On Thursday night, Cleveland residents gathered at a Ward 1 City Council candidate forum organized by the Cleveland Ohio Southeast Residents Organization (COSERO) in partnership with the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland (LWV). COSERO is a collective of street and block clubs on Cleveland’s Southeast Side.
The forum at the William E. Sanders Family Life Center, 3949 Lee Rd., was designed to give Ward 1 residents the opportunity to ask direct questions to candidates who are running for the seat, organizers said. The evening began with light refreshments and networking before starting promptly at 6 p.m.
The format
The event was moderated by Ward 1 residents Veronica Thornton and Don McGee. Before and during the forum, members of the LWV and Ward 1 volunteers passed out notecards to audience members who wanted to submit questions. The cards said questions were screened to “ensure readability and avoid inappropriate or irrelevant questions.” Each candidate was given one minute to respond, with a timekeeper sitting in the front row to enforce the time.
The candidates
As Signal Cleveland reported in June , there are five candidates running to be the Ward 1 City Council member:
- Aylwin S. Bridges
- Marc G. Crosby
- Joe Jones (incumbent)
- Lesa Jones-Dollar
- Juanita O. Brent
All five candidates were invited to participate in the forum. Bridges, Brent and Crosby were in attendance. Incumbent Joe Jones and candidate Lesa Jones-Dollar did not take part, however, Jones-Dollar submitted a statement that organizers read on her behalf.
Aylwin S. Bridges
Bridges is a former member of the U.S. Navy who has held roles in healthcare, education, finance and the federal government. He has been a resident of Ward 1 for 62 years.
“I’m running for one primary reason. I want us to re-connect as neighbors,” Bridges said. “I canvassed this ward 3.5 times this year. I listened to people. They feel left out.”
He also emphasized the need for improved business development and safety.
“We need good business development, we need things well beyond gas stations and bars,” Bridges said. “We need safety in the community, everybody should feel safe. I have a passion towards the safety of women. You should feel safe in your home, in your job and on the streets.”
Juanita O. Brent
Brent currently serves as the Ohio House District 18 representative. She formerly served on the board of trustees at the Harvard Community Service Center and is a lifelong resident of Ward 1.
“I have been very intentional about being here all my life,” Brent said. “There are a lot of places I could go, but being in Cleveland, particularly in this community, is my heart’s desire.”
She took some time to ultimately decide to run, but eventually decided to throw her hat in the ring. Brent has also reached her term-limit as district representative.
“I did a lot of talking to people,” she said. “I wanted to talk to the people, I didn’t want to jump into the race just because of something. The three things I kept hearing from people in the community is that they wanted a clean, safe and connected Cleveland.”
Marc G. Crosby
Crosby and his family have lived in Ward 1 since 1992. He is an entrepreneur and a veteran, with a background in business development and nonprofit management. He said he values family, mentorship and safety.
“The things that we most put emphasis on is family,” Crosby said. “I have a problem with families that are not connected to the community to get the things that children need.”
“I had mentors over here,” he added. “My problem with Ward 1 right now is that we don’t have mentors. We don’t think about the things that we have to represent to the children.”
Lesa Jones-Dollar
While Jones-Dollar did not attend the forum, she submitted a statement that was read out loud.
“This campaign is about us,” the statement said. “It’s about creating a Ward 1 that works for everyone. … I am not here to be the loudest voice. … I am here to be the most consistent, committed and collaborative voice for all of Ward 1.”
She said some of her main areas of focus include economic development with equity, safe streets, thriving youth and accountability.
Joe Jones
Council Member Joe Jones was originally set to participate but withdrew the night before the event, according to COSERO President Janet Williams.
You can watch the Ward 1 Candidate Forum in its entirety below:
