In his , Mayor Justin Bibb touted accomplishments from his first full year in office and laid plans to address his top priorities in the year to come.
Students from the John Marshall high school marching band ushered in crowds funneling into a packed auditorium at East Technical High School, where the Cleveland School of Arts choir serenaded audience members ahead of Bibb鈥檚 speech.
The setting was a fitting backdrop as Bibb pointed to education as a key priority in his upcoming year in office.
鈥淲e must ensure that we are meeting our young people where they are with the support they need,鈥� he said.
Bibb promised that in addition to addressing negative effects students are facing from the pandemic, such as declining literacy rates and mental health concerns, the city is drawing closer to selecting a new superintendent to replace outgoing Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) CEO Eric Gordon.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 going to be very beneficial seeing that he鈥檚 made a lot of progress with the other problems that he promised to help try and fix,鈥� said 16-year-old Zhariya Phillips, a high school junior who introduced Bibb ahead of his address.
Public safety is Bibb's 'top priority'
Facing a shortage of public safety officers, a federal consent decree on policing and citywide gun violence, Bibb said his 鈥渢op priority鈥� is safety for Clevelanders.
Cleveland鈥檚 police department is short by more than 200 officers, even after the 2023 budget slashed 142 vacant positions.
And with 285 officers eligible for retirement and only 13 cadets in training, the city is facing a majorly taxed police force.
Bibb boasted he'd negotiated the largest pay raise police have seen, as well as loosening policies on beards and tattoos to retain and recruit new officers. He also said the city is working with CMSD to create pipelines from schools to the police force.
But he said law enforcement is only part of the equation.
鈥淭o become a safer city, we must invest in violence prevention and reduction and address the root cause of violence,鈥� he said.
Touting an upcoming $10 million investment into a violence prevention endowment fund, backed by the city鈥檚 remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, he said the city plans to invest in community initiatives addressing the root cause of violence for decades to come.
Undoing a history of racism and redlining on the Southeast Side
Bibb has long championed Cleveland鈥檚 Southeast Side, highlighting the need for investment in parts of the city hardest hit by systemic racism and historic redlining.
With $15 million toward development of commercial corridors in neighborhoods like Lee-Harvard, Union Miles and Mt. Pleasant, he told Ideastream last week he wants to turn these areas into 鈥渘eighborhoods of choice鈥� and restore the Black middle class.
In his speech, Bibb announced a partnership with Goldman Sachs, which will bring their 10,000 Small Businesses program to the Southeast Side to bolster Black-owned businesses.
鈥淚t is my fundamental belief, we will not see a thriving Cleveland until all corners of our city experience a true economic recovery,鈥� he said.
The State of the City鈥檚 venue, East Technical High School, is located in Ward 5鈥檚 Central neighborhoods, one of Bibb鈥檚 target areas.
Ward 5 Councilmember Richard Starr, who grew up in the neighborhood, said he鈥檚 not optimistic, but 鈥渉opeful鈥� about Bibb's plans.
鈥淚 have good faith, and I want to make sure I support,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen it comes time to vote and do what鈥檚 right, me and my colleagues are going to make sure we dive deep into those plans to make sure they are equitable, and we have the diversity that鈥檚 needed.鈥�
Bibb plans to go after 鈥榮lumlords鈥�
Bibb announced legislation coming later this year to crack down on out-of-state and absent property managers who neglect their properties.
鈥淲e will hold you accountable, and we will find you,鈥� he said, evoking applause from the audience.
He also announced that the city has recently begun filing affidavits in property records noting use of lead paint to alert homebuyers about the presence of toxic materials.
Other priorities include sustainability, waterfront development
Keeping in line with his focus on waterfront accessibility, particularly on the city鈥檚 East Side, Bibb highlighted a recent proposal to use $20 million of the city鈥檚 pandemic relief funds to build out 鈥渢he best lakefront in the country.鈥�
鈥淔rom Euclid Beach to the Downtown lakefront to Irishtown Bend, our waterfronts have been underutilized for far too long,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 past time we leverage their potential.鈥�
He also discussed the city鈥檚 commitment to sustainability, noting his efforts to bring back recycling last year to the more than 60,000 households who enrolled in the program.
Bibb also announced the city recently enrolled in the national Better Climate Challenge, which vows to reduce City Hall鈥檚 carbon emissions by 50% in the next 10 years.
