Creating a Better Cleveland #TOGETHER

Hi Cleveland and Residents of Ward 13,

I am sure we have plenty of questions like:

• Why are my utilities bill so high?
• Why is no one listening to me but only close to an election year?
• Is it me or are we seeing the same old politics & bureaucracy that have happened for years?
• Shouldn’t we be helping our schools and kids more?
• Why is their still a lack of transparency from everything with meetings, projects, to budgets, and more?
• Why am I the last one to find out what’s going on in the city?
• Can’t Cleveland stick to its original founding motto: Progress & Prosperity?
• Why do we have more dollar stores than an actual diverse economic portfolio of small businesses to corporations for Cleveland to thrive and become the vibrant city it has always meant to be and possibly creating more jobs?
• Why aren’t we working together towards developing a plan to tackle the violence in our city?
• Am I going to see more action and less talk & red tape?

The list could go on about all the questions and thoughts we and/or others have expressed throughout the years but all of us, as Clevelanders, hope for a better future but we shouldn’t have to wait for a better future when we could actually work towards Creating a Better Cleveland #TOGETHER in the now. That starts with YOU and I. As your councilman and part of Cleveland’s legislative body, I plan on working with all of you, with whomever the new mayor might become this coming election, and with all colleagues in the city to truly make that happen. These are not empty words or some made up promise but from day one I plan on really tackling many issues with everyone from the county, state, and federal level too but to really make it work, we in the city will need all Clevelanders involved regardless where you stand on political affiliations, ideologies, or whatever is holding you back. Think about it, in order for a democracy to really work we should all strive to universally work towards what the founding fathers wanted which are our rights “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” but that only happens when we come #TOGETHER.

In order to achieve this:

• I plan on a bi-weekly address to our Ward 13 community, to create a genuine trust in our local government and establish authentic transparency. Making sure to send out information accordingly and even having an American Sign Language interpreter for those with disabilities.
• Inviting residents to all open available council meetings regardless if its virtual or not.
• Making sure residents have more open input with all projects and other things Development corporations and council have in store for the community and push corporations to market communications with the community at large to truly have transparency with corporations and the people.
• Creating a Ward 13 website about our community. This would help centralize everything from highlighting all historical sites, restaurants, businesses, jobs available in the ward and specifically to Cleveland, and much more. Most of all creating an idea tab called the Ward 13 Think Tank.
• Establishing a team of residents with team captains from respective areas of the ward by implementing a larger neighborhood watch program using my background in homeland security and working with law enforcement to help train these residents and to continue to improve communication and relations with residents. Neighborhood captains would meet with me and report any resident concerns to my office, helping me address residents concerns appropriately.
• Working on legislation for the people and with the people. 
• Using my experience working in the arena of education to cooperatively work with everyone from the city to the county and state for better progress in our school district.
• Fighting for anti-bullying initiatives and creating more peer unity programs for kids & teens. Also, working on suicidal issues with our young people.
• Continue to improve programming for Cleveland children to young adults from sports to arts.

With many more ideas that I know YOU as a resident have, I will make sure WE will work together for a better today, so I expect to hear from residents young and old, single to married, and just basically everyone to really make this happen. That we all could experience real and genuine change because Cleveland can’t wait.

So this September 14th, I’m asking for your vote to serve as your next elected representative on our Cleveland City Council.

But before you can VOTE make sure you register: https://olvr.ohiosos.gov/

If you are registered and want to volunteer for the campaign let us know by sending a text to (440) 506-6119 with the word #TOGETHER & your name and we will reach out to you. 

As a born and raised Clevelander, young dad to two beautiful toddler girls & one year old son, husband, pastor, graduate student, former federal public civil servant, and volunteer, I understand Cleveland from many different angles. From attending Cleveland Public Schools to my first job in a Kmart at 15 years of age to helping volunteer my time in many efforts around the city and state. I am running because I understand the people of Cleveland and believe that the voices and needs of many Cleveland residents have been largely left behind because of many different reasons but things have to change and change for the good not tomorrow, not three years from now, but right now in the present. So many things have left many in our community feeling hopeless, discouraged in civic engagement, and/or powerless for their ability to change things or ever recover and establish a better life for themselves or their families.

As your City of Cleveland Council member for Ward 13, I will dedicate myself to seeking out the genuine needs of our community, all Clevelanders whether your a Nurse, Plumber, First Responder, Union, Teacher, Small Business Owner, Long time resident, young, old, retired, basically everyone that our community is composed of regardless of age, race, religion, middle income, low income, and in between, making sure WE are solving our mutual challenges #Together. Political affiliations, greed, corruption, favoritism, lobbyists, corporate interests, and other things should never decide the progress & prosperity of and for the people. Rather, smart and transparent government working alongside its people will resolve real issues.