Covered by Documenters Kellie Morris and Jenna Thomas
What happened: Commenters representing Citizens For A Safer Cleveland and Black Lives Matter Cleveland made public comments criticizing City Council’s decision to cut $224,000 from the proposed 2023 budget for the Community Police Commission (CPC). They said the CPC would use the money to hire more staff. Commenters argued that stripping the commission of additional funding ignores the desires of voters who supported Issue 24. The ballot initiative changed the city charter in 2021 to give the CPC final say over police discipline. The remaining 2023 budget of CPC — about $2 million — meets the minimum requirement set in the charter. Signal Cleveland’s Nick Castele has more.
Housing concerns in Ward 7: Public commenter Robert Rice represented the Greater Cleveland Housing Justice Coalition. Rice shared feedback he received from residents while canvassing on housing issues in Ward 7. He said he spoke with renters about tenant unionization. Homeowners near East 90th Street and Chester Avenue expressed concern about aggressive real estate agents trying to buy their property for less than market value, Rice said. “It is clear that the concerns around gentrification aren’t abstract apprehensions of the future but a real material reality,” Rice said.
Kia and Hyundai in the hot seat: Council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution urging the mayor to join cities across the United States in suing Kia and Hyundai for damages related to local car thefts. Mayor Justin Bibb announced in a press conference Wednesday morning that his administration would, in fact, sue the companies for failing to install safeguards against thefts.
Read the live-tweet thread from Documenter Jenna Thomas:
Watch the full public comments or read transcripts edited by Carolyn Cooper on the Public Comment CLE website created by Ohio City resident Angelo Trivisonno.