If you’ve ever felt that voting rarely or never leads to real change in Cleveland, you are not alone. But what if you could do more than vote and hope that elected officials will represent your community’s interests? What if you could help develop the policies that shape the city?
That’s already happening in other cities. It’s called participatory democracy, and the newly formed Cleveland Power Alliance is bringing it here, starting with an event on Aug. 16 called the People’s Solutions Lab.
“Clevelanders are not apathetic about the challenges they face — they are systematically excluded from the spaces where solutions are developed,” the Cleveland Power Alliance said in a statement. “We advocate for a participatory democracy rooted in community-led decision-making.”
Cleveland Power Alliance is led by Cleveland VOTES, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes voting and civic engagement. The other members of the alliance are the Cleveland Freedom Dreams Coalition, Neighborhood Connections and All Voting Is Local Ohio.
The alliance has identified eight policy priorities and will present them at the People’s Solutions Lab. Erika Anthony, executive director of Cleveland VOTES, wouldn’t reveal the priorities but said they fall into four categories: civil liberties and human rights, equitable democracy, healthy and safe communities and a just economy.
“We really intend on hearing from community members” at the lab, Anthony said. “Do these policy priorities resonate with you? Do you feel like these are things that you want your elected officials to prioritize in the coming years? And then we want to work with the attendees at this event to [brainstorm] around two additional policy ideas.”
There’s a “culture piece” to the alliance’s work too, Anthony said, referring to changing the way politicians view citizen engagement. She mentioned another participatory democracy initiative, the People’s Budget campaign of 2023, and “how that was received in a very negative light by many of the local elected officials in the city.”
The alliance’s long-term plans call for work on gerrymandering and voter access, which are controlled at the state level. But for now the focus is on the 2025 Cleveland elections. After the event, the alliance will present all of the policy ideas to the candidates for mayor and Cleveland City Council.
Spreading the word about the changes in ward boundaries and polling places is also on the agenda. And before the end of the year, the alliance will organize an “accountability forum,” to discuss how well elected officials are living up to their promises.
The People’s Solutions Lab will take place Aug. 16 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Neighborhood Connections, 1971 E. 66th St.. The event is open to all, whether they’re new to civic involvement or have been active for years. Participation is free, but registration is required (and space is limited). Cleveland Documenters will be there to create a public record of the process.
