Dec. 1 – Mayor’s Appointments Committee, Cleveland City Council
Covered by Documenter Najee Hall
What happened: The committee interviewed and approved six of Mayor Justin Bibb’s 10 nominees for the new Community Police Commission (CPC). The nominees approved Thursday were James Chura, Charles Donaldson, Kyle Earley, Alana Garrett-Ferguson, Cait Kennedy and Piet Van Lier. The committee interviewed the remaining mayoral nominees on Dec. 2. All 13 nominees – including three selected by council – were set for final approval at council’s Dec. 5 meeting.
Background: The passage of ballot initiative Issue 24 in November 2021 changed the city charter with the aim of strengthening civilian oversight of police. The CPC now has final say over police discipline for officers. Previously, the city’s chief of police and director of public safety held final say over discipline.
Questions posed: Committee members asked each nominee several questions. Topics ranged from nominees’ experiences with law enforcement, to their views on defunding the police, to their social media activity. Though the committee approved the six nominees, Council Member Kris Harsh raised a concern. He said the nominees fill four of five categories listed in the Issue 24 charter amendments. While the city believes the charter requires only that nominees fill at least one of those categories, Harsh believes it requires all to be met. Some activists who helped lead Issue 24 agree.
Read Documenter Najee Hall‘s live Tweet from the meeting:
Curious about the commission and the nominee-selection process? Signal Cleveland’s Stephanie Casanova sets the stage.