Ward 15 Councilman Matt Zone announces plans to resign from Cleveland City Council to take helm at Thriving Communities Institute

To the Editor:

(Plain Press, October 2020)           After 19 years on council, I will transition off by mid-November. This was a difficult decision to make; I love serving this community and particularly, the passionate members who call her home, but I’m excited about the next chapter.

   It is with pride and honor that I will be succeeding Jim Rokakis as the Executive Director of the Thriving Communities Institute (TCI) and will also serve as Senior Vice President of Western Reserve Land Conservancy.

LETTER

   It has been my privilege and honor to serve you as a member of council. It’s the job of a lifetime and I’m thankful every day I was able to do it. I have always approached the work with full dedication and truly believe that my time on council will be the toughest, most rewarding job I will ever have. During my tenure, I’ve advocated for a more thoughtful, creative and responsible approach for city government. To accomplish this locally, I have always engaged our city’s residents with an inspiring plan and made informed decisions that are based on evidence, community consultation and the merits of arguments – rather than a particular ideology.

   Together, we have tackled many important issues and initiatives to make our community stronger and more inclusive. We’ve created a culture where acceptance and appreciation of everyone is the norm in Ward 15, and each individual is comfortable bringing their full selves to every initiative or problem we have tackled.

   Our community has led the efforts on creating a better city. Ward 15 is one of the neighborhoods in the city to witness population growth over the past decade. The success of our community offers a model for how a neighborhood can come together in the city and reinvent itself. By energizing our residents and stakeholders, we have managed to create a dynamic community that has been adding new jobs and housing, improving safety, and building more sustainably. By focusing on economic development, we leveraged over a billion dollars in new commercial, housing and infrastructure investments.

   Looking back, I am proud of what we accomplished in Ward 15. But now, I am looking forward.

   As a long-held council tradition, I will be recommending Jenny Spencer as my successor. She is a long-standing Detroit Shoreway resident and has served as Managing Director of Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization since 2014. Jenny and I share the same passion and love for the Cudell, Detroit Shoreway and Edgewater neighborhoods.

Ward 15 City Council Representative Matt Zone