Plain Press

  • Cleveland Owns’ incubator promotes economic democracy

    PHOTO COURTESY OF CLEVELAND OWNS The Cleveland Owns team at a co-op farm in Cincinnati. (L to R) Craig Ickler, Energy Democracy Organizer; Jonathan Welle, Executive Director; and Bogdan Vitoc, Co-op Organizer. by Bruce Checefsky                   (Plain Press March 2024) Economic democracy proposes a shift of ownership and decision-making from shareholders and the board of…

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  • The People’s Budget Cleveland loses the election, but wins the campaign

    by Bruce Checefsky                   (Plain Press December 2023) Cleveland voters defeated an amendment to create a participatory budgeting process called the People’s Budget (PB CLE), allowing residents to propose and vote on city-wide and neighborhood-specific projects using money allocated to the People’s Budget Fund. Issue 38 would have allowed Cleveland residents aged 13 and over…

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  • Public Debate on Participatory Budgeting

    by Bruce Checefsky    City Council member Kris Harsh, who represents Old Brooklyn and part of the Stockyard neighborhoods, published an Op-Ed piece in the Plain Dealer and cleveland.com calling for a public debate with PB CLE (Participatory Budgeting) coalition.    The event is for September 26 at 6 pm in the Little Theatre inside Public Auditorium.…

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  • PB CLE re-emerges as People’s Budget Cleveland, launches ballot initiative

    PHOTO BY LOH A member of Coordinating Committee of the People’s Budget Cleveland flashes a peace sign. People’s Budget Cleveland launched a campaign for a ballot initiative on Friday May 26th on Cleveland Public Square. People’s Budget Cleveland hopes Clevelanders will embrace the idea of citizens participating directly in deciding how to spend a small…

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  • Letters to the Editor

    Variance for Youth Drop-In Center applauded To the Editor:    I have been a resident of the Near West Side for over 25 years, and I am grateful that the City of Cleveland Board of Zoning Appeals granted the variance needed for the Youth Drop-In Center project on Franklin Blvd.    Finally, a new project…

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  • PB Cle plan postponed

    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…

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  • City Club of Cleveland panel discusses Participatory Budgeting Cleveland (PB CLE) proposal

    PHOTO BY BRUCE CHECEFSKY Wednesday, November 2, 2022, Happy Dog, W. 58th and Detroit Avenue: Kenny Medrano, Former Director, Participatory Budgeting, District 26, New York City, explains the merits of participatory budgeting. The City Club joined with Participatory Budgeting Cleveland (PB CLE) to host a panel discussion on participatory budgeting. by Bruce Checefsky      (Plain…

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  • PB CLE stages community event at ThirdSpace Action Lab

    PHOTO BY BRUCE CHECEFSKY Sunday, May 15, 2022; Participatory Budgeting in Action event, ThirdSpace Action Lab, 1464 E. 105th Street: Laylah Allen, Chief Executive Officer of The Missing Link, COPE Inc., and David Van Horn, a community artist and organizer for Art Block, participate in this effort to have citizens help determine how a portion of…

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  • Participatory Budgeting Cleveland presents its 2022 Action Plan

    Participatory Budgeting Cleveland presents its 2022 Action Plan by Bruce Checefsky Plain Press, May 2022             Molly Martin took the microphone to address Cleveland City Council on the need for Participatory Budgeting using The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding. In her three-minute talk, Martin, a member of the PB CLE (Participatory Budgeting Cleveland), a coalition of individuals…

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  • Participatory Budgeting Cleveland wants public involved in decisions about spending of American Rescue Act funds

    PHOTO BY TAURUS KINGS PHOTOGRAPHY Members of the Participatory Budgeting Cleveland Team:  Gwen Garth, Trevor Pollack, Laylah Allen, Molly Martin, Austin Davis, Robin Brown, Loh, Daniel Ortiz, Angelique Salizan, Kayla Knight, Chrissy Stonebraker-Martinez, and Jonathan Welle. Participatory Budgeting Cleveland wants public involved in decisions about spending of American Rescue Act funds by Bruce Checefsky (Plain Press,…

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