PHOTO COURTESY OF CLEVELAND CITY COUNCIL

Ward 15 Councilwoman Jenny Spencer has decided not to run for reelection in 2025.

by Bruce Checefsky

     (Plain Press December 2024) Cleveland City Council Member Jenny Spencer, who represents Ward 15, which includes Edgewater, Cudell, Detroit Shoreway, and parts of the Ohio City and Stockyard neighborhoods, is not seeking re-election in 2025. She told the Plain Press that she will serve the remainder of her term ending in January 2026.

     Spencer replaced Councilman Matt Zone in November 2020 after he resigned to become senior vice president and director of the Thriving Communities Institute at Western Reserve Land Conservancy. Her decision gives potential candidates an advanced opportunity to campaign for the position.

     “I came to the decision months ago but waited until after the 2024 elections to break the news,” said Spencer.

     She has no plans to appoint her successor and acknowledged that future ward redistricting did not impact her decision not to run.

     “The feedback that I got back from the community is that many people do not view appointing a successor as democratic,” she said. “There can and should be steps that council could take to be more democratic, and that is one of them.”

     In 2008, Cleveland voters supported a charter amendment that called for the number of wards to be determined by population. The number of wards was reduced from 19 to 17 a decade ago. The Council will reduce the number from 17 to 15 next year.  Cleveland’s current population is less than 373,000 as of the 2020 census.

     The Triad Research Group hired by City Council will make recommendations for the upcoming redistricting process. Bob Dykes, a long-time data analyst and statistician, will lead the Triad team. Dr. Mark Salling, a former Cleveland State University Professor of Urban Affairs, and Kent Whitley, an urban planner, political consultant, and organizer, will assist. 

Spencer moved from Shaker Heights to the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood to work with the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization in 2008. She immediately got involved in community politics and the Obama campaign.

     “Community organizing blew my mind,” she said. “It completely changed my mind set about how to create change. There is a way to change the world by building power with others.” 

     She showed up at community meetings and met a bunch of neighbors who are still her friends today. 

     “I immediately felt like part of a community. It was magical,” she said, adding she has no regrets about her time at City Council. “I accomplished what I came into council to do. I’m interested in making room for new emerging leaders and supporting people to have leadership positions in the community and grow a new batch of political talent, which is so badly needed.”

     Spencer, who holds advanced degrees in political science, public policy, and urban planning, said community organizing is not likely to be easy with President Trump’s return next year and car dealership owner Bernie Merino winning over three-term Senator Sherrod Brown. 

     “My deep concern, as a private citizen following the completion of my term, is thinking about how we can repair the injustices inherent with our past and address the inequities at a systems level. This is all of our work, not just the work of a few people,” she said. “I think we have not yet begun to understand how difficult organizing will be as we move forward and ask the government to care for all people.”

     Spencer acknowledges a period of favorable government support and policies such as the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) stimulus money supported the City Council agenda, without which success would have been less likely. Cleveland received $512 million in ARPA funds, the eighth-largest allocation in the United States.

     In 2022, Mayor Bibb initiated the Rescue & Transformation Plan in response to the federal money, which included stabilizing the budget, inclusive economic recovery, housing for all, violence prevention and public safety, closing the digital divide, modern and transparent City Hall, education for everyone, lead-safe Cleveland, arts and neighborhood amenities, and a civic participation fund.

     Critics of the plan say that years after City Hall passed a lead-safe law meant to protect young children against the dangers of lead paint exposure, Cleveland has failed to reduce child lead poisoning. Other programs have fledged. 

     Spencer said the deep-seated council is challenging, and getting people the city services they need is difficult. People have trouble getting basic services through city operations, so they turn to the council offices for help.

     “Constituent services are demanding. You could be in reactive mode all the time, responding to whatever is flying at you, and a lot of stuff is always flying at you,” she said. “The Bibb administration made an important change with the new 311 system. Citizens can self-report a problem and get a reference number, freeing up council members to be in less of a reactive mode, making more room for policy work.”

     In September, the City of Cleveland announced an online service allowing residents to submit requests related to public works, sanitation, street maintenance, City parks, and more via online forms. After submitting, residents receive a confirmation number to track their requests. If residents create a log-in, they can track the status of the requests through their online account. The online service is available at clevelandohio.gov/311. Residents may still contact the 311 Citizen Support Center by dialing 311 or 216-664-2000.

     Spencer remembers taking over the ward during the pandemic. Her first year on the council was almost entirely on Zoom. It was a sharp learning curve. Since then, appreciation of her constituents has grown. She acknowledges that people have lost muscle memory because of the pandemic, and public meetings have diminished.

     “Most of the block clubs have disappeared. Neighbors do not know each other as well. Overall, people are more isolated,” she said. “There is no clear way to connect and solve shared problems. Our civic structure is not as strong as before the pandemic.”

     As to whether the Browns stadium should stay in Cleveland or move to Brookpark, Spencer is not a passionate sports fan and was never enamored with a stadium on the lake that has eight games a year. Still, she supports efforts to solve the problem.

     “I believe our existing stadium is perfectly good and capable of a reasonable renovation,” she said.