At a caucus meeting this week, the new Cleveland City Council class voted to retain Patricia J. Britt as council’s clerk. But what didn’t happen at the meeting was newsy, too.
Two caucus members nominated a competing candidate to serve as clerk for the first six months of the year: Jenny Spencer, who will leave office as a West Side council member at the end of the year. She had support from Stephanie Howse-Jones and Nikki Hudson.
The clerk manages council’s day-to-day operations. Howse-Jones circulated a list of issues she wanted to be addressed — such as setting up online systems for handling constituent complaints and for spending casino tax dollars.
(Spencer told Signal Cleveland that she didn’t want the job of clerk but was honored to be considered and sympathized with Howse-Jones’ desire for improvements in the office.)
Howse-Jones and Hudson voted to take the meeting into executive session so council could discuss staffing privately. The rest of the caucus voted that idea down at Council President Blaine Griffin’s urging. Griffin said council didn’t have the legal ability to meet in executive session and risked a lawsuit if it tried.
Griffin said he planned to hire a consultant to help with what he vaguely termed “morale issues.”
“I know that there’s a lot of concern between staff and council members,” he said.
Britt thanked council for its support and said she had spoken with every member, including those who didn’t support her.
“I found it very enlightening,” she said. “I appreciate your comments, I appreciate your suggestions, and I look forward to working with you.”
Campaign chatter
Ronayne repeat: Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne launched his reelection bid on Saturday. The Democrat won the reins of county government in 2022. Now he’s running for a second term as he deals with a tight budget, the building of an $890 million new county jail and the Browns’ plan to move to Brook Park (which Ronayne opposes).
There will be a primary election next spring and a general election in November 2026.
Waiting game in Ward 12: At last check, there were 50 uncounted ballots in Cleveland City Council’s Ward 12, where Tanmay Shah leads incumbent Danny Kelly by seven votes.
There are 29 provisional ballots and 21 uncounted mail-in ballots. The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is set to decide Nov. 17 how many of those provisionals are valid and should be counted. An official result is expected by Nov. 25, and then there may be a recount.
