Priorities and New Ideas: A Conversation with Cleveland City Council's Newly Elected Members
his forum focuses on newly elected council members in the city of Cleveland. We will be asking these newly elected officials what they have learned on the campaign trail. So much of what becomes public policy is learned on the front porches of Clevelanders who are concerned about their home and neighborhood. Democratic institutions require that citizens become involved with these issues. These campaigns are places where public policy and neighbors come together.
The City of Cleveland recently had an administration change in the mayor’s office,as well as new additions and changes in leadership on Cleveland City Council. Being newly elected, these council members are part of the change and bring new ideas to their positions. This forum will be a setting for them to share their ideas and priorities.
For many council people, much time is spent dealing with direct services for the community they represent in addition to time spent legislating antidotes to the problems of the city of Cleveland. Many of the topics and issues they address make up the 6 o’clock news. Vacant homes, no heat in apartment buildings, trash, and safety for residents in the city of Cleveland are some of these issues.
For these new council members, blending service with public policy is a good antidote for all of those living in the city of Cleveland. This forum aims to allow these council members to address the issues in the city of Cleveland, as well as upcoming initiatives such as the distribution of ARPA dollars, councilmatic funds, and budget allocation.
Panelists
Dr. Roland Anglin – Dean, Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University
Roland V. Anglin’s career spans more than twenty-five years of working in the public, educational, and philanthropic sectors. In all his professional positions, Anglin has focused on promoting economic and community development in and for low-income communities. Currently, he is Dean of the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. Immediately prior to this position, Anglin was the Senior Advisor to the Chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark and Director of the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies, an applied research institute at the university. In his role as Senior Advisor, he worked as part of a team to implement various initiatives using the anchor role of the university to improve postsecondary outcomes in Newark.
Dr. Anglin began his academic career at Rutgers University in the late 1980’s. During this time, he published some of the seminal work on citizen attitudes toward sprawl development. In 1991 he was recruited to the Ford Foundation, where he spent eight years. He served first as the program officer responsible for community development. Subsequently, he was asked to become Deputy Director for Community and Resource Development, which is part of the Asset Building and Community Development Division.
After leaving Ford in 1999, Dr. Anglin went to the Structured Employment Economic Development Corporation (Seedco), a national community development intermediary. At Seedco, Dr. Anglin was the Senior Vice President responsible for building the capacity of community-based housing organizations in twenty-three cities partnering with Seedco.
After returning to academia in 2000, Dr. Anglin published three books: Promoting Sustainable Local and Community Development, Katrina’s Imprint: Race and Vulnerability in America (with colleagues), and Resilience and Opportunity (with colleagues).
Anglin received his doctorate from the University of Chicago, a master’s degree from Northwestern, and a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College (City University of New York).
Deborah Gray – Ward 4
Council Member Deborah A. Gray was elected to represent Ward 4 on Cleveland City Council, which includes Cleveland southeast side neighborhoods of Shaker Square and portions of the Buckeye, Woodland Hills, and Mount Pleasant.
She has been actively involved in her community for decades, having served as a Buckeye Ambassador, Concerned Citizen, block club president, St. Luke’s Foundation Resident Advancement Committee member, and has been involved in many organizations and initiatives, like Co-Founding the Informative Action Committee for Cleveland VOTES and Healthy Eating Health Living (HEAL), working hard to empower the people in our neighborhoods.
Prior to being elected to Council, Councilwoman Gray was the elected Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Precinct Committeewoman from Ward 4, Precinct F.
In addition to her extensive community work, Councilmember Gray is an East Tech graduate, holds a business degree, graduated from the Cleveland Leadership Institute, and brings a diversity of experience to Council. As a corporate employee for one of the largest Cleveland organizations, she spent years learning about organization structure and process.
After the Great Recession in 2008, she went on to start her own successful fashion business where she networked with women-owned small businesses to sharpen her entrepreneurial skills. Councilmember Gray also got involved in the labor movement when she was a union rep to the UAW. Most recently, she worked in public service at the Cleveland Public Library.
Councilwoman Gray was born in Saginaw, Michigan, and as a child her family moved to Cleveland. She is a proud resident of the Buckeye Neighborhood, and has spent decades in Cleveland’s southeast neighborhoods, where she raised her two sons and became a homeowner.
Richard Starr – Ward 5
Richard Starr represents Ward 5 which includes Central, Kinsman, Midtown neighborhoods and part of downtown and North Broadway/Slavic Village.
Prior to his election to City Council, he was recognized as a leader in Cleveland’s Central Community for his grassroots activism and commitment to creating positive change.
Councilman Starr is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace University, where he earned a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Management. He’s also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated.
Born and raised in Ward 5’s King Kennedy public housing estates, Councilman Starr’s lived experience of poverty and violence during his youth led him to the safe confines of the King Kennedy Boys and Girls club. His love for sports and community service grew and fueled his career path.
He began working for the Boys and Girls club in 2008, working his way up through various positions to his most recent position as the Director of Sports and Recreation for Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio.
Councilman Starr’s passion for sports and serving the community led him to become a volunteer youth football coach and mentor in Ward 5, serving his community in multiple capacities and impacting the lives of many.
He’s used his voice to speak out against violence and address the community’s needs. During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic, he organized a Unity Peace March and collaborated with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank to distribute over 42,000+ pounds. He also distributed 2,800 masks and participated in voter education initiatives.
He was honored to be named the 2019 Shoes and Clothes for Kids “Partner of the Year” award, and, in 2018, Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood Si recognized him as a “Champion of Central.”
Councilman Starr is a graduate of East Tech High School and serves on several boards, including Faith Community United Credit Union, Northeast Ohio Young Black Democrats, Book Bank Young Professionals, and the Telos Institute. In 2018, he was elected Democratic leader of Ward 5.
Sephanie Howse – Ward 7
Stephanie Howse is a caregiver, mentor, and public servant, presently serving as Ward 7 Councilwoman in Cleveland City Council. Her journey in civic engagement spans over 30 years, beginning as a campaign street team member helping her mom, the Honorable Annie L. Key, pass out flyers to help candidates get elected.
Through the years, she has grown to understand the interconnections between the laws created and the social, economic, and physical environments community members face in working toward breaking generational poverty.
Prior to joining Cleveland City Council, Stephanie served as an Ohio State Representative, Educator, Consultant and Engineer. Her range of lived experiences keeps her grounded in the realities of everyday people and motivates her to use her public platform to share uncomfortable truths and engage in uncomfortable conversations to move our community forward for the benefit of all and not just a select few.
Stephanie earned her B.S. in Civil (Environmental) Engineering from Florida A&M University and her M.A. in Environmental Studies from Cleveland State University. Go Rattlers, Go Vikings! A few of her notable honors and recognitions: 2020 Trainer – Progressive Governance Academy, 2019 Honorary Chair – Cleveland Walk to End Alzheimer’s; 2017 Fellow – Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (Council of State Governments); 2016 Youth Voice Awards Civic Leader Recipient – MyCom.
Today, Stephanie uses her voice to advance racial and environmental justice, close the gender pay gap and create spaces where community members can be heard and valued. Beyond her civic responsibilities, Stephanie enjoys cooking new recipes, watching Netflix, singing/rapping karaoke and is an ever-enduring Cleveland Browns fan.
Kris Harsh – Ward 13
Kristopher Harsh represents Ward 13, which includes Old Brooklyn and part of the Stockyard neighborhoods.
Prior to holding public office, Councilman Harsh worked as a housing specialist and community organizer for non-profit agencies, including Metro West Community Development Organization, where he was housing director since 2014.
He worked as an organizer for Ohio Organizing Collaborative, and was director of community organizing for Empowering and Strengthening Ohio’s People (ESOP), which focuses on giving residents, especially seniors, the education and tools to have financial wellness and housing stability.
Councilman Harsh served as representative for and testified on behalf of the community at City of Cleveland Housing Court, Board of Zoning, and Board of Building Standards. He also worked closely with the Cleveland Land Bank, CCLRC, Cleveland Housing Network, City Council members, Cleveland Housing Court specialists, and MetroHealth and Environmental Health Watch to address and resolve various issues pertaining to the city’s housing stock.
He successfully advocated for and ushered in the demolition of dozens of blighted properties in the community, and assisted residents in side lot expansion applications, as well as piloted a lead abatement program to explore and test methods to reduce lead poisoning in owner occupied and rental units.
He attended the University of Akron and Kent State University and had been part of the local music scene, formerly hosting a show on WRUW called “Pure Denizen.”
He and his wife, Elizabeth, live on Merl Avenue with their three children, a cat and a dog.