Two more members of Cleveland City Council have agreed to support the ordinance calling for public comment at council and committee meetings, bringing the total number of co-sponsors of the ordinance to nine.
Joseph Jones, Ward 1; and Kevin Conwell, Ward 9 are the latest council members to join Kerry McCormack, Ward 3; Basheer Jones, Ward 7; Mike Polensek, Ward 8; Jasmin Santana, Ward 14; Jenny Spencer, Ward 15; Brian Kazy, Ward 16; and Charles Slife, Ward 17, in support of the proposed legislation.
Clevelanders for Public Comment and Council co-sponsors are asking for quick action on the public comment ordinance following the comprehensive research and analysis conducted in advance of crafting the legislation.
A synthesis of the full research and detailed explainer can be found here: https://cle4publiccomment.com/proposed-ordinance-analysis-and-explanation.
This resident led movement has been gaining traction over the past few months. The Cleveland City Club will host “Breaking the Silence: A new tradition of public comment in Cleveland?” a special virtual forum on April 21 at noon. This forum is a moderated conversation featuring Jessica Trivisonno, author of the proposed ordinance, and two City Council members, B. Jones and Slife, who support the ordinance. Following the conversation, there will be a 30 minute mock public comment demonstration.
For more information or to register: https://www.cityclub.org/forums/2021/04/21/breaking-the-silence-a-new-tradition-of-public-comment-in-cleveland