Summary
- The community had the freedom to express its concerns and fears. It reminded me of the old street club meetings.
- Ward 12 Council Member Tanmay Shah said that Cleveland Metropolitan School District school closures have impacted people’s voting locations.
- The city is working to turn the former CVS building on Madison Avenue and West Boulevard into a new fire station.
Follow-up questions
- How far are children going to have to travel to go to school in light of the school closures? [Editor’s note: How to make sure your CMSD student has a seat on the school bus for the 2026-2027 year]
- I wonder what conversations would have come about if people had time to respond to the three statements on the slide titled, “What Is the Ward 12 You Want?”
The scene at the Ward 12 Community Meeting
The July 22 Ward 12 Community Meeting, held at Eagle Kafe in Edgewater, began with Council Member Tanmay Shah thanking everyone for coming out.
The meeting began at about 6:10 p.m. and ended at about 7:35 p.m.
Cleveland’s Ward 12 includes parts of the Edgewater, Cudell, West Boulevard and Jefferson neighborhoods.
How Council Member Tanmay Shah voted on legislation
The first thing on the agenda was for Shah to speak on Cleveland City Council legislation updates and to tell the group how he voted.
- Regarding the three-month data center moratorium, he wanted it to be longer than three months, but he voted in favor.
- Regarding the six-month contract extension for the Flock cameras, he voted against it.
- Regarding the former CVS building on Madison Avenue and West Boulevard that could be taken over by the city through eminent domain, he is supportive of the project, and it is ongoing.
- He has been consistently voting against projects that involve tax increment financing.
Backlog for community development programs
An attendee in the audience asked about programs from the Department of Community Development, specifically for updates about a low-interest loan program.
Shah didn’t have much information about the program but did refer to Chad Dasher, associate director of Westown Community Development Corp.
Dasher said many Community Development programs are struggling with backlogs right now. “It’s a mess,” he said. He urged anyone interested in applying for programs to reach out to him.
Ward 12 brainstorming session
The next thing on the agenda was a slide with the title “What Is the Ward 12 You Want?” This slide encompassed three statements:
- Close your eyes and picture your street. Think about the problems you and your neighbors face.
- Try to imagine what you would want to change without having to worry about politics or what might be easy to achieve.
- How could things be different?
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Shah then asked the audience to split up into groups to discuss one of five topics: Housing, streets and transportation, engaging with city services, neighborly relations and food access and affordability. He asked five of his staff members to each join a group.
Another audience member asked where safety fits into those topics. She said she referenced some shootings in the community — in fact, she said, a bullet came through her bedroom window and just missed her head.
Shah seemed very sympathetic and said they could continue talking after the group exercise.
Shah said the group exercise would take about 20 minutes, and they would resume at about 7:15 p.m.
Brainstorming groups report out
I didn’t sit in any of the groups. This is a summary of what was said by a spokesperson from each group:
Housing
- Community concerns about property owners who live out of state.
Streets and transportation
- Concerns about debris in the bike lanes and beautifying the streets.
Engaging with city services
- Concerns about the Building and Housing Department not getting back to people.
Neighborly relations
- Looking out for one another, providing wellness checks, and getting involved with other community groups.
Food access and affordability
- No one attended this topic.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at cledocumenters@gmail.com with “Correction Request” in the subject line.
These notes are by Documenter Janenell Smith. Documenter Marvetta Rutherford recorded audio.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcleveland.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.
