• Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley considers running for mayor

    Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley considers running for mayor by Bruce Checefsky        (Plain Press, April 2021)      Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley is near the end of his two-month Neighborhood Listening Tour across the City of Cleveland. The tour, which began in February as a way to learn firsthand from community members about their immediate…


  • Ohio City and Tremont respond to calls for more affordable housing

    Ohio City and Tremont respond to calls for more affordable housing by Marc Lefkowitz, The Land  (Plain Press, April 2021)        A new land trust on Cleveland’s near west side has a mission to increase permanent, affordable housing in the midst of a hot housing market. Ohio City and Tremont West Development Corporation have teamed up to form…


  • What can Cleveland do to be a more welcoming city to low-income families with children?

    What can Cleveland do to be a more welcoming city to low-income families with children? by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, April 2021)         Cleveland has an opportunity to create a more just society within our borders. A unique time has come when we, with proper planning, can take advantage of federal dollars and address the needs of…


  • Forum examines protections for tenants

    Forum examines protections for tenants by Jack Barnes On March 17th Organize! Ohio hosted a zoom forum event called “Expanding Tenant Protections: Pay to Stay and Source of Income” as part of the Ohio Fair Lending & Vital Communities Brown Bag Forum series. Moderated by Cuyahoga Affordable Housing Alliance (CAHA) Chair Phil Star, meeting attendees heard from…



  • The Repair Company celebrates 50 years on Madison Avenue

    The Repair Company celebrates 50 years on Madison Avenue Plain Press, March 2021         In February, Sandy Bozak, owner of The Repair Company at W. 103rd and Madison, marked the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of her company. At a February 4th ceremony, Ward 15 Cleveland City Council Representative Jenny Spencer presented Sandy Bozak with a Council Resolution of…


  • Cleveland City Council’s three women share their reflections on politics and public policy

    by Jack Barnes Plain Press, March 2021      On January 26th the Cuyahoga Democratic Women’s Caucus organized a “Conversation with Cleveland City Councilwomen” via Zoom hosted by its Chair, Cynthia Demsey. The hour-long event featured all three of the women on the 17-person Cleveland City Council reflecting on their paths to public service; on being women in…


  • City Council Health and Human Services Committee seeks information about the status of City of Cleveland’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution

    City Council Health and Human Services Committee seeks information about the status of City of Cleveland’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution by Bruce Checefsky Plain Press, March 2021  The City of Cleveland COVID-19 vaccine program has been anything but easy. A shortage of vaccine supplies on the federal level has hampered the distribution process coupled with miscommunication on…


  • Industry changes over time, some still survives on Madison Avenue

    by Alana Whelan (Plain Press, February 2021)             Madison Avenue has largely been a hub for industry and residential housing, both dating back to the 1890s, when the National Carbon Co. office was built at W. 117th Street.     Madison Avenue stretches all the way from W. 58th Street in Cleveland, into Lakewood, and ends perpendicular with Rocky…


  • “Defund the Police” Is A Misleading, Irresponsible Slogan

    To the Editor: (Plain Press, February 2021) As Cleveland, Ohio embarks on a new election season, I’m concerned about the growing narrative pitting communities of color against police officers.  I support the principles embodied in most versions of Defund the Police legislation.  But citizens rarely hear these principles. Instead, we repeatedly hear the misleading and irresponsible Defund the…