Monday night's first-ever public comment period for Cleveland City Council will give up to ten people a chance to bring concerns before council members.
Resident and activist Randy Cunningham was part of the campaign that pushed for public comment to be implemented over the last year. He signed up to speak at the Monday meeting, where he鈥檒l be pushing for further reform to make that comment period more accessible and user-friendly.
鈥淚t was a real model campaign on how to go about things, but we鈥檙e still a long way away from being able to pat everyone on the back,鈥� Cunningham said. 鈥淏ut hey, I鈥檒l take three minutes. I didn鈥檛 have three minutes before.鈥�
It shouldn鈥檛 have taken a hundred years to get public comment on the agenda, Cunningham said, especially when it鈥檚 common in other cities already. Additional measures like incorporating public comment as an ordinance and allowing more time for speakers would improve the system, Cunningham said.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e just done the minimum amount that鈥檚 needed to, I guess, get us off their back,鈥� Cunningham said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e at least got something. But we need to work on making it a little more user-friendly.鈥�
It鈥檚 harder to make change in Cleveland as a resident or concerned individual compared to the influence of businesses and local officials, Cunningham said. But local activism has undergone an 鈥渁wakening鈥� in recent years, he said, bringing larger pushes for change like public comment.
As of Friday morning, eight people had signed up to comment. The sign-up process was simple and straightforward, said Grace Heffernan, who plans to speak on behalf of the Northeast Ohio Worker Center. But Heffernan hopes more options become available for those who don鈥檛 have regular internet access, she said.
鈥淲hile the process was really great for someone like me, I know that some of the folks that we most need to hear from in our community do not have those same resources or accessibility,鈥� Heffernan said.
Heffernan will be talking about federal grant money to improve the system for unemployment benefits. She appreciates the opportunity to bring the issue to the council鈥檚 attention directly, she said.
鈥淭his is a incredibly time-sensitive opportunity, so our ability to be able to talk about this issue despite it not being formally on the agenda, is so critically important,鈥� Heffernan said. 鈥淩esidents and community members need to be able to talk about what鈥檚 going on in their groups and their lives in a way that might not always align with what鈥檚 on the formal agenda.鈥�
The sign-up period comes to a close Mondays at 2 p.m. before that night's meeting, according to a city council spokesperson, and people can sign up through an online form, by email or in person at City Hall. Each speaker will be given three minutes for their comments.
Copyright 2021 WCPN. To see more, visit . 9(MDAxMzY2MjQ0MDEyMzcyMDQ5MzBhZWU5NA001))
