A progressive third party wants to have a say in this year’s Cleveland City Council races. This week the Ohio Working Families Party endorsed candidates in five wards.
Two are newcomers challenging incumbents: Tanmay Shah, who is running against Council Member Danny Kelly in the new Ward 12, and Alana Belle, who is up against Ward 9 Council Member Kevin Conwell.
Two are running in open seats on the West Side. The Working Families Party endorsed Nikki Hudson in the new Ward 11 and Mohammad Faraj in the new Ward 7.
So far, Hudson appears to have the race to herself — but with a month still to go before the filing deadline, there’s time for other candidates to emerge. Several others are competing for the Ward 7 seat: Austin Davis, Mike Rogalski and Meagan Meehan.
Rebecca Maurer was the only incumbent council member to get the party nod. She is running against fellow incumbent Council Member Richard Starr in Ward 5, which includes the Central neighborhood and parts of downtown, Kinsman and Slavic Village.
Though a separate political party, the Working Families Party has a history of endorsing in Democratic primaries, giving favored candidates progressive credentials in intra-Democratic contests. It has been involved in Ohio politics since 2017. Cleveland’s municipal races are non-partisan, so no party affiliations appear on the ballot.
Aleena Starks, WFP’s state director in Ohio, said the party is looking at endorsing in two more council races. That would bring the candidate slate up to 7, or one seat short of a majority of the new 15 wards.
The party also rolled out a platform for Cleveland races, endorsing such ideas as participatory budgeting and capping tax breaks for new development.
For all the party’s high hopes, toppling an incumbent is no easy job. Cleveland voters often reelect their council members, though not always. For instance, in 2017, the last time Conwell faced an opponent, he won with just shy of 78% of the vote.
