PHOTO BY BRUCE CHECEFSKY

Monday, January 9, 2023; Participatory Budgeting Cleveland’s (PB CLE) People’s Budget Press Conference, Cleveland City Hall, 601 Lakeside Avenue: Robin Brown, a PB CLE founding member and the founder of Concerned Citizens Organized Against Lead, would like to see a People’s Budget provide additional resources to address Cleveland’s long standing lead poisoning problem.

PHOTO BY BRUCE CHECEFSKY

Monday, January 9, 2023; Participatory Budgeting Cleveland’s (PB CLE) People’s Budget Press Conference, Cleveland City Hall, 601 Lakeside Avenue: Participatory Budgeting advocate Keshawn Walker wants to know why some people at City Hall are against Participatory Budgeting.

by Bruce Checefsky

     Ward 13 Councilman Kris Harsh shook his head in disbelief while Participatory Budgeting Cleveland (PB CLE) organizer Jonathan Welle called on city council members to support funding for participatory budgeting. Welle spoke on behalf of PB CLE during the public comments portion at the January 9 council meeting.

     Mayor Bibb proposed legislation under a pilot participatory budgeting program intended to engage historically underrepresented and marginalized communities in the further selection and funding of projects by the City of Cleveland within its boundaries. The plan calls for more than $500,000 from the City’s Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (part of the City of Cleveland allocation from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds) to cover initial administrative costs.

     “Opposing a people’s budget means looking residents in the eye and telling them that they don’t deserve a vote on how to spend public money,” said Welle.

     Harsh responded to Welle’s public comments in an email to the Plain Press, saying that community organizing is essential, but the PB CLE coalition has put the cart in front of the horse.

     “I was an activist and an organizer for two decades. Whenever you can organize people around issues that matter to them and push reforms you are doing good work. The problem with Participatory Budgeting is that they have put the cart in front of the horse. Instead of organizing the community and advocating for reforms, they are demanding money so that they can organize the community. This demand comes on the premise that the government does not adequately represent the voters.”

     “This statement [by Johnathan Welle] is asinine and feeds into the same anti-government sentiment that right-wing activists have been using for decades to undermine our institutions of democracy. The idea that saying “no” to a blanket request for $5 million is itself a rebuke of citizen involvement in spending is Orwellian. The whole campaign for participatory budgeting is less democratic than our current system. This group wants tax money but won’t say what for. They claim to represent “the people” but there are only a few dozen of them. The premise of their entire argument is based on the same Reaganesque concept that government itself is the problem. Then they claim that this is going to encourage more participation in local elections! You cannot tell people “government is a failure, go vote” with a straight face. They are leaning into shallow analysis and emotional triggers in the name of funding. Ultimately, the proposal Mayor Bibb introduced on Monday night will first disburse $510,000 to a local non-profit for staff and salary before even a single dollar in public spending is discussed. Participatory budgeting might be a lot of things, but it is not a transparent or democratic use of public funds.” 

     An hour before the city council meeting, dozens of organizers stood in the cold on the steps of City Hall to support PB CLE. Keshawn Walker, from Ward 4, told the growing crowd that participatory budgeting puts the people in charge.

     “Participatory budgeting gives people an initiation into understanding the process of the political dynamics of where they live. It’s a powerful thing,” said Walker. “I don’t understand how anybody can be against this. For the longest time, when a process comes along where people have more say in where they live and city government, individuals try to quiet them. I want to question the people at City Hall who are against it. And why would you be against it?”

     Proponents claim that participatory budgeting would bring increased voter participation. While the PB processes can vary, it generally follows a series of steps on community outreach and engagement. Critics argue that the potential is there, but reality leaves much to be desired. A participative budget is time-consuming compared to an imposed budget, according to an article published in the NISPAcee Journal of Public Administration and Policy. Too much participation may occur, which may derail the process. Solving the crisis of democracy using PB implementation alone is not probable. Local politicians should be prudent and not consider PB an ideal instrument to foster civic participation under all circumstances.

     Robin Brown, a PB CLE founding member and the founder of Concerned Citizens Organized Against Lead, said she wants to see lead paint poisoning issues get more support. Residents should have the opportunity to work with city administrators to determine how the money gets spent, not the other way around.

     “[We] come up with sustainable ideas sitting at our kitchen table, and with an answer, but [we] do not have the resources,” said Brown. “This is a way we can start having the resources.” 

     The legislation is co-sponsored by Cleveland City Council members Jenny Spencer, Stephanie Howse, and Rebecca Maurer. Cleveland City Council President and Ward 6 Councilman Blaine Griffin opposes the Civic Participation Fund proposal saying he, and the majority of Cleveland council members, are against the idea of participatory budgeting because it would take funding from youth programs and education.

     “We know how much work there is to do to repair democracy,” said Ward 15 Councilwoman Jenny Spencer at the rally. “The PB CLE coalition has been extraordinary. Some of the best organizing minds are part of this coalition.”

     PB CLE Community Co-organizer Molly Martin, of the Cleveland Catholic Worker community and director of strategic initiatives at the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, was part of a growing coalition that launched PB CLE in the spring of 2021. She began by vetting ideas on their website, holding house parties in person and virtually, and brainstorming ideas with city residents.

     “We urge the City Council to support participatory budgeting legislation,” said Martin.

     The coalition has dozens of endorsements from grassroots organizations and foundations, including The George Gund Foundation, Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition, Cleveland NAACP, Policy Matters Ohio, Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus, and dozens of others.

     The Brennan Center for Justice reported that participatory budgeting hasn’t been successful everywhere. Challenges arose in cities where PB projects received too little funding. Motivating volunteers was difficult if the amount at stake was not large enough for ambitious proposals. Non-white residents were slightly underrepresented as voters and participants in the PB process compared to their numbers in the total population.

     In San Jose, California, the program ran for five cycles before ending in 2020. Turnout averaged around 500 in a district of about 100,000 residents. Toronto, Ontario, ultimately declined to expand the pilot into a citywide program following low resident participation. Durham, North Carolina, launched its PB process in 2018 when the city council voted to allocate $2.4 million, divided equally among three wards. Proposals were required to be all service projects funded through grants to nonprofits rather than capital projects.

     “As it has been presented to date – No!”, said Ward 8 Councilman Michael D. Polensek when asked by the Plain Press in an email if he would vote in favor of participatory budgeting. “It is set up to cause divisions in our neighborhoods! Not good! I came into the council as a community activist! Now we have to pay folks to attend, or organize community meetings. Give me a break!”

     Participatory budgeting legislation will head to two city council committees for review, including the finance committee, before being placed on the docket for a vote. Council Members and City departments can recommend changes, or amendments, to the legislation during the hearing process. A simple majority is needed to pass it.

                  Participatory budgeting legislation will head to two city council committees for review, including the Finance, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, before being placed on the docket for a vote. Cleveland City Council members and City departments can recommend changes, or amendments, to the legislation during the hearing process. A simple majority is needed to pass it.

Update: The Cleveland City Council Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee voted to hold the participatory budgeting legislation for further discussion following a three-hour meeting on January 23. PB CLE Co-organizer Molly Martin said they were disappointed but plan to continue working with the City Council to find a way forward.