One of Cuyahoga County Council’s original members is running to replace former Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze, who resigned last year after being charged with records tampering.
Sunny Simon has been circulating petitions for the seat on the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court. The job is in her wheelhouse. An attorney, she specializes in family and divorce law.
“I love County Council a lot, and I think it’s something I would have done for a long time until this particular seat opened up, and that’s right up my alley,” Simon told Weekly Chatter.
Former Juvenile Court Judge Anjanette A. Whitman is also running for the domestic relations judicial seat. The Democratic primary will take place May 5.
Simon has served on County Council for 15 years. Voters created the body in 2009 following the corruption scandal that brought down the old county government.
Now at least four candidates are vying for her District 11 council seat, which represents eastern suburbs between Euclid and Beachwood. They are former state Sen. Shirley Smith, Ebony Spano, Christine McIntosh and Harrison McCreight.
The candidate lists won’t be settled until the Feb. 4 filing deadline. Another important date comes soon after. The Cuyahoga County Democratic Party meets to vote on endorsements in this year’s races Feb. 7.
Challengers square up against Sweeney
There’s another County Council hot seat across town in District 3, which includes Brooklyn and a chunk of Cleveland’s West Side.
Martin J. Sweeney, the incumbent and a former state lawmaker and Cleveland City Council president, faces two primary challengers: Stephanie K. Thomas and Anise Mayo.
Mayo, a nurse and educator, said that the county could do more to fill gaps in health coverage in the community. Another top issue for her: alleviating the pressure homeowners are facing from rising property taxes.
“I think that current county leadership is just a little outdated with the way they think, and it’s time to bring in new, fresh concepts,” she told Weekly Chatter.
Thomas is an architect who worked for 18 years in New York City before moving home to the Cleveland area. A member of the Democratic Socialists of America, she proposes creating a county labor relations board and pursuing rent control for tenants.
“This is good timing for me to get into politics, given the national and local landscape,” Thomas said. “But more specifically, there’s what I see as a huge disconnect between people that are making decisions on behalf of the people and the actual people.”
Sweeney’s district includes Cleveland’s new Ward 12. That’s where Danny Kelly lost a nail-biter to democratic socialist challenger Tanmay Shah last year.
But if there is an anti-incumbent mood on the West Side, Sweeney said it’s not showing up when he talks to residents at their doorsteps.
“I don’t feel it. I don’t see it,” he said. “I just stay focused on the responsibilities I have as the council person, and I am confident that people will keep me around for another term.”
The newsletter version of this story misstated this year’s primary filing deadline.
