoral primary on September 14. The top two candidates will go on to the general election on November 2.
To cover the race in-depth, Ideastream Public Media has launched a new podcast that will explore the candidates and the issues in the race. It is called “After Jackson: Cleveland’s Next Mayor.”
You can follow the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, SoundCloud, or NPR One.
You will also be able to hear episodes each week on The Sound of Ideas where Ideastream Public Media Reporter Nick Castele will also join us to discuss each episode.
What issues do the mayoral candidates need to pay attention to? What are the city's most pressing needs? And if you could ask a question of the candidates, what would that question be? That’s where you come in.
Ideastream Public Media and the City Club of Cleveland are planning mayoral forums with the help of the more than two dozen media outlets who form the Northeast Ohio Solutions Journalism collaborative. The questions for the candidates will come directly from you. Please let us know what you believe the candidates need to address. And please let us know what specific question you'd like to have answered.
You will find the link to the submission form for questions in the related items below.
As always, we also welcome input during The Sound of Ideas, so please call, text, email or Tweet your suggestions.
Later in the show, Alex DiFrancesco explores monsters—mythical or otherwise-- in their new book "Transmutation."
The collection of short stories includes one about a transgender teen, struggling in an unstable home... and another about a vampire, with good intentions.
The Lakewood author chatted with Ideastream Public Media's Carrie Wise.
- Nick Castele, Reporter, Ideastream Public Media, "After Jackson: Cleveland's Next Mayor"
- Carrie Wise, Managing Producer for Arts & Culture, Ideastream Public Media
- Alex DiFrancesco, Author, "Transmutation"
